Evidence for the Gospels - Names!
Names change significantly from place to place and from time to time. They are difficult to remember. The New Testament contains many named individuals. One can see the statistical distribution of names in the Gospel area from ancient literature and from inscriptions in tombs. Using modern statistical techniques these can be compared with the distribution of names from the New Testament; it can be seen that the two distributions match very well. It would be very difficult for even a modern author to invent names with the correct distribution; an ancient writer would not have the statistical methods to even attempt to do so.
This is very good evidence that the Gospels were written close to the time of Jesus, and that the writers did not invent the stories in them. The fact that the names are remembered at all indicates that the accounts were remembered in detail and not just in general terms.
Click "Read More" to watch a YouTube video on this topic.
New Year, New Questions You Won’t Solve!
I get smaller every time I take a bath.
What am I?
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What it feels like speaking with a MAGA American:
Me: “Your total is $44.19. Cash or card?”
The customer hands me a credit card but the chip inside it has been hole-punched out.
Me: “Uh, I don’t think this will work.”
Customer: “Why not? It hasn’t expired and I have money in my account.”
Me: “Sir… the chip is gone.”
Customer: “I didn’t want the chip.”
Me: “The card won’t work without it.”
Customer: “It just means I can’t enter my PIN, but you can still swipe it.”
Me: “I don’t think it will work, sir.”
Customer: “Just swipe it.”
I swipe it to prove a point.
Me: “It’s not working, sir.”
Customer: “Then you’re doing it wrong. Swipe it again!”
I do so again with the same result.
Customer: “Maybe you should swipe it so that the magnetic strip isn’t the thing being swiped?”
Me: *Swiping it as suggested.* “Sure, why not? About as much chance of it going through without the magnetic strip as there is without the chip – oh look, it didn’t work.”
Customer: “Your machine must be broken!”