Evidence 4 easter part 2

HERE’S WHY I BELIEVE IN THE

O F J E S U S C H R I S TS c r i p t u r a l . L e g a l - H i s t o r i c a l . R a t i o n a l e . R e a s o n s

PART TWO

1. INTERNAL EVIDENCEII.

LEGAL-HISTORICAL EVIDENCEIII.

LIAR, LUNATIC OR LORD

1. INTERNAL EVIDENCE

REVIEWINTERNAL EVIDENCE

CREDIBILITY OF THE AUTHORSCREDIBILITY OF THE DISCIPLESHEARSAY RULE

CROSS EXAMINATION PRINCIPLE

• Multiple eye-witnesses

• Courage that was willing to die for their conviction

• A hypocrisy that’s difficult to sustain

• Personal witness• Preaching in

Jerusalem• Closeness of

writing to the events

• Conversion of the opposition – Paul and James

• Witness of the women

• Luke: An orderly account; 19 sermon transcripts in Acts.

• Paul: Apostolic Creed

Theme of every

sermon

Frequent Mockery

Cause of imprisonm

ent

No fudging of

Scriptures

COWARDS TO COURAGEOUS DISCIPLES

II.LEGAL-

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE

“IT MUST BE PROVEN BY SCIENCE”

Q: CAN SCIENTIFIC METHODS BE USED TO PROVE EVERYTHING WE BELIEVE? If so, list examples.

If not, list examples.

EVENTS NEED OTHER MEANS TO CONFIRM PROOF

1. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED –SWEAT DROPS

SCRIPTURE SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION NOTES

Luke 22:44. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

HEMATIDROSIS:

Release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands, and the sweat comes tinged with blood.

Associated with high degree of psychological stress.

Leaves the skin extremely fragile and sensitive

2. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED - SHOCK


Jn 19:1. Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. [Deut 25:3] Romans did not always keep count or limit to 40. Jn 19:28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” Ps 22:15. “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws”

HYPOVOLEMIC SHOCK:Effects of losing large amounts of blood. Causes 4 things:Heart races to pump blood that is not thereBlood pressure drops causing fainting & collapseKidneys stop producing urine to maintain volumeThe person is very thirsty as the body craves to replace the lost fluids.

• A whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them.

• When struck these balls would cause deep bruises or contusions and break open with further blows.

• Whip had pieces of sharp bone that would cut the flesh severely.

• The lacerations would tear the muscles to produce ribbons of bleeding flesh.

• Historians are unanimous that Jesus survived the flogging and went on to the cross.

3. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED -NAILS


Psa 22:16. “They pierced my hands and my feet. Jn 19:18. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. THOMAS:Jn 20:25. Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails,

NAILS PIERCED THE WRISTSThrough the wrists locks the hands.Palms cannot take the weight of the personNailed through where the median nerve runs for the highest pain point.[The funny bone is because of the ulna nerve. Now imagine pair of pliers squeezing the nerve]Repeat the same for the feet.

• In the crucifixion narrative, we told Christ was “crucified” [no specific or direct reference to the use of nails].

• No reference to nails on his palms. [Hebrews considered wrists as part of the hand]

• However, Thomas clarifies it in his doubt.

• Archaeology confirms the practice of both tying and nailing for crucifixion.

4. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED - EXCRUCIATING


Isaiah 52:14. “There were many who were appalled at Him—His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.”

EXCRUCIATING“out of the cross”

• The pain of the cross is so intense they had to create a new word.

• To exhale, the person would push up on his feet, causing the nail to tear through the foot.

• To inhale, the person would have to relax down putting the weight on the hands.

• Scraping each time his lacerated body against the coarse wood of the cross.

5. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED – OUT OF JOINT


Psalm 22:14. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. [Prophecy fulfilled]

OUT OF JOINT

Arms stretched probably 6 inches in length as the weight of the body pulls the torso downBoth shoulders dislocate

• Metherell: “This is

simple mathematical equation”

6. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED - ASPHYXIATION


Psalm 22:14. “I am poured out like water…” Luke 23:46. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

RESPIRATORY ACIDOSIS

CO2 is dissolved as carbonic acid, causing the acidity in the blood to increase leading to erratic heart beat and eventual death.

• Crucifixion is

essentially an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation.

7. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED – BLOOD & WATER


Jn 19:34. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.

PERICARDIAL EFFUSION: Fluid around the heart. PLEURAL EFFUSION: Fluid around the lungs.

• Spear would have

pierced the lung and into the heart.

• The appearance of water is these fluids.

• The sequence of blood and water is not sequential but for its prominence or amounts.

8. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED – BREAKING OF LEGS


Jn 19:33; 36. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs… For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”

BREAKING OF LEGS:

Prevents from pushing up with his legs to breathe leading to death by asphyxiation.

• They break the legs of

the other two

9. SCIENCE AND NARRATIVE COMPARED – TRAINED TO KILL


Mark 15: 44. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.

THEY HAD “PRIMITIVE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE OF DEATH”“How can one be sure of death when no doctor testified at the most – or with their primitive scientific knowledge.”

• Roman soldiers were

trained to kill.• They would be killed if

they let their prisoners escape.

Q: Archaeologists recently [2012] unearthed a pot of old mint

coins in the outskirts of Jerusalem. The coins carried the date

BC 4 on one side, and the image of Herod on the other. These

coins could be valuable in piecing together information and

evidence of times around the time of the birth of Jesus.

However, the Archaeologists are convinced that these coins

are fake and will not use them as a historical exhibit.

WHY? OR WHY NOT?

1. ORAL

2. WRITTEN

3. EXHIBITS

THREE KINDS OF TESTIMONY FOR LEGAL-HISTORICAL PROOFS

• Intention and Integrity

HISTORIOGRAPHY i. Bibliographical testii. Internal criticism testiii. External evidence test.

“INTENTION & INTEGRITY PRESERVED”

1. ORAL

ORIGINAL ORIGINAL DATES

# OF COPIES avail.

COPIES DATED

GAP[Between original

& copies available]

History of Thucydides 460-400 BC 8 AD 900 1300 Years Aristotle-- Poetics 343 BC 5 AD 1100 1400 YearsCaesar-- Gallic wars 58-50 BC 9-10 1000 YEARS

Tacitus:Annals of Imperial Rome.

116 AD

1-6 books in 1 doc Ad 850 11-16 books in 1

book AD 1100 7-10 Books are

lost

Josephus:The Jewish war

In GreekCopies from

10,11,12 centuries

Latin 4 AD New Testament

35-100 AD 5600 Greek docs. 100-150 AD5-30 years

[Most early MSS are fragments]

BIOGRAPHICALINTERNAL CRITICISMEXTERNAL EVIDENCE

CREDIBILITY OF RECORD• Copies• Correctness• Consistency• Closeness

EXTENT OF CREDIBILITY • Scriptural criticism• Author’s credibility

OTHER HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS• Authentication

by other authors

• Archeology

2. WRITTEN

3. EXHIBIT

S

NUMISMATIC

STRUCTURAL

EPIGRAPHICAL

PAPYROLOGICAL

ARCHEOLOGY

3. EXHIBIT

S

HISTORICAL LINGUISTIC AND LITERARY EVIDENCE

Potiphar Land of Goshen

Tombs Rulers

EGYPT

3. EXHIBIT

S

Dead Sea Scrolls

OUR TAKE AWAY [END OF THE FIRST SESSION]

HOW DOES THE INTEGRITY OF THE SCRIPTURE DRIVE OUR BELIEF & BEHAVIOUR?

Spiritual

Evidence 4 easter part 2