Undesigned Coincidences

The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and its Evidential Value

Biblical Reliability, Conversion of Paul, Undesigned Coincidences /

An argument for Christianity that seldom receives adequate attention is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (also known as Paul) on the road to Damascus. There exist three accounts of Paul’s conversion in the book of Acts — in chapters 9, 22, and 26. In this essay, I shall lay out in detail why Paul’s Damascus road conversion constitutes powerful evidence of the truth of Christianity.

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Have John Nelson and Josh Parikh Refuted the Reportage Model?

2 Comments / Biblical Reliability, Undesigned Coincidences /

A couple of weeks ago, an episode aired on the skeptical Doubts Aloud podcast, featuring John Nelson and Josh Parikh, in which they offered a critical appraisal of the high-resolution reportage model of the gospels, advocated by myself, Tim and Lydia McGrew, Peter J. Williams, Wesley Huff, and other scholars.

Have John Nelson and Josh Parikh Refuted the Reportage Model? Read More »

Who Wrote the Gospels? Rabbi Tovia Singer Has No Clue!

2 Comments / Biblical Reliability, Canonicity, Church History, Critics of Christianity, Gospel Authorship, Gospel Authorship, Tovia Singer, Undesigned Coincidences /

Tovia Singer asserts that the gospels were originally written and circulated anonymously and that nowhere in the text do they identify themselves. Moreover, Singer asserts that “These are church traditions — and in fact they are late church traditions, meaning these ascriptions are assigned about a century after the gospels are written” by Irenaeus of Lyons.

Who Wrote the Gospels? Rabbi Tovia Singer Has No Clue! Read More »

Are There Colossal Contradictions in the Gospels? A Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer

1 Comment / Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Tovia Singer, Undesigned Coincidences /

Though the alleged discrepancies offered by Rabbi Singer require some investigation to untangle, closer inspection — and more careful reading of the relevant texts — reveals the arguments to be unfounded. The solutions that I have offered to these challenges are not strained or forced harmonizations, but rather are suggested from within the texts themselves.

Are There Colossal Contradictions in the Gospels? A Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer Read More »

What Are Students Learning At Yale? A Review of Dale Martin’s Introductory Lecture on the New Testament

3 Comments / Biblical Reliability, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Undesigned Coincidences /

Watching Dale Martin teach his introductory lecture raised a number of concerns for me — not primarily because I disagree profoundly with many of Dr. Martin’s conclusions but because a significant number of the ‘facts’ he delivers in his presentation are quite simply false on a factual level, or otherwise misleading.

What Are Students Learning At Yale? A Review of Dale Martin’s Introductory Lecture on the New Testament Read More »

The Historicity of the Feeding of the Five Thousand: An Appraisal of the Evidence

Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Undesigned Coincidences /

It is one of the most iconic incidents in Jesus’ life. We are all familiar with the famous story of Jesus miraculously feeding the five thousand from five loaves and two fish, with no fewer than twelve basketfuls of leftovers. But just how historical is this story?

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Did Jesus Exist? A Critical Appraisal of Richard Carrier’s Interpretation of the Pauline Corpus

4 Comments / Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Book Reviews, Critics of Christianity, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Jesus Mythicism, Richard Carrier, Undesigned Coincidences /

Richard Carrier is an ancient historian who has risen to prominence as the lead advocate of Jesus Mythicism, a school of thought that entertains the idea that Jesus of Nazareth may never have existed at all.

Did Jesus Exist? A Critical Appraisal of Richard Carrier’s Interpretation of the Pauline Corpus Read More »

The Resurrection of Jesus: The Evidential Contribution of Luke-Acts

14 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Evidence for the Resurrection, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Undesigned Coincidences /

Any discussion of the evidence for the resurrection must first ascertain what the original apostolic witnesses claimed and whether those claims are best explained by the resurrection, or by some alternative hypothesis.

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Defending Inter-Synoptic Undesigned Coincidences: A Response to Kurt Jaros

1 Comment / Biblical Reliability, Undesigned Coincidences /

Jaros does not seem to appreciate the value of casualness. He fails to understand how an undesigned coincidence can occur in the same document, or how a writer might provide information that unintentionally corroborates (in a manner that can be detected) some fact that the said author is also aware of.

Defending Inter-Synoptic Undesigned Coincidences: A Response to Kurt Jaros Read More »

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