Exploring the Bible

  The oldest artifact to mention Jesus by name. There is an artifact dated to the first century A.D. that many believe mentions Jesus by name. The artifact is a ceramic bowl or Careened cup that, aside from a missing handle, is in excellent condition. The remarkably well-preserved artifact was discovered in 2008 by a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). The team was led by Frank Goddio as they worked near the now-submerged islands of Antirhodos. This site is located in the harbor of the Egyptian city of Alexandria and is historically linked to the palace, and some speculate that it is the tomb of Queen Cleopatra. The extraordinary thing about this cup is the inscription upon it. Most scholars now believe the cup itself was manufactured and fired in Western Asia Minor sometime in the first century B.C. At a later time, the cup was inscribed. The inscription is believed to have come from the first half of the first century A.D., with many scholars pl...

 Why December 25 th   The Bible does not tell us the exact date of Jesus’ birth, so there is no way to know from scripture when Jesus was actually born. So, if the Bible is silent on the subject, how was it determined that Christmas, Jesus’ birthday, was on December 25 th ? There are two competing theories for how and why this date was selected. Some historians claim that December 25 was selected because that date was already a pagan holiday. In the Roman culture, December 25 th was the winter solstice, the date of the Sol Invictus festival. The thought goes that this would make it easier for some Pagans to convert to Christianity by absorbing the current religious festival into a new Christian festival. This seems a little far-fetched, as many in the early church wanted to distance themselves from pagan festivals and traditions. This theory is very popular with those who oppose Christianity. The second theory proposed is based on when Jesus died and, thus, when he was ...

In the Gospel of John, he writes about the burial place, the tomb, of Jesus. John records that it was a carved tomb that had never been used and was located in a garden. “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”   John 19:41 Now, almost two thousand years later, researchers have discovered evidence that supports the accuracy of the Gospel story. With the rare opportunity to excavate beneath the floors of the ‘ Church of the Holy Sepulchre’ , archaeologists have made a rather startling discovery. Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla led the team of researchers. The team was allowed to excavate materials from deep beneath the church's current floor. The archaeobotanical analysis found a large number of preserved seeds and pollen from Olive trees and grapevines. Not only were seeds and pollens found, but the researchers also found that small dividing walls had been constructed and dirt hauled in t...

 Special Study Editions are now available. Large 8 1/2 by 11-inch format Spiral-Bound  Lays flat for convenient use Extra Space for Notes These special editions are available exclusively through the Lulu Bookstore. Titles available are "New Testament Miracles: The 37 Miracles of Jesus , Bible Reference Sheets , and The Bible: Some Assembly Required. These are some of the Best-Selling titles by Kevin McKinney. They are available in eBook, paperback and Hardcover on Amazon.com. These special study editions are available only at Lulu. Jesus performed thousands of miracles during his brief ministry on Earth. In John 21:25, we are told -  “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”  These include healing the sick, manipulating nature, curing the lame, and even raising the dead. While Jesus performed an untold number of mira...

  The ‘Q’ Source   If you study the Bible at all, you have undoubtedly come across the Q Gospel . This is the name given to a collection of sayings of Jesus . The name comes from the German word ‘Quelle’, which means source. The Q Gospel is associated with the Synoptic Gospels . These are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke , which all share some aspects in common and are believed to have drawn from a common source or sources. The Gospel of Mark is considered to have been the first written. It is believed that Matthew and Luke both used Mark as a primary source for their writings. At the same time, Matthew and Luke have several sayings and or teachings of Jesus in common that are not found in the Gospel of Mark. This has led some scholars to suggest there was another source used by both Matthew and Luke, which they have named the Q Gospel. It is important to remember that the Q Gospel is strictly theoretical. There is no mention of such a writing in any other ...

  The Signs Source “Semeia Source”   There is a theory known as the “Signs Source’ that claims the Gospel of John was primarily based on a previous writing. These writings, also known as the Semeia Source, were believed to be a list of the miracles , or signs , performed by Jesus. The theory claims that John, or another author, used this list as a basic outline for the Gospel of John. This theory is primarily based on John’s use of the term ‘signs’ rather than ‘miracles,’ as used in the other Gospels . Some go even further and believe this Signs document contained more than just a list of miracles, but also contained the story of Jesus’ life. In John 20:30-31 , John writes,   “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”     The mention that o...

Common Bible Questions (Some of these numbers will change depending on which translation of the Bible you are using.)   1.      How many books in the Bible? a.       Catholic Bible – 73   (First assembled around 382 A.D.) b.      Protestant – 66   (First assembled around 1529 A.D.) c.      Eastern Orthodox Bible – 79 to 81 (varies)    (First assembled sometime in the 4 th century A.D.) d.     Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) – 24 (Believe finalized around 164 B.C) (For the following answers we will use only the Protestant Bible.) 2.      How many pages in the Bible? This depends on the page size, font, line spacing and what version of the Bible you are reading. Each of these will have a vastly different page count. 3.      How many words in the Bible? 783,137 4.      How many chapters in th...