Photograph by “||read||” (5-28-09) [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license] *** (9-20-07) *** “DagoodS” is a friendly atheist with whom I have had many enjoyable dialogues in the past (usually about alleged biblical contradictions) [later we met in person several times]. Recently on his blog I asked him if he could write out his “deconversion” story for me to critique, and he has commenced doing so. His words will be in blue: * * * * * Where is your... Read more
Photograph by Alex Beynon (5-16-14) [Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 license] *** (9-18-10) ***** TAO (The Anonymous One; aka Turretinfan) A plain reading of the Old Testament and the Gospels makes it clear that the world was created supernaturally by God in the space of a week, and more particularly, in six days each consisting of an evening and morning. This event took place less than 10,000 years ago, which we can calculate more or less accurately from geneologies provided,... Read more
St. Gregory of Nyssa: Hosios Loukas Monastery, Boeotia, Greece (early 11th century Byzantine) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (2-6-07) *** St. Gregory of Nyssa lived from 331 to 395. The Lutheran “Joel” (I don’t know what his last name is) argued that he was an advocate of sola Scriptura (the Protestant “pillar” and rule of faith, which holds that Scripture alone is the final infallible authority, over against Tradition and the Church) on the Three Hierarchies blog [link now defunct].... Read more
“Hell”: photograph by “Hans” (6-28-13) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (4-14-04) *** Many doctrines develop from the Old to the New Testament. The inclusion of the Gentiles into the Covenant People of God is a development. The New Testament (particularly, Pauline) understanding of the relationship of the Law, Jewishness, and grace to salvation is a development, as is baptism (as the continuation of circumcision, in terms of an initiatory rite). Angelology highly developed in the intertestamental period. And so... Read more
The Preaching of St Paul at Ephesus (1649), by Eustache Le Sueur (1617-1655) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (12-3-96 and 1-4-97) *** In response to the opinion of many Protestants that Catholics are not Christians (which word I define in an “orthodox,” “creedal,” “confessional,” “doctrinal” sense, not in the “wheat and tares,” individual commitment to Christ sense: both are valid), I wish to examine the question as to what constitutes the gospel. In my written correspondence with Protestant scholars... Read more
The Baptism of the Eunuch (1623), by Pieter Lastman (1583-1633) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (12-7-09) *** A person on the Coming Home Network forum (not a Christian) commented as follows: I’ve asked this to people I’ve encountered over the years and I’ve not heard anything thus far that has struck a cord with me. I understand that this is probably a very ignorant question as far as Christians are concerned but it happens to be a serious difficulty... Read more
Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur (1878), by Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (1982; revised somewhat on 19 February 2000) *** Way back in 1982, when I was an evangelical Protestant highly interested in Judaism (an interest I retain today, as a Catholic), I did a study of the Jews and their attitudes towards Jesus, and also their own notion of what the Messiah was to be like; what he would do, etc. I utilized... Read more
Ancient and Medieval Jewish Commentators Portrait of a Rabbi (1635), by Rembrandt (1606-1669) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (1982; revised 9-14-01) *** Isaiah 52:13 – Isaiah 53 (RSV)13 Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 As many were astonished at him–his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men– 15 so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their... Read more
Yours truly sharing the gospel and Christian message with Mormons as an evangelical Protestant apologist / evangelist at the Ann Arbor Art Fair (University of Michigan campus) in 1989: the only photo ever taken of me street witnessing. *** (7-21-10) *** I wrote the following (by her request) to a zealous young Catholic lady who is a friend of my two oldest sons, and who is doing some street evangelism. * * * * * I did a lot of... Read more
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Psalm 110: Jewish Commentators Who Regard it as Messianic
+ Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer’s Charges of Christian “Tampering” With the Text [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License] (9-14-01) *** One doesn’t have to believe that Messiah is God or be a Christian to accept this passage as messianic, because many Jewish exegetes throughout history have done so. Alfred Edersheim offers documentation, in an appendix of his Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: Ps. cx. is throughout applied to the Messiah. To begin with, it evidently... Read more