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The Thinking Man's Bible: The New Age of Reason |
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Chapter 3 |
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Although the following passages are not necessarily self-contradictory, they do conflict with facts of history, other parts of the Bible, and common sense. Because they are so clearly at odds with common sense and things now known, we need not consider them the word of God without some independent verification. 3.1 If Genesis is to be credible, then it must have described the complete original creation. Genesis did say that God created heaven and earth, so he must have been someplace else prior to the creation. Genesis did not say that God created hell, however. Hell can’t have been in heaven, and hell isn’t in the earth. Maybe God came from hell. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Gen 1:1 3.2 The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden on earth, but later it was in God’s heavenly paradise. Does this mean that God’s heavenly paradise was on earth? What happened to the tree, the Garden of Eden, the guardian cherubim, and the flaming sword? "…[God] placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Gen 3:24 "…the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Rev 2:7 3.3 Who were the people Cain was afraid of, his family? "…every one that findeth me shall slay me." 3.4 How would anyone have known what the "mark of Cain" meant if it were a brand of some sort? Actually, this may have been a mis-translation of the Hebrew word oth, a signboard, rather than the word tav, a mark or brand on the body. "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Gen 4:15 3.5 Why did Cain build a city? There would have been only a few people around, maybe a few hundred by the time he died. Why a city and not just a ranch or a farming complex? At most, a few people would only construct a village. "And Cain…builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Gen 4:17 3.6 Noah’s departure in the ark occurred twice. "And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood…And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth…And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." Gen 7:7,10,12 "In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark…and the Lord shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth…" Gen 7:13,16,17 3.7 The Gentiles didn’t exist until after the Jews became a separate religion in Solomon’s time, much less a separate nation after Solomon; but here they are in early Genesis. "By these were the isles of the Gentiles…" Gen 10:5 Likewise, the Jews weren’t called Hebrews until they conquered Canaan late in Joshua’s time. "For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews…" Gen 40:15 3.8 Abraham was supposedly born in "Ur of the Chaldees," and God said he brought Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. This is a misnomer, an anachronism. Ur was originally one of the ancient city states of Sumer and was not associated with the Chaldeans until more than 1000 years after Abraham was born. "And Terah took Abram his son…and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees…" Gen 11:31 God: "…I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees…" Gen 15:7 3.9 God and three angels ate. Why? Do heavenly beings need food to sustain metabolism? "And the Lord appeared unto him…and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door…And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat." Gen 18:1,2,7,8 3.10 God had Moses do a cheap conjuring trick as proof of his word. "And [God] said, Cast [the rod] on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee." Ex 4:3 "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent." Ex 7:10 But the Pharaoh's court magicians also did the trick. "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods." Ex 7:11,12 Pharaoh responded reasonably. "And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said." Ex 7:13 3.11 Moses pulled another conjuring trick by transmuting all the water in Egypt into blood. "And Moses…lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt." Ex 7:20,21 Pharaoh’s magicians again duplicated the trick. Notice that they somehow converted water which had already been converted to blood by Moses. Therefore, the magicians were even more impressive than God’s man, Moses. "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments…" Ex 7:22
Pharaoh again responded reasonably. What should we expect? "…and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them…And Pharaoh turned and went into his house…" Ex 7:22,23 3.12 Aaron conjured up a layer of frogs. "And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt." Ex 8:6
But the magicians could also do the trick and conjured up another layer of frogs. "And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt." Ex 8:7 Pharaoh got bored or fed up with cheap tricks which even his court magicians could do, so he decided to let the Israelites go, if Moses and Aaron would just clean up the mess and leave him in peace. "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord." Ex 8:8 3.13 Egyptian animals were killed multiple times. First, God killed them by murrain (any of a number of infectious diseases in cattle). "Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain…And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one." Ex 9:3,6 Then God inflicted these dead animals with boils and inflamed sores. "And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast." Ex 9:10 God killed these dead beasts again with hail. "And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast…Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail." Ex 9:25,26 Then God killed some of these dead cattle again. "…the Lord smote all the…firstborn of cattle." Ex 12:29 & 13:15 The Egyptians chased the Israelites with resurrected horses. "But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh…" Ex 14:9 Then God drowned these resurrected horses. "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them." Ex 14:28 3.14 Most people know the story about "manna from heaven" which God gave the Jews to eat during their years wandering in the wilderness; but most Sunday schools don’t mention the even more incredible fall of quail which happened after the Jews got bored with eating manna every day. We’ll skip the argument that quail don’t live out at sea. "And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey [28 miles] on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp." Num 11:31,32 3.15 Since the wilderness was 400 miles across at its widest, it is unreasonable to believe that Moses’ people couldn’t find their way out for 40 years (Num 14:33). 3.16 The Bible asked us to believe that the Israelites invaded and conquered people out-numbering them at least 7:1 since the Israelites were smaller than each of the seven overthrown tribes. The Jews returning from exile numbered about 2.5 million. That means that Palestine (which now holds about 5 million people) once held over 17.5 million people under much more primitive conditions. "When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;" Deut 7:1 "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:" Deut 7:7 3.17 Here’s another Paul Bunyan story. Shamgar slew 600 men with a pointed stick.(1) "And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad…" Judg 3:31 3.18 Samson outdid even Shamgar with the jawbone of an ass. If Samson told this story, himself; he certainly had the jaw of an ass.(2) "And he found a new jawbone of an ass…and slew a thousand men therewith. And Samson said, With the…jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men." Judg 15:15,16 3.19 God inflicted hemorrhoids (emerods) on the Philistines for taking the ark of the covenant. "But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof." 1Sam 5:6 "…Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts." 1Sam 5:8,9 3.20 What did God look like? "There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured…And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly…" 2Sam 22:9,11 "…he had horns coming out of his hand…and burning coals went forth at his feet." Hab 3:4,5 3.21 When we look at the building of the Temple of Solomon, the numbers don’t make sense. It took over 150,000 laborers seven years to construct a building 96’x32’ and 48’ high. The gross inefficiency of this project gives government contracting a bad name. "And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand {70,000} that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand {80,000} hewers in the mountains; Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work." 1Kgs 5:15,16 "And the house which king Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits." 1Kgs 6:2 "…So was he seven years in building it." 1Kgs 6:38 3.22 A wall fell on 27,000 soldiers. Heckuva wall! "…[in Aphek] a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left." 1Kgs 20:30 3.23 Contrary to II Kings, Assyria never had a king named Pul. The king that reigned at the time was probably Iva-bish. (McKinsey, 336) "And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land…"2Kgs 15:19 3.24 One problem with using written language to communicate the word of God is its ambiguity. For example, one could interpret the following passage to mean that the slain soldiers arose in the morning to find themselves dead.(3) Dramatic, but absurd. "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." 2Kgs 19:35 3.25 David prepared more gold than the total world gold production between 1492 and 1700 and five times the world silver production in 1970 (Ball, 82). "…I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold [9,875,000 lb.], and a thousand thousand talents of silver [87,750 lb.]…" 1Cr 22:14 3.26 Solomon’s temple porch was 180 feet high. That’s an awfully tall porch for a 30-ft. by 90-ft. building. It’s taller than the temple at Karnak. This must have been a copyist’s error or an ill-advised brag. "And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was…twenty cubits [30’], and the height was an hundred and twenty [180’]…" 2Cr 3:4 3.27 Every king on earth visited Solomon and paid him an annual tribute? Small world. Good transportation system. "And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon…And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year." 2Cr 9:23 3.28 Why would the non-Jewish king of Tyre have said that the God of Israel (a Jewish concept) made heaven and earth? "Then Huram the king of Tyre…said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom." 2Cr 2:11,12 3.29 The massacre of an absurd number of men (500,000) ranks right up there with the number slain in four years of the American Civil War. These battles involved more than a million soldiers, far more than could have been supported in this small land of two million. "And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand [400,000] chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand [800,000] chosen men, being mighty men of valour." 2Cr 13:3 "And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand [500,000] chosen men." 2Cr 13:17 "Of Judah…Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand [300,000]. And…Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand [280,000]. And…Amasiah…and with him two hundred thousand [200,000] mighty men of valour. And of Benjamin; Eliada…and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand [200,000]. And…Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand [180,000]…beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah." 2Cr 17:14-19 3.30 Cyrus’ claim to have ruled the whole world, even the known world, was palpable nonsense. Since it was so obviously untrue, why would any objective author claim Cyrus said that? "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth…" Ezra 1:2 3.31 Contrary to Isaiah, ash trees do not grow in Western Asia. "He…planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it." Isa 44:14 3.32 The book of Daniel made several historical errors. First, Nebuchadnezzar was not Belshazzar’s father. "Belshazzar…commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple…" Dan 5:2 Belshazzar was not the Babylonian or Chaldean king when the Chaldean Empire collapsed. Nabonius was king of Babylon, and Belshazzar was his son. "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Dan 5:30
Darius never took Babylon, nor was he ever king-Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon-and there is no historical documentation referring to Darius the Mede. (McKinsey, 338) "And Darius the Median took the kingdom [Babylon]…" Dan 5:31 3.33 God chose to reveal the identity of his only begotten son, the savior of mankind, to some unidentified "wise men" and anonymous shepherds, not to men who could authoritatively record this vital fact, such as historians, kings, and scribes. "…there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews…" Mt 2:1,2 "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night…And the angel said unto them, Fear not…For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Lk 2:8,9,10 3.34 Matthew twisted a passage from Hosea to fit his needs, then he ignored the portion of Hosea which made his usage worthless. "When [Joseph] arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son." Mt 2:14,15 Hosea clearly referred to Israel and Ephriam, a group of people. Besides, Jesus never sacrificed to or burned incense to idols. Israel was called God’s son, not Jesus. "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them." Hos 11:1-3 "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:" Ex 4:22 3.35 Why did Herod go ballistic about a possible rival king of the Jews? He had grown sons to succeed him. The main problem with this passage is that it has no basis in historical fact. The historian Josephus related forty chapters of Herod’s detestable life, crimes, and errors; but he mentioned nothing about slaughtering the infants, and neither does any other ancient historian. Would his Roman overlords have allowed it? (McKinsey, 339) "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." Mt 2:16 3.36 Why, after Herod’s death, did Joseph feel safer in going to Galilee than in staying in Judea? A son of Herod ruled in Galilee also. "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, [Joseph] was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: " Mt 2:22 3.37 Jesus made devils go into swine, but where did the swine come from? Keeping swine was prohibited in ancient Judea and Galilee. "So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters." Mt 8:31,32 3.38 Jesus used the term "take up the cross," but that would have been meaningless as symbolism prior to his own crucifixion. It can’t have been prophesied symbolism either, since no one, not even Jesus, prophesied his execution by crucifixion. "…take his cross and follow me…" Mt 10:38
"…take up his cross and follow me." Mk 8:34 3.39 Jesus made an assertion which appears nowhere else in the Bible. "Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?" Mt 12:5 3.40 The gospels cite the prophets, but this passage does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament. "For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." Mt 11:10 "As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." Mk 1:2 "This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." Lk 7:27 3.41 Jesus rode two animals at once? "And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon." Mt 21:7 3.42 Jesus made a spectacle of himself. He entered Jerusalem in a triumphant parade with people hailing him as the prophet; he trashed the temple; and he performed miracles; but, somehow, the cops needed an insider to finger him. "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strowed them in the way. And the multitudes…cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest…And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." Mt 21:8-11 "Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he…" Mt 26:48 3.43 If no man was to be called "father," why are Catholic priests called just that? "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." Mt 23:9 3.44 The scribes and Pharisees cannot have been held responsible for Abel’s death, since Abel lived thousands of years before the Pharisees. Zacharius was killed in the temple just before Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 CE according to the historian Josephus. This cannot be palmed off as the Old Testament Zechariah, since the passage referred to "all the righteous blood." Either no righteous blood was shed for 850 years, or not all righteous blood was included, or the author included a reference to someone who didn’t die until after Jesus’ death. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees…That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." Mt 23:29,35 3.45 Matthew referred to a passage he said was in the book Jeremiah. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;" Mt 27:9
But the passage appeared in Zecharaiah, not in Jeremiah. "And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord." Zech 11:13 3.46 This passage referred to an alleged prophecy from Psalms referring to Jesus. "…that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots." Mt 27:35
However, the speaker in the Psalms passage was speaking of himself, in the present tense; and no prophecy was made. "I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." Ps 22:17-18 3.47 No ancient historian mentioned the following cataclysm and zombie invasion. "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Mt 27:51-53 3.48 Mark referred to the wrong guy in saying Abiathar was the high priest. "And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did…How he went into the house of God in the days of the high priest, and did eat the showbread…" Mk 2:25
Samuel said Ahimelech was the priest, and Abiathar escaped. "Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest…So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread…And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David." 1Sam 21:1,6,22:20 3.49 Nothing in the Old Testament said anything was to be done to Elias. "But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him." Mk 9:13 3.50 Not everything Jesus said is helpful to us, especially these gems of enlightenment: "In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide till ye depart from that place." Mk 6:10 "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it?" Mk 9:50
Did the following verse really explain anything? Besides, how could one take from one who had nothing? "For whosoever hath [been given knowledge of the mysteries of heaven], to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." Mt 13:12 3.51 Not only did Jesus speak to what he, himself, called a deaf spirit; but this deaf spirit heard him. Not only that, but this spirit who was mute also spoke back! Is this a joke? "[Jesus] rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, ‘Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him…’ And the spirit cried…" Mk 9:25,26 3.52 How many mothers can a follower have? Perhaps Jesus’ claim to have two fathers interfered with his understanding of maternal biology as well. "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time…mothers…" Mk 10:30 3.53 Would Joseph of Arimathaea, a devout man, have violated his religion’s law by purchasing a linen shroud on the Sabbath? "Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God…bought fine linen, and took him [Jesus] down, and wrapped him in the linen…" Mk 15:43,46 3.54 Baptism and faith were required for salvation. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mk 16:16 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Jn 3:5
How could the unbaptized, unbelieving thief have gone to paradise with Jesus? "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Lk 23:43 3.55 Contrary to Luke, no decree was ever issued by Augustus to tax (take a census of) the whole Roman world, and taxation was never uniform throughout the empire—it was done on a provincial basis. Cyrenius, however, did make a census of Palestine; but that wasn’t until 6 CE, ten years after Herod’s death in 4 BCE. But according to Matthew, Jesus was born under the reign of Herod, ten years before Cyrenius became the governor of Syria., Joseph would not have been taxed by the Romans—neither Judea nor Galilee were provinces of Cyrenius’ Roman Syria at the time of Herod, and Rome did not tax Herod’s subjects. "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king…" Mt 2:1 "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.…And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea…because he was of the house and lineage of David: " Lk 2:1,2,4 3.56 Why is the child Jesus said to be seated with rabbis, when children were not allowed to do so until Gamaliel in the first century CE? (McKinsey, 341) "…they found [Jesus] in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions." Lk 2:46 3.57 Lysanias was executed about 34 years before John the Baptist was born. Therefore, John cannot have gotten the word of God while Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, especially since Abilene was not a tetrarchy at that time. Besides, the office of high priest was never held jointly by two people. (McKinsey 343) "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness." Lk 3:1 3.58 Mark employed colorful but inappropriate language when writing about things which he obviously didn’t see. (McKinsey 344) "And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest…" Mk 14:54 Why would a Jewish high priest have called Jesus the "Christ, the Son of the Blessed" when this was not how the Jews viewed the messiah? "Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Mk 14:61 The chaotic and abusive behavior Mark related during Jesus’ trial was totally uncharacteristic of the Sanhedrin and Roman courts-law, dignity, and decorum prevailed. (McKinsey 344) "And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and…the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands." Mk 14:65 3.59 Historically, Herod was never a friend of Pilate. He continually plotted to unite Galilee with Pilate’s Judea. (McKinsey, 341) "And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves." Lk 23:12 2.60 Historians say the Temple was built In 1-1/2 years, not the 46 years claimed in John. (Josephus, The Jewish Antiquities, book 15, Ch. 11, sec 6) "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building…" Jn 2:20 3.61 Jesus referred to a scriptural passage which did not exist in the Bible. The commonly-cited apologetics don’t really apply (Isa 44:3, Isa 55:1, Ezek 47:1). "…as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Jn 7:38 3.62 John said the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would rise from the dead, but the Old Testament was silent on the matter. John also said the messiah would rise "again" from the dead, but the messiah hadn’t yet risen even once. "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." Jn 20:9 3.63 Jesus was either the almighty God, or the son of God, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)…" Jn 1:1,14 "…God sent forth his Son, made of a woman…" Gal 4:4 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…" 1Tim 3:16
But this omnipotent deity was portrayed in the Bible as a helpless infant, and as a weak, ignorant, and finite human. "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Lk 2:7 "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God…and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" Phil 2:6 3.64 The words and actions attributed to Ciaphas were totally out of character for a Jewish high priest-prophesying was not a high priest’s privilege, and killing a man to save Israel would still have been considered murder. (McKinsey, 341) "…being high priest that year, [Ciaphas] prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;" Jn 11:51 3.65 If Jesus knew all things beforehand, why did he ask the cops who they came for? "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?…Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye?…" Jn 18:4-8 3.66 Neither crucifixion nor crucifragium (the breaking of legs) were forms of execution for theft, and they were never used together. (McKinsey, 341) "The Jews…that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath…besought Pilate that [Jesus’ and the thieves’] legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away." Jn 19:31 3.67 Neither Adam, Eve, nor their offspring were said to be, nor are they now considered to be, prophets, nor were any prophets mentioned in the days before Adam; but Paul said that the prophets spoke for God since the beginning. "…which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Acts 3:21 3.68 Gamaliel spoke prior to 36 CE (probably in 29 CE) about the revolt of Theudas which, according to the historian Josephus, didn’t occur until 45 or 46 CE (McKinsey, 342) "For before these days rose up Theudas…to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all…were scattered, and brought to nought." Acts 5:36 3.69 The nature of Jesus’ trials before Pilate and Herod violated a number of historical precedents, Jewish customs, and laws. 3.70 The gospels include an alleged custom of releasing a criminal at passover, a custom with no historical authority or precedent. "Now at that feast [of Passover] the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would." Mt 27:15 "Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired." Mk 15:6 "For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast." Lk 23:17 "And [Pilate] released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired…" Lk 23:25 3.71 Although Romans often scourged the condemned before execution, they never did it before the sentence was passed, as John claimed. Pilate’s consideration for the wishes of the Jewish brass here was totally out of character for the historical Pilate who was eventually recalled to Rome because of his hatred and cruelty toward the Jews. "Pilate…went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all…Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him." Jn 18:38; 19:1-6 3.72 Peter misquoted Psalms, substituting the singular "his" for the plural "their" in order to make it apply. "For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take." Acts 1:20 "Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents." Ps 69:25 "Let his days be few; and let another take his office…let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places." Ps 109:8,10 3.73 Peter misquoted Joel, substituting "in the last days" for "afterward." "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit…" Acts 2:16,17 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit…" Joel 2:28 3.74 Peter said Pilate was an enemy of Jesus. "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus…both Herod, and Pontius Pilate…" Acts 4:26,27 Matthew said Pilate considered Jesus innocent and just. "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person…" Mt 27:24 3.75 Peter misquoted Isaiah to make it look like it applied to Jesus. He substituted "confounded" for "make haste," he added the words "on him," and Isaiah never implied that "the stone" was Jesus, the "elect." "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." 1Pet 2:6 "…Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." Isa 28:16 3.76 This passage refers to a non-existent Old Testament saying. The apologetics don’t apply (Gen 6:5,11, 8:21, Prov 21:10, Ecc 4:4). "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" Jas 4:5 3.77 Peter implied that the flood was similar to baptism. Unfortunately, Noah and family were saved from the water, not saved by the water. Water was used by God in wrath to destroy humanity, not to save it. Perhaps drowning Pharaoh’s army while crossing the sea of reeds was just an act of baptism. "…when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now wave us…" 1Pet 3:20,21 |
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The quail fell 3-feet deep all around the camp covering an area about 28 miles on a side. That would be 65,000,000,000 cubic feet!). If there were about 80 big quail per cubic foot (at 100 quail per bushel, say), that fall involved over 5,000,000,000,000 quail! Okay, half that: 2,500,000,000,000. That’s a lot of quail rotting in the wilderness. The laziest person there gathered ten homers (about 60 bushels) or 6000 quail. Why? No one could possibly eat that much before the birds rotted. Why did they even bother to gather the quail? They must have had to dig themselves out of the carcasses which fell on them. This is a tall tale even a Paul Bunyan fan would blush to tell.