Historian Paul L. Maier Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Paul L. Maier. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

---

BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today I interview Historian Paul Maier. Dr. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, and much published author of both scholarly and popular works. His historical studies are in Ancient Near East, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Christianity and the Roman Empire, and the Reformation era. His scholarly works include Josephus, The Essential Works, that’s a new translation and commentary on writings of the 1^st century Jewish historian, and Eusebius: The Church History. And that’s a similar book on the first Christian historian. He has also authored a number of books on Christmas and Easter including, In the Fullness of Time: A Historian looks at Christmas, Easter and the Early Church, The Very First Christmas, and The Very First Easter.

I'm interested in speaking with Dr. Maier today about the historicity of Jesus and the first Christmas. Well, thanks for speaking with me today Dr. Maier. 

PLM: Glad to be on with you Brian.

BA: Now, before we get started talking about historical issues could you tell me a little bit more about your background as a historian?

Terminology Tuesday: Wager Argument

Wager Argument: An argument developed by Blaise Pascal that urges an unbeliever to attempt to develop faith in God even if the evidence for God's existence is not decisive. Pascal compared belief and unbelief in God to a wager and pointed the potential gains and losses each bet holds. If some bet on God and are wrong, they will lose only the paltry pleasure from some sins in this life that they might have enjoyed. If others bet on God and are right, however they stand to gain eternal bliss. The potential gains and losses are thus staggeringly disproportionate, and Pascal urged the unbeliever to pray, attend Mass and do whatever else may be necessary to develop faith.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 122.

2012 Apologetics Interviews

In 2012, Apologetics 315 did interviews with 44 apologists from a variety of backgrounds and fields. These included New Testament scholars, professors, historians, philosophers, artists, pastors, and even a Navy SEAL. There are now 150 interviews in the Apologetics315 Interviews Podcast. Here's a listing a brief topical note for each of the interviews from 2012:

Daniel B. Wallace on NT manuscripts
Interview: Casey Luskin on Intelligent Design
Interview with Apologetics UK on apologetics
Scholar Interview: Peter J. Williams on NT and Gospels
Scholar Interview: Craig Keener on Miracles
Apologist Interview: Holly Ordway on Literary apologetics
Apologist Interview: Ken Boa on learning and devotion
Apologist Interview: Ravi Zacharias on Why Jesus?
Tom Price and Vince Vitale on the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics 
Theology Interview: C. Michael Patton on theology and apologetics
Scholar Interview: David Instone-Brewer on Jesus Scandals
Apologist Interview: Dan Story on apologetics and environmentalism
Apologist Interview: Vocab Malone on rap, apologetics and evangelism
Philosopher Interview: Robin Collins on fine-tuning
Philosopher Interview: R. Scott Smith on naturalism
Navy SEAL: Chad Williams Interview on evangelism
Apologist Interview: Kenneth Samples on 7 truths that changed the world
Apologist Interview: Phil Fernandes on apologetic methodology
Apologist Interview: John Mark Reynolds on apologetics and HBU
Apologist Interview: Bobby Gilpin on Mormonism
Philosopher Interview: Victor Reppert on the argument from reason
Interview: Thomas E. Woodward on the history of intelligent design
Author Interview: David Glass on atheism's new clothes
Philosopher Interview: Richard Swinburne on evil and God's existence
Apologist Interview: Alex McFarland (part 1) (part 2) on apologetics
Apologist Interview: Dave Sterrett on apologetics & evangelism
Apologist Interview: Ted Turnau on pop culture & apologetics
Apologist Interview: Doug Powell on creativity & apologetics
Apologist Interview: Bobby Conway on multimedia & church apologetics
Apologist Interview: Ranald Macauley on Francis Schaeffer
Apologist Interview: Michael J. Kruger on the NT canon
Apologist Interview: Kerby Anderson on apologetics & training
Apologist Interview: Francis Beckwith on politics
Apologist Interview: Craig Parton on a lawyer's approach to apologetics
Apologist Interview: K. Scott Oliphint on presuppositionalism
Apologist Interview: Douglas Wilson on debates, method & apologetics
Apologist Interview: David Marshall on apologetics & missions
Author Interview: Paul Buller on conversations and interaction
Apologist Interview: Mary Jo Sharp on women in apologetics
Scholar Interview: Louis Markos on literary apologetics; Tolkien and Lewis
Philosopher Interview: Chad Meister on philosophy & apologetics
Apologist Interview: Douglas Jacoby on apologetics & Bible reliability

What other interviews would you like to hear? Or perhaps there's a topic you'd like an interview to address next year. Just let me know in the comments below. Thanks for listening, and thanks for your support.

Morris Bender on Skepticism

"A skeptic is a person who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it is a forgery."

- Morris Bender

Book Review: Not God's Type by Holly Ordway

Dr. Holly Ordway is a poet, academic, and Christian apologist on the faculty of Houston Baptist University’s MA in Apologetics program, which focuses on cultural apologetics. She has a doctorate in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an MA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. She is also passionate about the truth. This is apparent in her book, Not God’s Type: A Rational Academic Finds a Radical Faith, in which she shares her remarkable journey from atheism to Christianity.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/07 - 12/14)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Please use Apologetics315's Amazon affiliate links when doing your Christmas Shopping. Thanks!
• 12 Mistakes for Christmas

• Video: If God, Why Evil? 

• Is There Proof that Jesus Was Born of a Virgin? 

• The Importance of the Historical Adam: Panel video

• Bart Ehrman's Misleading Article About Christmas 

• Hope’s Reason: A Journal of Apologetics Vol. 2 No. 2 

• What the Apostle Paul Can Teach Us About Evangelism 

• Book Review: “Cold Case Christianity” by J. Warner Wallace 

• Peer-Reviewed Science: There Isn't "Plenty of Time for Evolution" 

• You Don’t Have to Be an Expert to Understand and Communicate the Truth 

• If You’ve Served On A Jury, You’re Already A Good Epistemological Philosopher 

• William Lane Craig discusses naturalism and secular humanism in the Washington Post 

• Jesus’ Birth: How undesigned coincidences give evidence for the truth of the Gospel accounts 

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

• Shopping via Amazon? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. Canada here. UK here.

• Would you like to help with interview transcription? If so, contact Ap315 here.

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter.
For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Norman Geisler Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Norman Geisler. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

---

BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics315. Today’s interview is with apologist Norman Geisler. Dr. Geisler is the author, or co-author, of some seventy books and hundreds of articles. He’s taught theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level for fifty years. He has spoken or debated, in some twenty six countries, on six continents. He has a BA, MA, ThB, and Phd in Philosophy, and he’s taught at seminaries in the Unites States including, Trinity Evangelical, and Dallas Seminary. Currently, he’s the Distinguished Professor of Apologetics at Veritas Evangelical Seminary at Murrieta, California. The purpose of this interview is to learn more from Dr. Geisler’s experience as a defender of the faith. Thanks for joining me today, Dr. Geisler.

NG: It’s a pleasure to be with you.

BA: Well, first off, I want to acknowledge the impact that you’ve had on so many in the area of defending the faith. And, your years of faithfulness in this area I’m sure has influenced many people to both understand the faith more and learn how to defend it. So, thank you.

NG: Well, you’re welcome, it’s a privilege to serve.

10 Misconceptions About the NT Canon by Michael Kruger

New Testament scholar Michael J. Kruger has been working through a blog series entitled 10 Misconceptions About the New Testament Canon. This series exams some common beliefs out there in the academic (and lay-level) communities that prove to be problematic upon closer examination. Here is the complete list of posts over at his blog Canon Fodder. Check out his book Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books for more. Hear the interview with Michael Kruger here.

1. The Term “Canon” Can Only Refer to a Fixed, Closed List of Books
2. Nothing in Early Christianity Dictated That There Would be a Canon
3. The New Testament Authors Did Not Think They Were Writing Scripture
4. New Testament Books Were Not Regarded as Scriptural Until Around 200 A.D.
5. Early Christians Disagreed Widely over the Books Which Made It into the Canon
6. In the Early Stages, Apocryphal Books Were as Popular as the Canonical Books
7. Christians Had No Basis to Distinguish Heresy from Orthodoxy Until the Fourth Century
8. Early Christianity was an Oral Religion and Therefore Would Have Resisted Writing Things Down
9. The Canonical Gospels Were Certainly Not Written by the Individuals Named in Their Titles
10. Athanasius’ Festal Letter (367 A.D.) is the First Complete List of New Testament Books

Enjoy.

Saddleback's Apologetics Weekend on Creation

The following audio and video resource is from Saddleback's recent Ahmanson Lecture Series on Creation, which took place on November 24 & 25, 2012. The media page has all the content, but quick links are below. Past apologetics weekend archives for 2009, 2010, and 2011 can be found at Saddleback's page here.

Paul A. Nelson: Darwin or Design? MP3 | Video

Lee Strobel: The Case for a Creator MP3 | Video

Craig Hazen: the Intersection of Science and Faith MP3 | Video

Raymond Bohlin: How Biology Points Toward God MP3 | Video

John Bloom: How the Universe Points Toward a Creator MP3 | Video

Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Teleological Argument

Teleological Argument: An argument for the existence of God that takes as its starting point the purposive (teleological) character of the universe. The argument is often termed "the argument from design" and comes in many different versions. This argument was quite popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but many atheists believe it has been discredited by Darwinism. Philosophers of religion such as Richard Swinburne, however, have developed versions of the argument that are compatible with Darwinism.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 113.

J. Warner Wallace Lectures on Evidence for Christianity

Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace, and author of Cold-Case Christianity, presented this lecture via Skype at Reasonable Faith Belfast on Monday, 3rd December 2012. He talks about the nature of evidence, possibility and reason, the chain of custody for the New Testament documents, and much more. The lecture is about an hour (with great visuals), followed by about 30 minutes of Q&A. Watch the video on YouTube, or download the MP3 audio here. Enjoy!

Richard Graves on the Authenticity and Genuineness of the Epistles of Paul

"It may not, perhaps, be useless to my younger readers to observe on this part of my subject, that the very circumstances which contribute to this species of obscurity in the epistles [of Paul], form at the same time the strongest internal proofs of the genuineness of these compositions, and of the truth of all the transactions on which the proof of Christianity depends.

Such a variety of references to particular times, and places, and persons; and above all, appeals to individuals as to facts which they knew, and conversations they had heard, answers evidently given to letters that had been received, and inquiries that had been made; appeals and answers, such as would be clear and intelligible, if we suppose the facts alluded to real, and these letters to have been before the writer of the epistles, and these inquiries to have been made, but which could have no conceivable object or meaning otherwise—such particulars never find place in the artful texture of forged and fictitious compositions. These always avoid unnecessary references to circumstances, which would only make their detection easy and certain; they deliver their doctrines unconnected with facts; they guard as much as possible against objection; they every where betray marks of reserve and caution, of artifice and design.

Far different are the epistles of St. Paul: every line of them speaks the language of a man intent on present, real, urgent business, addressing others equally engaged in the same transactions, and anxious to influence, and to direct them in some particular mode of conduct. In a word, we see in the epistles of this great apostle nothing of the fictions of imposture, nothing of the visions of fanaticism; every thing bespeaks reality and truth."

—Richard Graves

Essay on the Character of the Apostles and Evangelists, in Richard Hastings Graves, ed., The Whole Works of Richard Graves, vol. 1 (Dublin: William Curry Jun. and Co., 1840), pp. 116-17.

[HT: Library of Historical Apologetics]

Book Review: Jesus and the Eyewitness by Richard Bauckham

Can we trust the Gospels? Did reliable eyewitnesses pen them? In our search for the “historical Jesus”, should we consider them accurate sources?

At one point in time, these questions would never have been asked. The historicity of Jesus was taken for granted as was the reliability of the accounts of his life. Thanks largely to the rise of form criticism and theologians such as Rudolph Bultmann, the Gospels came to be doubted. Today, in our post-modern culture in which all historical information is considered suspect, we are faced with having to defend the Bible and the fact that Jesus did indeed walk this earth. This task is made easier by scholars such as Richard Bauckham who has delved into the issue of the dependability of the Gospels in his book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (11/30 - 12/07)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Please use Apologetics315's Amazon affiliate links when doing your Christmas Shopping. Thanks!
• The No True Atheist Fallacy

• 10 Apologetics Books for Giving 

• Isn’t It Irrational To Believe In God? 

• Evidence For The Bethlehem Birthplace 

• Why the “Born This Way” Argument Fails 

• What’s Wrong With The Zeitgeist Movie? 

• Dawkins, Dilbert and the Illogical Scientists 

• Counterpoints: Antony Flew and Francis Crick 

• Souped-Up Hyper-Drive Flagellum Discovered 

• Summary of Alvin Plantinga’s Reformed Epistemology 

• Free Ebook: How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2 

• "Is God Just a Human Invention?" ONLY 2.99 on Kindle!

• William Lane Craig debates Austin Dacey: Does God Exist? 

• Pastors: Six Easy Ways To Add Apologetics To Your Sermons 

• Evangelism and apologetics: Which one is mandatory? Which one is optional? 

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

• Shopping via Amazon? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. Canada here. UK here.

• Would you like to help with interview transcription? If so, contact Ap315 here.

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter.
For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Is God Just a Human Invention?

If you haven't read Is God Just a Human Invention? by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow, now it the time to pick up the book. The Kindle version is only $2.99 for a limited time. Pick it up and use it for your own apologetics study: Read Along with Apologetics315 is a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Is God Just a Human Invention? and Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. This is a chapter index for the study, pick up the book and delve into a great resource!

[Podcast Feed RSS | Podcast in iTunes] - Click to subscribe to the audio.

Series Introduction (includes link to authors interview)
Chapter 1: Is Faith Irrational?
Chapter 2: Are Science and Christianity at Odds?
Chapter 3: Are Miracles Possible?
Chapter 4: Is Darwinian Evolution the Only Game in Town?
Chapter 5: How Did the Universe Begin?
Chapter 6: How Did Life Begin?
Chapter 7: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?
Chapter 8: Has Science Shown There is No Soul?
Chapter 9: Is God Just a Human Invention?
Chapter 10: Is Religion Dangerous?
Chapter 11: Does God Intend for Us to Keep Slaves?
Chapter 12: Is Hell a Divine Torture Chamber?
Chapter 13: Is God a Genocidal Bully?
Chapter 14: Is Christianity the Cause of Dangerous Sexual Repression?
Chapter 15: Can People Be Good Without God?
Chapter 16: Is Evil Only a Problem for Christians?
Chapter 17: What Good Is Christianity?
Chapter 18: Why Jesus Instead of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Enjoy reading along.

Book GiveAway: Jesus iWitness & Resurrection iWitness

Resurrection iWitness by Doug Powell is a book on the resurrection like no other. First, its dimensions make it a foot tall and ten inches wide. This is like a one-inch thick coffee table book, containing 32 pages chock-full of color graphics and text on the resurrection of Jesus. Powell's background as a graphic designer and Christian apologist combine to make this into a very engaging interactive book—practically every page has fold-out notes, maps, diagrams, and other pieces of evidence that build the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus. Here's a video demo.

This is exactly the kind of format that can be appealing and engaging for those not particularly turned on by the idea of text-dense, academic works of apologetics. And this was the experience with this book in my own "field-testing"—it was laid on the desk and nothing was said about it. But it was soon picked up, "wowed over", paged through, and the comments were along the lines of, "this is a great book!"

So if you are looking for a visually engaging way to learn, interact, or share the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus, or a Great Christmas Gift, you might consider Doug Powell's Resurrection iWitness. (And there's even an iPad app version!) And the second book in the series is Jesus iWitness, with the same format, but Jesus iWitness takes you on a visually immersive, interactive tour of his earthly life using vintage photographs of the Holy Land along with richly colored historical paintings

The book winners were Ryan and Dewayne. Congratulations!

Craig Blomberg Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Craig Blomberg. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

---

BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics315. Today I am speaking with New Testament scholar Dr. Craig Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary in Colorado. Blomberg has written on a diverse range of issues, including wealth and poverty, parables, eschatology, hermeneutics, and women in ministry. However, his academic work has tended to focus on the historical Jesus and gospels research. And so the purpose of this interview is to ask Professor Blomberg questions surrounding the reliability of the gospels, and how the Christian apologist can best defend them. Thanks for joining me today, Dr. Blomberg.

CB: You’re very welcome, thanks for having me.

BA: Now Dr. Blomberg, your area of specialty is in New Testament studies, and one of your most renowned books, written over twenty years ago, is The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. So, I’d like to ask you questions surrounding the reliability of the gospels, but before I do, can you tell me a bit about how you got into this field of study?

Terminology Tuesday: Contingency

Contingency: A characteristic of finite things that exist but do not exist necessarily. Those who support the cosmological argument believe that the contingency of the natural order shows that it must have its ground of existence outside itself and that the ultimate ground for the existence of contingent things must be a being whose existence is not contingent but necessary -- a being identifiable as God. 1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 113.

Apologist Interview: Douglas Jacoby

Today's interview is with apologist Douglas Jacoby. He talks about his background and ministry, the importance of apologetics and training, being widely read, common objections to the Bible, building a case for Bible reliability, archaeology evidence and the Bible, touring the Holy Land, where the Bible gets its authority, knowing through experience, objections based in the disagreement amongst Christians, the benefit of formal debates, his debate with Robert M. Price, the role of rhetoric on both side of the engagement, advice for better communication, being a good reader, advice for apologists, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (40 min)

Books by Douglas Jacoby include:
• Compelling Evidence for God and the Bible: Finding Truth in an Age of Doubt

• A Quick Overview of the Bible: Understanding How All the Pieces Fit Together

• Genesis, Science & History: A Faith-Building Look at the Opening Chapters of Genesis

• Your Bible Questions Answered: Clear, Concise, Compelling

Enjoy.

Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

G. K. Chesterton on Atheism

"If there were no God there would be no atheists."

- G. K. Chesterton
Where All Roads Lead, London 1922

Book Review: Was Jesus God? by Richard Swinburne

In Was Jesus God? Richard Swinburne presents a unique cumulative case for Jesus as God incarnate. The case can be seen as linking together the answers to the following questions: (1) Why think there is a God? (2) What might we expect God to do in response to evil and suffering? (3) Do we have evidence that God has made a response?

Why think there is a God? Swinburne presents the barest outline of his arguments for God’s existence and refers the reader to other books[1] for arguments leading to the conclusion that a divine person exists. He notes however that his arguments from natural theology yield only the conclusion that God the Father exists. Christianity, of course, posits that the Godhead is triune. Swinburne then presents an ingenious argument suggesting that because God the Father is a perfectly good being, there would be two other divine persons.[2] He notes that if his argument is correct, then the existence of two further divine persons is a necessary consequence of God’s essentially good nature. Therefore, Christian theism cannot be accused of violating Ockham’s Razor. In any case, the doctrine of the Trinity has been consistently and almost universally expounded by the Apostolic Church, which (as he will later argue) serves to further underwrite its plausibility.