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CONTENTS
Extra Biblical Evidences of the Bible Non-biblical accounts of New Testament events and people Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence in Support of the Deity of Jesus Christ Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence for the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus The Apostles Creed The Origin of the Apostles Creed Archeological Evidence Advanced Medical Knowledge Advanced Scientific Knowledge Science and the Bible Meticulous Care in the Transmission of the Bible Creation by an Intelligent God Creation vs. Evolution - Intelligent Design Does God Exist - The Big Questions 3 6 10 16 17 20 22 24 26 33 34 35 40

EXTRA BIBLICAL EVIDENCES OF THE BIBLE Non-biblical accounts of New Testament events and people
Introduction
Jesus lived His public life in the land of Palestine under the Roman rule of Tiberius (ad 14-37). There are four possible Roman historical sources for his reign: Tacitus (55-117), Suetonius (70-160), Velleius Paterculus (a contemporary), and Dio Cassius (3rd century). There are two Jewish historical resources that describe events of this period: Josephus (37-100A.D.), writing in Greek, and the Rabbinical Writings (written in Hebrew after 200, but much of which would have been in oral form prior to that time). There are also sources (non-historians) writing about the Christians, in which possible mentions are made (e.g., Lucian, Galen).

Flavius Josephus (AD 37-101, a Jewish historian) mentions John the Baptist and Herod - Antiquities, Book 18, ch. 5, par. 2 "Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness." Flavius Josephus (AD 37-101) mentions Jesus - Antiquities, Book 18, ch. 3, par. 3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

Flavius Josephus (AD 37-101) mentions James, the brother of Jesus Antiquities, Book 20, ch. 9. "Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done." Flavius Josephus (AD 37-101) mentions Ananias the High Priest who was mentioned in Act 23:2 Now as soon as Albinus was come to the city of Jerusalem, he used all his endeavors and care that the country might be kept in peace, and this by destroying many of the Sicarii. But as for the high priest, Ananias (25) he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; for he was a great hoarder up of money Act 23:3, "And the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him [Paul] on the mouth." Tacitus (A.D. c.55-A.D. c.117, Roman historian) mentions "Christus" who is Jesus - Annals 15.44 "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular." Thallus (Circa AD 52, eclipse of the sun) Thallus wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean world from the Trojan War to his own time. His writings are only found as citations by others. Julius Africanus, who wrote about AD 221, mentioned Thallus' account of an eclipse of the sun. "On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun." Is this a reference to the eclipse at the crucifixion? Luke 23:44-45, "And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two." The oddity is that Jesus' crucifixion occurred at the Passover which was a full moon. It is not possible for a solar eclipse to occur at a full moon. Note that Julius

Africanus draws the conclusion that Thallus' mentioning of the eclipse was describing the one at Jesus' crucifixion. It may not have been. Julius Africanus, Extant Writings, XVIII in the Ante Nicene Fathers, ed. by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), vol. VI, p. 130. as cited in Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ, (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company) 1996. Pliny the Younger mentioned Christ. Pliny was governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor. Pliny wrote ten books. The tenth around AD 112. "They (the Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food but food of an ordinary and innocent kind." Pliny, Letters, transl. by William Melmoth, rev. by W.M.L. Hutchinson (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1935), vol. II, X:96 as cited in Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ , (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company) 1996. The Talmud "On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover!" Gal. 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Luke 22:1, "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people." This quotation was taken from the reading in The Babylonian Talmud, transl. by I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1935), vol. III, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281 as cited in Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ , (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company) 1996.

Lucian (circa 120-after 180) mentions Jesus. Greek writer and rhetorician. "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. . . . You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property." Lucian, The Death of Peregrine, 1113, in The Works of Lucian of Samosata, transl. by H.W. Fowler and F.G. Fowler, 4 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1949), vol. 4, as cited in Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ , (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company) 1996. Though Lucian opposed Christianity, he acknowledges Jesus, that Jesus was crucified, that Christians worship him, and that this was done by faith.
Slick, Matt.Non-biblical accounts of New Testament events and people. Christian Apologetics and Research (CARM). 3 February, 2014.< http://carm.org/non-biblical-accounts-new-testament-events-and-or-people>.

Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence in Support of the Deity of Jesus Christ

The references here provided are given to demonstrate that the earliest of Christians did indeed worship Jesus Christ as God. Lucian, a second century Greek satirist, mentions that the Christians worshipped Jesus: "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day--the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account...You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property." (emphasis added)

Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor around 112 AD, wrote to the Emperor Trajan observing that the Christians sang hymns to Christ "as to a god": "[The Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god..." Further non-Biblical evidence to show that Christians were recognized as those who worshipped Jesus is seen in some first century Pagan graffiti, which attempts to ridicule Christians by depicting a believer worshipping a horse type headed god on a cross: There is also the testimony of the non-canonical writings of the early Christians. The list below is only a mere sampling as many quotations could be cited.* St. Ignatius of Antioch. It is well worth noting that Ignatius was an early church father who was a disciple of the Apostle John. Throughout his letters it can clearly be seen that Ignatius was greatly influenced by John's high Christology (For example, compare Ignatius' statements of Jesus' Divinity with what John writes at: John 1:1, 18; 5:18; 8:58; 20:28). Quotes taken from Apostolic Fathers_ Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation: Ignatius to the Ephesians Chapter 0 0:0 "Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her which hath been blessed in greatness through the plentitude of God the Father; which hath been foreordained before the ages to be for ever unto abiding and unchangeable glory, united and elect in a true passion, by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ our God; even unto the church which is in Ephesus [of Asia], worthy of all felicitation: abundant greeting in Christ Jesus and in blameless joy." Chapter 18 18:1 "My spirit is made an offscouring for the Cross, which is a stumbling-block to them that are unbelievers, but to us salvation and life eternal. _Where is the wise? Where is the disputer?_ Where is the boasting of them that are called prudent? 18:2 For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived in the womb by Mary according to a dispensation, of the seed of David but also of the Holy Ghost; and He was born and was baptized that by His passion He might cleanse water." Chapter 19 19:3 "From that time forward every sorcery and every spell was dissolved, the ignorance of wickedness vanished away, the ancient kingdom was pulled down, when God appeared in the likeness of man unto _newness of_ everlasting _life; _ and that which had been perfected in the counsels of God began to take effect. Thence all things were perturbed, because the abolishing of death was taken in hand."

Ignatius to the Romans Chapter 0 0:0 "Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her that hath found mercy in the bountifulness of the Father Most High and of Jesus Christ His only Son; to the church that is beloved and enlightened through the will of Him who willed all things that are, by faith and love towards Jesus Christ our God; even unto her that hath the presidency in the country of the region of the Romans, being worthy of God, worthy of honour, worthy of felicitation, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in purity, and having the presidency of love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing the Father's name; which church also I salute in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the Father; unto them that in flesh and spirit are united unto His every commandment, being filled with the grace of God without wavering, and filtered clear from every foreign stain; abundant greeting in Jesus Christ our God in blamelessness." Chapter 3 3:3 "Nothing visible is good. For our God Jesus Christ, being in the Father, is the more plainly visible. The Work is not of persuasiveness, but Christianity is a thing of might, whensoever it is hated by the world." Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans Chapter 1 1:1 "I give glory to Jesus Christ the God who bestowed such wisdom upon you; for I have perceived that ye are established in faith immovable, being as it were nailed on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in flesh and in spirit, and firmly grounded in love in the blood of Christ, fully persuaded as touching our Lord that He is truly of the race of David according to the flesh, but Son of God by the Divine will and power, truly born of a virgin and baptized by John that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him." Chapter 6 6:1 "Let no man be deceived. Even the heavenly beings and the glory of the angels and the rulers visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ [who is God], judgment awaiteth them also. _He that receiveth let him receive._ Let not office puff up any man; for faith and love are all in all, and nothing is preferred before them." Polycarp Polycarp was also believed to have been a disciple of the apostle John. Lightfoot points out that after Ignatius was executed, Polycarp collected together his epistles (Lightfoot, p. 165).

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians 12:2 "Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal Highpriest Himself the [Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth, and in all gentleness and in all avoidance of wrath and in forbearance and long suffering and in patient endurance and in purity; and may He grant unto you a lot and portion among His saints, and to us with you, and to all that are under heaven, who shall believe on our Lord and God Jesus Christ and on His Father that raised him from the dead." (emphasis added). Tatian the Syrian, Address to the Greeks (C. 165 - 175 A.D.): "We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man." St. Melito of Sardes, Fragment in Anastasius of Sinai (C. 177 A.D.): "The activities of Christ after His Baptism, and especially His miracles, gave indication and assurance to the world of the Deity hidden in His flesh. Being God and likewise perfect man, He gave positive indications of His two natures: of His Deity, by the miracles during the three years following after His Baptism; of His humanity, in the thirty years which came before His Baptism, during which, by reason of His condition according to the flesh, he concealed the signs of His Deity, although He was the true God existing before the ages. " St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 3, 19, 1 (C. 180 AD): "Nevertheless, what cannot be said of anyone else who ever lived, that He is Himself in His own right God and Lord and Eternal King and Only-begotten and Incarnate Word, proclaimed as such by all the Prophets and by the Apostles and by the Spirit Himself, may be seen by all who have attained to even a small portion of the truth. The Scriptures would not have borne witness to these things concerning Him, if, like everyone else, He were mere man. But that He had in Himself what no other ever had, that pre-eminent generation by the Most High Father; and that He also experienced that pre-eminent birth from a Virgin, - the divine Scriptures testify to both in His regard."
MacCann, Vincent.Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence in Support of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Spotlight Ministries.3 February 2014..<http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/historicaldeityofjesus.htm>.

Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence for the LIFE, DEATH, and RESURRECTION of JESUS
ANCIENT NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD), "the greatest historian" of ancient Rome: "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed." Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD): "Because the Jews of Rome caused continous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, [Claudius] expelled them from the city." "After the great fire at Rome [during Nero's reign] ... Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief." Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian: "At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders." (Arabic translation)

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Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD, found a reference in the writings of Thallus, who wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean around 52 AD , which dealt with the darkness that covered the land during Jesus's crucifixion: "Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away the darkness as an eclipse of the sun--unreasonably, as it seems to me." [A solar eclipse could not take place during a full moon, as was the case during Passover season.] Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor around 112 AD: "[The Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind." Pliny added that Christianity attracted persons of all societal ranks, all ages, both sexes, and from both the city and the country. Late in his letter to Emperor Trajan, Pliny refers to the teachings of Jesus and his followers as excessive and contagious superstition. Emperor Trajan, in reply to Pliny: "The method you have pursued, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those denounced to you as Christians is extremely proper. It is not possible to lay down any general rule which can be applied as the fixed standard in all cases of this nature. No search should be made for these people; when they are denounced and found guilty they must be punished; with the restriction, however, that when the party denies himself to be a Christian, and shall give proof that he is not (that is, by adoring our gods) he shall be pardoned on the ground of repentance, even though he may have formerly incurred suspicion. Informations without the accuser's name subscribed must not be admitted in evidence against anyone, as it is introducing a very dangerous precedent, and by no means agreeable to the spirit of the age." Emporer Hadrian (117-138 AD), in a letter to Minucius Fundanus, the Asian proconsul: "I do not wish, therefore, that the matter should be passed by without examination, so that these men may neither be harassed, nor opportunity of malicious proceedings be offered to informers. If, therefore, the provincials can clearly evince their charges against the Christians, so as to answer before the tribunal, let them pursue this course only, but not by mere petitions, and mere outcries against the Christians. For it is far more proper, if anyone would bring an accusation, that you should examine it." Hadrian further explained that if Christians were found guilty they should be judged "according to the heinousness of the crime." If the accusers were only slandering the believers, then those who inaccurately made the charges were to be punished.

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The Jewish Talmud, compiled between 70 and 200 AD: "On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practised sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy. Anyone who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover." [Another early reference in the Talmud speaks of five of Jesus's disciples and recounts their standing before judges who make individual decisions about each one, deciding that they should be executed. However, no actual deaths are recorded.] Lucian, a second century Greek satirist: "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day--the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. ... You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property." Lucian also reported that the Christians had "sacred writings" which were frequently read. When something affected them, "they spare no trouble, no expense." Mara Bar-Serapion, of Syria, writing between 70 and 200 AD from prison to motivate his son to emulate wise teachers of the past: "What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burying Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that that their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea; the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in complete dispersion. But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the teaching of Plato. Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given."

GNOSTICS SOURCES
The Gospel of Truth, probably by Valentius, around 135-160 AD: "For when they had seen him and had heard him, he granted them to taste him and to smell him and to touch the beloved Son. When he had appeared instructing them about the Father. ... For he came by means of fleshly appearance." Other passages

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affirm that the Son of God came in the flesh and "the Word came into the midst. ... it became a body." "Jesus, was patient in accepting sufferings. . . since he knows that his death is life for many. . . . he was nailed to a tree; he published the edict of the Father on the cross. ... He draws himself down to death through life. ... eternal clothes him. Having stripped himself of the perishable rags, he put on imperishability, which no one can possibly take away from him." The Aprocryphon of John, probably by Saturninus, around 120-130 AD: "It happened one day when John, the brother of James,--who are the sons of Zebedee--went up and came to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said to him, `Where is your master whom you followed?' And he said to him, 'He has gone to the place from which he came.' The Pharisee said to him, 'This Nazarene deceived you with deception and filled your ears with lies and closed your hearts and turned you from the traditions of your fathers.'" The Gospel of Thomas, probably from 140-200 AD: Contain many references to and alleged quotations of Jesus. The Treatise On Resurrection, by uncertain author of the late second century, to Rheginos: "The Lord ... existed in flesh and ... revealed himself as Son of God ... Now the Son of God, Rheginos, was Son of Man. He embraced them both, possessing the humanity and the divinity, so that on the one hand he might vanquish death through his being Son of God, and that on the other through the Son of Man the restoration to the Pleroma might occur; because he was originally from above, a seed of the Truth, before this structure of the cosmos had come into being." "For we have known the Son of Man, and we have believed that he rose from among the dead. This is he of whom we say, 'He became the destruction of death, as he is a great one in whom they believe.' Great are those who believe." "The Savior swallowed up death. ... He transformed himself into an imperishable Aeon and raised himself up, having swallowed the visible by the invisible, and he gave us the way of our immortality." "Do not think the resurrection is an illusion. It is no illusion, but it is truth. Indeed, it is more fitting to say that the world is an illusion, rather than the resurrection which has come into being through our Lord the Savior, Jesus Christ." ". . . already you have the resurrection ... why not consider yourself as risen and already brought to this?" Rheginos was thus encouraged not to "continue as if you are to die."

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LOST WORKS QUOTED IN OTHER SOURCES Acts of Pontius Pilate, reports sent from Pilate to Tiberius, referred to by Justin Martyr (150 AD): "And the expression, 'They pierced my hands and my feet,' was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. And after he was crucified, they cast lots upon His vesture, and they that crucified Him parted it among them. And that these things did happen you can ascertain the 'Acts' of Pontius Pilate." Later Justin lists several healing miracles and asserts, "And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate." Phlegon, born about 80 AD, as reported by Origen (185-254 AD), mentioned that Jesus made certain predictions which had been fulfilled.

ANCIENT CHRISTIAN SOURCES (extra-biblical)

Clement, elder of Rome, letter to the Corinthian church (95 AD): "The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God, and the Apostles are from Christ. Both therefore came of the will of God in the appointed order. Having therefore received a charge, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth with the glad tidings that the kingdom of God should come. So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe." Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, letter to the Trallians (110-115 AD): "Jesus Christ who was of the race of David, who was the Son of Mary, who was truly born and ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died in the sight of those in heaven and on earth and those under the earth; who moreover was truly raised from the dead, His Father having raised Him, who in the like fashion will so raise us also who believe on Him." Ignatius, letter to the Smyrneans (110-115 AD): "He is truly of the race of David according to the flesh, but Son of God by the Divine will and power, truly born of a virgin and baptised by John that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him, truly nailed up in the flesh for our sakes under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch (of which fruit are we--that is, of his most blessed passion); that He might set up an ensign unto all ages through His resurrection."

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"For I know and believe that He was in the flesh even after the resurrection; and when He came to Peter and his company, He said to them, 'Lay hold and handle me, and see that I am not a demon without body.' And straightway they touched him, and they believed, being joined unto His flesh and His blood. Wherefore also they despised death, nay they were found superior to death. And after His resurrection He ate with them and drank with them." Ignatius, letter to the Magnesians (110-115 AD): "Be ye fully persuaded concerning the birth and the passion and the resurrection, which took place in the time of the governorship of Pontius Pilate; for these things were truly and certainly done by Jesus Christ our hope." Quadratus, to Emperor Hadrian about 125 AD: "The deeds of our Saviour were always before you, for they were true miracles; those that were healed, those that were raised from the dead, who were seen, not only when healed and when raised, but were always present. They remained living a long time, not only whilst our Lord was on earth, but likewise when He had left the earth. So that some of them have also lived to our own times." (Pseudo-)Barnabas, written 130-138 AD: "He must needs be manifested in the flesh. ... He preached teaching Israel and performing so many wonders and miracles, and He loved them exceedingly. ... He chose His own apostles who were to proclaim His Gospel. ... But He Himself desired so to suffer; for it was necessary for Him to suffer on a tree." Justin Martyr, to Emperor Antoninus Pius about 150 AD: After referring to Jesus's birth of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem, and that His physical line of descent came through the tribe of Judah and the family of Jesse, Justin wrote, "Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judea." "Accordingly, after He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him, having denied Him; and afterwards, when He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, and had taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold as coming to pass, and when they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and had believed, and had received power sent thence by Him upon them, and went to every race of men, they taught these things, and were called apostles." Justin Martyr, in Dialogue with Trypho, around 150 AD: "For at the time of His birth, Magi who came from Arabia worshipped Him, coming first to Herod, who then was sovereign in your land." "For when they crucified Him, driving in the nails, they pierced His hands and feet; and those who crucified Him parted His garments among themselves, each casting lots for what he chose to have, and receiving according to the decision of the lot."

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"Christ said amongst you that He would give the sign of Jonah, exhorting you to repent of your wicked deeds at least after He rose again from the dead ... yet you not only have not repented, after you learned that He rose from the dead, but, as I said before, you have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that 'a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but His disciples stole Him by night from the tomb, where He was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that He has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.'" "For indeed the Lord remained upon the tree almost until evening, and they buried Him at eventide; then on the third day He rose again."
Habermas, Gary R. Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence for the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Ancient Evidence for the Life Jesus.3February, 2014.<http://www.kotiposti.net/~raamattu/jt/oppi/risti/doc/www.westarkchurchofchrist.org--extrabiblical-historicalevidence-of-jesus.pdf>.

THE APOSTLES CREED

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: 2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: 3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: 4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: 5. The third day he rose again from the dead: 6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: 7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead: 8. I believe in the Holy Ghost: 9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints: 10. The forgiveness of sins: 1l. The resurrection of the body: 12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles Creed.Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL). 3 February, 2014.<http://www.ccel.org/creeds/apostles.creed.html>.

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The Origin of the Apostles Creed

Saint Ignatius of Antioch The Apostles Creed is said to be the oldest expression of the Orthodox Christian/Catholic Faith. It is referred to by the Church Fathers as the "Old Roman Symbol." According to Christian/Catholic Myth, the Apostles themselves contributed to its creation. The myth says that each Apostle wrote one expression each within the Creed itself. Whether or not the Apostles each contributed to the Creed or not is not the issue. The issue is whether or not the Bible teaches the Apostles creed and do the followers adhere to that teaching. We can see from studying the Apostles Creed, that the Creed was derived from the Bible itself. Not only is the Creed derived from the Bible, this Creed gives an accurate basis for the development of all Christian Theology. Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology, which is the basis of all Systematic Theology that we know today. The Apostles Creed formulates the "argument" for the Christian/Catholic Faith giving a firm foundation to build your philosophy of life on. The Apostles Creed developed into a solid statement of faith from years of Apologetics (the defending of the faith). Apologetics is a core part of the Christian/Catholic Faith. In the beginning of the Church, the Apostles spent much of their time counteracting divers views that were opposed to the Apostles original meaning. The Apostle Paul writes, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" Galatians 1:8 NASB. Saint Irenaeus The Apostle Paul was constantly having to explain the gospel over again because of people spreading contrary views. The Apostles Creed developed through arguments against those who do not adhere to the original Apostolic teaching. All the Saints who followed the Apostles Biblical teaching stood firm in their faith in keeping that teaching. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who was brutally murdered for the Faith in 107, said, "I Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by Him has given you such wisdom. For I have observed that ye are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if ye were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established in love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded, in very truth, with respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was the Son of God, "the first-born of every creature, Col. i. 15. God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and was of the seed of David according to the flesh, Rom. i. 3. by the Virgin Mary; was baptized by John, that all righteousness might be fulfilled Matt. iii. 15. by Him; that He lived a life of holiness without sin, and was truly, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. From whom we also derive our being, Literally, "we are." from His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard for the ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful [followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church." Ignatius to the Smyrnans, Early Church Fathers, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893)

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The Saints and Martyrs all held a common teaching within each of their writings. The Apostle Creed affirms what is undeniably the teaching of the early Church. Athanasius wrote to Eusebius of Caesarea, "We believe in One God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in One Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God from God, Light from Light, Life from Life, Son Only-begotten, first-born of every creature, before all the ages, begotten from the Father, by Whom also all things were made; Who for our salvation was made flesh, and lived among men, and suffered, and rose again the third day, and ascended to the Father, and will come again in glory to judge the quick and dead. And we believe also in One Holy Ghost:" Select Works and Letters Author. Athanasius, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) Saint Athanasius Eusebius of Caesarea, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome were early church apologists that affirmed the teaching found in the Apostles Creed. Augustine wrote against Pelagian heresy, Irenaeus wrote against Gnostic heresy, Athanasius and Ambrose against Arian heresy, Eusebius, Irenaeus, and Athanasius were the apologists that brought us the Biblical Canon, and Jerome gave us the "Latin Vulgate" which is the Bible in the common language of that time. All these early church apologists used Bible Scriptures as premises in the defense of the Christian/Catholic Faith. Each of these apologists writings and teaching contributed the formulation of the Nicene Creed. The elements of the Nicene Creed are very similar to the Apostles Creed. The Nicene Creed is another stepping stone from the Apostles Creed. The Early Church Fathers wrote Creeds in order to end debate on fundamental theological issues. Saint Jerome The essence of the Apostles Creed is in its trinitarian roots. All of the Apostles and Church Fathers are Trinitarians. The Creed focuses on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in its teaching. These teachings came directly from the Apostles and the Church Fathers. Saint Ambrose states, "If, then, God is One, one is the name, one is the power, of the Trinity. Christ Himself, indeed, saith: ;Go ye, baptize the nations in the name of th e Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In the name, mark you, not in the names." Exposition of the Christian Faith, Chapter 1, Paragraph 8 Ambrose, Early Church Fathers, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) Saint Jerome says, "In the symbol of our faith and hope, which was delivered by the Apostles, and is not written with paper and ink, but on fleshy tables of the heart, after the confession of the Trinity and the unity of the Church, the whole symbol of Christian dogma concludes with the resurrection of the flesh. To Pammachius Against John of Jerusalem, Paragraph 28, Jerome, Early Church Fathers, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893)

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Saint Augustine says, Therefore God supreme and true, with His Word and Holy Spirit (which th ree are one), one God omnipotent, creator and maker of every soul and of everybody; by whose gift all are happy who are happy through verity and not through vanity; who made man a rational animal consisting of soul and body, who, when he sinned, neither permitted him to go unpunished, nor left him without mercy. Book 5, Chapter 10, City of God and Christian Doctrine, Saint Augustine, Church Fathers, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) Saint Augustine It is clear that the Apostles Creed is the standard of Christian/Catholic faith where we can stand confidently firm. The Apostles Creed is what the Bible itself is teaching. In Acts 2:22-36 Apostle Peter says, "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. "For David says of Him, `I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. `THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. `YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE. Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET." "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified." The Apostles Creed in an indispensable part of the Christian/Catholic Church that cannot be changed or removed. The Apostles Creed is the Gospel itself. Like Saint Jerome said, "In the symbol of our faith and hope, which was delivered by the Apostles, and is not written with paper and ink, but on fleshy tables of the heart"To Pammachius Against John of Jerusalem, Paragraph 28, Jerome, Early Church Fathers, Schaff, Philip (1819-1893)
The Origin of the Apostles Creed.Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL). 3 February, 2014.<http://apostlescreed.com/origin.html>.

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Archeological Evidence
There is considerable archeological evidence demonstrating that the books of Scripture were in circulation thousands of years ago, with the same wording as today. The confirmation of the statements of the Bible through archeological and historical investigations provides us with powerful evidence of the historical truthfulness of the Word of God and indicates that its statements were accurately transmitted over thousands of years. Recently archeologists found jewelry and pottery buried in nine caves across the Hinnom Valley near the southern walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. These treasures were dated some 2,600 years ago, and contained exact wording from Numbers 6:2426: "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." When you take into account the small size of the nation of Israel, the amount of archeological evidence is quite significant. In comparison to the giant political powers of Assyria, Egypt and Mesopotamia, Israel was tiny. If not for the demonstrations of God's power which were well known throughout the region, this minute country would probably have been completely ignored in the surviving literature of the great empires. Fortunately, there are many historical records regarding events that involved the Israelites. What continually amazes many researchers is that every time a new discovery is made, it supports rather than discredits the biblical accounts. To this date, not one biblical event has been proven wrong, while many have been confirmed by historical evidence. New archeological discoveries are made every month which verify biblical accounts. Battles and Wars Monoliths found in Iraq inscribed by King Shalmaneser III mention King Jehu, Omri, and "Ahab the Israelite." Another chronicles a tribute given to Tiglath-Pileser III by king Menahem. A building inscription, also by Tiglath-Pileser III dating 734BC refers to a tribute from king Ahaz. A stela found in Jordan dating to 830BC refers to a tribute which Omri had to pay to Mesha king of Moab. An inscription in modern-day Iraq (then Assyria) from 722BC refers to the conquering of Samaria and the exile of Israelites to Assyria. It indicates that 27,900 inhabitants were captured by Sargon II. Sennacherib referred to Hezekiah's refusal to surrender and the subsequent siege of Jerusalem. He indicates that he laid siege to 46 cities and drove out over 200,000 people. The Tower of Babel One of the most astonishing archeological finds has been the base of the so-called "Tower of Babel" in Babylon (just south of Baghdad). According to the inscription on the base of the remains of a tower, "A former king built [this tower], they reckon 42 ages past, but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time, people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words." Note the reference to the

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confusion of their language. We know from Genesis 11:2-8 that God scattered the people by confusing their language. Joseph Other archeological records dating to about 1500BC refer to the seven years of good and seven years of famine in Egypt. One of them specifically refers to Joseph, who it claims was in charge of distributing grain to the people, just as the Bible records in Genesis 41:47-57. The Exodus On the shores of the Red Sea, at Wadi Sidri on the west side of the Sinai is a huge inscription written in a curious combination of Egyptian hieroglyphics and Hebrew letters. This inscription which covers a wall of stone about 100 feet high, was already considered ancient by historian Diodorus Siculus in 10BC. It relates the story of the miraculous crossing by the Israelites over a divided sea, followed by the mighty army of pharaoh submerged in the sea as the waters returned. The story is identical to the biblical account from Exodus 14:21-28. Other inscriptions at Wadi Sidri and Kibroth-hattaavah refer to the biblical accounts of the venomous snakes in the Sinai desert, the plaque brought upon the people when they ate raw quail meat, and Miriam's near-mutiny of Moses. The lost Pishon river mentioned in the account of the Garden of Eden but regarded by many to be a myth has just been identified using infrared satellite technology. In 1997 a fossilized snake was discovered with fully developed hind legs, confirming the biblical account in Genesis that snakes originally had legs. New Testament evidence As for the New Testament, many archeological records confirm those accounts as well. The bones of a crucified man were discovered--the first of their kind--showing not only that the practice existed but that both feet were pierced from the sides, just below the ankle bone, rather than from the top as was generally thought. Ossuaries dating to the first century AD are inscribed with the names of many people mentioned in the New Testament and often with the sign of the cross or the name of Jesus. An ossuary of Matthias, dating to 40AD (less than 10 years after Christ) contains the inscription "Jesus is Yahweh (God)." References to many people once regarded as myths by archeologists--such as Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas the high priest, and others--have since been discovered in archeological inscriptions.
The Bibles Archeological Evidence. The Debate. 2 February 2014. <http://www.debate.org.uk/debate-topics/historical/the-bibleand-the-quran/the-bibles-archaeological-evidence/>.

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Advanced Medical Knowledge

In numerous instances the Bible contains medical information that far predates man's actual discoveries of related principles in the field of medicine. The medical instructions given by Moses to the Israelites some 3500 years ago were not only far superior to the practices of contemporary cultures, they also exceeded medical standards practiced as recently as 100 years ago. Where did Moses get this advanced information? Following are some examples of the medical knowledge afforded the Israelites in biblical times: Sanitary Practices For centuries doctors denied the possibility that disease could be transmitted by invisible agents. However, in the late 19th century Louis Pasteur demonstrated in his Germ Theory of Disease that most infectious diseases were caused by microorganisms originating from outside the body. This new understanding of germs and their means of transmission led to improved sanitary standards that resulted in an enormous drop in the mortality rate. Yet these core principles of sanitation were being practiced by the Israelites thousands of years earlier. The Israelites were instructed to wash themselves and their clothes in running water if they had a bodily discharge, if they came in contact with another person's discharge, or if they had touched a dead human or animal carcass. They were also instructed to wash any uncovered vessels that were in the vicinity of a dead body, and if a dead carcass touched a vessel it was to be destroyed. Items recovered during war were also to be purified through either fire or running water. In addition, the Israelites were instructed to bury their human waste outside of camp, and to burn the waste of their animals (See Numbers 19, Leviticus 11 and 15, Deuteronomy 23:12). These sanitary practices without question saved countless lives in the Israelite camps by protecting them against infection caused by unseen germs. Meanwhile, their Egyptian peers were dying by the thousands due to "remedies" that almost always consisted of some amount of human or animal dung. As mentioned earlier, the sound sanitary practices that we take for granted today only began to flourish about a 100 years ago. Bacteria Some time after I wrote these web pages, a Bible skeptic unwittingly showed me yet another example of advanced scientific/medical knowledge in the Bible. He posted a message on a discussion board that ridiculed some verses in Leviticus 13 and 14 that mention leprosy on walls and on garments. He felt this was silly and an error since leprosy is a human disease. What this skeptic was unaware of is the fact that leprosy is a bacteria, a living organism, that certainly can survive on walls and garments! In fact, the Medic-Planet.com encyclopedia notes that leprosy "can survive three weeks or longer outside the human body, such as in dust or on clothing ". It is no wonder that God commanded the Levitical priests to burn the garments of leprosy victims! (Leviticus 13:52)

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Laws of Quarantine In the same Med-Planet encyclopedia cited above we read that "It was not until 1873 that leprosy could be shown to be infectious rather than hereditary. " Of course God knew this all along, as His laws to Moses reveal ( Leviticus 13, 14, 22, Numbers 19:20). His instructions regarding quarantine to prevent the spread of leprosy and other infectious diseases are nothing short of remarkable, considering that this lifesaving practice was several thousand years ahead of its time. Infected persons were instructed to isolate themselves outside the camp until healed, and were to shave and wash thoroughly. The priests that administered care were instructed to change their clothes and wash thoroughly after inspecting a plague victim. It should be re-emphasized that the Israelites were the only culture to practice quarantine until the last century, when medical advances finally demonstrated the importance of sanitation and isolation during plagues. The devastating black plague of the 14th century that claimed millions of lives was not broken until the church fathers in Vienna began encouraging the public to start following the guidelines as set forth in the Bible. The promising results in Vienna compelled other cities to follow suit, and the dreaded plague was finally eradicated. The First Antiseptic Hyssop oil was charged by God to Moses to be used as a purifying agent. Hyssop oil has been shown to contain 50% antifungal and antibacterial agents ( Numbers 19:18, Psalm 51:7). Circumcision and Blood Clotting For centuries scholars must have been perplexed by God's law of circumcision which required the procedure to be performed on the 8th day after birth ( Gen 17:12, Gen 21:14, Lev 12:3, Luke 2:21). Medical researchers recently discovered that the two main blood clotting factors, Vitamin K and Prothrombim, reach their highest level in life, about 110% of normal, on the 8th day after birth. These blood clotting agents facilitate rapid healing and greatly reduce the chance of infection. You can verify with any Obstetrician that the 8th day of life is the ideal time for a circumcision, and that any circumcision done earlier requires an injection of Vitamin K supplement. Dietary Guidelines By the 1980s, all the health organizations of the United States had adopted low-fat, high fiber dietary guidelines. This was the culmination of numerous scientific studies that had demonstrated that diets high in vegetables, fruits, and grains reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases. Secular physicians generally agree that these dietary guidelines that were producing longer life spans were first developed by religious movements founded in the 1800s, particularly by the Seventh-day Adventists. Where did the Seventh-day Adventists get their guidelines? From a meticulous and careful study of the Bible. It appears man has finally caught up to the dietary recommendations given by God to the Israelites some 3500 years ago!
Williams, Fred.Advanced Medical Knowledge. Bible Evidences.3 February 2014.<http://www.bibleevidences.com/medical.htm>.

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Advanced Scientific Knowledge

Though the Bible is not a science book, when it touches on scientific matters it is either completely accurate or non-contradictory, and often demonstrates remarkable fore-knowledge. There are many scientific facts mentioned in the Bible that were not understood by man until centuries after the Bible was written. Following are a few examples: The Earth and Space The earth's shape is perhaps the most important to deal with first since many critics claim that the Bible portrays the earth as flat. This couldn't be farther from the truth and in my opinion is one of the most vaporous arguments used by skeptics against the Bible. There is not a single passage that plainly states that the earth is flat. The groundswell of this criticism gets its roots from the inaccurate but common belief among many that the ancients on up through the middle ages believed that the earth was flat. The truth is, virtually all learned people have known for the last 2500 years that the earth is spherical. Before the learned ancients surmised that the earth was spherical, the divinely inspired Isaiah wrote "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth...(Isaiah 40:22)". In addition, from the Book of Job we have "He stretches out the north over empty space; he hangs the earth on nothing (Job 26:7)". It should be noted that just last century scientists believed space consisted of a hypothetical substance called Ether (not the chemical), which was the medium between the celestial bodies. Also, the pagans of that time believed in such things as a mythical Atlas character who supported the pillars that held heaven and earth apart, and later carried the earth around on his shoulders. Another interesting tidbit that illuminates the divine nature of Job 26:7 is the recent discovery of a huge hole in space in the direction of the northern hemisphere. First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics The 1st Law of Thermodynamics states that matter can be neither created nor destroyed, and that the amount of matter in the universe remains constant. If the First Law is correct, which every scientific measurement ever made has confirmed, then the universe could not have created itself, it must have been created in the past, no further creating must be going on, and no loss of creation is occurring. The Bible is the only religious book that correctly portrays the First Law by 1) its description in Genesis of a Creator who is no longer creating, and 2) a Creator who is "upholding all things by the word of his power ( Heb 1:3)" . The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all systems degenerate from order to disorder, was regarded by Albert Einstein to be the premier Law in science. Again the Bible is the only religious book to accurately describe this Law: "For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment... , (Isa 51:6)", and also a New Testament rendering: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; (Heb 1:10-11)"

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The Hydrologic Cycle The circulation and conservation of earth's water is called the hydrologic cycle, which is accurately portrayed in several passages of the Bible, including the following: "For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. ( Job 36:27-28)" . Centuries after the Book of Job was written, Aristotle demonstrated only a vague understanding of this process. Though he recognized that rain came from clouds, he incorrectly postulated that air turned into water and vice versa. It has only recently been learned that most clouds are formed by ocean evaporation, but again the Bible had it right centuries ago: "All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again (NKJ, Eccl 1:7)". The complex nature of how water is supported in clouds despite being heavier than air is clearly implied when God declared to Job "Do you know how the clouds are balanced, those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge ,( Job 37:16). The value of Pi In the verse of the Bible that contains a circumference and diameter (1 Kings 7:23), the Hebrew word for circumference contains an extra character at the end that can only add value to the word by applying Gematria (each Hebrew letter also represents a number). When taking the ratio of the added character to the value of the original word, the value of Pi is achieved to within 4 decimal places! Ocean Currents Scientists have only recently discovered springs of water in the depths of the oceans. Perhaps this is what the Bible is referring to in the following: "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? (Job 38:16)" . Man from Dust Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center confirmed that every element in man can be found in the soil, prompting one of the scientists to say "...the biblical scenario for the creation of life turns out to be not far off the mark". Gravitational Properties of Constellations God asked Job Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? (Job 38:31). In the last century astrophysicists have discovered that the stars of Pleiades move in unison with each other, and are thus gravitationally bound. They have also discovered that the stars of Orion are free agents that are not gravitationally bound! Interestingly, the three stars that comprise Orion's belt appear to be closer together than the outer stars in the constellation, but are actually farther apart! (they appear closer together because of the 2-D plane we see them in).

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Vast number of stars in the Universe God said to Abraham 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'(Gen 15:5)" . And through the prophet Jeremiah, 'As the host of heaven (stars) cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant (Jeremiah 33:22,). And finally, in the New Testament "Therefore from one man, ...were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude-innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. (Hebrews 11:12)" Before the invention of the telescope in 1608, scientists throughout history, including the famous astronomer Ptolemy (150 AD), taught that the total number of stars in the heavens was under 3000. On a clear night the naked eye can only count about 1000 stars. However, because of telescopes such as the Hubble, we now know there are countless billions upon billions of stars in the universe - just as God had revealed to us several thousand years ago through the Bible. Precise dimensions of Noah's Ark The dimensions of Noah's Ark as described in the Bible are ideal for stability. In fact, South Korean architects who examined the dimensions found that the boat was virtually impossible to capsize! Their modeling and analysis found that the ark could survive waves higher than 30 meters! (note that a typical tsunami is only 10 meters high). Many other cultures have flood legends similar to the account in the Bible, but their ark descriptions were never palatable. For example, the Babylonian Gilgamesh Flood legend described an ark that was shaped like a cube, which would be horrible for stability.
Williams, Fred. Advanced Scientific Knowledge. Bible Evidences. 2 February 2014.<http://www.bibleevidences.com/scientif.htm>.

Science and the Bible

The Bible is not a science book, yet it is scientifically accurate. We are not aware of any scientific evidence that contradicts the Bible. We have listed statements on this page that are consistent with known scientific facts. Many of them were listed in the Bible hundreds or even thousands of years before being recorded elsewhere.

Statements Consistent With Paleontology Dinosaurs are referred to in several Bible books. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. We think you will agree that 1 chapters about dinosaurs is a lotsince most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible.

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Statements Consistent With Astronomy The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples. Genesis 22:17 Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. Jeremiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me. Even today, scientists admit that they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. We have seen estimates of 1021 stars which is a lot of stars. (The number of grains of sand on the earths seashores is estimated to be 1025. As scientists discover more stars, wouldnt it be interesting to discover that these two numbers match?) The Bible also says that each star is unique. 1 Corinthians 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. All stars look alike to the naked eye.* Even when seen through a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others. (*Note: We understand that people can perceive some slight difference in color and apparent brightness when looking at stars with the naked eye, but we would not expect a person living in the first century A.D. to claim they differ from one another.) The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe. Jeremiah 31:35,36 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever. The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space. Job 26:7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. Statements Consistent With Meteorology The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.

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Ecclesiastes 1:6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics. Job 28:25 To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the worlds hydrologic cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.(If you are a physics enthusiast, please ignore our omission of the terms mass, gravity, and density from this comment.) Statements Consistent With Biology The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood. Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the bodys temperature, and removes the waste material of the bodys cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical lifeconfirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier. The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from other living organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism. Genesis 1:11,12 Then God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

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The phrase according to its kind occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductive integrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all of these reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes. The Bible describes the chemical nature of flesh. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. It is a proven fact that a persons mental and spiritual health is strongly correlated with physical health. The Bible revealed this to us with these statements (and others) written by King Solomon about 950 BC. Proverbs 12:4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy. Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Statements Consistent With Anthropology We have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Bible also describes cave men. Job 30:5,6 They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief. They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks.

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Note that these were not ape-men, but descendants of those who scattered from Babel. They were driven from the community by those tribes who competed successfully for the more desirable regions of the earth. Then for some reason they deteriorated mentally, physically, and spiritually. (Go into a bad part of your town and you will see this concept in action today.) Statements Consistent With Hydrology The bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrologic cycle. Psalm 135:7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries. Jeremiah 10:13 When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries. In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrologic cyclethe worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation, condensation with electrical discharges, and precipitation. Job 36:27-29 For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy? This simple verse has remarkable scientific insight. The drops of water which eventually pour down as rain first become vapor and then condense to tiny liquid water droplets in the clouds. These finally coalesce into drops large enough to overcome the updrafts that suspend them in the air. The Bible describes the recirculation of water. Ecclesiastes 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

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The Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensation in clouds. Job 26:8 He binds up the water in His thick clouds, Yet the clouds are not broken under it. Job 37:11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. Hydrothermal vents are described in two books of the Bible written before 1400BC more than 3,000 years before their discovery by science. Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. Job 38:16 Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? Statements Consistent With Geology The Bible describes the Earths crust (along with a comment on astronomy). Jeremiah 31:37 Thus says the LORD: If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD. Although some scientists claim that they have now measured the size of the universe, it is interesting to note that every human attempt to drill through the earths crust to the plastic mantle beneath has, thus far, ended in failure. The Bible described the shape of the earth centuries before people thought that the earth was spherical. Isaiah 40:22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. The word translated circle here is the Hebrew word chuwg which is also translated circuit, or compass (depending on the context). That i s, it indicates something spherical, rounded, or archednot something that is flat or square. The book of Isaiah was written sometime between 740 and 680 BC. This is at least 300 years before Aristotle suggested that the earth might be a sphere in this book On the Heavens.

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This brings up an important historical note related to this topic. Many people are aware of the conflict between Galileo and the Roman Catholic Pope, Paul V. After publishing A Dialogue on the Two Principal Systems of the World , Galileo was summoned to Rome, where he was forced to renounce his findings. (At that time, theologians of the Roman Catholic Church maintained that the Earth was the center of the universe, and to assert otherwise was deemed heretical.) We could not find any place in the Bible that claims that the Earth is flat, or that it is the center of the universe. History shows that this conflict, which took place at the time of the Inquisition, was part of a power struggle. As a result, scientific and biblical knowledge became casualtiesan effect we still feel to this day. Statements Consistent With Physics The Bible suggests the presence of nuclear processes like those we associate with nuclear weaponry. This is certainly not something that could have been explained in 67 AD using known scientific principles (when Peter wrote the following verse). 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. The television is a practical (if not always worthwhile ) device that uses electromagnetic waves (which transmit its video signal). The Bible contains passages that describe something like televisionsomething that allows everyone on earth see a single event. Matthew 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Revelation 11:9-11 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
Science and the Bible. Clarifying Christianity. 2 February 2014.<http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml>.

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Meticulous Care in the Transmission of the Bible

A common misunderstanding of the Bible by both Christians and non-Christians alike is the mistaken notion that the Bible is a translation upon a translation upon a translation, leading some to believe that the end result is so garbled it hardly represents the original. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Translations are derived from extant copies of old manuscripts such as the Greek Textus Receptus (Received Text) and the Hebrew Masoretic text, and are not translations of a text that had itself been translated from another interpretation. Often, the differences between Bibles with different translations lie only in how the scholars interpreted a word or sentence from the original language of the text source (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek). Of course this doesn't mean that all translations are equal! Some are clearly better than others and convey wording closer to the original language. So how reliable are the manuscripts that all these Bibles are translated from? The evidence is overwhelming and seldom disputed. Manuscripts prepared from different individuals spread over various parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean region agree remarkably with each other. Also, the manuscripts agree with the Septuagint, which was translated to Greek from Hebrew possibly as far back as the 3rd century BC. The Dead Sea scrolls discovered in 1947 also provided a profound testimony to the reliability of the centuries of transmission of the Bible text, as every Old Testament book found was virtually word for word with today's Bible! (the few differences were "obvious slips of the pen or variations in spelling"). The scribes who were in charge of the Old Testament text dedicated their lives to preserving the text's accuracy when they made copies. The great lengths the scribes went to guarantee the reliability of the copies is illustrated by the fact that they would count every letter and every word, and record in the margins such things as the middle letter and word of the Torah. If a single error was found, the copy was immediately destroyed. The New Testament manuscript evidence is even more impressive, with 24,000 known copies, 5,366 which are complete, and some that date as early as the second and third centuries. This manuscript authority greatly surpasses all other writings of antiquity, as illustrated in the following table: Work New Testament Homer (Iliad) Sophocles Aristotle Caesar (Gallic Wars) When Written Earliest Copy Time Span A.D. 40-100 900 B.C. 496-406 B.C 384-322 B.C. 100-44 B.C. A.D. 125 400 B.C A.D. 1000 A.D. 1100 A.D. 900 25 yrs 500 yrs 1,400 yrs 1,400 yrs 1000 yrs No. of copies 24,000 643 193 49 10

As can be seen from the table, Homer's Iliad, the most renowned book of ancient Greece, is a very distant second to the New Testament in manuscript support, with only 643 copies. Of these copies, there are 764 disputed lines, compared to only 40 lines in the New Testament. The New Testament even fares better than the 37 plays written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century. Every play contains various

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gaps in the printed text, forcing scholars in many cases to "fill in the blanks". With the 24,000 copies of the New Testament, we can be sure that nothing has been lost. It is also very impressive to note that scholars can recreate all but 11 verses of the New Testament by simply piecing together quotations by the early church fathers of the second and third centuries!
Williams, Fred.Meticulous Care in the Transmission of the Bible.Bible Evidences. 3 February 2014.<http://www.bibleevidences.com/transmission.htm>.

Creation by an Intelligent God

Creation evidently agrees with the Bible declaration of an omniscient and omnipotent Designer God. Romans 1: 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes , His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Psalms 136: 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 7 To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 8 The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalms 139: 13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; * Discoveries in astronomy have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the universe did, in fact, have a beginning. There was a single moment of creation. Proverbs 8: 22 "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 "From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. 24 "When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. 25 "Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth; 26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world. 27 "When He established the heavens, I was there , When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

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28 When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, 29 When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Proverbs 30: 4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name ? Surely you know! 5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Creation vs. Evolution - Intelligent Design

Intelligent design is the science that studies signs of intelligence. Note that a sign is not the thing signified. Intelligent design does not try to get into the mind of a designer and figure out what a designer is thinking. Its focus is not a designers mind (the thing signified) but the artifact due to a designers mind (the sign). What a designer is thinking may be an interesting question, and one may be able to infer something about what a designer is thinking from the designed objects that a designer produces (provided the designer is being honest). But the designers thought processes lie outside the scope of intelligent design. As a scientific research program, intelligent design investigates the effects of intelligence and not intelligence as such.
William Dembski, The Design Revolution (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 33.

The most dramatic supporting evidence for intelligent design comes from the discovery of DNA. Molecular biology has revealed at the core of life a code, a language, a message. As a result, the origin of life has been recast as the origin of new, complex forms of information. How do we explain the sequence of symbols in a message any message? The sequence of letters in a book is not random, nor does it follow a rule or law (i.e., it is not a regular, repeating pattern, like a macro on your computer). Instead, the sequence has a third kind of structure that scientists call specified complexity which means a complex sequence that fits a pre-selected pattern. Specified complexity can be identified by rigorous mathematical formulas (as William Dembski has shown in The Design Inference), which means scientists are now equipped to go beyond merely negative critiques of naturalistic evolution by identifying the positive marks of design. In all cases where we know the source of information, like books and computer programs and musical scores, that source is an intelligent agent. It is logical to conclude that the source of information in living things is likewise intelligent.
Nancy Pearcey, Forward in Phillip E. Johnson, The Right Question: Truth, Meaning and Public Debate (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 16-17.

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The conclusion of intelligent design flows naturally from the data itself not from sacred books or sectarian beliefs. Inferring that biochemical systems were designed by an intelligent agent is a humdrum process that requires no new principles of logic or science. It comes simply from the hard work that biochemistry has done over the past forty years, combined with consideration of the way in which we reach conclusions of design every day. Nonetheless, saying that biochemical systems were designed will certainly strike many people as strange, so let me try to make it sound less strange What is design? Design is simply the purposeful arrangement of parts Inferences to design do not require that we have a candidate for the role of designer. We can determine that a system was designed by examining the system itself, and we can hold the conviction of design much more strongly than a conviction about the identity of the designer The conclusion that something was designed can be made quite independently of knowledge of the designer. As a matter of procedure, the design must first be apprehended before there can be any further question about the designer. The inference to design can be held with all the firmness that is possible in this world, without knowing anything about the designer.
Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (New York: The Free Press, 1996), 193-197.

Note: Two important concepts are foundational to Intelligent Design: irreducible complexity and specific complexity. The following three articles help to define those two concepts. Many biochemical systems are stumbling blocks for natural selection because they are irreducibly complex, meaning they need several parts working together in order to function. A good illustration of an irreducibly complex system is a simple mechanical mousetrap. If the mousetrap is missing any of its pieces, it doesnt catch mice. Therefore it is irreducibly complex. It turns out that irreducibly complex systems are headaches for Darwinian theory because they are resistant to being produced in the gradual, step-by-step manner that Darwin envisioned. For example, if we wanted to evolve a mousetrap, where would we start? Could we start with just the platform and hope to catch a few mice rather inefficiently? Then add the holding bar, and improve the efficiency a bit? Then add the other pieces one at a time, steadily improving the whole apparatus? No, of course we cant do that because the mousetrap doesnt work at all until it is essentially completely assembled. Many biochemical systems, such as the bacterial flagellum, also appear to be irreducibly complex, and thus difficult to explain by Darwinian means such systems are better explained as the result of design purposeful, intentional design by an intelligent agent. Although some of my critics, noting that I am a Catholic, argue that design is a religious idea, I disagree. I think a conclusion of design is completely empirical, and can be justified solely by physical data, as well as by an understanding of how we come to a conclusion of design. To see how we detect design, consider the Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson in which a team of explorers is going through a jungle, and the lead explorer has been strung up and skewered by a hidden trap. One companion turns to another and confides, Thats why I never walk in front. Now every person who sees the cartoon immediately knows that the trap was designed. In fact, Larsons humor depends on you recognizing the design. It wouldnt be terribly funny if the first explorer had just fallen off a cliff or a rotted tree accidentally fell on him. No, his fate was intended. But how do you know that from looking at the cartoon? How does the audience apprehend that this trap was designed? Is it a religious conclusion? No. You can tell that the trap was designed because of the way

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the parts interact with great specificity to perform a function. Like the mousetrap, no one looking at the cartoon system would mistake it for an accidental arrangement of parts.
Michael Behe, A Catholic Scientist Looks at Dawinism, in William Dembski, Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing (Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2004), 142.

Intelligence leaves behind a characteristic trademark or signature what I call specified complexity. An event exhibits specified complexity if it is contingent and therefore not necessary; if it is complex and therefore not readily repeatable by chance; and if it is specified in the sense of exhibiting an independently given pattern. Note that a merely improbable event is not sufficient to eliminate chance: flip a coin long enough and youll witness a highly complex or improbable event. Even so, youll have no reason not to attribute it to chance. The important thing about specifications is that they be objectively given and not just imposed on events after the fact. For instance, if an archer fires arrows into a wall and then we paint bulls-eyes around them, we impose a pattern after the fact. On the other hand, if the targets are set up in advance (specified) and then the archer hits them accurately, we know it was by design. In determining whether biological organisms exhibit specified complexity, design theorists focus on identifiable systems such as individual enzymes, metabolic pathways, molecular machines and the like. These systems are specified in virtue of their independent functional requirements, and they exhibit a high degree of complexity. Of course, once an essential part of an organism exhibits specified complexity, then any design attributable to that part carries over to the organism as a whole. One need not demonstrate that every aspect of the organism was designed; in fact, some aspects will be the result of purely natural causes.
William Dembski, The Design Revolution (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 35.

Although creation and intelligent design are logically separable (you can have one without the other), many who hold to a doctrine of creation also believe that creation exhibits clear marks of intelligence. Biblical texts used to support the connection between creation and intelligent design include Psalm 19:1 (The heavens declare the glory of God; / the skies proclaim the work of his hands) and Romans 1:20 (F or since the creation of the world Gods invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made). Thus, many who hold to a doctrine of creation are also proponents of intelligent design. To many theists it seems perfectly reasonable that a creator would create a world in which the creators intelligence was made manifest. To be sure, the creator could be a master of stealth who obscures his tracks so that they are undetectable. But theists by and large agree that the natural world exhibits Gods intelligence, wisdom and purposes. How the world exhibits design, however, is a matter of dispute. For proponents of intelligent design, design in the world is empirically detectable we can know it when we see it, and increasingly what enables us to see it is specified complexity. In contrast to taking this scientific approach to design, one can also take a purely theological approach to it. Accordingly, the world exhibits design only against the

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backdrop of the religious believers faith experience and theological worldview. On this view, the religious believer sees design in the world only through the eyes of faith. Attributing design to the world thus becomes a theological gloss or overlay, not a generally accessible fact about the world open to believer and nonbeliever alike. Thus, many theologians resist intelligent designs fundamental claim that the natural world exhibits objectively discernible design. Why is that? For the theist, any designing agent responsible for the worlds design would be either God or an intermediary intelligence created by God (e.g., angels, demons or purposeful processes in nature). Such an intermediary would operate either at Gods explicit direction or, at least, with Gods permission. In any case, God would ultimately be behind all the design in the world. Thus, for instance, any design evident in complex biological systems would have to be ascribed to God.
William Dembski, The Design Revolution (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 39.

Intelligent design and scientific creationism differ in their propositional content and method of inquiry. Intelligent design begins with data that scientists observe in the laboratory and nature, identifies in them patterns known to signal intelligent causes and thereby ascertains whether a phenomenon was designed. For design theorists, the conclusion of design constitutes an inference from data, not a deduction from religious authority. In addition, the propositional content of intelligent design differs significantly from that of scientific creationism. Scientific creationism is committed to the following propositions: SCl: There was a sudden creation of the universe, energy and life from nothing. SC2: Mutations and natural selection are insufficient to bring about the development of all living kinds from a single organism. SC3: Changes of the originally created kinds of plants and animals occur only within fixed limits. SC4: There is a separate ancestry for humans and apes. SC5: The earths geology can be explained via catastrophism, primarily by the occurrence of a worldwide flood. SC6: The earth and living kinds had a relatively recent inception (on the order of thousands or tens of thousands of years). Intelligent design, on the other hand, is committed to the following propositions: IDl: Specified complexity and irreducible complexity are reliable indicators or hallmarks of design. ID2: Biological systems exhibit specified complexity and employ irreducibly complex subsystems. ID3: Naturalistic mechanisms or undirected causes do not suffice to explain the origin of specified complexity or irreducible complexity.

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ID4: Therefore, intelligent design constitutes the best explanation for the origin of specified complexity and irreducible complexity in biological systems.
Adapted from William Dembski, The Design Revolution (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 41-42.

ID is a research program that claims design is evident in biology. What exactly does this mean, and how is it different from evolution? The concept of design, per se, is not peculiar to ID. Even evolutionists admit that organisms show the appearance of having been designed. This appearance of design, they say, is due to the evolutionary process. Evolutionists sometimes use design-type language when speaking of the process of evolution. The word intelligent distinguishes ID from evolution. It means that the design we observe was brought about by an intelligence rather than the interplay of unguided natural forces. ID claims that an intelligence is necessary to account for at least some of the design in biology. In other words, the evolutionary explanation is not sufficient. Why is evolution unable to account for the design in biology? Becau se there are examples of design that cannot have arisen via a sequence of functional intermediates. Evolution requires that every structure in biology, whether at the molecular or the morphological level, arose via a series of functional intermediate forms. In order for evolution to create the appearance of design, functional intermediates between all designs must exist. And the sequence of intermediates must be sufficiently gradual so that each successive form could have arisen from the previous form via normal biological variation. ID claims that at least in some cases no such sequence is possible.
Cornelius G. Hunter, Darwins Proof (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2003), 120.

For Christians, once theyve accepted the idea of an intelligent designer, its obvious to them who the designer is. In my own development I first addressed the issue without reference to the Bible at all. I came to the conclusion that the scientific evidence just doesnt support the central claims of the Darwinian theory at all. It tends to refute them. But then I thought, If you cant do the creating without an intelligent designer, a Creator, then there must be a Creator. Then at this point I brought the Bible into the argument. I looked for the best place to start and I found that in the prologue to the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word. And I asked the question, Does scientific evidence tend to support this conclusion or the contrary conclusion of the materialists that in the beginning were the particles? If we start with that basic explanation of the meaning of the creation in John 1, we see that is far better supported by scientific investigation than the contrary. So whats the objection to believing that thats true? At this point we havent proved that the Bibles claims about creation are true, but weve removed a powerful obstacle in the way of such belief. And thats all I really

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want to do with the scientific evidence is to clear away the obstacle that it presents to a belief that the Creator is the God of the Bible.
Phillip Johnson cited in Marvin Olasky and John Perry, Monkey Business (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 198. - See more at: http://erlc.com/article/creation-vs-evolution-intelligent-design/#sthash.w1dzZfyt.dpuf

Price, Jerry.Creation vs. Evolution - Intelligent Design. Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.3 February, 2014.<http://erlc.com/article/creation-vs-evolution-intelligent-design/>.

Does God Exist - The Big Questions

Does God exist? An answer to this fundamental question is a prerequisite for answering the other big questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do we serve a purpose? Do we have any intrinsic value? What happens after we die? The question of the existence of God is fundamental. Does God Exist - A Philosophical Issue Before we ask the question "Does God exist?" we first have to deal with our philosophical predispositions. If, for example, I am already dedicated to the philosophical idea that nothing can exist outside of the natural realm (i.e. there can be no supernatural God), no amount of evidence could convince me otherwise. Asking the question "does God exist?" would be pointless. My answer would be "No, He doesn't," regardless of whether God truly exists or not. The question would be impossible to answer from an evidentiary standpoint simply because anything which God might have done (that is, any supernatural act which might serve as evidence for His existence) would have to be explained away in terms of natural causes, not because we know what those natural causes could possibly be, but simply because a supernatural God is not allowed to exist! Dr. Richard Lewontin, the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University, put it like this: "It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door" (Richard Lewontin, "Billions and Billions of Demons," New York Review of Books, January 9, 1997, p. 28). If, on the other hand, I were neutral, and didn't already have an "a priori adherence" to a particular worldview (be it naturalistic or otherwise), the question "does God really exist?" wouldn't be pointless at all. Rather, it would be the first step in an objective and meaningful search for ultimate truth. Our willingness to ask the question with an open mind is fundamental to our ability to discover the truth behind the answer. So first of all, before you even ask the question, decide whether or not you're really willing to accept the answer.

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Does God Exist - Things to Consider Once you're ready to ask the question, "does God exist?" here are a few observations to consider as you begin your search for an objective answer: Discoveries in astronomy have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the universe did, in fact, have a beginning. There was a single moment of creation. Advances in molecular biology have revealed vast amounts of information encoded in each and every living cell, and molecular biologists have discovered thousands upon thousands of exquisitely designed machines at the molecular level. Information requires intelligence and design requires a designer. Biochemists and mathematicians have calculated the odds against life arising from non-life naturally via unintelligent processes. The odds are astronomical. In fact, scientists aren't even sure if life could have evolved naturally via unintelligent processes. If life did not arise by chance, how did it arise? The universe is ordered by natural laws. Where did these laws come from and what purpose do they serve? Philosophers agree that a transcendent Law Giver is the only plausible explanation for an objective moral standard. So, ask yourself if you believe in right and wrong and then ask yourself why. Who gave you your conscience? Why does it exist? People of every race, creed, color, and culture, both men and women, young and old, wise and foolish, from the educated to the ignorant, claim to have personally experienced something of the supernatural. So what are we supposed to do with these prodigious accounts of divine healing, prophetic revelation, answered prayer, and other miraculous phenomena?
Does God Exist - The Big Questions.All About God. 3 February, 2014.<http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/does-godexist-c.htm>.

The Bible is indeed Bible of God. It does not only contain the knowledge about our world- the physical and the spiritual but also declares a God who revealed Himself to man to Abraham, to Moses and has established His People. He sent His Son Jesus Christ so that the world may know the Way, the Truth and the Life. He quoted from the Scriptures and confirmed the prophets. Prophesies were fulfilled. Facts have been established both from historical figures and branches of sciences. The Bible is indeed the Word of God.

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