I 3300 51 apologetics canonicity

Stan Meyer, PhD
Friday, April 23 & Saturday, April 24, 2021
S 3300 Apologetics
Lectures 2 & 3

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was
provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the
devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those
who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic
philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What
does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be
a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching
Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:16–18 ESV)

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus,
saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you
are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our
ears. We wish to know therefore what these things
mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who
lived there would spend their time in nothing except
telling or hearing something new. (Acts 17:19–21 ESV)

Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said:
“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are
very religious. For as I passed along and observed
the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with
this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What
therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to
you. (Acts 17:22–23 ESV)

The God who made the world and everything in it,
being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in
temples made by man…He made from one man
every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the
earth…Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we
are indeed his oﬀspring.’ (Acts 17:24–28 ESV)

Being then God’s oﬀspring, we ought not to think
that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an
image formed by the art and imagination of man…
He commands all people everywhere to repent,
because he has fixed a day on which he will judge
the world in righteousness by a man whom he has
appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all
by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29–31 ESV)

Paul’s Redemptive Analogies
1. Altar to an unknown god (Acts 17:23)

2. In him we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28)

3. We are his oﬀspring (Acts 17:28)

“In him we live, move, and have our being”
(Epimenides, 5th Century BC, “Cretica”)
“We are his offspring”
(Aratus, 3rd Century BC, “Phaenomena”)

I have seen the business that God has
given to the children of man to be busy with.
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart,
(Eccl 3:10–11 ESV)

Redemptive Analogies
God, grants general revelation to every man & woman. He
imprinted individual human cultures in a variety of ways. A
missionary can discover how to explain the gospel to members of
a culture if they discover the particular way God imprinted that
culture.
Richardson, Don. (2006). Eternity in Their Hearts. p. 190

Eternity in Their Hearts
Don Richardson (1986/2006)

Was the NT Picked by a
committee?

‫תנך‬ Tanakh - Old Testament Canon
•‫תורה‬ Torah (Law) - 5 Books of the Law

•‫נביים‬ Neviim (Prophets) - 21 books including 12 prophets

•‫כותבים‬ Kotviim (Writings) - 12 books beginning with the Psalms

1. Testimony of a Closed Canon

And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient
place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be
done with them. (1 Macc 4:46 KJV)
Also that the Jews and priests were well pleased that Simon should
be their governor and high priest for ever, until there should arise a
faithful prophet; (1 Macc 14:41 KJV)
Apocrypha (160 BC)

New Testament (50 AD)
[God said] I will send them prophets and apostles, some of
whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the
prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged
against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood
of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the
sanctuary. (Luke 11:49–51 ESV)

Rabbinic Sources (200 - 400 AD)
Babylonian Talmud and the Mishnah
• Baba Batra 12a
• Yoma 9b
• Sotah 48b
• Sanhedrin 11a

Mishnah (Palestine, 200 AD) Talmud (Babylon, 400 AD)
Title of
Tractate
Mishnah
Chapter
Gemorah
Comments
Rashi’s
Comments
Rabbis
Comments
Page# (ex. 98a)
E E
A
B
C
D
F
F

Bava Batra 12a
Gemara reports that Rabbi Avdimi from Haifa says: From the day
that the Temple was destroyed prophecy was taken from the
prophets and given to the Sages. The Gemara expresses
astonishment: Is that to say that a Sage is not fit to be a prophet?
Rabbi Avdimi seems to say that these are two distinct categories
of people: Sages and Prophets

Yoma 9b
After the last prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi died, the
Divine Spirit of prophetic revelation departed from the Jewish
people, and they were still utilizing a Divine Voice, which they
heard as an echo of prophecy.

Sotah 48b
From the time when Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi died the Divine Spirit
departed from the Jewish people, as these three were considered to be the
last prophets. And even after the Urim and Thumim ceased to exist, they
would nevertheless still make use of a Divine Voice to receive instructions
from Above, even after this time.
For on one occasion the Sages were reclining in the upper story of the
house of Gurya in Jericho. A Divine Voice from Heaven was issued to them,
and it said: There is one person among you for whom it is fitting that the Holy
Spirit should rest upon him as a prophet, but because his generation is not
fit for it, there will be no prophets in Israel.

Sanhedrin 11a
The Sages taught: After the last of the prophets, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi, died, the Divine Spirit of prophetic
revelation departed from the Jewish people. But nevertheless,
they were still utilizing a Divine Voice, which they heard as a kind
of echo of prophecy.

New Testament
50 - 90 AD
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still
with you, that everything written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be
fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the
Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the
Christ should suﬀer and on the third day rise from the dead,
and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from
Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44–47 ESV)

Among us there are not thousands of books in
disagreement and conflict with each other, but only
twenty-two books, containing the record for all time,
which are rightly trusted. Five of these are the books of
Moses, which contain both the laws and the tradition
from the birth of humanity up to his death; From the
death of Moses until Artaxerxes, king of the Persians
after Xerxes, the prophets after Moses wrote the history
of what took place in their own times in thirteen books;
the remaining four books contain hymns to God and
instructions for people on life.

(Against Apion, 94 AD, 1.38-42).
Gallagher, Edmon L.; Meade, John D. 2017. The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity (p. 61)

After Artaxerxes, the exact line of succession of the
prophets did not continue [but ended]. Although such a
long time has now passed, no one has dared to add, to
take away, or to alter anything; and it is innate in every
Judean, right from birth, to regard them as decrees of
God, to remain faithful to them and, if necessary, gladly
to die on their behalf

(Against Apion, 94 AD, 1.38-42).
Gallagher, Edmon L.; Meade, John D. 2017. The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity (p. 61)

Josephus
Canonical List
• Torah (5)

• Prophets (13)

• Writings (4)

§ The Sages taught: The order of the books of the Prophets as follows: Joshua
and Judges, Samuel and Kings, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and Isaiah and the
Twelve Prophets…. The first of four prophets who prophesied…were Hosea
and Isaiah, Amos and Micah…In the book of the Twelve Prophets, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi were the last of the prophets [21 Books]
Since the book of Kings ends with the destruction of the Temple, and the book
of Jeremiah deals entirely with prophecies of the destruction, and the book of
Ezekiel begins with the destruction of the Temple but ends with consolation and
the rebuilding of the Temple, and Isaiah deals entirely with consolation, as most
of his prophecies refer to the redemption, the books are ordered from
destruction to destruction and from consolation to consolation. This therefore is
the order of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.
(B Baba Batra 14b)

The order of the Writings is: Ruth and the book of Psalms, and Job and Proverbs;
Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations; Daniel and the Scroll of Esther; and
Ezra and Chronicles. [12 Books]
Who were the authors of the books of the Bible? Moses wrote the Torah, the portion
of Balaam in the Torah, and the book of Job. Joshua wrote The Book of Joshua, and
last eight verses in the Torah, describing the death of Moses. Samuel wrote The Book
of Samuel, Judges, and Ruth. David wrote The Book of Psalms by means of ten
elders of previous generations, assembling a collection that included compositions of
others along with his own. He included some psalms authored by Adam the first man,
by Melchizedek king of Salem, by Abraham, by Moses, and by Heman, and by
Jeduthun, and by Asaph,
(B Talmud Baba Batra 14b)

Baba Batra 14b
200 - 400 AD
• Torah (5) - Gen, Ex, Lev, Nu, Deut

• Neviim (21) - Josh, Jg, Sam, Kings, Jer, Ezek, Isa, 12 Minor prophets

• Kotviim (12) - Ruth, Ps, Job, Prov, Ecc, Song, Lam, Dan, Esther, Ezra, Chron

Alfred Ralf (100 BC)
• Torah (5)
• Minor Prophets (12)

Qumran
Most of the books of OT
200 BC - 100 AD

Early Lists of the Old Testament
• 100 BC - Septuagint Translation of most of the OT

• 50 BC - Targum Aramaic translation of most OT Books

• 95 AD - Josephus, Torah (5), Prophets (13), Writings (4)

• 100 AD - New Testament cites most of the OT

• 200 AD - Talmud (citing Tannaim) lists all OT Books (Bava Batra 14b)

• 400 AD - Latin Vulgate included all the OT Books

What books followed Malachi?
• Pseudepigrapha (ex. Enoch)
• Qumran manuscripts (i.e. Dead Sea Scrolls).
• Hellenistic Writings (ex. Philo)
• Apocryphal (ex. Maccabees, Esdras)
• Rabbinic texts (ex. Mishnah, Midrash, Targum)

What books came after Malachi?
Philo
• Never claimed revelation
• Claimed commentary
• Theologically heterodox (Greek)
• Never embraced as Scripture

Dead Sea Scrolls -
• Pesher - commentaries on the canonical prophets
• Did not claim revelation or prophecy
• Theologically heterodox

Rabbinic Sources
• Clearly Commentary
• Relied on authority of other sages
• Clearly stated prophecy ended with Malachi

Pseudepigrapha
• No record of acceptance as inspired
• Pseudographs - authorship
• Theologically heterodox
• Written late (100 BC to 100 AD)
• Never attested to by other writers

Book of Enoch
Then I saw the One to whom belongs the time before time. And his
head was white like wool, and there was with him another individual,
whose face was like that of a human being. His countenance was
full of grace like that of one among the holy angels. And I asked the
angel: “Who is this?” And he answered me and said to me, “This is
the Son of Man, to whom belongs righteousness, and with whom
righteousness dwells. (1Enoch 46:1–3 Charlesworth)
Then an angel came to me and greeted me and said to me, “YOU,
are the son of man, who was born in righteousness and upon whom
all righteousness dwells, the righteousness of the Ancient of Days
will not forsake you.” (1Enoch 71:14–15, Charlesworth)

Book of 2 Maccabees
[After the Maccabeean victory over Antiochus] Judas
[the Maccabee] perceived that there was great favor
laid up for those that died in righteousness, they were
considered holy and good. Therefore, Judas prayed for
the dead [martyrs], that they may be delivered from sin
[and be saved].
(2 Macc 12:45 KJV)

Early Lists of the New Testament
Marcion (130)
• Luke

• Galatians

• 1 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians

• Romans

• 1 Thessalonians

• 2 Thessalonians

• Ephesians (called Laodiceans)

• Colossians

• Philemon

• Philippians

• NOT Matthew

• NOT John

• NOT Mark

Early Lists of the New Testament
• 110 AD - Ignatius of Antioch 8 (no Apocyph) Mt, Lk, Acts, Rom, For, Eph, Col, Thess

• 120 AD - Polycarp of Smyrna 17 Mt, Mk, Lk, Acts, and 13 Epistles, no apocrypha

• 130 AD - Marcion the heretic 11 (14?) Luke, 10 Epistles

• 150 AD - Justin Martyr 4 Gospels, and Revelation

• 170 AD - Muratorian Frag. 24 Books (missing Heb, Jas, Peter, 3 Jn)

• 200 AD - Syriac NT 23 Books (missing 2, 3 John, Jude, Rev)

• 250 AD - Origen Lists 27 Books (dispute Ja, 2 Pet, 2 Jn, 3 Jn)

• 300 AD - Codex Vaticanus 23 Books (missing 1, 2 Tim, Titus, Phil)

• 330 AD - Codex Sinaiticus 27 Books

• 367 AD - Athanasius, 27 Books

http://www.ntcanon.org/table.shtml

How did they determine which
books to include?

NT Books were not Picked but Recognized
1. Inspired by God - claimed or attested
2. Apostolic Origin - claim connection
3. Recognition by the Churches
4. Historical Content - accuracy
5. Theological Content - consistent

Earliest Books With No Apostolicity
Shepherd of Hermas
1 Clement

What about the ones they skipped?

Gospel of Peter
Discovered Akhmim in Egypt
Found in 1886
Language Greek
Composed 150 AD
Attested by Bishop Serapion 200
Oldest ms 800

Gospel of Peter
And they brought two wrongdoers and crucified the Lord in the
middle of them. But Jesus was silent for he felt no pain (4:10)
And the Lord screamed out, saying: 'My power, O my power, my
power has left me!’ And having said this, he was taken up (5:19)
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelpeter-brown.html

Gospel of Peter
• Composed very late

• No apostolicity

• Not eyewitness

• Only two attestations

• Only one copy, cannot establish the text

• Gnostic theology

Gospel of Thomas
Nag Hammadi Gnostic Library
Coptic Language
Found 1945
Composed 100-140 AD
Attested by Origen 233 AD
Earliest ms 340 AD

Gospel of Thomas
And He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light
within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world with his light.
(Gospel of Thomas 24)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.
(John 8:12, ESV)
http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html

Saying 50: Humans are Pre-existent
Jesus said, "If they ask you, 'Where do you come from?' tell them, 'We've come from the light, the
place where light came into being by itself, [established] itself, and appeared in their image.’ "If they
ask you, 'Is it you?' then say, 'We are its children, and we're chosen by our living Father.’ "If they ask
you, 'What's the sign of your Father in you?' then say, 'It's movement and rest.'"
Saying 70: Salvation Comes From Within Humans
Jesus said, "If you give birth to what's within you, what you have within you will save you. If you
don't have that within [you], what you don't have within you [will] kill you.”
Saying 77: Pantheism
Jesus said, "I'm the light that's over all. I am the All. The All has come from me and unfolds toward
me. Split a log; I'm there. Lift the stone, and you'll find me there.”
Saying 88: Angels and Prophets Will Visit Humans
Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you. You'll
give them what you have and ask yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'"
https://www.gospels.net

Gospel of Thomas
• No apostolicity

• Not eyewitness

• Only two attestations

• Only one copy, cannot establish the text

• Gnostic theology

Gospel of Judas
Found in El Minya, Egypt 2005
Gnostic collection
Written in Coptic
Composed in 130-170 AD
Oldest mss 220-340 AD
Attested by Irenaeus in 180 AD

Chadwick A. 6 April 2006. “The Lost Gospel of Judas” Day to Day. NPR News

One day he was with his disciples in Judea. He found them sitting
together practicing their piety. When he [came up to] his
disciples 34 sitting together praying over the bread, [he] laughed.
The disciples said to him, "Master, why are you laughing at [our]
prayer? What have we done? [This] is what's right.” He answered
and said to them, "I'm not laughing at you. You're not doing this
because you want to, but because through this your God [will be]
praised.” They said, "Master, you […] are the Son of our God!” Jesus
said to them, "How do [you] know me? Truly [I] say to you, no
generation of the people among you will know me.” When his
disciples heard this, [they] started to get angry and furious and
started to curse him in their hearts
(Gospel of Judas 34)
https://www.gospels.net/judas

Jesus Reveals Everything to Judas

Jesus said, "[Come] and I'll teach you about the [mysteries that no] human [will] see,
because there exists a great and boundless realm whose horizons no angelic generation
has seen, [in] which is a [great] invisible Spirit, which no [angelic] eye has ever seen, no
heart has ever comprehended, and it's never been called by any name.
"And a luminous cloud appeared there. And he (the Spirit) said, 'Let an angel come into
being to attend me.' And a great angel, the Self-Begotten, the God of the Light, emerged
from the cloud. And because of him, another four angels came into being from another
cloud, and they attended the angelic Self-Begotten. And said 48 the [Self-Begotten], 'Let
[a realm] come into being,' and it came into being [just as he said]. And he [created] the
first luminary to rule over it. And he said, 'Let angels come into being to serve [it,' and
myriads] without number came into being. And he said, '[Let a] luminous realm come into
being,' and it came into being. He created the second luminary to rule over it, along with
myriads of angels without number to oﬀer service. And that's how he created the rest of
the realms of light. And he made them to be ruled, and created for them myriads of angels
without number to assist them.

"Now the crowd of those immortals is called 'cosmos' – that is,
'perishable' – by the father and the seventy-two luminaries with the
Self-Begotten and his seventy-two realms. That's where the first human
appeared with his incorruptible powers. In the realm that appeared with
his generation is the cloud of knowledge and the angel who's
called 51 [Eleleth …] After these things [Eleleth] said, 'Let twelve angels
come into being [to] rule over Chaos and [Hades]. And look, from the
cloud there appeared an [angel] whose face flashed with [fire] and
whose likeness was [defiled] by blood. His name was Nebro, which
means 'Rebel.' Others call him Yaldabaoth. And another angel, Saklas,
came from the cloud too. So Nebro created six angels – and Saklas
(did too) – to be assistants. They brought out twelve angels in the
heavens, with each of them receiving a portion in the heavens.

"And the twelve rulers spoke with the twelve angels: 'Let each of
you 52 […] and let them […] generation [… five] angels:
The first [is Yaoth], who's called 'the Good One.'
The second is Harmathoth, [the eye of fire].
The [third] is Galila.
The fourth [is] Yobel.
The fifth is Adonaios.
"These are the five who ruled over Hades and are the first over Chaos.
"Then Saklas said to his angels, 'Let's create a human being after the
likeness and the image.' And they fashioned Adam and his wife Eve,

Shepherd of Hermas
Composed 140 - 150 AD
Contained in Codex Sinaiticus
Earliest date 330-350 AD
Found in 1844
Attested Muratorian frag. In 170 AD
Published by Lightfood in Fathers

The Shepherd of Hermas
140 AD
But how that the lord took his son and the glorious angels as advisers concerning the inheritance of the
servant, listen.
6[59]:5 The Holy Pre-existent Spirit. Which created the whole creation, God made to dwell in flesh that He
desired. This flesh, therefore, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, was subject unto the Spirit, walking honorably in
holiness and purity, without in any way defiling the Spirit.
6[59]:6 When then it had lived honorably in chastity, and had labored with the Spirit, and had cooperated with
it in everything, behaving itself boldly and bravely, He chose it as a partner with the Holy Spirit; for the career
of this flesh pleased [the Lord], seeing that, as possessing the Holy Spirit, it was not defiled upon the earth.
6[59]:7 He therefore took the son as adviser and the glorious angels also, that this flesh too, having served
the Spirit unblamably, might have some place of sojourn, and might not seem to hare lost the reward for its
service; for all flesh, which is found undefiled and unspotted, wherein the Holy Spirit dwelt, shall receive a
reward.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd-lightfoot.html

Ninth Similitude, Chapter 1
After I had written down the commandments and similitudes of the Shepherd,
the angel of repentance, he came to me and said, "I wish to explain to you
what the Holy Spirit that spoke with you in the form of the Church showed
you. Because the Holy Spirit is the same as the Son of God. For, as you were
somewhat weak in the flesh, it was not explained to you by the angel. When,
however, you were strengthened by the Spirit, and your strength was
increased, so that you were able to see the angel also, then accordingly was
the building of the tower shown you by the Church. In a noble and solemn
manner did you see everything as if shown you by a virgin; but now you see
[them] through the same Spirit as if shown by an angel. However, you must
now learn everything from me with greater accuracy. For I was sent for this
purpose by the glorious angel to dwell in your house for ever, that you might
see all things with power, entertaining no fear, even as it was before.”
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd.html

Stimson, Henry 1947. “The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb” in Harper’s Magazine
On July 28 the Premier of Japan, Suzuki, rejected the Potsdam ultimatum [calling for
unconditional surrender] by announcing that it was “unworthy of public notice.” In the
face of this rejection we could only proceed to demonstrate that the ultimatum had
meant exactly what it said when it stated that if the Japanese continued the war, “the
full application of our military power, backed by our resolve, will mean the inevitable
and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter
devastation of the Japanese homeland.”
For such a purpose the atomic bomb was an eminently suitable weapon. The New
Mexico test occurred while we were at Potsdam, on July 16. It was immediately clear
that the power of the bomb measured up to our highest estimates. We had developed
a weapon of such a revolutionary character that its use against the enemy might well
be expected to produce exactly the kind of shock on the Japanese ruling oligarchy
which we desired, strengthening the position of those who wished peace, and
weakening that of the military party.
Henry Stimson, former Secretary of War under President Truman

Truman, Harry. 6 Aug 1945. “Statement Announcing the Use of the Atomic Bomb
at Hiroshima”. NBC News.
Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important
Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than
two thousand times the blast power of the British "Grand Slam" which is the largest bomb ever
yet used in the history of warfare.
The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold.
And the end is not yet. With this bomb we have now added a new and revolutionary increase
in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. In their present form
these bombs are now in production and even more powerful forms are in development. It is an
atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the
sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East…
We are now prepared to obliterate the Japanese! We shall destroy their docks, their factories,
and their communications. Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan. We
shall eradicate their evil race. America will demonstrate to the world that the Anglo-Saxon race
is superior and that the Asian race must be subjugated to our nation as the voice of
democracy and Judeo-Christian superiority.
https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/august-6-1945-statement-president-announcing-use-bomb

Morrow, Edward R. 20 Sep 1945. “Interview with President Roosevelt”. See It Now.
Show #18. CBS News
Morrow: Mr. President, why don’t you begin by telling me the reasons for dropping the Atomic Bomb.
Roosevelt: Well, at the time, our chiefs of staﬀ had drawn up plans for the invasion of Japan. They
warned us that the losses will exceed 100,000 soldiers. Furthermore, the ongoing bombing of Japanese
cities would lead to the deaths of 500,000 Japanese civilians. Mr. Stimson and I believed that there
needed to be a quick end to this war. We had the technology and believed that a demonstration of the
destructiveness of this bomb would lead to the psychological shock the Japanese leadership needed.
Morrow: But there are those who argue that the allies might have provided a demonstration for the
Japanese, perhaps an uninhabited target.
Roosevelt: Yes, that is something we considered. However, we felt that if the Japanese government was
able to reject the Potsdam resolution after experiencing destructive bombing of their industrial centers, then
a demonstration of the Atomic bomb’s destructive ability would not have been persuasive either.
Morrow: Mr. President, do you believe that the use of this destructive weapon has ushered in a new era of
warfare and threat to human civilization?
Roosevelt: Sadly, I do. I feel that now that this weapon has not been used the world has entered a new
age—an atomic age. And with it will be new questions we all will need to ask.
Edward R. Morrow was the chief CBS war correspondent during World War II

Oppenheimer, Robert. February 1946. “The Open Mind” in The Atlantic.
We have unleashed a powerful new weapon, one capable of more destruction
than has ever been imagined. We now find ourselves in a Cold War with the
very nation we fought alongside over the last five years. It is clear that the rules
of war have changed. It is clear that the rules of politics have changed. But
have our values changed? For us we seek a “Great Society”, one in which
poverty may be eliminated, a society of racial justice, and one in which there is
justice for people of all colors. Shall we not seek the same justice abroad?
Shall we not seek the same justice for those who are yellow, red, brown, and
black? But this new weapon, and this new Cold War threaten justice for by it
the ability for self-determination among emerging nations is limited. We must
declare firmly and with conviction: Black Live Matter, Asian Lives Matter. The
voices of all those whose paths of self-determination have been interrupted by
the dawn of this nuclear age matter.
Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project during World War II

Einstein, Albert. November 1947. “Atomic War or Peace”. The Atlantic
Since the completion of the first atomic bomb nothing has been
accomplished to make the world more safe from war, while much has
been done to increase the destructiveness of war… The bombing of
civilian centers was initiated by the Germans and adopted by the
Japanese. The Allies responded in kind…with greater eﬀectiveness…
Now, in our current nuclear standoﬀ with the Soviet Union who have as
many Hydrogen bombs as the United States, our leaders have promised
that the threat of mutually assured destruction will act as a deterrent to
nuclear war. They claim that neither country will launch intercontinental
ballistic missiles at the other. For such a strike would lead to the
eradication of the human race as well as the end of life on earth. I am
not so convinced.

Predicted coming of
An Historical King
Cyrus of Persia

Thus says Yhwh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of
hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who
is like me? Let him [predict the future]. Let him declare [what will be] and
set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare
what is to come, and what will happen. I am the LORD, who made all
things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth
by myself, who frustrates the signs of…fortune tellers, who turns wise
men back and makes their knowledge foolish, who confirms the word of
his servants and fulfills the counsel of his messengers.
(Isa 44:4–28 ESV)

It is I…who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’ and
of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up
their ruins’; who says to the deep, ‘Be dry; I will dry up your
rivers’; who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he
shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall
be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
(Isa 44:4–28 ESV)

Isaiah
750 BC
• First Temple

• Kings Uzziah & Hezekiah

• Before Nebuchadnezzar

• Before the Babylonian Exile

Cyrus
580 —529 BC
• Declaration 538 BC

• Return of the Exiles

Isaiah Scroll, Israel Museum in Jerusalem, 350 BC

Foretold Destruction of
Jerusalem

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to
it…Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell
you, you will not see me until you say:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!”

(Luke 13:34–35 ESV)

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, then know that its destruction has
arrived…Flee to the mountains, and let those
who are inside [Jerusalem] escape.

(Luke 21:20–24 ESV)

The Christians in Jerusalem were commanded
by a prophecy before the war to escape and
go to the city of Pella in Perea. Those who
believed in Christ left Jerusalem…all Jesus’
followers abandoned Jerusalem and Judea.

(Eusebius, Church History 3.5.3, 4th Century)

Foretold the scattering
and regathering of the
Jews

And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples,
from one end of the earth to the other.

(Deut. 28:64 ESV)

Then the LORD your God…will gather you again from
all the peoples where the LORD your God has
scattered you… And will return you the land that your
fathers possessed.

(Deut. 30:3–5 ESV)

1400 BC Israel not yet conquered Canaan

• 70 AD Temple is Destroyed
• Jews are scattered
• Hebrew ceases
Jewish Diaspora

1880-1930 Jews return
1920 Hebrew reborn
1948 State of Israel
Jewish Regathering

But it was a self-
fulfilling prophecy!

Ben Gurion Golda Maier Chaim Weizmann Vladamir Jabotinsky
Theodore Herzl
Albert Einstein

I 3300 51 apologetics canonicity

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