Michael Haggard
Advanced Topics in Contemporary Apologetics - Course Number: AP 661 IS R2 03
Trinity Theological Seminary
AN EXAMINATION OF “MINIMAL FACT” ARGUMENT FOR
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AS PROPOSED BY GARY HABERMAS
Gary Robert Habermas is distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Philosophy as well as department chairman of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University in Virginia.[1] He has devoted a large part of his career to the topic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and most likely has done more than any other scholar to defend its historicity.[2] In his research on the resurrection, over a two year period, Habermas tracked down more than twelve hundred publications dealing with the resurrection of Christ.
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Though scholars perform standards of examination to determine the reliability of a passage of Scripture, seldom can one find a list of these principles, due in part to some standards being preferred over others by individual scholars.[16] Habermas assembles a list of those criteria most generally agreed to by Biblical critics when examining a passage for historical accuracy: Early evidence is strongly preferred to later contributions; whenever there are sources with eyewitnesses there is preference; attestation by more than once source; discontinuity of the quotation, meaning it could not have possibly come from another source; the presence of Aramaic words or other indications of Palestinian origin; coherence to other facts that are established; disparaging remarks about the author, indicating truthfulness and a lack of obfuscation; and finally, enemy attestation, especially when it is not in their own best interest to do so.[17] It is with these generally acceptable standards that the minimal facts speak to the truth of the resurrection. Considering Habermas' appeal to use similar standards for the Bible narrative as are used for other historical narratives, he has asked critics to consider that the New Testament is supported by more than 5500 copies and partial copies in Greek and other languages, while most classical Greek and Roman texts have fewer than 10 each.[18] Though it does not prove the truthfulness, it does show the record accurately
The resurrection of Jesus himself is a concept that is hard to believe. How can a man come back to life, and why is this the first time this has happened? Jesus was not written about till after his death. The gospels were told by Jesus’ apostles and their recollection of Jesus and his teachings. The Council of Nicaea were Christian theologians who decided which stories about Jesus to include in the Bible. The Council of Nicaea left out the Gnostic gospels “hidden knowledge” which talked about Jesus’s early childhood. Why should we believe the council when they left out the parts of Jesus’ life they did not agree with.“Even those whose hearts were inclined to accept the new faith required some intellectual satisfaction before they were willing to commit: How can God be three separate beings- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- and one indivisible being at the same time? If Jesus is “coeternal” with God, why is there no mention of him in the two thousand-year tradition of Hebrew writings? If Jesus is the divine Son of God, how could he experience such human emotions as temptation, fear, and loneliness?” 1 (pg. 229)
The argument over the material that is comprised of the first five books of the Bible and that Moses was the author is speculated to be hypothetical. The data that led scholars to arrive at the Documentary Hypothesis points out that there is no evidentiary support or documentation to back up the information claimed in the first five books. The Documentary Hypothesis includes repetition, shows similarities, reflects inconsistences,
The purpose of the book Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright, is to take a closer look at getting into the gospels. Many of the readers have been told or taught from the perspective of being behind the gospel. N.T. Wright purpose and the majority of the content of his book is for the reader's view and past learning experiences to be changed or built on the concept that God's people need to be inside of the gospel. Learn inside of the gospel not behind it. In the book Simply Jesus, N.T. Wright states that “We can try to get, not ‘behind’ the gospels, as some sneeringly suggest in the purpose of the historical research,
In Examining the Record section, Strobel supports the historical reliability of the New Testament. He examines the eyewitness evidence, the documentary evidence, the corroborating evidence, the scientific evidence, and the rebuttal evidence. Strobel writes about his first interview with Craig Blomberg regarding the four gospels. Blomberg proposes that the four gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. A hypothesis was made that Matthew and Luke are constructed on Mark which means it’s not likely that Matthew and Luke fully
This paper will address God, Humanity, Jesus, Restoration, Analysis and Reflection. The debate, research, questions, and conclusions of the existence of God has been happening for thousands of years. Great minds have pondered Him and His Word, the Bible. There have been different opinions and worldviews about God, His Son Jesus Christ and Heaven. Not everyone agrees on any particular view. Humanity has never been the same since the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Some love, some hate. Others are kind, others kill. Jesus was sent to restore mankind’s relationship with God. To be the perfect sacrificial lamb in order for humankind to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with God. The only way to achieve peace in the
126). Next, Strobel writes about his interview with Bruce Metzger concerning the reliability of the text in the New Testament. Since the original books of the New Testament was lost, how do we know that the copied text is identical to the memo? According to Metzger, "the more often you have copies that agree with each other, especially if they emerge from different geographical areas, the more you can cross-check them to figure out what the original document was like" (p. 76). Also, Strobel asked Metzger why some books weren’t included in the New Testament and his response was that the church did want to portray such pictures of Jesus in the canon, that the church only wanted the New Testament to contain only the best historical stories of Jesus. The next scholar interviewed was Edwin Yamauchi. He was asked about additional biblical proof that confirms the New Testament but he was not very convincing. The question for Strobel’s fourth interview was whether archeology increased or decreased the New Testaments reliability. Three New Testament statements are entirely unsupported by archaeology. First, the three hours of worldwide darkness during the crucifixion (Mark 15:33). Second, the resurrection of the saints, and their following appearance to many in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52-53). Finally third, Jesus ' burial in the tomb.
(4) The textbook lists several things that we should keep in mind when considering the authenticity of the Gospels. Briefly summarize what they write about the cultural role of
Evidence for OT and NT canonicity and tests for canonicity are for the OT canonicity is seen in “the Law” originating from the Old Testament in Law of Moses is seen as being “authoritative”. Examples of scripture that supports this are “1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6 and Ezra 6:18”. These writings help justify the first five books of the Old Testament that Moses contributed in writing. Second “from the prophets” is another example of evidence seen where the prophets were inspired with the word from God. The gospels of Joshua, Chronicles, and Daniels are examples of supportive books in the gospel. Third example is “from Malachi 4:5” where the prophecy ends with Malachi and resumes with John the Baptist. Evidence for the NT is “quotations of the old testament to the new”, which shows “250 quotes from the old testament” being used. Second, “Matthew 5:17” shows the Law and the Prophets holding power as spoken by the Lord. Third, “Luke 11:51” the condemnation of Jewish leaders for murdering the Lord's messengers throughout time. The tests for canonicity are first “the test for authority” where the books of the canon were backed up by an authoritative prophet or apostle. Second, “the test for uniqueness” where evidence had to be unique to be placed in the canon. Third, “the test of acceptance by the churches”, where the books had to gain acceptance by the
The resurrection of Christ is an event that if true provides good evidence that Jesus is truly the son of God. Christ 's resurrection is an event which only God himself could perform. This resurrection is far different from the everyday resurrection by medical equipment. This resurrection is an eternal
He lays an all-inclusive foundation on Christ’s Resurrection at several angles from the Early Christians, the Old Testament and New Testament facts that confirmed the Resurrection of Christ occurred and is very
This first volume contains 39 books, and 929 chapters: almost identical to the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible. Interpretation of the scriptures are more about God ‘The Father’, himself, but lays the foundation for the second volume the New Testament. Originally written in Greek about 45 AD, this volume contains 27 books and 260 chapters. Its scriptures tell the story of the life of Jesus, believed by Christians to be the Messiah, Son of God in human form, and sent by God to fulfill the promises and prophesies of the Old Testament.
When judging the historical reliability of the gospels many factors come into paly. In judging the historical reliability of the Gospels the kind of the gospels is important in understanding the intentions of the writers concerning the historical value of the text. When ranking the following sayings of Jesus:
However, we still have to consider some facts scholars have been working hard to bring to our attention. Traditionally, the church had simply assumed that any letter containing Paul’s name as a sender was actually written by him. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 14 have been attributed to Paul; 7 of these are widely considered authentic and Paul's own, while the authorship of the other 7 is disputed.
In this term paper we know this study is an important topic, as it remains a great controversy to the world for many thousands of years – is the bible reliable, more importantly, is the spiritual author of the bible reliable to the world? We will convince them that indeed the Bible is reliable. This paper plays an important role in convincing many people, including the researchers themselves to the truth.
Still, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been under persistent attacks since the Apostolic age. Why? Because it is the central confirmation of Jesus' identity as the incarnate Son of God, and the ultimate sign of Christ's completed work of atonement, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation. Those who oppose