A select few of you will want to stay in touch with me.
You will find that this blog is no longer a good way to do that.
Send me an email at sntjohnny @ sntjohnny . com in order to arrange for that.
–sntj… continue reading...
Category: Blog
Facts and the Faith Go Hand in Hand. Even the little Facts Matter
Anthony Horvath, PhD, is a Christian author, publisher, and apologist who works out of central Wisconsin. Contact him at director @ athanatosministries.org.
The word for the kind of work I do is ‘apologetics.’ It is from the Greek. Many joke: “Does this mean you are in the business of saying you are sorry?” Very funny! It actually means, “to make a defense.” Christian apologetics is the ‘defense of the Christian faith.’
This defense usually happens along intellectual grounds, and for some Christians that is an insult to the very idea of ‘faith.’ Obviously, it matters how we are defining our … continue reading...
How Many Guards at the Tomb? A series of essays and ebook.
I have a post, simply titled “How many guards at Jesus’ tomb?” that has proved to be one of the most popular ones on this blog, drawing ten thousand visitors or so each year. The bulk of these come during the Easter season. I suspect that there are a lot of churches putting on Passion plays and they’re looking for some guidance on this topic (eg, how many costumes should they make for the guards, and should they be Roman costumes, or Jewish temple guard costumes?)
This year, to enhance the service that this post has evidently provided, … continue reading...
Guards at the Tomb: Were they Roman Guards or Jewish Guards?
CONTINUED/ADDENDUM
The following material supplements the original essay on the guards at Jesus’ tomb and provides more corroboration for various statements that were made within it. It can be purchased as an ebook, cover to the right. (Next section: The Discipline of the Roman Soldier )
Were they Roman Guards or Temple Guards?
In some regards, it doesn’t matter whether the guards were Roman or Temple guards. The mere fact that there were guards represents a real problem for those who wish to dismiss the resurrection. If the tomb had been left unattended throughout the entire time between Jesus’ … continue reading...
Guards at the Tomb: The Discipline of the Roman Soldier
(this is the continuation of a series of essays discussing the number and make-up of the guards at Jesus’ tomb. It can be purchased as an ebook, cover to the right. Main essay | Previous section | Next section: The Romans and Jews: So (un)Happy Together )
The Discipline of the Roman Soldier
Most acknowledge that the Roman military was very good at what it did without really looking at the details. The concession is made easily enough because most of us learned in history class that the Romans conquered a great deal of territory, and we infer, without … continue reading...
Guards at the Tomb: The Romans and Jews: So (un)Happy Together
(this is the continuation of a series of essays discussing the number and make-up of the guards at Jesus’ tomb. It can be purchased as an ebook, cover to the right. Main essay | Previous section | Next section: Pilate Puts Jesus on Trial, the Jews put Pilate on Trial )
The Romans and Jews: So (un)Happy Together
The region of Palestine had been conquered by one empire after another before the Romans finally took hold of it around 70 BC. Indeed, going back even as far as the book of Exodus, we find that one of the roads … continue reading...
Guards at the Tomb: Pilate puts Jesus on Trial, the Jews put Pilate on Trial
(this is the continuation of a series of essays discussing the number and make-up of the guards at Jesus’ tomb. It can be purchased as an ebook, cover to the right. Main essay | Previous section | Next section: The Presence of Jewish Guards at the Tomb )
Pilate puts Jesus on Trial, the Jews put Pilate on Trial
In light of the foregoing, many skeptics have pointed to the nearly docile Pontius Pilate of the Gospel accounts as proof positive that they cannot possibly reflect real history. The character and demeanor of the Pilate that Jesus met is … continue reading...
Guards at the Tomb: Evidence of Jewish Guards at Jesus Tomb
(this is the continuation and the conclusion of a series of essays discussing the number and make-up of the guards at Jesus’ tomb. It can be purchased as an ebook, cover to the right. Main essay | Previous section: Pilate Puts Jesus on Trial, the Jews put Pilate on Trial)
The Presence of Jewish Guards at the Tomb
It has been maintained that both Jewish and Roman guards were present at the tomb. It was shown at length that Roman guards were present, and some evidence presented that describes how Romans went about such work. In my opinion, … continue reading...
How many guards at Jesus’ tomb?
This post has proved to be one of the most popular ones on this blog, drawing thousands and thousands of visitors or so each year. I suspect that there are a lot of churches putting on Passion plays and they’re looking for some guidance on this topic. This year, to enhance the service that this post has evidently provided, I have written a number of other essays that are meant to corroborate various claims made within the post. This post, and these essays, is available as an ebook. Use the menu at the end of this post to access the … continue reading...
Easter is no Legend, the Resurrection is no mere myth: Myth Made Fact is a Different Story
It is that time of year again, when skeptics begin leveling their claims that Christianity is just a re-packaged bit of borrowed paganism and [insert your conspiracy theory here]. For the sake of this post, let’s merely concede that there are similarities to ancient myths and train our minds on the critical distinction: none of them are set against a historical backdrop as fleshed out as Christianity. In other words, it may be absolutely true that Christianity is ‘borrowed’ but the fact that the resurrection actually happened, nonetheless, only means looking with less skeptical eyes on the ‘ancient myths.’ For … continue reading...
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