Re: Daniel's 70 `weeks' #3A (was How to prove supernaturalism?)

From: Stephen E. Jones (sejones@iinet.net.au)
Date: Sat Dec 16 2000 - 04:14:10 EST

  • Next message: Stephen E. Jones: "Re: Daniel's 70 `weeks' #3B (was How to prove supernaturalism?)"

    Reflectorites

    On Tue, 28 Nov 2000 02:47:36 EST, AutismUK@aol.com wrote:

    >PR> You've for some reason not mentioned the other decrees or the 360 day
    >year yet (in your original post).

    >SJ>I still don't understand Paul's point. The above is a quote from Newman,
    >not my own words.

    >PR>I notice you quote voluminously. This is presumably so when it is shown
    >to be codswallop, you can abandon it.

    No. It is to support my claims with *evidence*.

    And if Paul is to show my claims to be "codswallop" he will need to
    support *his* claims with evidence. Paul just asserting something does
    not make it so.

    PR>Okay. Here's my $1,000,000 question.

    There are *three* questions below. Are they each worth "$1,000,000"
    or only $333,333.33? :-)

    PR>Are both apologists honest?

    I presume so. But then I lack Paul's gift (which he shares with other
    Darwinists BTW) of infallibly detecting dishonesty in those who he
    disagrees with!

    PR>Are the 360 day year and the 6 out of 7
    >counting

    There is no "6 out of 7 counting". If Paul is referring to the Jewish
    sabbath year cycles and its method of inclusive counting he should state
    it correctly.

    PR>both correct?

    Of course not. I have stated all along that these are *alternatives*. That
    is either one could be right, or none right, but I assume that both
    cannot be right.

    PR>If not, which is wrong

    I have not yet made up my mind which alternative is more likely to be
    correct. I will need to study them in greater depth and consider the
    arguments on both sides. I have started an FAQ on this which I will
    post in due course.

    PR>and why?

    I am leaning more and more to Newman's sabbath year cycles. The
    reason is the connection between:

    1. the original commandment for the Israelites to keep the sabbath year
    cycles:

            Ex 23:10-11 "For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest
            the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and
            unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it,
            and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with
            your vineyard and your olive grove."

            Lev 25:3-7 "For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune
            your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the
            land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not
            sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows
            of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to
            have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath
            year will be food for you--for yourself, your manservant and
            maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live
            among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in
            your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten."

    2. the warning of punishment by exile if they didn't:

            Lev 26:14-15, 32-35 "But if you will not listen to me and carry out
            all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my
            laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my
            covenant ... I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live
            there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will
            draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste,
            and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath
            years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of
            your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the
            time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have
            during the sabbaths you lived in it."

    3. the reflection of Jeremiah on this:

            Jer 25:8-12 "Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because
            you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of
            the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,"
            declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its
            inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely
            destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an
            everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and
            gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of
            millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will
            become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king
            of Babylon seventy years. "But when the seventy years are fulfilled,
            I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the
            Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it
            desolate forever."

    and

    4. Daniel's reflection on Jeremiah's prophecy:

            Dan 9:1-2,8,11 "In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede
            by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-in
            the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures,
            according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet,
            that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. ... O
            LORD ... All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away,
            refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments
            written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured
            out on us, because we have sinned against you. "

    This showed that sabbath year cycles was in his Daniel's mind when the
    angel Gabriel gave him the message of the "Seventy 'sevens'":

            Dan 9:21-27 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen
            in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the
            evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have
            now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you
            began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you,
            for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and
            understand the vision: "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your
            people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to
            sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,
            to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. "Know
            and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and
            rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there
            will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with
            streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two
            'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.
            The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the
            sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until
            the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a
            covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he
            will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the
            temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until
            the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

    >SJ>Once again I explained why I didn't mention "the other decrees or the 360
    >day year" in my "original post".

    >PR>The fact that you can make an excuse doesn't enhance your credibility.

    The fact that Paul does not accept this reasonable *explanation* of
    mine certainly "doesn't enhance" *his* "credibility" with me!

    To demand that I must lay out my entire argument in my very first post
    on a topic, is simply unreasonable, even apart from the fact that there
    were very good reasons why I didn't.

    It tells me that Paul will clutch at any straw to protect his anti-
    supernaturalist position from falsification. Indeed, I take it as an
    indication of the *weakness* of Paul's argument that he has to resort to
    such tactics.

    >>SJ>One cannot help but note with interest that on this analysis the
    >>"Anointed One" is "cut off" precisely when Jesus is crucified!

    >PR>Odd. In Part 2 you claim there is no claim of exactness.

    It is not "odd" at all:

    First, these are *Newman's* words in a quote;

    Second, and as I have already explained, by "precisely" Newman means
    in the context within the seven year period 28-35AD.

    Third, that there is "there is no claim of exactness" does not preclude it
    being exact.

    >>PR>Well, I thought Jesus Ministry lasted four years, and most crucifixion
    >>dates are 32-33AD (though every date between 20 and 60 seems to
    >>have been pushed at some time).

    >>SJ>I have always thought of it as being ~ 3 years. But really one year
    >>doesn't matter.

    >>PR>It does if you are claiming "precisely".

    SJ>Within a 7-year time frame *is* "precisely"!

    >PR>It's hardly surprising multiple calculations can hit that large a target.

    Not really. Even with "multiple calculations" (and there are only 16 [or
    17] possibilities) it is remarkable that two hit a "target" that is only 7
    years wide.

    And it is even more remarkable when the objectively best terminus ad
    quo (445BC) and two out of the three objectively best methods of
    calculation (360 day years and sabbath year cycles) hit the same 7 year
    wide "target".

    The remarkability increases even when it is realised that the Jews were
    expecting the Messiah at about this time, based almost certainly on
    Daniel's prophecy.

    Finally, the remarkability increased again, when the fact that the
    ""target"" was the public ministry of Jesus, the only claimed Messiah
    who founded a world religion!

    >SJ>But Jesus is the only person claiming to be the Messiah who founded
    >>a world religion.

    >PR>Pot luck. Unless you include LRH I suppose ;-)

    >SJ>I assume that "LRH" is L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. I note
    >Paul's :-) and assume he is conceding the point that "Jesus is the only
    >person claiming to be the Messiah who founded a world religion".

    >PR>Not really. It is debatable whether current Christianity is what Jesus had
    >in mind. I hope not.

    See previous.

    >SJ>who has inaugurated a world
    >>religion of predominantly Gentile adherents was cut off precisely when
    >>Daniel predicted!

    >>PR>Odd definition of precise.

    >>SJ>This is quibbling. There is one reasonable interpretation that works out
    >>to the *day*.

    >PR>Well, you claim not exact earlier.

    No. I said that there was no claim of exactness, but that doesn't
    preclude it being exact. Anderson's interpretation that works out to a
    particular day in 33AD is still within the 7 years window of 28-35AD.
    It could be right, but it wouldn't matter if it wasn't. I have since
    discovered it has some problems and so it probably is not right, or
    at least cannot be proved to be right.

    >>PR>Given that we don't know when Jesus was crucified, this is absurd. The
    >>interpretation is, to be kind, tortuous.

    >SJ>It is not "absurd"

    >PR>You say it works out to the day despite not knowing which year it is? This
    >is absurd.

    Paul is being pedantic. I made it clear that it was an "interpretation".
    The "day" itself is part of that interpretation.

    Paul in his counter-argument relies on exaggerations like "absurd" to
    bolster his weak case. Anderson's interpretation might be *wrong* but
    it is not "absurd".

    >SJ>or "tortuous". It is one possible interpretation. As long as
    >Jesus' crucifixion fell within the seven-year period of the 69th seven that
    >would be OK. In the case of the 360-day year interpretation that would be
    >within 30-37AD +/- 1 because of the mid-year 445-444BC terminus a
    >quo. In the case of the Sabbath year cycle it would be 28-35AD.

    >PR>And there are umpteen other interpretations that apologists don't
    >push. Why do you think this is ?

    Again Paul exaggerates: There are not "umpteen other interpretations".
    There are only *four* claimed combinations of: 1) terminus a quo:

            "1. The decree of Cyrus, 539 B.C. (Ezra 1:14). 2. The decree of
            Darius, 519 B.C. (Ezra 5:3-7). 3. The decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra,
             457 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-16). 4. The decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah,
             444 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8)." (McDowell J., "Evidence That
             Demands a Verdict," 1988, Vol. I, p.172)

    and another *four* claimed calculation of the "sevens": 1. literal
    weeks, 2. literal 365 day years; 3. 360-day `prophetic' years; and 4.
    sabbath day cycles. In addition, there is a symbolic interpretation which
    usually starts at the decree of Cyrus and terminates at the public
    ministry of Jesus.

    Leaving aside the symbolic interpretation which by definition
    terminates at the time of Jesus, that leaves a total of *sixteen* (not
    "umpteeen") combinations. as previously posted:

                                            literal 365-day 360-day sabbath
                    Start weeks years years year
    cycles
            --------------------- ----- ------ ------- -----------
    1. Ezr 1:14 539BC 530BC 56BC 63BC 64-57BC
    2. Ezr 5:3-7 519BC 510BC 36BC 43BC 43-36BC
    3. Ezr 7:11-16 457BC 448BC 27AD* 20AD* 21-28AD*
    4. Neh 2:1-8 445BC 436BC 39AD 32AD** 28-35AD**

    Many of these can be eliminated. For example, AFAIK no one claims
    "the decree of Darius, 519 B.C." and AFAIK only *one* scholar has
    ever maintained the "sevens" are literal weeks.

    That leaves only 3 x 3 = 9 possible combinations. And of those nine,
    *five* yield a result which falls in Jesus' lifetime and two of five those
    fall within His public ministry (~30-33AD). One of those which fall just
    before Jesus public ministry (27AD), could fall on the year Jesus was
    baptised by John the Baptist, and thus be a real possibility (see below).

    If Paul wants to pick his preferred combination, let him do so, and
    support it with *objective* reasons and not just because they yield a
    result that does not fall within the lifetime of Jesus.

    >SJ>All the years I have ever seen are within that period, clustering
    >around 30-33AD (see below).

    >PR>You don't really believe Steve, that someone sat down , took the facts,
    >>worked it out and said "Wow ! It comes out to 33 AD".

    >SJ>I have already said "that I personally don't claim it that it *has* to be to
    >>the exact day. Anytime in the 69th `week' 7-year period would do."

    >PR>But you want to say "there is a reasonable interpretation that works out
    >to the exact day" just because it sounds impressive, then.

    No. I was answering Paul's comment about interpretations not being
    "precise".

    PR>Incidentally, have you looked at the thread title recently ?

    Yes: "Re: Daniel's 70 `weeks' #3 (was How to prove
    supernaturalism?)"

    PR>I ask because you originally said
    >
    >"some ingenious ways of getting around it (apart from outright
    >`head-in-the-sand' denial)."

    Yes. The latter being Paul's way 'of getting around it"!

    PR>I'm interested that you think looking at what the text of the Bible
    said
    >fits this ;

    No. I do believe that *all the evidence*: 1) "what the text of the Bible
    said"; 2) the fact that the 1st century Jews expected the Messiah then
    based on "what the text of the Bible said"; and 3) the objectively best
    combinations of terminus a quo and calculation of the sevens come out
    as either in or just before Jesus public ministry; and 4) Jesus is the only
    claimed Messiah who found what became a world religion; fits this.

    PR>or that not accepting 360 day years or conveniently missing
    >1 in 7 years fits this.

    Interpreting the "sevens" as either "360 day years" or sabbath years
    cycles (not "missing 1 in 7 years") does fit this.

    PR>Given that you are now claiming this is "reasonable"
    >"possible" etc. don't you think the existence of several other combinations
    >makes your original claim somewhat er... wrong ?

    No. If it is "reasonable" and "possible" that makes my original claim
    *right*. It is those like Paul who deny it who are being un-
    "reasonable"!

    PR>The other minor detail you've forgotten is YOU wrote
    >
    SJ>"In Daniel 9:25-27 there is a prediction that works out to the very
    >year 27 AD when Jesus began his public ministry:"

    I had almost "forgotten" this. This was my initial post that started this
    thread and on re-reading it supports my explanation that I posted it in a
    hurry and I did not then realise the significance of Newman's sabbath
    year cycle theory. The quote from Newman that I attached did not even
    say "27AD" but "28-35AD":

            "Using these cycles as units of measurement, the sixty-ninth such
            cycle (7 + 62), measured from the starting point of 445 B.C., spans
            the years A.D. 28-35." (Newman R.C, "Fulfilled Prophecy as Miracle,"
            in Geivett R.D. & Habermas G.R., eds., "In Defense of Miracles,"
            1997, pp.223-224)

    I would also like to clear up when "Jesus began his *public* ministry". I
    read the other day where Luke actually says that Jesus began his ministry
    immediately after His baptism by John the Baptist:

            Lk 3:21,23 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was
             baptized too. ... Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when
             he began his ministry."

    Since Jesus was born in the reign of Herod the Great who died in 4BC,
    and when "Quirinius was governor of Syria" (Lk 2:2) which was 6-
    4BC, and Herod "gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its
    vicinity who were two years old and under" (Mt 2:16), it is likely that
    Jesus was born in 6BC. This would then make Jesus 34 in 28AD.

    Also, Newman says in his paper that his 28-35AD cycle could be out "by a
    year or two on either end":

            "Even if we follow Zuckermann's scheme for the location of the
            sabbatical cycle instead of Wacholder's, the 69th cycle only shifts by
            one year, to AD 27-34, which still fits equally well. Likewise an
            error by a year or two on either end, for Artaxerxes 20th year or
            the date of the crucifixion, would not change the result. The
            prediction fits Jesus even allowing for the largest possible
            uncertainties in chronology." (Newman R.C., "The Time of the
            Messiah," [1981], IBRI Research Report #9, 1988.
            http://www.ibri.org/09timeofmessiah.htm)

    PR>Now you appear to be claiming it works out to within about 3 years
    >of the crucifixion.

    See above on the start of Jesus ministry. This is a subject on which
    even experts disagree on. Some claim it only lasted one years and
    others 3-4 years. I previously thought it was 3 years, but I have not
    studied the matter in depth. I am now more clear on when Jesus
    started His ministry ~27/28AD, but I am less clear on when He
    ended it (i.e. His crucifixion). I assume the latter was ~30-33AD.

    So I am happy with any terminus ad quem of Dan 9:24-27 that
    falls within ~27-33AD.

    PR>You said you'd be quite happy to work it through ; but you seem to have
    >half a dozen different calculations going here.

    No. I have narrowed my preferred interpretation down to *three*
    possibilities:

    A terminus a quo of 445-444BC (Neh 2:1-8) and "sevens" being either:
    1. 360-day years (=~32AD); or 2. sabbath day cycles (=~28-35AD); or

    3. A terminus a quo of 457BC (Ezr 7:11-16) and "sevens" being 365
    day years (=~27AD).

    Of the above three possibilities, 1 and 2 seem the objectively best, in
    having a terminus a quo which is a decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Dan
    9:25; Neh 2:5) and using Jewish methods of calculating the "sevens"
    Dan 9:24-26).

    And of 1 and 2, I am leaning more towards 2., because of its "sevens"
    link with Ex., Lev., Jer. and Dan. But I need to study all the ramifications
    and I will do this when I write up my FAQ.

    >SJ>But it is interesting that there is at least one reasonable interpretation
    >that works out to the day.

    >PR>No it isn't. The apologist spent more time fixing it, that's all. I can only
    >presume you mean Anderson here. He cheats even more. His calculations
    >are wrong incidentally. I'll get my friend the dreadful head in the sand
    >closed minded committed Christian Paul Smith to send you his
    >list of days if you like.

    Again I note Paul's need to exaggerate in order to bolster his weak
    case. Anderson might be wrong, but that doesn't mean he "cheats".

    PR>I'll tell you what happened. Apologists have looked at the passage and
    >>said "How can we convert this to a prophecy ?". Well, we can't use
    >>that and that, because it doesn't quite work out, but let's use this and
    >>add this factor in, and hey it works.

    >SJ>Again Paul produces no evidence for his assertions.

    >PR>This is common sense.

    No its not. It is just Paul's biased *assumption* that that is how
    apologists work in interpreting this passage.

    PR>It is not that far from your alleged "Scientific Method"
    >in #2 either. Or maybe I should say it is a "reasonable interpretation". I
    >cannot believe you really don't think apologists work like this.

    I agree that Paul "cannot believe" it! The problem is Paul's *prejudice*
    which prevents him being open minded enough to consider more
    charitable and likely possibilities.

    PR>You don't
    >really think they found the "possible" 360 day or 6/7 year calculation FIRST
    >do you hahahahahahaha.

    No, of course not. I have previously said that being Christians they
    assume that: 1) Jesus is the Messiah; and 2) Daniel 9:24-27 is supernatural
    prophecy predicting the Messiah's coming and death.

    Working from those assumptions, apologists would, consistent with
    their basic assumptions, work backwards to try to see which set of
    interpretations (if any) best fits all the facts.

    And one of the facts is that the 1st century AD Jews expected the
    Messiah to come at that time, which confirms that an interpretation
    which assumes the terminus a quo and sevens work out to the 1st
    century AD, is in accordance with Jewish custom.

    Paul, OTOH, assumes the opposite, and he works backwards from his
    assumptions to come up with a terminus a quo and "sevens" which
    don't terminate in Jesus' time.

    But to date Paul has not told us what *his* favoured terminus ad quo
    and interpretations of the "sevens" are and why.

    >PR>This is how the Gospel "prophecies" were put together.

    >SJ>So Paul asserts. But where is his *evidence*? Paul's whole argument is
    >from his personal incredulity that Jesus really could be the Messiah.

    >PR>Not really. if you looked at the composition of the Bible you might see
    >what I mean.

    No. But I regard this as a red herring by Paul to divert attention away
    from Dan 9:24-27.

    >>SJ>But anytime within the seven years of Daniel's 69th `week'
    >>would be "precise".

    >>PR>Well, actually it's a fib, given that as any
    >>>fule kno we don't know when Jesus was crucified.

    >>SJ>According to Encyclopaedia Britannica it was about 30AD:
    >>[snip quote EB]

    >>PR>And according to umpteen other calculations its everything from
    >>about 16AD to about 45AD.

    >SJ>Paul give no evidence for this assertion either. But it could only be
    >between 26-36AD because that is the span of the reign of Pontius
    >Pilate:

    >PR>I agree that is the most likely span.

    If Paul regards between "26-36AD" as "the most likely span" that is
    sufficient for my purposes.

    BTW since Paul is such a stickler for posting all the facts bearing on
    one's argument the first time, why didn't Paul end his "...according to
    umpteen other calculations its everything from about 16AD to about
    45AD" with "however I agree that 26-36AD is the most likely span?

    PR>However, there are other calculations.
    >I'm amazed you don't know them.

    I now regard this sort of thing by Paul as just bluff. *Anyone* could
    say this, even someone who hasn't a clue if there were any "other
    calculations". If Paul knows of any "other calculations" let him post
    them.

    PR>The Pilate argument is important but not decisive.

    See above on bluff. If Paul knows the pros and cons of "The Pilate
    argument" let him post them. Otherwise I will find it hard not to
    conclude that Paul just makes this sort of thing up and then puts it in a
    pontificating way so it sounds authoritative.

    >SJ>d. AD 36
    >Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (ad 26-36) under the emperor
    >Tiberius; he presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his
    >crucifixion.

    >PR>Odd that his behaviour the rest of the time bears no resemblance
    to
    >that in the Gospels. Basically he was a complete bastard, Philo and
    >Josephus portray him as detestable, no kindliness.

    I am not even sure how Paul's last sentence is meant to apply to his fist.
    But anyway I regard this as yet another red-herring to divert attention
    away from Dan 9:24-27.

    >PR>The truth is we don't know. But by
    >>*far* the most common quoted dates are 32/33AD.

    SJ>For good reason. First, Jesus began his public ministry after John the
    >Baptist had begun his, in 28 or 29AD:

    See above on these dates, which probably should be earlier.

    PR>[snip]

    >PR>I don't disagree with this.

    See above.

    PR>However, it does raise questions about the
    >reasonableness of exact day claims.

    See above.

    >PR>Not really. It depends what you mean. Christians are significant, but
    >>>Christ himself is not as a person.

    >SJ>Is Paul here saying that the person Jesus never existed?:

    >PR>No. Read it again. Of course, a cynic would suggest this is a diversion
    >>tactic.

    >SJ>Sorry, I read it wrong. But now I don't know how Paul can justify his claim
    >that "Christ himself is not" ["significant"] "as a person".
    >
    >Christianity is unique among all religions built on the person of Jesus. If
    >He turned out to have never existed, or not to have risen from the dead, then
    >Christianity would collapse. I personally would cease being a Christian.

    >PR>No, you don't get it. The person of Christ appears to have been
    >insignificant.
    >This is why there is so little about him outside the Gospels,. and all that
    >there
    >is is late. Given some of the claims in the NT about Jesus fame, one would
    >expect more notice to have been taken.

    I have answered this before. Paul is simply wrong. I would confidently
    expect that the vast majority of non-Christian historians would disagree
    with him.

    Given that hardly anything has survived from the 1st century, what
    extra-Biblical notice that was taken of Jesus is remarkable, and is, if
    anything, *more* than I would have expected.

    >PR>Steve Jones: (quoting)
    >>ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA Jesus Christ Non-Christian sources ...

    >SJ>These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the
    opponents
    >of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus

    >SJ>Paul does not comment on this?

    PR>IT'S HERE CAN'T YOU READ vv

    Yes. But I still can't see Paul's comments re this. But Paul need not
    bother pointing them out or reposting them. Now I realise the
    emptiness of Paul's way of arguing without evidence, I am trying to
    wind up this thread.

    >>PR>No. Christianity was insignificant for a long time

    >SJ>This is false as I have pointed out in another post. But I don't want to
    >repeat my evidence as that will create multiple posts on the same topic.

    >PR>I must have missed it. I have claimed (though some of it might be
    >w/DNAUnion!) that Jesus was insignificant until about 100AD.

    Regrettably, some of my posts got out of order, for which I again
    apologise. But I have answered this at length previously and Paul
    would have received it by now.

    [continued]

    Steve

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "In the final analysis, it is not any specific scientific evidence that convinces
    me that Darwinism is a pseudoscience that will collapse once it becomes
    possible for critics to get a fair hearing. It is the way the Darwinists argue
    their case that makes it apparent that they are afraid to encounter the best
    arguments against their theory. A real science does not employ propaganda
    and legal barriers to prevent relevant questions from being asked, nor does
    it rely on enforcing rules of reasoning that allow no alternative to the
    official story. If the Darwinists had a good case to make, they would
    welcome the critics to an academic forum for open debate, and they would
    want to confront the best critical arguments rather than to caricature them
    as straw men. Instead they have chosen to rely on the dishonorable
    methods of power politics." (Johnson P.E., "The Wedge of Truth: Splitting
    the Foundations of Naturalism," Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove IL.,
    2000, p.141)
    Stephen E. Jones | Ph. +61 8 9448 7439 | http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------



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