Why the Book of Acts is HISTORY, Not Fiction

[@stephengray1344]

One thing you didn't pick up on that jumped out at me was Fredriksen using Tacitus as evidence that the word "Christian" wasn't used until the second century. But the passage in which he uses the word literally says that the word Christian was in use in 64 AD. It makes me wonder if she has even read all the sources she's using in her case.

[@TestifyApologetics]

Doh. Great catch.

[@kimjensen8207]

.... Excellent observation In my part of the world - Northern Protestant Europe (or should we say former Protestant, if not downright pagan, - academia is, to this day, dominated by the German theology of the last century, say - men like Rudolph Bultmann in the spring of 1942, comfortably at his desk in Marburg university - Auschwitz up and running and large portions of Europe in an iron grip, and - Bultmann more or less suggesting Jesus Christ is a fabrication - a fiction comparable to the subject material found in the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales. So few Germans, among them Dietrich Bonhoeffer, stripped naked, tortured and hanged in Flossenbürg concentration in the spring of 1945, stood firmly in Christ and offered strong opposition to the insanity of Nazism, but - his light, if you will, shone in an abyss of complete utter darkness. Here's my point: countries where the Gospel fares poorly - where Jesus Christ has seized to produce any meaning - well, these places also seize to produce the quantity of men needed when things go bad. You get quality, lord almighty - you get Dietrich! But - his wonderful light shines alone among millions of dead candles... In England, CS Lewis would instruct his countrymen on BBC - give mere Christianity to the world! Hitlers tamed theologians, and with them hundreds of thousands of young German Lutherans, provided the arm to keep Auschwitz up and running till January, 1945. And - even faced with this historical disaster of dimensions that can't really be grasped, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's light still, to this day, shines in an abyss of utter darkness as Christianity in Europe evolves into a purely cultural phenomenon. Lord almighty, Jesus Christ! Lord! Stay with us! And - Lord... Help us Kind regards Kim

[@explorandomitos9720]

Chrestians and Christians, no the same thing. But they could be related. We know that Tacitus wrote Chrestians. The most ancient dated Christian inscription (Oct. 1, 318 A.D.) runs "The Lord and Saviour Jesus the Good"-Chrestos, not Christos. This was the legend over the door of a Marcionite Church, and as u know the Marcionites were Anti-Jewish Gnostics, and did not confound their Chrestos with the Jewish Christos (Messiah).

[@stephengray1344]

@@explorandomitos9720 Read the whole of the Tacitus passage. He's talking about a religious group whose founder was crucified in Judea under Pontius Pilate. It seems pretty obvious to anybody not committed to Jesus Mythicism that he's misspelling the word "Christian" in this passage. Paula Fredriksen (whose views we're talking about) clearly believes that Tacitus was at least intending to use the word Christian in this passage. I was simply pointing out that he uses it with reference to events in the mid 1st Century in a way that reads as if "Christians" (or at least a near-honomyn) was the standard term for the group at that time. No, the Marcionites were not Gnostics. They didn't go in for the whole "secret knowledge/wisdom" thing which was the most central part of Gnosticism. There was some overlap between the beliefs of these two groups, but not enough that it's reasonable to classify them as Gnostics without any qualification. And, of course, an inscription from 318 AD is well after the word Christian came into common use in extant literature, and is even further away in time from the events Tacitus is describing.

[@explorandomitos9720]

@@stephengray1344 1. "It seems pretty obvious"? We cannot know for sure. But, we have not only inscriptions, or a bowl discovered in Alexandria, Egypt, and dated to the period from the late second century BCE to the early first century CE and bears an engraving that reads: "δια χρηστοu", translated as "through Chrestos," (not "Christ"), but that's not all, in P.Oxy.XLIII 3149 the epithet is deliberately used as a self-reference, establishing Chrestian authorship. *In Phrygia a number of funerary stone inscriptions use the term Chrestians, with (at least) one stone inscription using both terms together, reading: "Chrestians for Christians". [Van Voorst, Robert E (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence, pages 33-35]* 2. Marcion is indeed sometimes described as a "Gnostic philosopher". In some essential respects, Marcion proposed ideas which aligned well with Gnostic thought. Like the Gnostics, he believed that Jesus was essentially a divine spirit who appeared to human beings in human form, but did not actually take on a fleshly human body...

[@fluffysheap]

Don't forget that one of the two times where the word "Christian" appears in Acts is to record when people first started using the word. So you would expect it to be before other people started using the word.

[@zachv]

I was thinking the exact same thing

[@DavidWilberBlog]

Well done. I like Fredricksen's work in some areas, but dang. What sloppy reasoning here. "Acts is late because of the word Christian." LOL.

[@TestifyApologetics]

Yeah. I was like...say whaaaa??

[@mynameis......23]

@@TestifyApologetics Debunking catholicism I'm more blessed than mary Proof = Luke 11:27-28 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” In Luke 11:27 that random woman LITERALLY said Jesus your mother is Blessed, but are Lord Jesus LITERALLY said Believers are more Blessed than mary. Amen and Amen _________________________ CHRIST alone John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ACTS 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” There is only One Mediator between God and men, LORD Jesus Christ= 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. Hebrew 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrew 12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Hebrew 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by One Spirit to the Father John 15:5 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. _________________________ Work of God = John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” _________________________ 1 Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach Paul allows bishops to get marry, but catholic church goes against paul. Now these catholic will give a Verses from 1 Corinthians7 to say that paul gave the advice to stay unmarried. But they will not tell you that the same chapter they quote says 1 Corinthians 7:28 "even if you do marry, you have not SINNED". The passage literally says "young women, young men" and a bishop is supposed to be a Church ELDER. Mic drop _________________________ Jesus said Matthew 23:9 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And also said Holy Father to Heavenly Father= John 17:11 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. Jesus said call no one Father but still catholics call *pope holy father. Sad _________________________ Whenever a catholic argue about mary being the mother of God Use this to defeat the argument. Luke 8:21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” Matthew 12:46-50 46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”. Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” John 19:26-27 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. ( Jesus basically said John is the son of mary, and mary is the mother of John from that time onwards). By the way sarah is the mother of all proof=Galatians 4:21-26. _________________________ We should not pray to apostles Romans 1:25 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Acts 10:25-26 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” Acts 14:15 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, Revelation 19:10 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 22:8-9 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." Colossians 2:18 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, You cannot go to Father through saints nor mary, you can only go to the Father through Lord Jesus Christ= John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Holy Spirit intercedes for us=Romans 8:26 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And CHRIST as well=Romans 8:34 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. It's Christ and Holy Spirit who intercedes for us not apostles _________________________ Apostles are allowed to marry, 1 Corinthians 9:1-5 1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? If Peter (peter is cephas read John 1:42) the so called "first pope" was married, why does the catholic church doesn't allow "pope" to marry? _________________________ The so called vicar of christ/ pope/holy father Peter called himself a fellow elder in 1 Peter 5:1, and as per the qualifications of elder in Titus 1:5-9 the elder is allowed to get married; then why does the "pope" is required to be celibate and catholic? ( when Peter was neither celibate nor catholic). 1)Peter was not perfect human nor was he a perfect disciple 2)He sank down while walking on water 3)Our Lord said to peter get behind me satan 4)Peter reject our Lord 3 times 5)Our Lord rebuked Peter for calling fire from heaven 6)Our Lord rebuked Peter when he cut of the soilders ear 7)Paul rebuked Peter for being hypocrite because he was acting different in front of Jews and different in front of gentiles. 8) Moses messed up, and he was a important part of Bible ( that's why he never entered the promised land), 9)David messed up ( and he has the Holy Spirit), 10)King Soloman messed up, 11) Saul messed up and God regretted the decision (1 Samuel 15:10-11). Hatrick (Saul then David then Soloman back to back messed up) 12)The apostles run away a day before Lord Jesus got locked up. 13)The early church messed up Rev 2:18-20, 1 Corinthians, Galatians. 14) Apostle John when receiving Revelation worshiped an angel and the angel said "see you do not do that. Worship GOD" Revelation 22:8-9 If these great people could mess up, why do you think the catholic church wouldn't mess up. _ Galatians 4:21-26 21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar- 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children- 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. Sarah is mother of all, Not mary Also the Church has many name like Christians, Evangelists, Children of God, Believers, servents of God, bride of Christ, but not once the Church is called catholics Changed the 10 commandments by deleting 2nd commandment, and dividing the 10th into 2 commandments. Also changing the real Saturday Sabbath to fake sunday sabbath.

[@clayton4349]

“Acts is late because of the word Christian.” Peter writing 1st Peter between 60-65 AD: Really?

[@haggismcbaggis9485]

That could be evidence that 1 Peter is also late dating from 80-110.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

@@haggismcbaggis9485Why exactly? Her argument is a cold dead argument from silence.

[@haggismcbaggis9485]

@@MrMortal_Ra One might expect to find the word being used in the 1st century, but instead it is more commonplace in the 2nd. I wonder what Paul or the disciples called themselves.

[@MrMortal_Ra]

@@haggismcbaggis9485 If Acts is to be dated to the 1st century, (which I certainly think it should not be dated to the early 2nd century let alone the mid) then the title “Christian” is evident to have been used to within the 1st century and even prior to the writing of Acts.

[@haggismcbaggis9485]

@@MrMortal_Ra Yes, Acts can also be considered to be late. The Acts Seminar dated it around 120.

[@JM-19-86]

Doesn't Tacitus tell us the during Nero's reign, term Christian was already used by the general population? "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace." Annals 15.44

[@TestifyApologetics]

IDK why I didn't mention that.

[@JabberW00kie]

Imagine hanging off a cliff, and on one side above you is a vine firmly attached to a tree at the very top. On the other side, a few small tufts of grass. These skeptics are the ones reaching for the flimsy, unreliable shreds of grass instead of the extensive and reliable vine. It’s amazing how much solid evidence they ignore in favor of a smattering of ambiguous passages.

[@drackoni-han13]

According to the bible, Jesus, a pacifist, was in Roman captivity some time before he was crucified, resulting from the vocal ferocity of Jewish demands for such. It is known that many Roman soldiers were homosexuals, and captives, prisoners, were penetrated on account of being the defeated Imagine God, the creator of the whole wide universe, having his divine poop-hole reamed, by Roman legionaries

[@jamessheffield4173]

The “Gallio Inscription” is an important artifact which not only confirms that Gallio was the prefect of Achaia based in Corinth at the time of Paul, as Luke records in Acts, but the inscription also is a precise chronological anchor for the book of Acts which places Paul in Corinth in 51 AD and helps to determine a timeline for Paul and his travels.

[@Tzimiskes3506]

With the accuracy of Luke's description of routes and cities i would say it most definitely was NOT fiction...

[@paulblase3955]

Have you read Smith's analysis of Paul's journeys and shipwreck (cited in a previous video)? Luke's descriptions of the voyage are impeccable from a nautical point of view and completely in accord with the weather and current patterns of the area. You can tell from the way that he describes things that Luke is familiar with ships but not a sailor himself; probably he served as a ship's doctor.

[@TestifyApologetics]

@@paulblase3955 I made a video on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYjOpYaog8eUmpI Great book!!

[@paulblase3955]

@@TestifyApologetics Yes, thank you for making that. I watched it, got a copy of the book and enjoyed it greatly.

[@paulblase3955]

@@monkkeygawd Try actually listening to the videos. No, it cannot possibly be fiction. C.S. Lewis, a professor of literature at Oxford and Cambridge, pointed out (I paraphrase) "I know fiction and this isn't it."

[@paulblase3955]

@@monkkeygawdFor one thing, as C.S. Lewis pointed out, that kind of fiction hadn't been invented yet. For another, there is absolutely no evidence that it is fictional. Where do you get the idea from, other then "experts". (And, BTW, there's some pretty good evidence that the Odyssey was based on a real voyage). The problem with most post-modern "Critical" scholars is that they start from false presumptions, namely that Jesus could not have done what is written. When you start with a false assumption, you get false conclusions.

[@billkamprat3634]

Skeptics somehow think the gospel writers and writers of the epistles had wikipedia and google

[@jameswitt108]

😂

[@edcroteau3237]

This is great stuff, Erik.... using this in my young adults study

[@OrthodoxInquiry]

When you were bringing up Paula's awful argument from silence, you should have brought up the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (which I think you have done in previous videos). The fact that the volcanic destruction of an entire city is mentioned by only a single source is incredible.

[@josepholeary3286]

a really poor argument from silence put forward by Paula F. is that Paul does not mention Stephen! (so Stephen must be fictional??)

[@sliglusamelius8578]

Same is true with the Peloponnesian war, there is one source.

[@tam_chris20]

Thanks

[@thecloudtherapist]

You are crushing it, sir! 👏

[@protochris]

It's very clear to me reading Acts that Luke knew Barnabas quite well, which places him as a contemporary of Paul. Luke describes many intimate details between Paul and Barnabas; he even pauses his narrative to make a very personal remark about Barnabas, saying "...for he was a good man and full of the holy spirit and of faith". This is someone writing about Barnabas, likely after he passed away, who clearly shared fond memories with him.

[@loganpeterjones]

Wow! Great video!!

[@Michael-bk5nz]

If Acts wasn't written until the middle of the second century, how could the author not have access to Paul's epistles which were in wide distribution by that time?

[@ArrayzableMusic]

I saw this interview and knowing her credentials I was really shocked at her words and lack of direct knowledge of the texts. I'm sure she read another sceptics work. But what was really shocking and made me quite sad was the interaction between them. He was happy like a little boy getting candy everytime she threw something at him that fed his religious level bias towards debunking christianity, and she got her kicks from throwing the candy. MythVision wasn't to be taken serious. Hope they will both do better in the future. Nice job Testify!!

[@pleaseenteraname1103]

Those are my thoughts when I here Richard Carrier.

[@alleykat5188]

They are making a conscious effort to discredit christianity and the new testament,if they did something like this to the muslims it would be holy war.May the lord have mercy on their souls.

[@gregoryamer]

Excellent. I’m reading the Bible for the first time. I read Galatians two days ago and was so astonished by the report of Paul’s encounter with Jesus that I immediately reread Acts. I thought there would be a conflict regarding the timeline, Stephen and how Paul learned the Gospel. But there is no conflict, just emphasis placed on different aspects of the same events. I’d really love to know what Paul did in Arabia, and how much of the 3 years were spent in Damascus preaching. Thank you for posting

[@liljenborg2517]

I always find it interesting that skeptics argue that because Luke doesn't mention some very minor detail about Paul's biography that they think he ought to have included is proof that Acts was written late, but then dismiss a Christian apologist saying that Acts not mentioning the destruction of Jerusalem or even the execution of Paul is an argument that Acts was written before 70AD.

[@hglundahl]

3:24 Recall who had to drink a little wine because of his stomach? Could he have wanted to avoid (very reasonably) seasickness?

[@MeanBeanComedy]

Clever! 🧠🧠🧠

[@DanielApologetics]

Testify = one of the best apologetics channels on KZbin!

[@chrisazure1624]

Don't count yourself short.

[@solidsnake497]

I keep getting unsubscribed from you and other Christian channels. Does anyone know if this is a glitch or is KZbin targeting these specific channels?

[@jonhilderbrand4615]

Excellent work,, as usual! I like the way these "scholars" seem to think these "contradictions" haven't been seen or addressed in the last 2,000+ years. The Bible has been picked apart like no other book in history, what makes them think they're going to find something "new"? Also, one thing I never thought about relating to the arguments from silence she brings up (like Paul not mentioning Stephen) is...Wouldn't it be just a little bit foolish to assume that Paul _never_ wrote _anything_ else? No other letters? In which he had, perhaps, already written about those things? Paul even refers to a letter he had written in II Corinthians that many, if not most, scholars do not believe is I Corinthians, but another "lost" letter. In their haste to jump on every imagined inconsistency they find, they just end up looking like fools.

[@paulblase3955]

Yes. We know that several of Paul's letters are missing. One wonders what would happen if one were discovered someday?

[@GabeGarsia]

love your videos man! Keep up the good work

[@HatsoffHistory]

Interesting video. I agree that the Fredriksen's case is pretty darn weak. Her argument for late dating based on Luke's use of the word _Χριστιανὸν_ ("a Christian") seems to me especially unconvincing, and you are correct to draw attention to it as an example of employing a kind of implicit circularity. To be fair, though, what Fredriksen left out is that the word _Christianus_ seems to be a Latinism, and not of Greek origin. And in Latin, the word _Christianus_ first shows up in the second century with Tacitus and Pliny. But even this strikes me as an essentially forceless argument. Why shouldn't a Latinism have migrated into Greek parlance in the 30s or 40s in Antioch in the Roman Empire? And this is assuming it has Latin origin in the first place, which is hardly certain. (As an aside---although perhaps not directly relevant---I can't help but mention that _Παῦλος_ is also a Latin/Roman name!---"paullus" being the Latin word for "small".) It's also perhaps helpful to note that Luke appears to regard this term as applied by non-Christians. As historian Edwin A. Judge observes [“Judaism and the Rise of Christianity” _TynBul_ 45 (1994) p363], tacking on _-ianus_ to a person's name was a typical way for outsiders to give a "mildly contemptuous" label to groups who followed the teachings of certain individuals, e.g., Nero (cf. Suet., _Nero_ 25.1; Tac., _Ann._ 15.14) or Herod (cf. Mt. 22.16). To illustrate: In Ac 11.26 we are told that the people at Antioch first called them Christians after being preached to about Christ; and then in Ac 26.28 the king Agrippa II uses the term in a plainly derogatory fashion. (Even in 1 Pe 4.16, the context is persecution, i.e. the charge of being _Christian_ by opponents.) Contrast this to where Luke uses the terms _brothers,_ _disciples of the Lord,_ or _the Way_ (instead of Christians/Christianity) when using his own literary voice, where no aspersion is connoted. (One possible exception is Ac 9.2, where then-Saul is hoping to find "any belonging to the Way".) This seems to me to make it eminently plausible that Luke is reporting accurately in his usage of these terms.

[@austinwakeman89]

I like how the very beginning of the interview they were asking, "How do we know there's a contradiction?" Not, "Is there a contradiction?" Two very different questions and the fact they asked the first one lets me know they already made up their mind without examining the evidence.

[@nataliaturner4845]

He asks a 2 part question that maps perfectly onto the 2 example questions you gave 🤷‍♀ The first part is "Does Luke/Acts contradict Paul?" = (Is there a contradiction [between Luke/Acts and Paul]?) The second part is "And can you give us any examples [evidence] of how we know that?" = (How [meaning "by way of what evidence"] do we know there's a contradiction?) I think what bothers you is that the second part of his question _seems to_ anticipate the answer first, but if you just think about it for 2 seconds you'd see it's simply because the answer to the first question is a _foregone conclusion_ = HE already knows that she thinks Luke/Acts contradicts Paul, _but the audience doesn't_ And if you click on the original video in the link description, and start at 1 minute 30 seconds, you will see that is exactly the case (editing this comment to put the context in italics because bold isn't working) " _But for the regular people who might be watching, who are interested in really seeking the information from an academic such as yourself_ ... sorry this is long-winded! ... Does Luke/Acts contradict Paul, and can you give us any examples of how we know that?"_ So there you have it, he is simply asking her _with the audience in mind_ to state her claim (Does Luke/Acts contradict Paul?") and then give her evidence ("And can you give us any examples of how we know that?"). There is nothing else to it.

[@michaelg4919]

thanks for the work you are doing!

[@sethlester1659]

When it's casually mentioned that Paul gets stoned to death (or at least until his brain matter was visible on the outside of his skull which is when the stoners assume a stonee is dead in those days) and then goes to another city (Acts 14:19-20)- it's easy for those who deny miracles to have a strong desire to disprove what has accidental evidence left in it that shows its validity.

[@chrisazure1624]

They treat speculation as fact and ramp it up as truth. Then you get an opportunist like MythVision who gives a voice to those trying to gain notoriety. He gets the clicks and the ad income and they get exposure and a few books sold.

[@tylerjones3514]

Historical fiction didn't even begin until the 1800s. You would have to assume the writer of the New Testament began a new type of writing style, then cultures lost this for about 1,700+ years.

[@Jewonastick]

Whahahahahahahaha! So by your logic EVERY story written before the 1800s cannot be historical fiction? So the quran is real as well?

[@Tzimiskes3506]

@@Jewonastick Whahahahahaha! So by your logic, atheism is a fiction as well? Quit being a simpleton, hitchenite stok.

[@Jewonastick]

@@Tzimiskes3506 Atheism is the disbelief in a god..... How can a disbelief be fiction? Do you believe in leprechauns? No? Is that disbelief fiction?

[@Tzimiskes3506]

@@Jewonastick Well at this point lacktheists larping on about how their pseudo intellectual claim isn't a belief is too common that we have entire powerpoints ready to refute this claim. Atheism is a belief. The moment someone uses the "Atheism is just the lack of a belief" or "bald is a hair colour" trope, that is a hallmark that you are dealing with an average internet atheist that had received their entire education from hitchens/dawkins books and the internet. Let's refute this, shall we? According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, atheism “should be construed as the proposition that God does not exist”. Paul Draper, “Atheism and Agnosticism,” in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Fall 2017 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2017) November 3, Russell, Bertrand, “What is an Agnostic?”: An atheist, like a Christian, holds that we can know whether or not there is a God. The Christian holds that we can know there is a God; the atheist, that we can know there is not.

[@Jewonastick]

@@Tzimiskes3506 Im an atheist... An agnostic atheist. One that doesn't give a fuq about what you think of that. The comment about how "Historical fiction didn't even begin until the 1800s." as an argument for the reliability for the gospels is just retarded.

[@simontemplar3359]

Thank you so much for doing this critical work! It seems to me that people like Professors Fredericksen and Ehrman have found a way to have respectable careers and live comfortable lives, and that's great for them, but it seems that both are intelligent enough to know that the arguments they are advancing are not intellectually honest. It seems that the question is more a question of ethics. Somehow every Christmas and every Easter, Bart Ehrman is out there rattling old Marley's chains, and the mainstream media and academy just gobble it up. I think that we have to conclude that prima facie, Professors Frederisksen and Ehrman knowingly advance fallacious and indefensible arguments either because they want to advance/maintain their career and comfortable lives, or they are so blinded by ego that they can never reverse course, instead they double down. I appreciate you telling them to back the truck up and educating the rest of us on why.

[@ndjarnag]

They could be demons in disguise.

[@hglundahl]

18:17 To adress St. Paul's non-mention of his previous activity in the case of St. Stephen - he was probably still "junior" at this time, before Gamaliel had "PhD'd" him, to use Paula's language. And _being_ junior, he didn't do as much as later on. Like just before the road to Damascus. This would mean, St. Paul might not even have heard it. So, how did St. Luke know Saulus had stood as coatguard? Well, probably Saulus wasn't the only convert from that lynchmob, someone more active who had heard St. Stephen had also converted and he would have known he had given his coat to Saulus - and as importantly seen the significance of this, as St. Stephen had arguably prayed for that conversion among his executioners.

[@ellisikundo1591]

“She saved the worst for last!” 😂😂 for real

[@CRoadwarrior]

Just found your channel. I really appreciate your efforts here. It seems we do similar apologetics, so perhaps we can work together on some videos in the future. God bless!

[@harryfaber]

Realising that I am biased, and as a 'believer', not to be believed, are we missing the point that all of these 'theories' about the veracity and authorship of all the Books was thrashed to death a very long while ago, by people who were possibly the great great grandchildren of some of the actual Apostles and disciples.

[@guigs5574]

Very good video! Critical scholars often make very bad arguments. On the channel "mythvision" there are several other examples... I made a complete answer to the Mythvision and Steve Mason video on Josephus and Luke/Acts but it's an article in French

[@callums6570]

Could you translate this in English?

[@guigs5574]

@@callums6570 At the moment I have no plans to translate it. You can try to translate it with google translation but I don't know how good the translation will be. You can find the article on the site "proecclesia fr" and the title of the article is "La datation de Luc/Actes. La dépendance aux écrits de Josèphe, réponse à Steve Mason"

[@callums6570]

@@guigs5574 do you know anyone who would be willing to translate it? Google translation isn't the best.

[@thecontagiouscajun4795]

She hates NT Wright, and Derek seems too as well. Wright makes more sense than these 2 who clearly have a chip on their shoulders.

[@shanehanes7096]

If Paul mentioned the so-called “gaps” that are in Luke, would she just say that acts just copied from Paul. Also writing material was expensive then so you would waste material with unimportant details.

[@tylerx099]

You know I kinda wish I had the money to read all of these scholar’s works. Regardless of their conclusions, I think it’s good to understand where they are coming from. I just can’t afford to spend the money lol.

[@Juanrepublicnotion]

For me I need money and time.. but most is time.. I need to work lol!

[@arthurk188]

Again, one can have an PhD and still have many bad ideas.

[@quagsiremcgee1647]

This sounds like if someone didn't know what stone was and found some sand and thought stone must be much more like water then steel. The skeptics here don't seem to be steel manning their opposition.

[@tchaseg]

Can I just say, this is great stuff. The thinking behind it is really good. One thing that might be interesting is that (I'm a Pastor, MAR, BS in Biblical Studies, Minor in Greek) the author of Acts uses the term "immediately" to imply causation, not time periods. When I was watching this I had a flashback to a class I took on the book of Acts and this was in week one. Acts 12:23 is a good example. Historically, Herod died of trichinosis a few years after this interaction, but the author uses the word "immediately" to imply this death was caused by his rebellion against God and his people. I could also be wrong here. But that's what I remember

[@ryanrockstarsessom768]

Thank you

[@DivineMercy0414]

I know this is silly but it never mentioned people using the restroom does that mean it never happened?

[@enkidufive3349]

Not so. Samuel and Kings have a dim view of people peeing against walls. Yahweh is afraid of stepping in doo doo in Deuteronomy 23:12-14. And, there are other passages that mention excrement and urine too numerous to name. You don't know a lot about scripture, do you? That's funny $#!t.

[@BhikPersonal]

Commenting for algorithm. May God enhance your subscriber and view count hundred fold.

[@eternalgospels]

Sometimes I feel like debating these atheists is a lost cause. They come up with the most disparate conjectures solely based on speculations. When it's convenient Acts is useful to them when making a point. But when it comes to historical accuracy they feel it's not useful.

[@jamesmorgan2064]

It's like in the book of Romans where people have an understanding of God , it's written on their heart but claiming to be wise , they became fools and their foolish hearts were darkened .

[@chrisazure1624]

But it sharpens us. The more defenses I hear, the more I understand their speculations don't carry water. That encourages me to not be shy.

[@litigioussociety4249]

Probably, can't win over the person in the debate, but you can impact their followers who have been indoctrinated with only certain information and propagandized to disregard other information.

[@eternalgospels]

We need to support channels like these and share the content.

[@solidsnake497]

It’s a heart issue it always has been, their hearts are very callous.

[@katjaa4887]

Thank you i saw this and was hoping you or someone else would respond.

[@toasterpastries5811]

*love this channel and your work. Would you please cover the different stories of Judas' death?*

[@TestifyApologetics]

see here, timestamp 16:55 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaOyhHman7upq6M

[@betawithbrett7068]

Paul mentions in Galatians his persecuting ChrisianS.... plural... so if Stephen was the 1st as Acts records but there were many many more, then WHY would he mention Stephen in the letter to the assembly in Galatia? Paula does not consider that.

[@andreaoldham5986]

Interesting yes and Paul wasn’t young there either when they placed his coats near him I think Paul very well could be the false prophet and I have issues with the book of acts I’ve read Josephus could of wrote it but really it could of been revised and added to try and perfect it but it still fall shorts then there’s the three conversion stories that are all different. And the list goes on… like how the Holy Spirit is relieved gen 2:7 and John 20:22 says it is received by the breath. So yea just a hard book to read really along with all of Paul’s books he’s a double minded narcissist who ends up being the person Christian’s follow unlike Jesus who teaches us to repent and sin no more teaches us about good works not that we are saved by Grace from just believing of course faith is important but it is also an action word faith without works us dead.

[@betawithbrett7068]

Flavius Josephus was a Jew that we have no record he became a Christian. 2 Peter 3:15 "our dear brother Paul" says Peter. Polycarp was a student of the Apostle John who wrote in his Letter to the Church in Philippi that Paul wrote an amazing letter "to you Philippians and if you study it, it will build you up in the faith". Paul the Apostle is misunderstood but not a heretic.

[@jericosha2842]

I have to give it to you here man. I don't always agree with you and I'm sure I am doing too much "gas lighting" of myself. Thanks for the video.

[@davidadams8726]

The closer we get to the return of Christ, the louder the skeptics and naysayers will try to discredit the Bible. While I can't answer all their criticisms and questions, I am absolutely confident I can trust the Bible. Thank you to Testify for having the time to do the research to refute these criticisms. David Adams, Mobile, AL

[@3master791]

Great video.

[@grubblewubbles]

Nice video,are there any documentaries/ movies made about the book of Acts? I feel like those would be really cool

[@IsmaelLovecraft]

Acts, 18:3, tells us that Paul was a tentmaker.

[@lewissmith7789]

You think these skeptics would have learned by now that if they serve you a softball, you're going to hit it out of the park!

[@tam_chris20]

This is probably what David pallman used to say... Philosophy can really help underatand biblical understanding ... Tats good

[@achristian11]

excellent video

[@emdfilms5785]

Hey testify right now I’m doing some research on the supposed bible contradiction in Mark 2:26. Do u have a video on that?

[@TestifyApologetics]

I believe Inspiring Philosophy does, you might want to check it out.

[@emdfilms5785]

@@TestifyApologetics okay thank you

[@grubblewubbles]

Do you think you're gonna respond to Mythvisions video saying how luke/acts is fiction? I think he only released it one or two days ago

[@midimusicforever]

Acts = Facts!

[@erlinggaratun6726]

The 'we - passages' were always used for sea-travel. changing the perspective to 'we' during a sea voyage was normal in *literature* at the time, like 'Acts', a work of fiction..

[@johnharrison6745]

Fredriksen is a former Roman Catholic who converted to Judaism. The wise position is to regard her as a SNAKE. 🪱🪱🪱🥾🥾🥾

[@JakeRuzi]

There’s a worm in my boot!?!?

[@nevermind824]

I guess the phrase "many days" would be situational and perhaps just how language was used. We may say "some time passed" and it could mean a few hours or several years. The context is decided by the background knowledge of who you are speaking to.

[@legodavid9260]

If Acts was just made-up fanfiction composed centuries after the fact, than why the hell would it end so abruptly with Paul's arrival in Rome after building up so much anticipation for that event all throughout the story? That's completely ridiculous. It honestly baffles me how out of their way some atheists would go in order to discredit the Bible.

[@paulblase3955]

There's a theory that Luke wrote a second volume, but it was lost.

[@legodavid9260]

@@paulblase3955 Well, we don't have any direct evidence that such a volume ever existed. I am not going to rule out the possibility, but given how important Acts was to the early church, a second volume should have undoubtedly survived, or at the very least, should have been mentioned by people like the Church Fathers.

[@Grandmaster_Dragonborn]

@@paulblase3955 That’s their only leg to stand on, on Acts being fiction, and it’s weak as there’s no evidence of any such volume.

[@kearlanventures]

I haven’t seen a field more riddled with circular reasoning than Biblical scholarship (and since I haven’t seen another, it must be true ;)). Fallacious reasoning is the scourge of the field IMO. Examples such as “editorial fatigue”for Markan Priority come to mind. This video is another. Dating of gospels on the basis of post destruction of temple is yet another, etc. It’s embarrassing tbh, but the ramifications are tragic as well…

[@carloswater7]

Luke recorded routes and cities that existed. Also other historical books mention them. The skeptic is so wrong on many levels

[@nomadicrecovery1586]

It’s sad. And deceptive to see threes scholars do this. It’s like they are intent on finding some way to dismiss what’s in their face

[@poeter14]

Injust watched that video a few hours ago and to be honest i felt like a lot of her points seem to skip a lot of possibilities and treats it like one minor discrepancy instead of being investigated to her simply means it's the way she interprets

[@sjappiyah4071]

Wow, I can’t believe I’m saying this but the sloppiness of her work makes me appreciate Bart Ehrman

[@fantasia55]

James was the first cousin of Jesus, being the son of Clopas, brother of Joseph, and the other Mary. Also, he was older than Jesus - ruling out the virgin birth for those who claim they were siblings.

[@j.victor]

You know how critical I am of some of your videos, but man... Paula's video it's terrible...

[@waxworse]

Your thoughts on Dan McClellan?

[@TestifyApologetics]

He's a mixed bag. He's correcting goofballs on TikTok, (which is totally fine, I do it to) giving people the consensus view of critical scholarship, which can at times be good and at other times be very bad. I don't like how dismissive and credentialist he is to those who think differently than he does. I think he was right to call out Dr. Falk's inappropriate comments about Francesca Stavrakopoulou but I didn't agree 100% with how he did it. He didn't need to psychologize Dr. Falk, he could've have just pointed out his comments for what they were.

[@Medgewick]

I've seen Stalin apologists make more convincing arguments than whatever smut these "scholars" peddle

[@georgeh8937]

i am not that deep into apologetics and scholarly nitpicking. i borrowed ehrman's video and books from the library and he seemed like a reasonable guy who had a legit reason for disbelieving. namely the problem of evil. then the youtube algorithm presented me with mythvision videos. derek seemed sincere and interested in scholarly topics. then the shine wore off. i told him "you may as well stop saying you are agnostic when you firmly believe all religions are myth". when i saw some of his guests like Frederickson that made it clear there is no room for faith discussions. on why things happen and what they mean. lately derek started releasing his "apologists are waging war on me" videos so i had to tell him again to shape up if he still claims he is being open and reasonable on faith matters.

[@ksilas78]

Thank you so much for this video. I was very opened to watching that guys video with the so called female scholar, and after watching, I realized that they lack spiritual intelligence and discernment and their arguments were very weak.

[@ultramarinechaplain88]

I really have nothing to say about mythicists except they just have ultra high standards for the bible. Skeptics like to point out how conservative scholars have biases... Yeah... So do skeptics

[@MNZGamin]

6:20 I don’t know much about the Bible and the history but even I know that Tacitus mentioned the use of “Christian” by like 50AD, right? She didn’t even try lol

[@MNZGamin]

@@soarel325 But he referenced the term dating that far back

[@airkami]

Also, don't be Missiled.

[@ThunderingG]

I’m genuinely surprised how bad her arguments were. Do you think these scholars genuinely think this, or are intentionally misrepresenting the text they’re so “specialized” in?

[@BornAgainExJw]

This just goes to show, even if you have the letters PHD after your name it doesn’t necessarily follow that you will be a wise person.

[@PeeedaPan]

You need to look at all the arguments in totality. Choosing to attack the argument from silence is only one argument. You can't really debunk her other arguments.

[@TestifyApologetics]

Which ones...the argument the has where Jesus never really cleansed the Temple because it was too big and he couldn't have escaped? Paula is weak sauce.

[@spongebob4043]

very inspiring of how well you know the bible

[@feliperodriguez4187]

👍

[@Juanrepublicnotion]

one question of mythvision during the series of his interview with paula, he asked an expertise opinion about Jesus.. paula answered with conviction and certainty that Jesus was crucified---something that is a fact, not a myth as mtyhvision trying to portray in his channel!

[@TheMarredVessel]

It seems nefarious that there are biblical scholars who so avidly undermine the authenticity of the scripture

[@paulblase3955]

Also, in at least most of Paul's letters, he could assume that the recipients had copies of at least Matthew's Gospel.

[@briandiehl9257]

How? Paul's letters were before the gospels

[@paulblase3955]

@@briandiehl9257 Matthew's Gospel was written circa 50 AD, Mark and Luke's Gospels both 50 to 60 AD. Paul's letters were written 55 AD to 60 AD (Lutheran Study Bible, Concordia Publishing House). Those are the best available dates. (John's Gospel was written circa 90 AD, and is a theological treatise on Christ's divinity, written in response to the Gnostics).

[@briandiehl9257]

@@paulblase3955 some of pauls letters are dated to the late 40s or early 50s, meanwhile I have never seen a dating that early for mattew

[@paulblase3955]

@@briandiehl9257 Well, all I can say is check your sources. And yes, Paul may have written letters earlier, but recall his own timeline: converted a year or so after Christ's death and spending several years in Damascus and Arabia. I'd say 50's would be sufficient to be commissioned, found congregations, and then have to write letters back to them. I firmly reject any "late gospel" theories; they were written early to teach new catechumens the faith, not later as general histories.

[@briseisjay7898]

Mythicists & late daters are essentially grasping at straws at this point.

[@rolandovelasquez135]

Who is Paula Fredricksen? Nope, never heard of her. And just by the way. Derek using these "experts" kinda reminds me of a drowning man in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean grasping at a plastic straw 😅

[@AnHebrewChild]

we laugh at men drowning in destruction and perdition? ha ha. Good one. 😅 What an assholish thing to do. And you even got 5 upvotes for it. Shame on you.

[@BananaYT]

It's embarrassing that a person with PhD making these arguments, this just goes to show anyone can get a PhD 😆Paula has one of the most worst arguments I hear

[@vancelandry9369]

Its not really bad, its good. Its an anachronism, it shouldn’t be there. And yeah the word christian might be interpolated in peter.

[@christianknickerbocker604]

Its cool how the exact same phrase (many days) was used in the ot to represent the exact period of 3 years that they represent in the nt. Its like God is assuring his children that yes, the expression can mean 3 years. I mean think about it, the ot expression could have represented 2 years or 4.

[@ndjarnag]

I’m not sure whats problem. So writers make mistakes. There are mistakes in acts. No big deal.

[@melissalittle4369]

LOL - already applying pressure to give money to Paul and others who do nothing to generate income. He expected to live off others from the very first day of his ministry. That is what the Bible says Jesus instructed his disciples to do, and what he did himself.

[@jessecamping]

I have read her stuff ,,,Not a fan!!!

[@craigertlmaier9113]

Seems historical. Acts chapter 5 33-39 said from Rabban Gamaliel that if the Jesus movement known as Netzarim came to nothing then it was not from the Lord. They officially ended in 135 ce and disappeared from history in 333 ce. Nazarene Jewish Christianity on Amazon confirms this. Jesus's movement known as Netzarim in Hebrew coming to an end meant that he wasn't the Messiah according to the text.

[@justiceman176]

Yes. Shes boring.Except for Acts 16 32-34 I believe Acts is inspired.

[@tyronecox5976]

Titus was the Chrestus author of All biblical scripture, Titus aka Paul says Titus my ONE TRUE son in the faith, there's a clue in that statement, Titus telling you that he's the Chrestus author of All biblical scripture, Titus Flavius Augustus Clemens, they dropped the Augustus because Augustus is from the Latin word Augur which means foretell prophesize,14 Pope Clements from the HOLY Roman Empire, Saints, highest ranking of all Angels, well known,Titus wasn't related to the other Caesars but because they knew from scripture he was the Chrestus hes automatically heir to everything, Render to Caesar what is Caesars, Titus gave them Sol invictus to worship on the 25th December when the Sun resurrects again after 3 days, Titus's satire, Titus was Ra Sol the creator.

[@JakeRuzi]

Do you smoke?

[@michaelbabbitt3837]

Kudos to you, Erik, for just staying with the facts and logical inferences. I admire your patience and mercy to obvious bad scholarship. The University today is way too often a production factory of non-scholarship by people trained in obfuscation and argumentation from their own authority and not from sound logic. Good scholars want to be accurate and faithful to the evidence - and to their profession.

[@manueloliveira8062]

2000 year old stories... how are they even relevant. jesus should have written texts himself not merely walked around uttering incoded prophecy to be deciphered for centuries. The suffering continues !!!!!

[@ernestschultz5065]

it's a little history and a lot of fiction. Doesn't have to be either or. The best stories have a kernel of something like truth and a hefty coating of palatable fiction. that way you a get tasty morsel that can be easily digested.

[@brianclark7908]

Is it just me, or is Dr. Fredericksen kinda hot?