The Humble Skeptic

02/07/2024

What's wrong with theocracy? Why was Christendom a bad idea? What is the proper biblical view of the role of civil government? I discuss these questions and more with Dr. David VanDrunen, author of Politics After Christendom.

Episode 53 • Featuring David VanDrunen

14/06/2024

J. Warner Wallace recently shared my post about Luke & Theophilus. After doing some research, I discovered that many scholars and commentators are currently arguing that Luke's Theophilus was a Jewish high priest, including James R. Edwards (Pillar NT Commentary, 2015), and Peter G. Bolt (Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2022). I also make a case for this and argue that it suggests an earlier date for Luke-Acts, since according to Josephus, Theophilus the high priest died sometime before 67 AD

Was Theophilus a Gentile ruler or a Jewish high priest? How does this affect our view of Luke's purpose, the date of his Gospel, or even our understanding of Luke himself?

13/06/2024

Was Theophilus a Gentile ruler or a Jewish high priest? How does this affect our view of Luke's purpose, the date of his Gospel, or even our understanding of Luke himself? Is another paradigm shift underway? Get ready to rethink everything you know about the Third Gospel!

Was Theophilus a Gentile ruler or a Jewish high priest? How does this affect our view of Luke's purpose, the date of his Gospel, or even our understanding of Luke himself?

05/06/2024

Undeceptions host, John Dickson, recently stated that John may have been written, not in the 90s, but as early as the 60s. And Princeton NT scholar, James Charlesworth stated that there’s no longer a consensus regarding the late date of John and that we’re currently seeing a paradigm shift. I discuss this at the opening of this episode which features a conversation with John Dickson.

Episode 52 • Featuring John Dickson

03/06/2024

J. Warner Wallace, Author of Cold-Case Christianity, has promoted my recent article on Joanna via his social media channels. Very cool. FYI, over the weekend I added additional material (including a fascinating archaeological discovery that helps us to identify Joanna, as well as Luke's patron, Theophilus!

Who is Joanna, and why does she play such a significant role in Luke's account of Jesus' resurrection?

01/06/2024

Sure you've heard of Mary Magdalene—but how about Joanna? She was a woman of nobility, the wife of Herod's vizier. But she left all that in order to follow Jesus...all the way to Golgotha. What's really strange (particularly if you've never noticed her before) is that she appears to be Luke's key witness in his final climactic chapter centered on Jesus' resurrection. I make this case by discussing a fascinating archaeological artifact that helps us to identify, not only Joanna, but also Luke's patron, Theophilus!

Who is Joanna, and why does she play such a significant role in Luke's account of Jesus' resurrection?

23/05/2024

"There is in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, a place called Bethesda..." What are the implications of John 5:2 for the dating of the Fourth Gospel? Does it imply that the Temple with its Sheep Gate were still standing when this text was written? What have scholars thought about this intriguing passage from across the centuries down to the present day? Are we currently witnessing a paradigm shift?

Does the grammar of John 5:2 support an early date for John's Gospel? What have scholars thought about this passage across the centuries down to the present? Are we witnessing a paradigm shift?

14/05/2024

Is John's Gospel late and unreliable? Nope.

Episode 51 • Featuring Daniel Wallace

08/05/2024

J.B. Lightfoot was a brilliant nineteenth-century New Testament Scholar who frequently challenged the conventional wisdom of his day. In this extract, he discusses the authenticity and genuineness of the Fourth Gospel, and asks provocative questions related to the authorship and date of this text.

by J.B. Lightfoot (1871)

01/05/2024

There is a glaring contradiction in the Gospel accounts related to John's death––but it's only valid if John the Apostle is taken to be the author of the Fourth Gospel. I discuss here:

There is a glaring contradiction in the Gospel accounts related to John's death for those who hold the traditional view of the authorship of the Fourth Gospel.

24/04/2024

Which John Wrote John? Curiously, as a direct result of this investigation, I've arrived at a stronger position related to the authenticity and historical reliability of the four Gospels, and of course, John in particular. Check it out and see for yourself.

Episode 50 • Truth Isn't Afraid of Questions

21/04/2024

Which John Wrote the Gospel of John? It turns out that there were two disciples of Jesus named John known in the early church: 1) John the Apostle, and 2) John the Elder. In this essay, I make the case that the Fourth Gospel was written by John the Elder.

Which John Wrote the Gospel of John? This is a PREVIEW of a new 30-page PDF resource related to the authorship and historical reliability of the Fourth Gospel.

08/04/2024

Video available of last night's apologetics event featuring Greg Koukl, Shane Rosenthal, and Jeremy Smith https://www.humbleskeptic.com/p/navigating-hot-topics-with-cool-heads

05/04/2024

Which John wrote the Gospel of John? Did you know there was a vibrant debate about the authorship? After investigating this over the past decade, I became convinced that both the internal and external evidence make clear that it was not written by John the Apostle. I discuss this with Richard Bauckham on this episode (jump ahead to 22:33):

Episode 49 • Featuring Richard Bauckham

02/04/2024

Which John wrote the Fourth Gospel? Was it John the Apostle, or John the Elder? Can we trust the picture of Jesus that we find in this narrative? I discuss these questions with Richard Bauckham.

Episode 49 • Featuring Richard Bauckham

31/03/2024

What do hard-core secularist and atheist New Testament scholars believe about Jesus and the claim of resurrection? In this article I interact with the views of Bart Ehrman—you won't believe what this atheist concedes!

You might not believe what this atheist New Testament scholar concedes!

30/03/2024

A first-century ossuary discovered in Jerusalem may provide external confirmation for the existence of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus' cross to Golgotha.

A first-century ossuary discovered in Jerusalem may provide external confirmation for the existence of the man who carried Jesus' cross to Golgotha

28/03/2024

Some say the Gospels present conflicting information related to the timing of the Last Supper and crucifixion. Is this conflict real, and if so, can it be resolved?

Was the Last Supper a Passover Seder? Do the Gospels agree on the day of Jesus crucifixion?

27/03/2024

Many scholars argue that the Gospels were told orally for the better part of a century before they were finally written down, and as such, they tell us more about later Christian beliefs than they do the historical Jesus. But Cambridge New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham argues that this entire approach has officially reached a dead end.

Episode 48 • Featuring Richard Bauckham

19/03/2024

What did ancient Jews believe about the mission of their Messiah? Were they expecting God incarnate? Did they think he would suffer and die for his people as an atonement for sin?

Episode 47 • Truth Isn't Afraid of Questions

12/03/2024

Galatians is one of the earliest NT epistles (48 AD), but there's no debate about Jesus' divinity, his death, burial, or resurrection. Rather, a dispute arose over the implications of all these foundational beliefs.

Episode 46 • Featuring T. David Gordon

05/03/2024

What is the earliest Gospel? Hint: It's not Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

Episode 45 • Featuring Mike Brown

28/02/2024

What can we really know about Jesus apart from the Gospels? In this article, I interact with atheist NT scholars and discuss compelling evidence that Christians often overlook.

Compelling evidence for Jesus' life is often found in overlooked places.

20/02/2024

Do you follow family tradition, personal intuition, or the evidence?

Episode 44 • Featuring Abdu Murray

13/02/2024

Jesus often taught in a way that provoked questions. This is one of the reasons his parables are sometimes difficult to understand. They were actually meant to be confusing and disorienting.

Episode 43 • Featuring Scott Churnock

07/02/2024

Twice in Matthew's Gospel Jesus referred to his disciples as "scribes" (Mt 13:52, 23:34). Typically this word carries negative connotations throughout the NT, so what was Jesus' point? I explore some fascinating possibilities in this piece.

Mt 13:52: "Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

02/02/2024

Something is wrong with the world, and everyone knows it.

No one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from heaven (Jn 3:14).

30/01/2024

How do various worldview options explain the problem of evil, and what are some of the challenges we face related to artificial intelligence? I discuss these questions with Prof John Lennox.

Episode 42 • Truth Isn't Afraid of Questions

24/01/2024

What's the most important thing taught in the Bible? My article on this question was recently highlighted on the TGC website and you can read it here if you're interested: https://www.humbleskeptic.com/p/what-is-the-most-important-thing

23/01/2024

Are faith and science opposed to one another, or do scientific investigations lead us to ask questions of religious significance? How are we to account for the origin of our finely-tuned universe, and how do we explain the complex amount of information embedded in our own DNA? I discuss these questions with Oxford mathematician, John Lennox on The Humble Skeptic podcast.
https://www.humbleskeptic.com/p/john-lennox-on-faith-and-science