Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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What is the ‘Son of Man’? The Paradox at Jesus’ Trial
The Bible uses several titles in referring to Jesus. The most prominent is ‘Christ’, but it also uses ‘Son of God‘ and ‘Lamb of God‘ regularly. However, Jesus often refers to himself as ‘Son of Man’. What does this mean and why does he use this term? It is in the trial of Jesus that…
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The Dead Sea Scrolls and Old Testament Reliability
We previously looked at the basic principles used in the discipline of Textual Criticism. We then applied these principles to the New Testament. By these measures the New Testament reliability exceeds that of any other ancient book. But what about the books of the Old Testament? Are they as reliable and unchanged as the New…
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What is the Greatest Love Story ever?
If you were to name some classic love stories you might suggest Helen of Troy & Paris (igniting the Trojan War dramatized in the Iliad), Cleopatra and Mark Antony (whose love entwined Rome in a civil war with Octavian/Augustus Caesar), Romeo & Juliet, Beauty & the Beast, or perhaps Cinderella & Prince Charming. In them,…
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What’s the Gospel? Considered through COVID, Quarantine and Vaccine
The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, emerged in China towards the end of 2019. Just a few months later it had raged around the world, infecting and killing millions while spreading to every country. The lightning fast spread of COVID-19 created panic around the world. People were unsure what to do in light of this pandemic. …
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Apparel: Why More than just Clothing?
Why do you clothe yourself? Not with just anything that fits, but you want fashionable clothing that states who you are. What causes you to instinctively need to wear clothing, not just to stay warm but also to express yourself visually? Isn’t it odd that you find the same instinct across the planet, no matter…
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Races and Languages: From Where? Answering Racism
People often mentally categorize others by race. Physical features, like skin color, that distinguish one group of people, a ‘race’, from another, are easy to notice. So Caucasians are ‘white’, while those of Asian and African decent are darker. These traits distinguishing groups of people from each other easily leads to racism. This is the…
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The Precision and Power of Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost always comes on a Sunday. It celebrates a remarkable event. But it is not only what happened that day but when and why it happened that reveals the hand of God. It also offers a powerful gift for you. What happened on Pentecost If you heard of ‘Pentecost’, you probably learned…
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The Resurrection of Jesus: Fact or Fiction?
In our modern, educated day, we sometimes wonder if traditional beliefs, especially ones about the Bible, are only out-dated superstitions. The Bible recounts many incredible miracles. But probably the Good Friday and First-Fruits story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead after his crucifixion seems the most unbelievable. Is there any logical evidence to take…
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Is the Bible textually Reliable? Or has it been corrupted?
Textual Criticism and the Bible In our scientific and educated age, we question many of the non-scientific beliefs that earlier generations had. This skepticism is especially true of the Bible. Many of us question the reliability of the Bible from what we know about it. After all, the Bible was written more than two thousand…
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How were details of Christ’s death prophesied?
Christ’s “cut off” Detailed Hundreds of Years Beforehand Previously we looked at Daniel’s prediction of the coming Christ’s ‘cutting off’ after a specified cycle of years. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (often called Palm Sunday) fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy exactly 173,880 days after the Persian Decree to restore Jerusalem. The phrase ‘cut off ’ referred to Isaiah’s imagery…
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