Monday, February 15, 2010

February 14, 2010- Chapter 2 continued...

Ten people in class! That is truly a blessing guys. Thank you so much for coming and participating. I know we reviewed a lot this week, but I believe there were gaps that needed to be filled also. Let's keep momentum going!

Quick Review (see previous post)
  • Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke)
  • Interviewing Dr. Craig Blomberg
  • Importance of Faith as we fact find
  • Authoritative qualifications of the authors
  • The Intention, Ability and Character Tests

Chapter 2 continued- The Consistency Test

  • Are there inconsistencies in the Gospels that render them questionable or untrustworthy?
  • Strobel poses two examples of apparent contradiction: Healing story in Matthew and Luke and the genealogies of Jesus listed in Matthew and Luke.
  • The inconsistencies in the healing story are explained by matters of title or semantics.
  • The genealogy inconsistency is explained by two possibilities: one is the lineage of Mary and the other of Joseph, or one lineage is Joseph's actual bloodline while the other is a legal lineage.
  • What are other apparent contradicts in the New Testament you've heard or even been confronted with in discussion by a skeptic? (to be continued next week)

For more on contradictions confronted check out these websites:

101 Biblical Contradictions Cleared Up

The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

1 comment:

  1. Steevie asked about the timeline for the writing of the Gospels. Although the exact date is near impossible to pinpoint, most scholars agree on the following dates of origin:
    Matthew 80-85 A.D.
    Mark 65-70 A.D.
    Luke 85 A.D.
    John 90 A.D.

    'An Introduction to the New Testament'(1997) by Raymond E Brown is a widely respected book on the subject matter.

    As a matter of reference, Paul's letters are usually dated between 50 A.D. and 67 A.D.

    One Source- http://www.biblestudy.org/apostlepaul/when-were-books-by-apostle-paul-written.html

    ReplyDelete