April 2022 - Bible Authenticity

EVIDENCE of GEMARIAH and JERAHMEEL DISCOVERED

April 23, 2022 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Is the Bible reliable? — Can the Bible be trusted? The discoveries of the existence of Gemariah and Jerahmeel prove it can.

Critics often claim the Bible is not an accurate historical document. However, discoveries of the existence of Gemariah and Jerahmeel prove otherwise.

A clay seal impression of “Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary”, one of “the officials” (Jeremiah 36:10-12 NIV) of King Jehoiakim was discovered in excavations of Jerusalem of 587-586 BCE destruction level. The inscription reads: “Belonging to Gemariah (son of) Shaphan”.

Researchers possess both a clay seal and a seal impression of “Jerahmeel, a son of the king” Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:26 NIV), which were both acquired on the antiquities market. The clay seal and the seal impression both read: “Belonging to Jerahmeel the king’s son”. read more

IS EASTER A BIBLICAL CELEBRATION?

April 17, 2022 BibleAuthenticity Comments 23 comments

Easter is celebrated all over the world by Christians and non-Christians, even atheists. But, is Easter a Biblical celebration? “Jesus” was “resurrected” by “God” (Acts 2:32 HCSB). But are we commanded to celebrate it? Was Easter celebrated by early Christians? How about Easter bunnies, baskets, bonnets, etc.? How about Easter egg hunts?

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Historically, was Easter celebrated by 1st century Christians?

“Easter, a much earlier development than Christmas, was simply the gradual Christian reinterpretation of Passover in terms of Jesus’ Passion. Its observance could even be implied in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7–8: “Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the festival…”); it was certainly a distinctively Christian feast by the mid-second century C.E., when the apocryphal text known as the Epistle to the Apostles has Jesus instruct his disciples to “make commemoration of [his] death, that is, the Passover.”—Biblical Archaeology Review, December 17, 2024 read more