Posts Tagged ‘canon’
Just another thank you for a great website
Question: Hello, Just another thank you for your great website. I’ve been reading for quite a while about The Development of the New Testament Text by Jim Snapp, 2nd. Wow, my head hurts. I’m not sure I agree with the first few paragraphs, but it is a lot for an old man to assimilate. Thanks…
Read MoreEvidence for Mark’s Longer Ending
by Perry Hall Should we accept Mark’s longer ending (Mark 16:9-20), or instead concur with a popular scholarly conclusion that verse 8 is the proper ending? Here I will present one argument for why I think the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel. Notice the claim: “the longer ending is fitting to Mark’s gospel”.…
Read MoreDo the Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Bible was modified over time?
Question: Hi, You have answered my questions before (thanks for that), and I hope you won’t mind doing so again. I was researching the Dead Sea Scrolls and came across the following: How close is the Bible to the Dead Sea Scrolls? 6 Myths About the Dead Sea Scrolls The Quora answer (if you click…
Read MoreQuran and Book of Mormon
by Terry Wane Benton These books or the people peddling them as books of God are way too late to be considered as equal to the Bible as inspired books of God. Jesus told His apostles that they would be guided by the Spirit into all truth (John 16:13). All truth from God was therefore…
Read MoreThe Inspiration and Preservation of Scripture
by George P. Estes Sentry Magazine, December 1999 That Scripture is the word of God is accepted by all who believe in God and in Jesus. This includes the sixty-six books we call the Bible. ln this age, some nineteen hundred years from the apostles of Christ, we need proof of what we have. And…
Read MoreBooks “Missing” from the Bible?
by Ethan L. Longhenry In recent times we have seen an explosion of material alleging that the Bible that we have is not complete. Many theories have been advanced that speak of all kinds of other books that were “banned” from the Bible, “taken out” of the Bible, and other such ideas, and that such…
Read MoreConfidence in the Canon
by Allen Dvorak “The Lost Books of the Bible! Are you missing books from your Bible?” It is not uncommon to see such advertisements in the supermarket rags or at bookstores. Sometimes they hint at the idea that there has been some deliberate and/or covert effort to exclude certain books from the New Testament. Americans…
Read MoreHow We Know We Have All the Bible, with No Books Added and No Books Lost
by Willie Ramsey The Bible is God’s plan of salvation for mankind (John 17:17; 8:31-32; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 1:16). Its place in our lives is therefore eternally important. God warns us that no one is ever allowed to “add to” or to “take away” (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19), or in any way to “pervert” (i.e., “change” — Galatians 1:7-9), what…
Read MoreNotes on the Verification of Mark 16:9-20
The text of Mark 16:9-20 is consistent with inspired text found in the rest of the New Testament Mark 16 Claims Verified 9 He had risen early on the first day of the week Matthew 28:1-4; Luke 24:1; John 20:1 He first appeared to Mary Magdalene John 20:14ff From whom he had cast out seven…
Read MoreCan I Trust the Bible?
by Ethan Longhenry via de Verbo vitae By far, the most popular book in our culture is still the Bible, and for the Christian, the New Testament in particular. It is a text that is about 1,900 years old, and for some reason, we see many misconceptions about its textual validity. Common misconceptions, which I hope…
Read MoreThe Canon of the Old Testament – Part 1
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CanonOfTheOldTestament1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 31:9-13 I. As the last few years of a presidency winds down, people begin to discuss the legacy of the current President. How will the future remember him? What will historians say about him? A. So what makes a President great? 1. Is greatest determined by the writings of famous historians?…
Read MoreNew Testament Apocrypha – Infancy Gospels
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NewTestamentApocryphaInfancyGospels.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:13-21 I. Reasons for existence A. Promotion of a false doctrine because support cannot be found in the Scriptures B. Gaps led to speculation 1. Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ childhood was like? So have many others, which has lead to infancy gospels to tell us what people imagined…
Read MoreAren’t there inspired books that we’ve lost?
Question: Do you mean to tell me not one of these documents (below) did not exist or ever existed? I would like to read these ‘lost books & or documents.’ How could not one or two documents make it to existence today? Exodus 24:7 – Book of the Covenant Numbers 21:14 – Book of the…
Read MoreIs there more to the book of Esther, beyond chapter 10, or does it end at verse 3?
Question: Is there more to the book of Esther, beyond chapter 10, or does it end at verse 3? Thank you. Answer: The Roman Catholic Church and the various Orthodox churches accept several additions to the Old Testament, among them is a set of additions to the book of Esther. These additions are only known…
Read MoreThank you so much for the sermon “Can We Trust the Text of the Bible?” on your website
Question: Thank you so much for the sermon “Can We Trust the Text of the Bible?” on your website. I am so blessed spiritually when I read this teaching. When I shared this teaching with our church many people were blessed and touched by this teaching. I really feel the presence of God when I…
Read MoreIs Sirach Inspired?
by Mike Thomas There is confusion over whether or not the Apocrypha are inspired and whether or not they belong in the canon of the Bible. We can have confidence in knowing these books were not authored by God. In between the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New…
Read MoreYour lessons made me smile
Question: I have been attempting to find faith in God for some years now. I am off work today due to being very sick with a cold and started to research why some books were left out of the Bible when I came across your website, and I find I really feel good after reading…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between 1 Enoch and 2 Enoch? Did Jesus quote from 1 Enoch?
Question: You don’t know me. I just happened to find your web site. It’s so clear and concise! Many could take an example! I hope you will answer my questions. if you do, please spend only the minimum of time on it. What is the difference between 1Enoch and 2Enoch? Does the following answer that someone…
Read MoreHow do I respond to my World History teacher?
Question: In my World History class, there was a woman who was talking about how she wasn’t sure if we had all the books of the Bible. After class, I went to her and tried to explain how most of the false gospels were written by gnostics, sometimes centuries later. Anyhow, we were talking and…
Read MoreCould Matthew and John not be eyewitness accounts?
Question: My friend sent me this critique on the gospels of Matthew and John not being eyewitness accounts. He said, according to the majority viewpoint, this gospel is unlikely to have been written by an eyewitness. While Papias reported that Matthew had written the Logia this can hardly be a reference to the Gospel of Matthew.…
Read MoreIf the Book of Enoch isn’t an authoritative book, then why is Jude in the Bible?
Question: This is really well put together as to why Enoch was written by man, but I am a bit confused. When I go read a study on Jude, Enoch is mentioned as if it’s an authoritative book. If it contradicts God’s Word and came from man, then how can Jude be right? Forgive my questions. I am a babe since God…
Read MoreThe Book of Jasher
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BookOfJasher.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Samuel 1:17-27 I. It is no mystery that people are not happy with God’s word. Through the ages people have sought ought various reasons to modify it. A. No long ago, Dan Brown wrote a fictional book called The DaVinci Code. At the core of this book was the…
Read MoreAre ancient writings unreliable because the Book of Jasher differs from the Bible?
Question: Just a comment for your consideration. Jasher Chapter 81 – here is an extract about Pharaoh. “And the Lord manifested to the children of Israel his wonders in Egypt and in the sea by the hand of Moses and Aaron. And when the children of Israel had entered the sea, the Egyptians came after…
Read MoreWere the Apocrypha books accepted as canon before the Council of Trent?
Question: Again I question your dates. You say that the Catholic Church added the “Apocryphal” books to the Bible in 1546 AD. I’m assuming you are talking about the Council of Trent, the Church’s response to the Reformation. You are correct in saying that the Church affirmed that the “Apocryphal” books are Scripture. However, you…
Read MoreWere all the books of the New Testament written by apostles?
Question: I need to know some things. I was reading on your site The New Testament Canon outline. I came across this: I-5. 5. From these early Christians we learn that Mark took the various stories told by Peter and placed them in a book as accurately as he could. Peter did not dictate the book directly…
Read MoreWhy does Jude contain quotes not found in the Old Testament?
Question: When we study the book of Jude in our Bible study group, I found that in verse 9 and verse 14, Jude quoted “The Lord rebuke thee” and “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,” but they were not in the Old Testament. A brother told me that they are in…
Read MoreI came to the same conclusion regarding the letter to Laodicea that you did
Question: Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After reading Colossians during one of my personal studies, I came across the reference to the letter from Laodicea. I wanted to find out more, so I read many commentaries to try to see what this letter was all about. No…
Read MoreWhy isn’t “The Tales of the Patriarchs” included in the Bible?
Question: I recently learned about “The Tales of the Patriarchs,” a scroll found among the Dead Sea scrolls. If other books of the Bible were found among the Dead Sea scrolls, why isn’t this book included in the Bible? Answer: It should be noted that the Dead Sea Scrolls contained the writings of a Jewish…
Read MoreWhy were only books which agreed allowed in the Bible? Wouldn’t writings by men naturally have variances?
Question: I read with interest your response to the ‘missing books in the Bible’ issue. I also wish to thank you for taking the time to respond to such a matter. However, your response is brief at best, no… it is brief, and ultimately comes across as a veiled threat from a semi-benign dictator to…
Read MoreDid Jesus tell the Essenes not to eat breakfast?
Question: Is it true that Jesus told the Essenes not to eat breakfast? If so, why? Answer: I was puzzled by the nature of the question since the Essenes are not mentioned in the Bible, though some claim that the Zealots (of which one apostle was once a member) were a branch of the Essenes,…
Read MoreWhat do you know about the “Acts of Paul and Thecla?”
Question: I was reading some Bible literature and came across a reference book, “Acts of Paul and Thecla”. I was wondering if you could enlighten me and provide some clarification of this book and relevance to the Bible. I understand that is was one of the lost books of the Bible and describes Paul and…
Read MoreWho are you to decide which books belong in the Bible?
Question: I read your article on the internet and I think you need to re-read genisis concerning the giants and the fallen angels, sir. Angels were able to trnasform themselves into human beings just read the story of the two men( who were angels of God) who spoke to Lot and stayed in his home and…
Read MoreHow do I convince my brother that the Bible is complete?
Question: I was discussing baptism with my brother. He knows he needs to be baptized, but he doesn’t have confidence in the Bible. He says he watches these shows that tell how corrupt men took books out of the Bible that really might be important. One example was that Mary Magdalene was supposedly one of…
Read MoreAre any of the Apocrypha truthful?
Question: Thank you for the insight into the Book of Enoch. I have been curious about reading this piece. I was wondering if you know of any other “gospels” that are considered truthful that are apart of the Apocrypha writings, such as the books of Maccabees, Thomas, Mary, etc. Answer: The first and second books…
Read MoreThe Gospel of Judas?
by Ron Lehde Tonight (April 9, 2006) the National Geographic Magazine is scheduled to present a television program that deals with an ancient work known as “The Gospel of Judas”. It is a 26-page manuscript (ca. AD 300) that is a Coptic translation of a Greek manuscript that is at least one hundred years older and…
Read MoreReflections on the “Gospel of Judas”
by Ethan R. Longhenry While The Da Vinci Code mania continues to develop and grow throughout the world and while “other gospels” and “alternative Christianities” have become popular, we now see revealed to us yet another “lost gospel,” the Gospel of Judas. The National Geographic Society has done a good job of marketing this discovery and is…
Read MoreThe Gospel Of Judas
by Boyd Jennings Were you alarmed to hear that another gospel has been discovered? Before we continue, let’s remember what Jesus told the twelve minus Judas. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). That’s why Paul wrote by inspiration of God—twice, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven,…
Read MoreThe Bible mentions other books, doesn’t that prove the Bible to be incomplete?
Question: Can you tell me why there are so many books talked about in the Bible that are not part of the Bible? Here is a list of them: book of the wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14), book of Jasher (Joshua 10:13; II Samuel 1:18), book of the acts of Solomon (I Kings 11:41), …
Read MoreHow did the correct books get added to the Bible?
Question: Hi, I was wondering if you could help me with this question I have. I know that in II Timothy 3:16 it says that all scripture is “God breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. This is a wonderful thing, but I have a question about the Bible…
Read MoreWhy have some books been left out of the Bible?
Question: If the books in the Bible were written by apostles, was Moses considered an apostle? What of Isaiah and Samuel? Were they considered apostles? Is it not said in the book of Matthew that nothing was to be taken from the Old Testament? I’m just curious because if this is true, those books in…
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