Search — Theology Explorer

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

Tal Ilan's Palestinian name database — confirming Gospel names match authentic first-century Palestinian onomastics

Statistical evidence from Jewish names scholarship supporting Gospel authenticity.

Gospel historicity community tradition view Tal Ilan

Names are geographically and temporally specific — foreign fabricators could not have replicated Palestinian name patterns

Implication of Ilan's name statistics for the community tradition view.

Jesus Seminar Gospel genre demythologization

The genre of the Gospels: from assumed mythology to recognized Greco-Roman biography

Historical shift in scholarly understanding of the literary genre of the Gospels.

Gospel historicity Gospel genre Greco-Roman biography

Charles Talbert (1977) identified the Gospels as ancient biography; Richard Burridge confirmed it

The scholarly turning point on Gospel genre.

ancient historiography Gospel genre Greco-Roman biography

Difference between biography and history as genres — and why biography is a historical genre

Clarifying what it means that the Gospels are ancient biography rather than history.

apologetics Gospel historicity community tradition view

Summary conclusions: multiple lines of evidence converge against community tradition view

Mike draws conclusions from the four major evidence streams.

Matthew 11:21-24 salvation mental disability and accountability Matthew 11:21-24

Q&A: Salvation of severely mentally handicapped people — accountability proportional to awareness

Q&A segment begins; first question about soteriological edge cases.

Hebrews 11:32 Samson salvation saving faith

Q&A: Why is Samson in the Hebrews Hall of Faith? Was Samson saved?

Q&A question about Samson's presence in Hebrews 11.

Richard Bauckham Jesus Seminar Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

Q&A: The historical-critical method — recommended response is Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

Q&A for a student in an early Christian philosophy course using the historical-critical method.

Markan priority biblical inerrancy Markan priority Q source

Q&A: The Q document — does it matter if Gospel writers used written sources?

Q&A question about the hypothetical Q source document.

Mark 16:8 Mark 16:9-20 textual criticism biblical inerrancy Mark 16:8

Q&A: The ending of Mark 16 — short vs. long ending; not a threat to Gospel reliability

Q&A from an atheist about the ending of Mark and supposed Gospel contradictions.

Matthew/Levi biblical inerrancy Mike Licona Gospel contradictions

Q&A: Do the Gospels contradict each other? Mike's strong stance on harmonization

Q&A follow-up on Gospel contradictions from the same atheist questioner.

Bart Ehrman Gospel reliability harmonization

Bart Ehrman's argument that harmonizing the Gospels means writing a new Gospel — Mike's refutation

Q&A addressing Ehrman's specific anti-harmonization argument.

Hebrews 4:15 Christology impeccability of Christ peccability of Christ

Q&A: Can Jesus sin? Physically capable but character-incapable; peccability vs. impeccability debate

Q&A doctrinal question about the sinless nature of Christ.

Revelation mark of the beast eschatology Revelation mark of the beast

Q&A: Microchips in hand — not automatically the mark of the beast without beast worship connection

Q&A about prophetic application of Revelation's mark of the beast to modern technology.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 husband of one wife Titus 1

Q&A: Titus and 1 Timothy pastoral qualifications — "husband of one wife" and "having children"

Q&A on elder/bishop/pastor qualifications in the Pastoral Epistles.

Christian living hearing from God spiritual discernment

Q&A: How does God speak to new Christians? Live by biblical principles, not impressions

Q&A pastoral advice for new Christians wondering about hearing from God.

Pontius Pilate eyewitness testimony Gospel historicity

Q&A: How did the Gospel writers know about private conversations (Jesus and Pilate)?

Q&A on the epistemological question of how private Gospel scenes were recorded.

Bart Ehrman Gospel reliability harmonization

Q&A: Bart Ehrman's claim that harmonizing Gospels means writing a new Gospel — video reference

Second pass at the harmonization question with a specific resource recommendation.

1 Corinthians 7:14 hermeneutics sanctification 1 Corinthians 7:14

Q&A: 1 Corinthians 7:14 — "sanctified" is a dictionary term, not a theological one; no automatic salvation for unbelieving spouse

Q&A on the meaning of sanctification language in Paul's marriage instruction.

Luke 22:41 Matthew 26:39 eyewitness testimony Holy Spirit inspiration private scenes in Gospels

Q&A: How did the disciples know what Jesus prayed in Gethsemane if he prayed alone?

Q&A on the epistemological basis for the Gethsemane prayer account.

Luke 2:2 fulfilled prophecy apologetics methodology circular reasoning objection

Q&A: Using the Bible to prove the Bible — not circular reasoning when done correctly

Q&A on the epistemological objection to using Scripture to validate Scripture.

Isaiah 53 Psalm 22 Pentecost apologetics fulfilled prophecy

Q&A: Did New Testament writers invent Gospel narratives from OT prophecies? — Refuted by extra-biblical confirmation of historical facts

Q&A from a persistent atheist questioner (Doug) suggesting Gospels were reverse-engineered from OT texts.

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Matthew 27: saints raised from the dead at Jesus's death — why do only Matthew mention it?

Insects Are Cool (an atheist regular on the channel) asks why only Matthew mentions the resurrection of saints in Matthew 27.

Matthew 27 Apologetics Matthew 27 Saints resurrected at crucifixion

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Multiple attestation of empty tomb across 4 Gospels plus Acts sermons

Establishing historicity of the empty tomb through independent sources

Empty tomb Historicity Multiple attestation

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Burial on day of preparation before Sabbath - corroborated across Gospels

Internal consistency of burial timeline

Preparation day Sabbath Internal consistency

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Joseph of Arimathea - multiply attested, named, testable, criterion of embarrassment

Joseph as historical figure validating burial account

Criterion of embarrassment Joseph of Arimathea

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-03

Three embarrassing facts that authenticate the disciples' sincerity: Peter's denial, James's pre-resurrection unbelief, and Paul's role as persecutor of the church

The criterion of embarrassment applied to the three key witnesses

James the brother of Jesus James's pre-resurrection unbelief resurrection Paul the Apostle criterion of embarrassment

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Adding corroborating evidence: reasons to believe God exists and Scripture is reliable further overcome any prior improbability

Mike adds to the cumulative case by connecting evidence for God and Scripture to the prior probability question.

Existence of God Prior probability New Testament reliability

undesigned coincidences eyewitness testimony Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidences — definition and how they demonstrate historicity

Winger asks McLatchie to explain undesigned coincidences as a distinct argument for the historicity of the New Testament.

John 6:5 John 12:21 Luke 9:10 undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie John 6:5

Undesigned coincidence: why Jesus addressed Philip at the feeding of the 5,000

McLatchie's first example of an undesigned coincidence involving John 6, John 12, and Luke 9.

John 12:1 Mark 11-14 triumphal entry undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidence: John's Passover timeline and Mark's narrative calibrate perfectly

McLatchie's second Gospel-based undesigned coincidence — the precise synchronization of John 12 and Mark 11-14.

undesigned coincidences Lydia McGrew historicity of the Gospels

Lydia McGrew's book on undesigned coincidences

Winger references Lydia McGrew's scholarly work as a resource for deeper study on undesigned coincidences.

methodological naturalism Jonathan McLatchie historicity of the Gospels

General reliability of the Gospels and Acts as a fourth argument

Winger and McLatchie introduce the general historical reliability of the Gospels and Acts as an additional, related argument.

Matthew 2:22 Josephus Herod Antipas Antiquities of the Jews

Extra-biblical corroboration: Herod Archelaus and Matthew 2:22

McLatchie gives Josephus as extra-biblical corroboration explaining Matthew's otherwise puzzling reference to Herod Archelaus.

John the Baptist Luke 3:14 Josephus John the Baptist Herod Antipas

Extra-biblical corroboration: Luke 3 — soldiers on active duty near John the Baptist

McLatchie presents a subtle corroboration between Luke 3's soldiers and the specific military situation in the region during John the Baptist's ministry.

Peter Williams historicity of the Gospels Can We Trust the Gospels?

Peter Williams — Can We Trust the Gospels?

Winger recommends Peter Williams's book as a resource for the general reliability of the Gospels.

deity of Christ Jonathan McLatchie pagan deity parallels

Objection: Jesus's deity borrowed from pagan deities — and response

Addressing the popular online claim that the deity of Jesus was borrowed from pagan mythologies.

1 Corinthians 15 Acts 1 Luke Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Historical case for the resurrection — basis and overview

McLatchie introduces the historical argument for the resurrection of Jesus, which is the seventh main line of argument.

1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus Luke 24:34 Peter 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Criterion of restraint — no narratives of private resurrection appearances to Peter and James

McLatchie introduces the "criterion of restraint" as further corroboration of the resurrection's historicity.

Mary Magdalene empty tomb criterion of embarrassment

Empty tomb evidence — women as primary witnesses

McLatchie presents the role of women as primary witnesses to the empty tomb as evidence for its historicity.

Mark 16:1 Matthew 28:1 Luke 24:10 empty tomb Jonathan McLatchie historicity of the Gospels

Irreconcilable variation in empty tomb accounts — evidence for independence

McLatchie presents apparent discrepancies between Gospel accounts of the empty tomb as evidence for their independence.

apologetics cumulative case apologetics Jonathan McLatchie

The cumulative case — power and robustness of multiple converging arguments

McLatchie explains the logic and strength of the cumulative case approach as the seventh and final major point.

John the son of Zebedee Peter Gospel of John Gospel of Mark

The Gospels (especially Mark and John) contain eyewitness testimony, serving as evidence for a historical Jesus

The Gospels as historical sources

Richard Carrier Tacitus Jesus mythicism

Richard Carrier's claim that all extra-biblical sources simply copy Gospel accounts is refuted by Tacitus's late date and hostile stance

Refuting Carrier's hypothesis that non-Christian sources merely echo the Gospels

Paul Jesus mythicism historicity of Jesus

The dying and rising gods parallel argument fails because Paul and non-Christian sources still have to be explained independently of the Gospels

Initial response to the Greco-Roman dying/rising gods parallel argument

scholarly consensus historicity of Jesus Jesus's miracles

Audience question: "Consensus holds Jesus existed but was not the Christ of the Gospels" — Licona: that is not a consensus position

Audience Q&A — addressing the claimed scholarly consensus against Gospel accounts