May 13th, 2012
I’m sure some of you are aware of this but you can view high resolution digital images of Codex Sinaiticus online.
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book… continue reading.
read more »
Posted in Bible | No Comments »
May 12th, 2012
I. Introduction 1-3
A. Author identified as Jude, brother of James 1a
B. Recipients identified as the called and beloved 1b
C. Blessings on the beloved 2
D. The occasion for the letter 3
1. Jude wanted to write about their common salvation 3a
2. Jude felt the letter was a necessity 3b
3. Jude appeals to the beloved to contend for the fait 3c
II. Identification of the ungodly and the judgments they will incur 4-16
A. Ungodly persons entering into the Church 4
1. These persons have been marked for condemnation 4a
2. Deniers and abusers of grace 4b
read more »
Posted in Bible, Biblical Studies | No Comments »
May 11th, 2012
The universe was created 13.73 billion years ago. At about 10-44 seconds after the big bang inflation kicked in and underwent a period of rapid inflation (expansion, this inflation force is thought to be dark energy depicted in Einstein’s lambda term (the cosmological constant) in the right hand side of his field equation describing the energy momentum of the universe.) The cosmological constant is a characteristic of the spacetime fabric of the universe related to its stretching energy (space energy density—commonly referred to as dark energy). The more the universe expends, the greater this stretching energy becomes.[1] When the spacetime fabric stretches, the bodies of masses, such as galaxies, move farther apart by the stretching of space. The cosmological constant is in effect a pulling property that works against gravity. Since creation, the cosmological constant’s effect has been increasing. Initial expectations were for the expansion to slow down and for the universe to collapse back in on itself. For instance, when a ball is tossed in the air its speed slows down and the ball falls to the ground.
read more »
Posted in Bible, Cosmology | No Comments »
April 26th, 2012
Scripture explicitly teaches that God has foreknowledge of future events, employing a specialist vocabulary to refer to such knowledge. The New Testament introduces a whole family of words associated with God’s knowledge of the future, such as “foreknow” (προγινώσκω), “foreknowledge” (πρόγνωσις), “foresee” (προοράω), “foreordain” (προορίζω), and “foretell” (προμαρτύρομαι).[1] The first underlying affirmation is the witness behind biblical history.
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isa. 46.9-10).[2]
God testifies to his control of history, which He brings about, not by unknown happenstance, but by His accomplishment. God does not view the course of natural and human history and then make his plans accordingly. Paul speaks of “the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things,” “a plan for the fullness of time” according to “the eternal purpose which He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3.9; 1.10; 3.11; cf. 2 Tim. 1.9-10).[3]
read more »
Posted in Biblical Studies, Theology | No Comments »
April 4th, 2012
I was raised in a few different households. My mother was addicted to drugs and my father was running around on her. I was taken in by my father when my mom was deemed unfit to have custody of me. My stepmother was the woman my father had been seeing while he was married and saw me as a reminder of my mother, but played the part of caring mother to please my father.
I was beat, harassed, and ridiculed by my stepmother for the sole reason of not being her child. To her, I was a constant reminder of a burden that she had no intention to bear. I recall her taking me with her children to church on the “important days” of Easter and Christmas. She claimed she was a believer of God.
My grandmother, who had adopted my mother, got to see me every other weekend. I recall that she would take me to church whenever I was spending the weekend with her and worked hard to get me to see all that Christianity had to offer. She truly was a loving woman. When she was seven years old she was given 7 months to live and she lived to be 70, dying 7 days after being admitted to the hospital and 7 hours after I had last visited her. I did not see it then.
read more »
Posted in Why I'm a Christian | 1 Comment »
April 4th, 2012
I recently shared a previous post of mine in which I discuss my response to the atheist objection that God is a moral monster on Facebook. Referring to my comment that understanding the Levitical law requires an advanced knowledge of hermeneutics an agnostic/atheist responded:
Are you saying that a person can’t judge morality without some fancy education?
No, this is not what I’m saying at all. My point is that you don’t learn the hermeneutical approach to understanding the laws and commands in the Old Testament in a first year hermeneutics class. However, if one wants to have a deep knowledge of the material one does need an education on it. This doesn’t mean you have to get a degree in it but you do need to be well read on hermeneutics. Somehow Christians and non-Christians have a stigma suggesting that it’s offensive if a certain degree of knowledge is required to understand something. How is this offensive? Surely, the Bible can be understood without a degree in theology or biblical studies but to understand it with depth you will have to read and learn. We do we demand such simplicity? If a cosmologist says that I need an advanced knowledge of relativity theory and quantum theory to understand the early models of our universe should I be offended? No. There are certain antecedent conditions that must be met in order to really understand something with meaningful depth. It’s the process of learning and getting an education.
Posted in Biblical Studies | 2 Comments »
March 2nd, 2012
Tattoos, beards, and consuming blood is mentioned in the Bible in Leviticus 19.26-28. These verses prohibit tattoos, trimming the edges of one’s beard, and consuming blood. Christians often find themselves puzzled as to what we should do with these types of verses. Are we allowed to have tattoos today? Well, that’s important for me since I’m covered in tattoos. Are we allowed to trim the edges of our beards? Should we let them grow out? Have you ever had a medium-rare steak with just a little bit of blood in it? I’ve provided an exegesis of this passage of Scripture in hopes to help others understand how we should understand this passage and provide insight as to how the Old Testament Law applies to us today.
__________
Leviticus is the sequel to Exodus. At the heart of Exodus is the Sinai Covenant, though it is rarely mentioned in Leviticus.[1] Leviticus explains how covenant worship should be conducted (chs. 1-17), how the covenant people should behave (18-25), and then closes with a section of blessings and curses, entirely appropriate to a covenant document (26).[2] The book enshrines the laws by which the religious and civil organization of the primitive theocracy in Canaan was to be regulated. [3] Leviticus is given in a treaty format consisting of naming the suzerain, giving a historical prologue explaining the background of the treaty, stipulations, a document clause (covenant context), blessings and curses, and the divine witness[es].[4]
read more »
Posted in Bible, Biblical Studies, The Church, Theology | 3 Comments »
February 29th, 2012
The following is very brief outline of the book of Genesis.
Genesis: The beginnings (This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord made the heavens and the earth. Gen. 2:4 NASB)
Theme Verse(s): In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:1, 10b (NASB)
Author: Moses (Pentateuch Authorship: Ex. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Num. 33:1-2; Deut. 31:9)
Date, Place, and Type of Writing: 1450-1410 BC, General Middle East, Historical
Outline:
*A. Theological Significances B. Practical Applications C. Major Events —Multiple or None Major
1. The Creation—1-2
A. The Creator creates everything (anything not created is God—cosmological argument—c.f. John 1:3).
- There are supposed contradictory Creation accounts between chapters 1 & 2. Chapter 2 is another account in supplementation to the first account by adding details (i.e. we are told that God created man (a generic term here) male and female (v 27), but this does not mean that the first creature was a male-female combination. The details of that creation of the male Adam and the female Eve are given in 2:18-23. Likewise, verse 5 adds details about the creation of vegetation on the third day.
- Creation was good, untainted by sin (1:10b).
read more »
Posted in Biblical Studies, Theology | 2 Comments »
February 12th, 2012
The following is an outline of the book of Jonah I used for a Bible study group.
Question: When I say, “Jonah,” what do you think of?
Historical Background: Eighth century B.C.—Jonah was a prophet from Israel (Northern Kingdom) called to preach repentance to Nineveh (Assyrian). Instead, he attempted to flee to Tarshish (Spain?). Jonah had many reasons not to like Nineveh.
- During Assyrian captivity they would torture. Their methods would be cutting the skin on the side of the body and peeling it off a live person.
- They would place bodies on spears for display.
Outline:
1.1-6: The pagans aboard the ship were better pagans than Jonah was a Jew
- The pagans called on their gods
- They sought help from their gods before help from man
- Jonah could care less about anyone perishing
1.8-17: Jonah is tossed overboard and is swallowed by a big fish
- How could Jonah live?
- Natural: It has been well established that the phrase “three days and three nights” in ancient Hebrew usage was an idiomatic expression meaning simply “three days,” and was applicable even if the beginning and ending days of the period were only partial days. Thus it could refer to a period as short as about 38 hours. There is always some air in the whale’s stomach, and, as long as the animal it has swallowed is still alive, digestive activity will not begin. Thus, Jonah’s experience could possibly have happened entirely with the framework of natural law.
- Miracle: Jesus uses a simile to compare His miraculous resurrection like that of Jonah in the belly of the fish. Its literary comparison likens the Jonah situation to be miraculous, c.f. Mt 12.40.
read more »
Posted in Bible, Biblical Studies, Theology | 2 Comments »
