Tower of Babel: Dialogue with a Linguist

Last updated on: June 27, 2023 at 8:58 am By Dave Armstrong

Mark Liberman is a linguist, with a dual appointment at the University of Pennsylvania, as Trustee Professor of Phonetics in the Department of Linguistics, and as a professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. He is the founder of (and frequent contributor to) Language Log, a blog frequented by dozens of professional linguists, which is one of the most widely used blogs dealing with linguistics. I was honored to have one of my articles cited on this blog, by Dr.... Read more

James Swan, the Immaculate Conception, Luther, & Lutherans

Last updated on: June 22, 2023 at 4:42 pm By Dave Armstrong

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He Still Refuses to Admit that Many Eminent Lutheran Scholars Contend that Luther Believed in Mary’s Immaculate Conception for His Entire Life This has been an ongoing debate, going back literally over twenty years now. My initial wranglings with Reformed polemicist James Swan (who runs the Boors All blog) had to do with Luther’s Mariology. I refuted his contentions in great depth in two reply-articles, dated 4-26-03 and 6-28-03. Prior to June 2003 he had at least been outwardly cordial... Read more

Herod Agrippa I “Eaten By Worms”: Myth or Plausible?

Last updated on: June 20, 2023 at 11:34 am By Dave Armstrong

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[excerpt from my book, The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back Up the Bible (Catholic Answers Press: March 15, 2023, 271p), pp. 204-206] ***** How about a more “dramatic” and seemingly “fantastic” (and Old Testament-like) alleged event, such as Herod (Agrippa) being “eaten by worms” (Acts 12:21–23)? Christians can’t possibly defend that, can they? Actually, we can plausibly do so. Jewish-Roman historian Josephus provides a corroborating parallel account: Now when [Herod] Agrippa had reigned three years... Read more

Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents: Myth & Fiction?

Last updated on: June 20, 2023 at 10:32 am By Dave Armstrong

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[originally posted on Facebook, 2-10-21] An atheist (Vixen Crabtree) wrote: Chapter two of Matthew tells us of King Herod’s anger at the three wise men and then of the killing of every child. Surely, the slaughter of every male child (Matthew 2:16-18) in Bethlehem, Ramah, and the surrounding area would have got mentioned in many places, such as Josephus’ detailed accounts of the times, in fact it would likely cause the downfall of such an immoral, monstrous leader who issued... Read more

Judas’ “Thirty Coins of Silver”: Archaeology & History

Last updated on: June 18, 2023 at 6:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Atheist charge: According to Matthew 26:15, the chief priests gave “thirty pieces of silver” to Judas. But how is that possible, since there were no silver coins used as currency in Jesus’ time, and there had not been any for about 300 years? * This is untrue. The shekel was made of silver, and was in use in Israel in the first century A.D. The silver shekel (94% or more pure) was first produced in Tyre (present-day Lebanon) in 125... Read more

Does the Pentateuch Claim to be Inspired Revelation?

Last updated on: June 18, 2023 at 3:52 pm By Dave Armstrong

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+ Do the Several Third-Person References to Moses in the Pentateuch Prove That He Didn’t Write It? [originally posted on Facebook on 13-14 December 2022] * My atheist friend “Lex Lata” wrote on 11-30-22: * A few passages in the Torah depict Moses writing specific things down, but the ‘Pentateuch never claims divine or Mosaic authorship.’ [he makes a link there, but he agrees with it] The books of the Torah are broadly anonymous on their face. The tradition of... Read more

Reply to Hays’ “Biblical Calvinism” #4

Last updated on: June 18, 2023 at 12:18 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Catholicism: The Elect Are Predestined; Reprobate in 1 Peter 2:8; God’s Providence (We Agree!); False Prophet as God’s “Tool”; Good Ol’ Romans 9 The late Steve Hays (1959-2020) was a Calvinist (and anti-Catholic) apologist, who was very active on his blog, called Triablogue . His 819-page self-published book, Biblical Calvinism has graciously been made available for free. On 9 September 2006, Hays was extraordinarily charitable towards me (seeing that almost all anti-Catholics have treated me like Vlad the Impaler). He wrote... Read more

On Catholic Bodily Mortification & Penance

Last updated on: June 15, 2023 at 1:11 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Reply to a Protestant who criticizes Catholics “crawling on their hands and knees across stone” I’m not certain at all that this person you mention “had zero knowledge of the Gospel.” Portions of the Gospels are read every week at Mass. In one reading that is cyclical every year, John 3:16 is featured. I always chuckle about that to myself because supposedly Catholics “never hear the gospel.” John 3:16 [“For God so loved the world that he gave his only... Read more

Reply to Hays’ “Biblical Calvinism” #3

Last updated on: June 14, 2023 at 2:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Does God “Micromanage” Every Intent?; God Judges Assyria; Israel Judged in Isaiah 6; Predestined Crucifixion; Acts 13:48: “Ordained to Eternal Life”; Catholic Church & God’s Providence The late Steve Hays (1959-2020) was a Calvinist (and anti-Catholic) apologist, who was very active on his blog, called Triablogue . His 819-page self-published book, Biblical Calvinism has graciously been made available for free. On 9 September 2006, Hays was extraordinarily charitable towards me (seeing that almost all anti-Catholics have treated me like Vlad the... Read more

Reply to Hays’ “Biblical Calvinism” #2

Last updated on: June 14, 2023 at 2:56 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Sin & God’s Providence; Does God Cause Infirmities & Send “Evil Spirits”?; Examples of God’s Immediate Judgment, Including Absalom; “A Lying Spirit” The late Steve Hays (1959-2020) was a Calvinist (and anti-Catholic) apologist, who was very active on his blog, called Triablogue . His 819-page self-published book, Biblical Calvinism has graciously been made available for free. On 9 September 2006, Hays was extraordinarily charitable towards me (seeing that almost all anti-Catholics have treated me like Vlad the Impaler). He wrote then:... Read more