Search results

A counter-argument... In the book of Jonah, the prophet eventually reaches the city of Ninevah, where he preaches and the people repent. The ruins of the city of Ninevah has been extensively excavated. We know that there was exactly one period in the history (one layer in the excavation) of...

That's true, but in this case I don't think it applies. When you dig up a bunch of idols and inscriptions of various gods in their homes, cities and burial sites... well, what other assumption would you make? Did someone break into their cities and leave a bunch of idols behind?

It's been awhile since I've done the math, but we can do it again. Actually, let's just use Google and a calculator, instead. During the Bronze Age, the infant mortality rate was about 30%, and a typical annual population growth rate was around 0.027%. So, if Abraham's descendants reproduced...

Not a single Israelite had ever heard the name YHVH before Moses told them. Before that they worshiped ELHM, and not just one. Archaeology makes it very clear that to the extent that Israel even existed before the Exodus, they were polytheistic. A populous nation? If that's the standard...

Looks like he told the truth to me. He didn't exactly explain ALL the consequences, though, did he?

The Edomites getting kicked out of southern Lebanon seems to be a real thing that happened. The story either mythologizes the event, or perhaps was just made up to explain "why are we living in one of the worst places on earth?"

I look forward to a bodily resurrection. As to the question of whether there is consciousness after I die and before I'm resurrected... I think the eminent modern philosopher Rocky Maivia said it best...

Disagree. As I see it, this IS a statement of existence, and a rather powerful one. The Israelites had forgotten their God. Moses left for a few days and they immediately built an idol to the Egyptian goddess Hathor. This was an era where gods were fairly common and were typically made of...

"True" is a strange ask when we started with a mythological story. But it does seem to have some factual basis. The story comes from the Edomites - hence their eponymous ancestor is named Adam/Edom. The southern area is easily verified. The Bible names the cities in that region, tells us...

Ehyeh and Yahweh are the same root word but they're cased differently. The latter is in an imperfect tense, indicating ongoing action. It's something like "I am being" or "I continue being" or "I was and continue to be."

He sent them from the area just north of the Sea of Galilee to the area just south of the Dead Sea. A satellite map shows the contrast in plant life rather well:

That helps me understand the argument better, but I still don't think I buy it. The very next thing that happens after Jesus gives Nicodemus a short sermon is... After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. ...baptism...

Do you care for an academic answer? The stories here are about the conflict between the two classes of society in the Bronze Age... On one hand, there are nomadic herdsman who follow the flocks and live in tents. On the other hand, farmers are establishing an agricultural base and building...

If there's a question here, I don't know what it is. The verses are part of an opening doxology. It's a good example of how the early church put more emphasis on Jesus' resurrection than His death.

I've heard that before, but why make such a pedantic stipulation? Are there people out there who haven't been born? No

Not wrong. Water baptism is supposed to happen at the same time as the transformation you're talking about or directly afterwards... but the church nowadays just baptizes anyone willy-nilly. They're desperate for members and relevance. The phrase comes from John 3, where it confuses a...

Interestingly, the apostle Paul agrees that Jesus is an idol: [He] is the idol (Gr: εἰκὼν) of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15, but I've taken a liberty with the translation) As I understand it, mankind is prohibited from creating idols, from worshiping the...

Do you want a real answer to that question? "Born again" refers to adoption by water baptism. That adoption is required because the plan of salvation is for "Abraham and his Seed." That phrase doesn't refer to the physical resurrection, as someone else suggested.

I don't know exactly how it works during the period after I die, but before I'm resurrected. The Bible hints that there's consciousness in some places, and in others seems to indicate the opposite. Either way, I reckon that once I'm resurrected, I'll be here on earth, and the Lord will be too...

Yeah! If anything, @Matthias might have read a bit too much! :tonguewink: