Maybe it’s just human nature for believers to claim that their so-called holy books are advance. That’s natural and I can live with that. I really don’t care if you are just defending your religious belief; well it’s just belief anyway. The problem is when they claim that certain facts prove that...Hmmmmm, I think you get the picture.
Here’s an example. Eliseo (you know him?) wrote this article to prove that the Bible is an advance book. According to him, “The Bible is the one and only book on earth that carries with it an authority and authentication not coming from any human person, but from somebody whose knowledge is above nature and humans. This person is God. I will ask you some questions and try to answer them carefully and honestly.”
And so he answered it...but I doubt if it’s carefully and honestly.
Claim No.1 Advance in astronomy and earth science.
This belief that the earth is flat was shared even by powerful people up to the middle ages. It was only very recently that we have had physical evidences showing the picture of the earth caught from outer space by the cameras of the series of Apollo spaceships that were sent to the moon that proves that the earth is round and spherical in shape. This truth is already revealed in the Bible, less than 3000 years before it was seen by man. In the book of Isaiah 40:22 it says…
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in…”
And again…
(Amos 9:6) “The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth, The LORD is His name.” (NASB)
These informations are present in the Bible long before man has seen physical evidences with his eyes that the earth is round. This truth can not come from any human source, but from Somebody dictating to prophet Isaiah what to write. Just like the prophet Daniel, Isaiah may not know or have any idea of the physical reality of the truth he is writing, but it was written for us to realize that wisdom in the Bible came from a Supernatural Being.
This belief that the earth is flat was shared even by powerful people up to the middle ages. It was only very recently that we have had physical evidences showing the picture of the earth caught from outer space by the cameras of the series of Apollo spaceships that were sent to the moon that proves that the earth is round and spherical in shape. This truth is already revealed in the Bible, less than 3000 years before it was seen by man.
The problem of this claim: In discussing the spherical era of Earth's history, the Encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 6, 1978, pp. 1-3) explains that ancient astronomers determined that the earth was round by observing its circular shadow move across the moon during lunar eclipses. The Egyptians and Greeks as far back as 2550 BCE (more than a thousand years before Moses) knew not only the earth's spherical shape but also its approximate size. The Grecian philosopher Pythagoras, who was born in 532 BCE, defended the spherical theory on the basis of observations he had made of the shape of the sun and moon. If this information was generally known by educated Greeks and Egyptians before and during biblical times, how can anyone say with certitude that the writers of the Book of Isaiah couldn't have known about it?
So Eliseo’s claim is imaginary. Humans already know that before the Bible mentioned it on its pages.
Also, let’s take a good look at Isaiah 40:22. According to Eliseo, the word “the circle of the earth” confirms the scientific foreknowledge of the Bible and...What? Wait a minute...I thought he’ll answer this carefully and honestly?
Let’s look at Isaiah 40:22
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Have you noticed that this verse compared “the circle of the earth” to a tent and not a ball? Maybe you’re familiar with a tent. Isn't it nice to know that the heavens are spread out like a tent? All the tents I have seen were domed over a flat surface. In Hebrew, the word used for “circle” is “khug”, and just think for once, a plate is also a circle, a coin is also a circle, yet they are not spheres.
I would like to thank Eliseo’s own article from providing us more information. This piece of article can be found on his own post...and according to him, it came from Reader’s Digest Library of Modern Knowledge book 1 p.14 which says, “The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern people of the first millennium B.C. pictured the Earth as a flat slab of land, which was rectangular or circular in shape and rimmed by sea, and which at some point met the sky. What happened on this horizon no one knew; the fear of reaching the edge of the world discouraged mariners from sailing far from coasts they knew.”
The article speaks about the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern people of the first millennium B.C. That includes the ancient Hebrews. According to Isaiah 40:22 the Earth is like a dome where God sit upon it. The Hebrews copied this “cosmology” from more ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilization like Sumeria.
When the authors of Isaiah attempted to talk about Earth Science, their only source of knowledge was a chain of written history dating back to the Sumerian Civilization. The Sumerians were the first to invent writing—cuneiform—approximately 4000 BC or shortly thereafter.
The verse from Amos validated my claim.
(Amos 9:6) “The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth, The LORD is His name.”
Notice the word “vaulted dome”?
Claim No. 2 That the Bible has already prophesized that human knowledge will increase.
(Daniel 12:8-10, 4) “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand…
“…But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
The prophet Daniel wrote these passages, but do not have the slightest idea of what a cell phone, a television, or a computer would look like when the fulfillment of the words “Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased…” come into reality. This further proves that there was Someone who has the capacity to see what will happen in the future, dictated Daniel what to write in his book of the Bible. There is no possibility whatsoever that these advance information, which the Bible calls ‘prophecies’, can come from human mind, but from Someone far more superior in humans in understanding and wisdom.
The Bible is the only book on earth that tells us things that will happen before they happen, many centuries ahead.
The problem of this claim: I really don’t get this one. It seems that Eliseo is implying that in the time of the ancients, there were no increased of knowledge, that the world was filled with primitives, heathens, savages, dummies. Their intelligence matched their simple technologies; their languages were simple, their cultures were primitive, they were brutes. So do other ancient culture’s heads empty? It looks as if the idea that someday knowledge will increase were not dreamed by other culture.
To say that only the Bible has prophesied the increased of knowledge in the future is badly flawed. More ancient religions and sacred writing have already done that even before the Hebrews walk out of Egypt. Whether it is bad or good other ancient cultures have predicted the boosted of knowledge. Here are some examples:
The Hindu epic poem, Mahabharata, written between 300 BCE and 300 CE described what appears to be nuclear and also describe the effects of radioactive poisoning.
It states: "… a single projectile charged with all the power of the universe. An incandescent column of smoke and fire, as brilliant as ten thousand suns, rose in all its splendor. It was the unknown weapon, the iron thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death which reduced to ashes the entire race of Vrishnis and Andhakas.
The corpses were so burnt they were no longer recognizable. Hair and nails fell out. Pottery broke without cause... Foodstuffs were poisoned. To escape, the warriors threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their equipment.
The poem goes on to describe the devastation of this weapon which is similar to the destruction of the A-bomb. "A substance like fire has sprung into existence…blistering hills. Rivers, and trees. All… are being reduced to ashes."
Not only the Hindus but also the American Indian Hopi tribe has foreseen that men will invent a thermonuclear device. "The white brother will bring the symbol of the sun which makes a great explosion shaking the earth…
One of the most astounding prophecies of the American Indians, especially by the Hopi and the Aztec, was the coming of the white man, called Pahána, to the New World.
The Hopi said the white men would return with the sign of the cross and bring a holocaust upon the land through his inventions and lack of spirituality. Remember, the American Indians had no knowledge of Christianity.
As the American Indians prophesied, the new inhabitants of the land were great inventors. Ironically, many people from all different cultures prophesied of these new inventions before their times. This is in light of the fact that most people only knew of transportation by horses, asses, and boats.
(Source: Hogue, John The Millennium Book of Prophecy © 1994 Harper-Collins)
Oh and one more thing, the ancients are really not that naive as Eliseo think they are. Have you ever read the works Zechariah Sitchin’s The 12th Planet and Erich von Däniken’s Chariot of the Gods? You will notice that these books promote the advancements of science and technology from ancient culture such as Sumeria, Egypt, Babylonia and Mayan.
In 3100 BCE Menes, the founder of the 1st Dynasty writes The Secret Book of the Heart, describing 3 kinds of healers, the physician, the priest and the sorcerer. He already knew the role of the physician in healing ailments.
The Sumerians have invented the cylinder seal, the forerunner of the modern rotary press, the ziggurat, the kilt among others, all in the time of 3500 BCE.
In the Papyrus Ebers, the Ancient Egyptians were discovering things about how the human body worked and they knew that the heart, pulse rates, blood and air were important to the workings of the human body, "46 vessels go from the heart to every limb, if a doctor places his hand or fingers on the back of the head, hands, stomach, arms or feet then he hears the heart. The heart speaks out of every limb."
The papyrus continues:
"There are 4 vessels to his nostrils, 2 give mucus and 2 give blood; there are 4 vessels in his forehead; there are 6 vessels that lead to the arms; there are 6 vessels that lead to the feet; there are 2 vessels to his testicles (and) it is they which give semen; there are 2 vessels to the buttocks."
The document actually gives names to organs such as the spleen, the heart, the anus, the lungs etc so they must have known that these exist. One papyrus, the Edwin Smith Papyrus, has a detailed description of the brain in it so this organ was also well researched by the standards of the time. It is probable that this knowledge came as a result of the practice the Ancient Egyptians had of embalming dead bodies.
Claim No. 3 That only the Bible told us that it is good to cry and laughter is the best medicine.
Not only science, but also medical knowledge that man have learned very lately, and history, can attest to the authenticity of this one and only book.
The Bible tells us that it is good to cry.
(Ecclesiastes 7:2) “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.”
(James 4:9) “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.”
Medical findings have proven that what the Bible says is true.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article24374 69.ece
Equally true is: We must not indulge in too much weariness and crying.
(1 Corinthians 7: 29-30) “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not…”
This will mean that we have to laugh also and be merry.
(Proverbs 17:22) “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
There is no contradiction in the preceding verses that I have cited. We have to laugh. We have to cry. It depends upon the situation. It is natural. It is healthy. So, the Bible speaks the truth! Why the Bible? Think it over and over again.
The problem of this claim: Throughout history, spiritual traditions in China, Japan and India have revered the sacred strength of laughter. Lao-Tzu is always pictured smiling. Samurai are always laughing. “Laughter Yoga” was a practice of the ancient rishis of India over 5,000 years ago.
Hypocrites, in his medical treatise, stressed the importance of “a gay and cheerful mood on the part of the physician and patient fighting disease”.
In the Native American culture for example, “Nanabush” the trickster, a central figure in Chippewa (Ojibwa) storytelling, challenges the gods and cheats death by playing a trick on them: “During the year of the sickness, when I was the last one left, I saved myself by starting a story. Death could not get a word in edgewise, grew discouraged, and traveled on”. Nanapush demonstrates the power of Native American humor against sickness and death.
The ancient Hawaiians assert there are two chemical reactions within the human body that can accomplish Reconnection with Source Oneness. The first is the "sacred tear” beneath our sadness and hopelessness. Beneath that tear lies the second chemical reaction, said to be more powerful than all the healing agents known to humankind. It comes "out of the blue" with the power of a jackhammer, shattering the seriousness of the entire human estate. A power instantly freeing and balancing to all the body's chemistry. This is the power of laughter. When it comes in this manner, it comes through the "na'au" (gut level) and will pierce the hopelessness of any situation or attitude. It is not a power to be taken lightly, for the ancient Hawaiians say it holds the chemistry of immortality and will instantly heal any terminal disease. It’s said to be the "laughter of God" which shatters the ridiculousness of hopelessness.
Claim No. 4 Historical claims
History and archeology also proves the authenticity of the Bible. Findings in archeology have proven so many times that what is recorded in the Bible are actual facts and truth. Roman coins found in Samaria authenticates the records in Matthew 22:17-21.
“And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
The discovery of the tunnel built by King Hezekiah authenticates the passages written in the book of Kings.
(2 Kings 20:20) “And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
The discovery of a limestone with the inscription that bares the name of Pontius Pilate is another proof of the Bible’s authenticity.
(John 19:6) “When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.”?
The problem of this claim: The claim is really non-sequitur. Eliseo is making a conclusion that since these structures and personality exists, that means the Bible history is authentic. Have you heard of a historical fiction? While there are some historical facts in the Bible, it represents a gross misrepresentation of the current state of archaeology to say that it has “never” contradicted the Bible. For example, archaeological research has demonstrated that the city of Ai, reported in Josh. 8 to have been conquered by Joshua, was a heap of ruins centuries before Joshua's time as discovered by Kathleen Kenyon.
Bear in mind that the Bible, as we know it today, is the end product of a long process of writing, editing and selecting of literature primarily concerned with the saga explaining how the nation Israel came to be, the development of the Jewish religious concepts, and its long literary history. It cannot be assumed that a group of men composed writings echoing what they thought God was dictating. The Bible reflects historical situations, human events, men's reactions to these happenings, and the belief that God was also involved in events.
The problem here is how you can distinguish history from legend. Sure England exists, but can you prove that King Arthur also exists. Montalban, Rizal and Mount Makiling are real places, but are Bernardo Carpio and Mariang Makiling also real people?
The story of Jose Rizal is a good example. If you’re familiar with your Rizaliana, you may find the story of Rizal throwing his slippers in Pasig, River as a legend, yet the whole Rizal story is factual and supported by documents. How about the story that George Washington chopped a cherry tree? Do you think historians already know that George Washington will become the first president of the United State of America and were already ready to record his biography when he was still a toddler?
One characteristic that helps to distinguish legend from history is the tendency of those who record legend to use terms to indicate the great age of the account without being specific as to when, precisely, the event occurred just like the samples above.
Another distinguishing feature lies in the tendency of historical writings to deal with matters of public importance, events that affect the political and public welfare of the group. In legend, the account centers on a person who may embody or dramatize the spirit of the group for whom the tale is recounted.
Example, although much of I and II Kings are historical, The dates of composition of these books are unknown, but although there are variants as to the actual number of editions the books went through, the consensus is that the language and outlook seems to point to a post exilic period (after 586 BCE) of composition. Saying that these books may contain some historical facts should in no way be confused with the claim that these books are accurate, or true, in all aspects. The same explanation can also be used in Matthew 22:17-21. If Pontius Pilate is an existing “Perfect of Judea" (not a “procurator” as Eliseo and Tacitus believed) in the suppose time of Jesus, the events narrated in Matthew 27:51-53 is too far-fetched to be considered as a historical event.
Remember, archaeological contributions provide no definite clues for determining whether or not the Bible is completely authentic and accurate in all its claims.
Claim No. 5 Tacitus
The same account was mentioned in the history of the Roman Empire (Annals 15:44)
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the Great Fire of Rome, in book 15, chapter 44 of his Annals (c. 116): Auctor nominis eius Christus Tibero imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat…
Translated in English as:
Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius:
The problem with this claim:
The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus, occasionally reported stories which were false historically but were true in a literary sense or a moral sense. (E.P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus (New York: Penguin, 1993) (Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Books, 1973)
Also bear in mind that the historian Tacitus did not live during the purported time of Jesus but was born two decades after Jesus alleged death; thus, if there were any passages in his work referring to Christ or his immediate followers, they would be hand-me-down stories.
Even in the book of Jewish antiquities, we can find this account:
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.
- Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63 written by Flavius Josephus
The problem of this claim:
1. It is unlikely that Josephus, a Jew, would have called Jesus the Messiah.
2. The passage is never quoted by Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, or Origen, despite its enormous apologetic value.
3. From the fact that Josephus needed to distinguish this Jesus from other people in his book named Jesus, it does not follow that the phrase "called the Christ" was the most likely way Josephus could have identified Jesus. Josephus could have also said, "the one who was crucified by Pilate," since Josephus' earlier reference to Jesus did mention that point.
4. It is unlikely that Josephus would have written the other italicized phrases; Most scholars suspect there has been at least some tampering with the text on the basis of some or all of the italicized sections. Thus scholarly opinion can be divided into three camps: those who accept the entire passage as authentic; those who reject the entire passage as a Christian interpolation into the text (perhaps authored by the fourth-century church historian Eusebius); and those who believe that the original text contained an authentic reference to Jesus but was later embellished by Christian copyists.
That’s the problem with claims. Most people seem to shy off from other explanations just to defend their contentions. If you would like to respond questions, - questions like why we should believe in the BIBLE, - well carefully and honestly is not enough. You should answer it free from biases and historically accurate as possible.
Until next time,
John the Atheist
