Search — Theology Explorer

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity named individuals in Gospels

Introduction of the names-in-the-Gospels phenomenon as historical evidence

Third major line of evidence: the pattern of named vs. unnamed individuals in the Gospels.

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

Bultmann's theory that names were added to Gospels over time — and why it fails

Engaging with the major opposing theory for why names appear in the Gospels.

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity eyewitness guarantors

Bauckham's theory: named individuals are living eyewitness sources the author is appealing to

The positive explanation for why some individuals are named in Gospel accounts.

Luke 24:18 John 19:25 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels Luke 24:18

Cleopas in Luke 24 and Clopas in John 19 — the same person as a named eyewitness source

Case study in named eyewitness sourcing: the road to Emmaus account.

Mary Magdalene Richard Bauckham resurrection

Women as named eyewitness sources at the death, burial, and empty tomb of Jesus

The Gospel pattern of naming women at the passion events as eyewitness sourcing.

empty tomb Gospel historicity Gospel of Peter

Second-century legends (Gospel of Peter) feature absurd embellishments absent from canonical Gospels

Contrast between canonical Gospels and known legendary accounts to illustrate the difference.

Mark 15:21 Matthew 27:32 Luke 23:26 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels passion narrative

Simon of Cyrene named with his sons Alexander and Rufus as eyewitness sourcing (Mark 15:21)

Another case study in named eyewitness sourcing from the passion narrative.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Greek term 'historeo' - Paul's formal eyewitness inquiry in Jerusalem

Galatians 1:18 - Paul's investigative visit to Peter

Galatians 1:18 historeo Galatians 1:18 Eyewitness testimony

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Women as witnesses - criterion of embarrassment in male-centered culture

Why early Christians would not invent women as the first witnesses

Bart Ehrman Women witnesses Criterion of embarrassment

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Q&A: Why doesn't God interact visibly today as in Bible times? Mike's answer: miracles were always rare; God interacts spiritually now; the Bible establishes the foundation

Q&A question from "I'm Zen"

miracles divine intervention Scripture as sufficient revelation

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-27

Cameron Bertuzzi (Capturing Christianity): inability to answer a question doesn't mean Christianity is false; testimony is a legitimate epistemic basis

Video clip from Cameron Bertuzzi with pastoral/apologetic advice for Christians facing SE

Apologetics Capturing Christianity Cameron Bertuzzi

resurrection apostle sincerity conspiracy hypothesis

Introduction: purpose of the video is to examine whether the original resurrection eyewitnesses genuinely believed their claims about Jesus rising from the dead

Opening segment; Mike establishes the core question for the livestream

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle apostle sincerity conspiracy hypothesis

Focus narrowed to Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and Paul as the three central resurrection eyewitnesses whose sincerity needs to be established

Transition from general persecution to specific apostolic martyrdoms

Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle

1 Clement 5 (c. 95-97 AD) — non-apologetic, community-memory reference to Peter and Paul both suffering and dying for their faith

First extra-biblical source for Peter's (and Paul's) martyrdom

Acts 15 1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus Acts 15 1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus

James the brother of Jesus as the leader of the Jerusalem church; Acts 15 and 1 Corinthians 15 as key evidence for his role and resurrection witness

Transition to James as the third focal figure

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Peter the Apostle

1 Corinthians 15 early creed: dating, content, and the list of resurrection witnesses including Peter, James, Paul, and the 500

Establishing the early creed as the foundational evidence for resurrection appearances

James the brother of Jesus argument from silence Paul the Apostle Justin Martyr

Absence of any recantation tradition for Peter, James, or Paul — an argument from silence that is evidentially significant given second-century apologetic engagement

The negative evidence: no source anywhere suggests any of these eyewitnesses recanted

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

resurrection eyewitness testimony apostle sincerity

Response to the objection "9/11 bombers were also sincere" — the distinction between sincere indoctrinated believers and sincere eyewitnesses

Q&A style engagement with the most common objection to the sincerity argument

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

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

eyewitness testimony apostle sincerity sincerity objection

Q&A: How to respond to the argument that members of non-Christian religions also die for their beliefs — eyewitness distinction restated

Viewer question on comparative religious martyrdom

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

The definitional divide on faith is a communication barrier to evangelism — Christians must clarify they have evidence

Practical application of the poll findings

evangelism faith evidence for Christianity

Resurrection of Jesus Eyewitness testimony Historical evidence

Twitter response 1: Jesus appearing across the globe with stories from all nations as required evidence

First Twitter respondent's example of what extraordinary evidence for the resurrection would look like.

1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus

Twitter response 2: Eyewitness testimony from various continents, plus written testimony from Pilate or Sanhedrin

Second respondent's examples of extraordinary resurrection evidence.

Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus Eyewitness testimony

Twitter response 7: Signed first-century testimony from Pilate — Paul is a better answer

Seventh respondent; Mike argues Paul's conversion is more powerful than any Pilate testimony could be.

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

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.

1 Corinthians James the brother of Jesus 1 Corinthians Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus

Paul and James as enemy/skeptic witnesses to the resurrection — more powerful than Pilate would be

Mike argues we already have the category of evidence (non-follower witnesses) that skeptics demand.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

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.

undesigned coincidences eyewitness testimony Jonathan McLatchie

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

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 Acts 1 Luke Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

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.

Mary Magdalene empty tomb criterion of embarrassment

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Stephen is falsely accused of speaking against Moses and the law -- the witnesses are explicitly called false (Acts 6:13), meaning Stephen is not actually teaching against the law

Survey of Acts 6, Stephen controversy

Acts 6:10-14 Stephen Law of Moses Acts 6:10-14

1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus) Paul 1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus)

Paul as historical witness: he knew Jesus's brother James, persecuted the church, and lived in the same region and time as Jesus

Discussing Paul's evidence for the historical Jesus

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

argument from silence oral tradition historicity of Jesus

Lack of contemporary accounts of Jesus is explained by low literacy rates (~10%), oral transmission culture, and early Christian expectation of imminent return

Responding to the objection that no writings about Jesus exist from his lifetime