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Symbolic Convergence: Christianity’s Fine-Tuned Architecture, A Grand Unification Theory of Apologetics

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Symbolic Convergence: Christianity’s Fine-Tuned Architecture A Grand Unification Theory of Apologetics *This is a Chapter included in my new book "Pilgrimage to Shiloh," available soon. Introduction: A New Class of Evidence In previous chapters, we examined numerous logical, historically grounded, time-bound arguments for Christianity. I find that each of these on their own are quite compelling. However, there exists a profound apologetic argument that is rarely articulated but is felt intuitively by many. It is an argument that transcends the typical forensic “proofs” of Christianity. This one is not isolated evidence such as the empty tomb, manuscript reliability, or philosophical arguments for God’s existence. Instead, it is about the very architecture of Christian reality itself: the recognition that Christianity forms a symbolic ecosystem in which prophecy, typology, liturgy, history, ritual, cosmology, and theology converge on a single Person in time. The coherence ...
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Alma vs. Pantera: Jewish Responses to the Virgin Birth

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  Alma vs. Pantera:   Jewish Responses to the Virgin Birth *This is a Chapter in my new book "Pilgrimage to Shiloh," available soon. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." — Isaiah 7:14 The virgin birth is a central article of faith in Christianity. It serves as a key feature of introduction to Jesus Christ in the gospels, both as supernatural endorsement of His life and ministry, and was also perceived universally as a fulfillment of prophecy in the early Christian community. Given its central place in the Christian story, it has been attacked frequently, and therefore, for a believer, it must be defended. Two significant Jewish polemics have been raised against the Christian claim of Jesus’ virgin birth. The first argues that the Hebrew word Alma in Isaiah 7:14, often translated as "virgin," actually means "young woman," undermining the Christi...
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The Significance of the Title "Kyrios": Jesus is Lord in the New Testament

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     Some modern Christians do not realize that the Scriptures of the New Testament authors were not generally the Hebrew writings of the Old Testament but instead the Greek translation of those texts called the Septuagint (LXX), which were translated beginning in the 3rd century BC (Jobes & Silva, 2000).      This is demonstrated by the fact that up to 90% of the New Testament quotations of the Old Testament are from the LXX (Harris, Archer, & Waltke, 1980). This is significant for several reasons. Since the authors of the New Testament were also writing in Greek, it allowed for an "apples to apples" rendering of various words and concepts from the Old Testament into the New Testament (Comfort, 2008). The most significant example of this is in the word "Kyrios." Most often translated as "LORD," it was used by the Jewish translators of the Hebrew into Greek as the word for the personal covenant name of God, YHWH, the tetragrammaton. In this context...
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The Shroud of Turin: Tracing its Early History and Provenance

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    The Shroud of Turin, an enigmatic and venerated relic in Christian history, has fascinated believers and skeptics alike. Known for its mysterious image of a crucified man believed by many to be Jesus Christ, the Shroud has been the subject of extensive research and is one of the most studied objects in the history of the world. The STURP Project, the only sanctioned study of the Shroud concluded, "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist."       While it gained widespread public attention in the 14th century, numerous references and depictions suggest that it existed long before this period. Here, I will delve into the documented mentions and illustrations of the Shroud prior to its public reveal, tracing its journey through various historical contexts and geographies, clearly antedating the carbon-14 dating. Special thanks to Joe Marino, who collect...
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