How Jesus’ death and resurrection overlap with the suffering servant — Isaiah 53 (52:13–53:12) is often subject to debate. It’s not surprising that Bart Ehrman’s most commented blog post is on this passage. Rabbi Tovia Singer also has many videos on Isaiah 53. I’ve discussed key background issues in my earlier posts: how the central texts of Judaism and major Rabbis…

Evaluating Draper/Lowder’s evidential argument from evolution — The motivation for this article comes from a discussion on Twitter with Jeffery Jay Lowder. It was clear we were looking at the issue in very different ways. How is it possible not to talk past each other? …

Why Christians should read all the servant songs — not just Isaiah 53 — My fascination with the context of Isaiah 53 probably began at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. A famous place for religious and political debate. Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell have spoken there. But you don’t need a following of millions. …

A comprehensive summary of Jewish teaching over two millenia — Isaiah 53 is likely the most cited passage in the Hebrew Bible by Christians. Yet there are important debates on how to interpret the passage. This is the first part of a series where I will seek to address these controversies. This article is on the common criticism that Christian…

A response to Benjamin Cain’s article on Jesus and Osiris — Jesus mythicists often propose parallels between Osiris and Jesus. Benjamin Cain argues both stories belong to the genre of ‘dying and rising gods’. I will evaluate some of these parallels and their historical context. The dying and rising god theory In the 19th century, James G. Frazer proposed the theory of dying and rising gods. …

The usage of the term Logos in Judaism and early Christianity — The Logos (Word) was a common term in many religions/philosophies of the first century. So the many proposed overlaps between these beliefs and John 1:1–18 are not unsurprising. Talmudic scholar Daniel Boyarin offers a unique perspective. A Rabbi immersed in the origins of early Judaism and Christianity. His book Border…

A response to DeYoung’s article in World — Kevin DeYoung is a well-known author, pastor, and council member of the Gospel Coalition. He is often the “voice of reason” defending controversial conservative political views such as challenging reparations for racism and slavery. Last week he took aim at David French’s article and “jeremiads” who criticize the often polarising…

New evidence from Richard Bauckham on role of women in Luke’s Gospel — Luke’s Gospel is unique for many reasons. A recent theory claims to identify evidence that Jesus’ female disciples were the primary source of this Gospel. This article looks at a literary device first century authors used to identify their sources. …

John 12's quotes from Isaiah on Jesus’ Mission and Identity — Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. (John 12:41, NIV) John’s Gospel is packed with memorable phrases. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). Yet, John 12:41 sometimes does not get noticed. This short verse summarises…