This week, we explored some further evidence related to the Bible's reliability. We looked at Old Testament prophecy, emphasizing how one person (Jesus) fulfilling so many prophecies is far to unlikely to just be a conscience.
We also analyzed Jesus' crucifixion, seeking to answer the question, "Did Jesus really die?" Is it possible that he just lost consciousness and woke up later? Students heard from a trauma surgeon who explained that just one of Jesus' major injuries (crown of thorns, spear to the side, etc.) probably would've been enough to kill him; so any notion that Jesus didn't really die on the cross seems rather unreasonable!
We also looked at Jesus' resurrection, attempting to make sense of the facts that most scholars (Christian or not) agree on: (1) Jesus tomb was found empty, (2) Jesus' followers claimed to have seen him after his crucifixion, and (3) His disciples were thoroughly convinced that he was raised from the dead. We examined several naturalistic explanations for these facts (Apparent Death Theory, Conspiracy Theory, Hallucination Theory), but none of them seemed to quite makes sense of the facts. So we are left with the most likely possibility: that Jesus was actually raised from the dead like the Gospels say!
*All assignments will be available to see on Canvas, sometimes submitted digitally, other times submitted on paper*
Daily scripture readings and responses (called "Find the Point")- completed in class
Hebrew Calligraphy Project- submitted in class Wed. Nov. 4th
Examine the Evidence Essay- due Mon. Nov. 16th
Next week, students will be introduced to an essay that helps them to synthesize many of the pieces of evidence for the Bible's reliability that we've been studying in class. They will have lots of dedicated class time to write this over the next week. We'll also have a quiz on Thursday over this same material.