Dumb Idols - Spiritual Thoughts of Daniel J. Clausen

  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...

     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...

    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...

       During the early centuries of Christianity, Arabia became a refuge for various Christian heretical groups and sects as they were rejected by the mainstream church. (Slade, D. M. (2014). Arabia Haeresium Ferax (Arabia Bearer of Heresies): Schismatic Christianity’s Potential Influence on Muhammad and the Qur’an. American Theological Inquiry, 7(1), 43-53.) This was partly due to the region's geographic and cultural position as a crossroads between the Byzantine Empire to the north and the Sassanian Empire to the east, as well as its proximity to trade routes that facilitated the movement of ideas and people. A quick reference of some Christian heresies present in the area: Docetism : A Christian heresy that asserts Jesus Christ only appeared to have a human body and suffer, but in reality, he was purely divine and his physical form was an illusion. Monarchianism : A theological belief emphasizing the oneness of God, rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity. Ebionit...

     The Christ of Docetism From the earliest decades of Christianity, the Church as consistently espoused both the divinity and humanity of Christ in full measure. The New Testament openly and consistently asserts that Jesus is God in the flesh. (John 1:1, John 1:14, John 10:30, John 20:28, Phil. 2:6-11, Col. 1:15-20, Heb. 1:3, Titus 2:13, 1 John 5:20, Rev. 1:8, etc)     Christianity's assertion of Jesus' full divinity and full humanity was established early on, rooted in the teachings of Jesus himself and the apostolic witness. Despite this foundational belief, the early church faced doctrinal challenges that sought to redefine or undermine these core tenets. Many of the earliest heresies were Christological, stemming from the overemphasis of either the divine or human dimension of Jesus.     However, when and how these heresies arose can a offer significant glimpse into how Christ was initially unde...