Search — Theology Explorer

James the brother of Jesus James the Just Luke 23:34 apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus James the brother of Jesus

Hegesippus account continued: James thrown from Temple pinnacle, stoned, and killed by a fuller's club; "forgive them for they know not what they do" echo; his burial near the Temple

The detailed narrative of James's death in Hegesippus

James the brother of Jesus F.F. Bruce apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus

F.F. Bruce's distillation of the historical core in Hegesippus: James killed because he refused to deny that Jesus was the Messiah, threatening the political stability of the Jewish leadership

Scholarly evaluation of what the Hegesippus account preserves historically

James the brother of Jesus Josephus apostolic martyrdom non-Christian attestation

Josephus, Antiquities 20: The death of James, brother of Jesus who was called Christ, under High Priest Ananus — a non-Christian, undisputed historical source

The strongest external confirmation of James's martyrdom — from a non-Christian Jewish historian

James the brother of Jesus James son of Zebedee Clement of Alexandria apostolic martyrdom Eusebius

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-250 AD, preserved in Eusebius) on two men named James: one thrown from the Temple pinnacle and beaten to death with a fuller's club, one beheaded

Additional patristic attestation of James's death, clarifying the two men named James

James the brother of Jesus resurrection Paul the Apostle apostle sincerity

Conclusion: Peter, Paul, and James were sincerely convinced they had seen Jesus alive — the conspiracy/lying hypothesis is eliminated by the evidence

Summary conclusion of the main argument

John 14:2-3 Revelation 21 eschatology new heaven and new earth intermediate state

Q&A on John 14:2-3 "I go to prepare a place for you" — Mike's understanding of the intermediate state and the new heaven and new earth

Viewer question on the afterlife and the meaning of Jesus preparing a place

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Twitter response 3: Want documented accounts with originals protected — which is what we have

Third respondent's example of extraordinary evidence.

Bart Ehrman Resurrection of Jesus Biblical manuscripts

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Twitter response 5: Contemporary writings of life, death, resurrection with originals — we have near-contemporary documents, especially 1 Corinthians 15

Fifth respondent example; Mike pivots to addressing 1 Corinthians 15 as key early evidence.

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 Resurrection of Jesus Early creed

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

The cumulative case for the resurrection: what evidence we actually have

Mike assembles the positive evidence for the resurrection after dismantling the slogan's objections.

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus James the brother of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Near-death experience books should be tested against Scripture and not used to supplement or replace it; the danger is NDE narrators becoming gurus with insider knowledge

Response to a question about the theological accuracy of books like 23 Minutes in Hell and 90 Minutes in Heaven

Scripture authority spiritual discernment near-death experiences

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Winger holds a dualist view of the soul: the soul is distinct from the brain and body, uses the body to interact with reality, and persists after bodily death

Response to question about the nature of the soul

soul dualism body-soul distinction

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

The New Covenant is in Jesus's blood — Luke 22:20 at the Last Supper

Jesus himself inaugurating the New Covenant at Passover

Jeremiah 31 Luke 22:20 Lord's Supper Jeremiah 31 New Covenant

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Q&A: Mosaic Law on servants — corporal punishment was permitted; killing or maiming a servant freed them; Winger defends this as reasonable in historical context

Response to a question about slavery and beating in the OT law

Leviticus servant laws slavery in the OT Leviticus servant laws corporal punishment

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Apostles were willing to die repeatedly for the resurrection—this demonstrates sincerity without needing proof they were offered a final recantation option

Brief apologetics note on the resurrection and martyrdom argument

resurrection apologetics apostolic martyrdom

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Suffering Servant substitutionary atonement messianic prophecy

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as messianic prophecy — full reading

McLatchie reads and introduces the Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah 53 as the premier example of messianic prophecy.

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.

Numbers 23:19 Deuteronomy 21:23 resurrection deity of Christ Justin Martyr

Unlikely origin of the disciples' belief in the deity of Jesus — fifth argument

McLatchie introduces the argument that the disciples' belief in Jesus's deity is historically inexplicable without the resurrection, given the Jewish context.

John 21 Paul Peter Origen

Martyrdom of Peter and Paul as evidence for the sincerity of resurrection belief

McLatchie cites the willingness of the apostles to die for their testimony as evidence they genuinely believed in the resurrection.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Q&A: difference between preaching Jesus as Christ to Jews vs. as Lord to Gentiles -- connects to what the audience already knows from Scripture

Q&A on Jewish vs. Gentile evangelism vocabulary

resurrection Gentile evangelism Messiah (title)

Romans 6:14 119 Ministries law of Christ under the law

119 Ministries' first interpretive move: raising the question of which law Paul means in Romans 6:14

Presenting 119 Ministries' argument before critique

1 Corinthians 15:56 law and sin connection power of sin 1 Corinthians 15:56

1 Corinthians 15:56 — the power of sin is the law

Scriptural support for law-sin connection

Romans 6:14 Law of Moses 119 Ministries under the law

119 Ministries' conclusion: Romans 6:14 refers to the "law of sin and death," not the Law of Moses

Presenting 119 Ministries' final interpretive conclusion

false dichotomy 119 Ministries law of Christ

The false dichotomy makes 119's interpretation agreeable in isolation but wrong in exclusivity

Winger's summative critique of the false dichotomy

Romans 7 Romans 6:14 119 Ministries Romans 7 Romans 6:14

119 Ministries claims Romans 6:14 introduces the "law of sin and death" — but Paul actually introduces it in Romans 7

Critique of 119's ad hoc exegesis

1 Corinthians Colossians Romans 14 1 Corinthians Colossians Romans 14

The Sabbath: Jesus did not abolish it but clarified it; NT passages show Christians are not bound by it

Q&A: question about the Sabbath and lesser commandments

Calvinism limited atonement TULIP

Definition of limited atonement: Jesus's death only paid for the sins of the elect

Winger defines limited atonement as the doctrine that God only provided payment for the sins of certain people (the elect), not for all humanity.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 limited atonement 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 fallacy of negative inference

Even granting the Calvinist reading of 2 Cor 5:14, it only affirms Jesus died for the elect — it does not deny he died for others

Winger grants the Calvinist interpretation hypothetically to show it still does not prove limited atonement.

Galatians 2:20 limited atonement fallacy of negative inference Galatians 2:20

Fallacy of negative inference illustrated by Galatians 2:20

Winger uses Galatians 2:20 to illustrate that affirming Christ's death for one person or group does not imply he did not die for others.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 extent of atonement application of atonement

Winger's interpretation of 2 Cor 5:14: 'all' means all humanity in both occurrences — extent universal, application not

Winger presents his positive interpretation of the passage, arguing both uses of 'all' refer to all humanity.

universal atonement children

Q&A: Did Christ die and rise for all children? — Yes, universally including children

Viewer Q&A: question about whether Christ's death includes children.

Islam apologetics Christianity

Q&A: How to respond to someone who believes all religions are true (omnism) — expose internal contradictions, reconstruct their actual theology

Viewer Q&A: how to engage someone who holds that all religions are equally true.

1 Samuel 28 Samuel Saul 1 Samuel 28

Q&A: The witch of Endor and Samuel's appearance to Saul (1 Samuel 28) — God sovereignly brought Samuel to rebuke Saul, not to help him

Viewer Q&A: explaining the difficult passage of the medium at Endor and Samuel's appearance.

Ecclesiastes resurrection soul sleep intermediate state

Q&A: Are the dead conscious after death? Are loved ones watching over us? — Believers go immediately to God's presence; watching over us is uncertain

Viewer Q&A about the state of the dead and whether loved ones watch over the living.

Luke 9:54-56 James and John Steven Anderson Luke 9:54-56 spirit of Christ vs. spirit of destruction

Luke 9:54-56: Jesus rebukes disciples who want to call down fire to destroy enemies

Biblical response to Anderson's death-wish for homosexuals

Ezekiel 18:23 repentance Ezekiel 18:23 God's heart toward sinners

Ezekiel 18:23: God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked

God's heart from the Old Testament itself

Leviticus 1 Timothy 1:8 hermeneutics Leviticus Steven Anderson

Anderson misuses the Old Testament law by applying it selectively to one group

Critique of Anderson's theological method

Galatians 4:21 Galatians 4:21 Steven Anderson law and gospel

Galatians 4:21: Those who want to be under the law do not understand the law

Paul's argument against misapplying the law

Matthew 5 Matthew 5 Sermon on the Mount universal sinfulness

Jesus in Matthew 5 intensifies the law — lust equals adultery in the heart, hate equals murder

Jesus's Sermon on the Mount expands the scope of sin

Luke 13 judgment hypocrisy universal sinfulness

Luke 13: Jesus refutes the idea that some sinners deserve judgment while others are better

Jesus on universal deserving of judgment

2 Corinthians 5:21 imputed righteousness 2 Corinthians 5:21 substitutionary atonement

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf

Substitutionary atonement — the great exchange

gospel substitutionary atonement Steven Anderson

The gospel reframes Anderson's death-button: the button falls on Jesus, not on us

Applying substitutionary atonement to Anderson's rhetoric

John 10:10 John 10:10 abundant life Jesus's mission

John 10:10: Jesus came that they may have life and have it abundantly

Response to Anderson's "put a bullet in your head" advice

John Meier Josephus historicity of Jesus Testimonium Flavianum

Louis Feldman (leading Josephus scholar, Jewish, non-Christian) believed Josephus mentioned Jesus in both passages, estimated 3-to-1 or 5-to-1 ratio of scholars who agree

Expert Josephus scholarly opinion on the authenticity question

resurrection Apollonius of Tyana historicity of Jesus

Apollonius of Tyana, the closest post-Jesus parallel, did not believe in resurrection and has only one account of an after-death appearance — in a dream to one disciple

Examining the post-Jesus pagan parallel most cited by mythicists

Apollonius of Tyana Jesus mythicism historicity of Jesus

Mythicists must composite multiple figures (Dionysus, Horus, Asclepius, Apollonius, Hercules) to approximate Jesus — historians reject this method

Exposing the composite methodology of Jesus-myth parallels

scholarly consensus historicity of Jesus

The consensus extends well beyond a minimal "one man named Jesus died by crucifixion" — substantial historical data about Jesus is agreed upon

Qualifying the extent of the historical consensus on Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:8 Philippians 1:20-22 Paul eschatology intermediate state

Paul's eschatology: 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:20-22 show an intermediate disembodied state after death, before the final bodily resurrection

Paul's two-stage eschatological framework