______________________________________________ An Introduction to Christian Apologetics DEFENDING THE WORD OF GOD BY EQUIPPING CHRISTIAN LAY PEOPLE TO HAVE A MORE EDUCATED, INFORMED, AND STRONGER FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD ________________________________________________ By D. Gene Williams, Jr., PhD Director of Evangelism and Apologetics April 23, 2020 © Copyright 2020 Donald Gene Williams, Jr., PhD All Rights Reserved. Feel free to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for educational and non-profit purposes only. Unless otherwise stated in this thesis the New American Standard Bible® is used for scriptural quotes. “Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org) To My Beloved Wife My Partner in Ministry My Partner in Life CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii ABSTRACT xviii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION History of Apologetics 1 Evangelism 4 2. SIX APOLOGETICAL APPROACHES 1. Evidential Apologetical Approach 9 Text Purity 10 Non-Biblical writings of Jesus Christ 19 Full Filled Prophesies and Miracles 24 Biblical Archeology 26 Science 32 Minimum Facts Approach 49 2. Classical Apologetical Approach 55 Cosmological Argument 55 The Argument from Contingency 56 The Teleological (Design) Argument 57 Ontological Argument 58 The Moral Argument 59 Pascal’s Wager 60 Transcendental Argument 61 3. Presuppositional Apologetical Approach 63 4. Reformed Epistemology Apologetical Approach 65 5. Fideist Apologetical Approach 67 6. Cumulative Case Apologetical Approach 69 3. MAJOR WORLDVIEWS Relativism 73 Atheism / Agnosticism 76 4. MAJOR CULTS AND NON-ORTHODOXY CHRISTIAN GROUPS Cult vs. non-orthodoxy Christian group 79 Mormonism 80 Jehovah’s Witnesses 91 Christadelphianism 101 Open Theism 105 Seventh Day Adventism 109 Roman Catholicism 114 5. MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS Baha’i 123 4 Islam 128 Hinduism 133 Buddhism 136 Wicca 143 6. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions 157 Recommendations 161 APPENDIX A: HEBREW AND GREEK ALPHA NUMERIC CHARACTERS 162 B: PAPYRI P1 THROUGH P76 AD 200 TO AD 700. 164 C: LETTER UNCIALS 4TH TO 10TH CENTURY COPIES 167 D: NUMBERED UNCIALS 046 THROUGH 0250 2ND TO 14TH CENTURY COPIES 171 E: NUMBERED MINUSCULES 1 THROUGH 1985 9TH TO 16TH CENTURY COPIES 177 F: MINUSCULES 2 THROUGH 399 - 9TH TO 16TH CENTURY COPIES 182 G: MINUSCULES 404 THROUGH 999 -- 8TH TO 16TH CENTURY COPIES 184 H: MINUSCULES 1012 THROUGH 2768 9TH TO 16TH CENTURY COPIES 186 I: WHEN WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN AND WHO WROTE IT 200 J: OLDEST EXTANT NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS COMPARED TO WHEN THEY WERE ORIGINALLY PENNED 204 K: MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE FOR SUPERIOR NEW TESTAMENT RELIABILITY 205 L: FINE-TUNING FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE 206 M: THE APOSTLE PAUL (AD C.10-67) 216 N: THE EVOLUTIONARY TIMELINE 219 O: LARGE NUMBERS 220 P: 42 MIRCLES PERFORMED BY JESUS CHRIST 222 Q: SCRIPTURES RELATED TO CREATION 224 R: GENESIS CREATION TIMELINE 227 S: COMMON LOGICAL FALLACIES 228 BIBLIOGRAPHY 232 5 TABLE Table 1. Bible Languages Statistical Summary 11 2. Is What We Have Now What They Wrote? 13 3. Translation Comparison 18 4. Fine Tuning Deviations 36 5. Adam’s Names for Carnivore 43 6. The Major Biblical Creation Texts/Creation Accounts 44 7. NASB and Clear Word Comparison 112 8. Comparison of Christianity and Hinduism 135 6 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Illustration of discrepancy 15 2. English Bible Translation Comparison 18 3. Prophesy Odd Formula 25 4. Pascal Wager Pay-off Matrix 61 5. Cumulative Case for Christianity 71 6. Importance of Religion 78 7. World Religion Pie Chart 123 8. The Eight Fold Path 137 9. Wicca Sabbats 147 7 ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations in theology & Biblical studies Numbers and Symbols ~ Approximately A AASOR Annual of American Schools of Oriental Research AB Anchor Bible Anno Domini (AD or A.D.) is a designation used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Traditionally, English AD followed Latin usage by placing the abbreviation before the year number for AD. Since BC is not derived from Latin it is placed after the year number (for example: AD 2014, but 68 BC).1 ABR Australian Biblical Review ADAJ Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristientum AGSU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Spätjudentums und Urchristentums AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature AJT Asia Journal of Theology ALGHJ Arbeitum zur Literatur und Geschichte des hellenistchen Judentums AnBib Analecta Biblica Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 3rd edn., James B. Pritchard, ed. Princeton, ANET 1969. ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt ASNU Acta Seminarii Neotestamentici Upsaliensis ASOR American Schools of Oriental Research ASTI Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute ATANT Abhandlungen zur Theologie des alten und Neuen Testaments ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch ATR Anglican Theological Review AusBibRev Australian Biblical Review AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies AUSSDS Andrews University Seminary Studies Dissertation Series 1 This convention comes from grammatical usage. Anno 500 means “in the year 500”; anno domini 500 means "in the “AD 500” preserves syntactic order when translated. 8 B BA Biblical Archaeologist BAR Biblical Archaeology Review BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research BAT Botschaft des Alten Testaments BBB Bonner biblische Beiträge BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research Before Christ (BC or B.C.) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Traditionally, English BC followed Latin usage by placing the abbreviation before the year number for AD. Since BC is not derived from Latin it is placed after the year number (for example: AD 2014, but 68 BC).2 BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium BETS Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society BFCT Beiträge zur Förderung christlicher Theologie BGBE Beitrãge zur Geschichre der biblischen Exegese BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia BI Biblical Interpretation Bib Biblica Bib Tod Bible Today BiberOr Biblica et Orientalia. Rome: Biblical Institute Press. BibRes Biblical Research BibRev Bible Review BibSac Bibliotheca Sacra BibThBul Biblical Theology Bulletin BibTod Bible Today BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands Library BJS Brown Judaic Studies BKAT Biblischer Kommentar: Altes Testament BL Bampton Lectures BN Biblische Notizen BR Biblical Research 2 This convention comes from grammatical usage. Anno 500 means “in the year 500”; anno domini 500 means “in the year 500 of Our Lord.” Just as “500 in the year” is not good English syntax, neither is 500 AD; whereas “AD 500” preserves syntactic order when translated. 9 BS Bibliotheca Sacra BSac Bibliotheca Sacra BSC Bible Student’s Commentary BSNTS Bulletin of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas BST Basel Studies in Theology BST Bible Speaks Today BTB Biblical Theological Bulletin BWANT Beitrage zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament BU Biblische Untersuchungen BZ Biblische Zeitschrift BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft C C. Circa means approximately CAT Commentaire de l’ Ancien Testament CBC Cambridge Bible Commentary CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series CC Communicators Commentary CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church CEB Commentaire Evangélique de la Bible CGSTJ China Graduate School of Theology Journal CIL Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum CJT Canadian Journal of Theology CPh Classical philology CSR Christian Scholar’s Review CTJ Calvin Theological Journal CTM Concordia Theological Monthly CTR Criswell Theological Review CurTM Currents in Theology and Missions D 10 Documents of Old Testament Times. D. Winton Thomas, ed. New York: DOTT Harper & Row, 1958. DR Downside Review DSB Daily Study Bible E EB Études Bibliques EBib Études Bibliques EBC Expositor’s Bible Commentary EJ Evangelical Journal EJT European Journal of Theology EphTL Ephemerides Théologiques et Lovanienses EQ Evangelical Quarterly EstBib Estudios biblicos ETL Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses ETRel Études Théologiques et Religieuses EvQ Evangelical Quarterly EvT Evangelische Theologie EvTh Evangelische Theologie Exp The Expositor ExpT Expository Times ExpTim Expository Times F FCI Foundation of Evangelical Interpretation Series FN Filologia Neotestamentaria FOTL Forms of Old Testament Literature Series FRLANT Forschurgen zur Religion und Literatur des und Neuen Testament FTS Frankfurter theologische Studien G GraceTJ Grace Theological Journal GTJ Grace Theological Journal GRBS Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 11 H HAR Hebrew Annual Review HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament HBT Horizons in Biblical Theology HebAnnRev Hebrew Annual Review HeyJ Heythrop Journal Herm Hermathena HS Hebrew Studies HSMS Harvard Semitic Monograph Series HTR Harvard Theological Review HTS Harvard Theological Studies HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual I IB Interpreter’s Bible (Latin, short for ibidem, meaning “the same place”) is the term used to Ibid provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the preceding endnote or footnote. IBS Irish Biblical Studies ICC International Critical Commentary ICS Illinois Classical Studies IDB Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible IDBS Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible Supplement