Far
from being impervious to critical questions, the Bible, as we know it, presents
several intriguing and perplexing questions, which are due to the corrupting
influences of man.
If
we are serious about the pursuit of truth, like a finely cut diamond, we must
examine the subject matter through every discoverable facet.
This pursuit will ultimately lead to the difficult conclusion that the
Scriptures have been tampered with, and that the connection of the Scriptures to
more ancient documents has been obscured. This
realization will lead to the question, “Why was this done, and with the
corruption can we still find eternal truth within its passages?”
The
purpose of the following list of questions is to provide enough research data to
formulate an educated and informed conclusion.
My own experience, during my personal study and formal religious
education, was marked by periodic observations of these same questions and
seeming contradictions. When unable
to find answers, my usual reaction was to accept the simplistic responses from
trusted elders, or to file them away on a figurative “shelf.”
Eventually, as my knowledge grew, these “answers” became increasingly
unsatisfactory and the “shelf” began to collapse under the weight of
questions I was afraid to pursue. This
was until I reached the critical, cathartic nexus of events and knowledge when I
realized my acceptance by the Eternal, Infinite Creator and Savior did not
require turning off the brain He endowed me with, and be afraid to ask critical
questions. The following questions
are intended to provoke your own study and research, and to impel you along the
path of the pursuit of Truth.
Questions:
1.
Why does the Torah not name any of the Pharaohs
mentioned during the Genesis period, which would precisely time-locate the
Biblical characters and events?
2.
Why would Rachel originally name her youngest son
Benoni (Benjamin), in honor of On (Anu), the Egyptian religious center? Gen.
35:18.
3.
What is the etymology (word origin) of the name
4.
Why is there such a seeming lack of
extra-Biblical historical evidence for the life of Moses?
5.
Per Scripture, Terah was seventy when his son Abram
was born, and that he later died at the age of two hundred and five.
However, a few verses later we are told Abram was seventy-five when his
father died, when simple math indicates he should have been one hundred and
twenty-five. Why? (Gen. 11:26, 32)
6.
Who wrote of Moses’ death in the Book of
Deuteronomy if he was the author? Joshua?
7.
Why the discrepancies given for the length of the
Hebrew sojourn in
8.
Why did Rachel take the household gods of Laban?
Why did she sit on them? (Gen. 31:19,30-37)
9.
Why does there appear to be something missing or
added in the account of Zipporah’s circumcising her son?
10.
Why is
11.
What is
the etymology of the term “amen?”
12.
What is
the root origin of the names Eleazar, Eliezer, Lazarus, etc.?
13.
What
are the etymologies of the names Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Hophni, Phineas, etc.?
14.
Is
there historical, extra-Biblical evidence of the rapid conquest of
Canaan/Palestine by Joshua?
15.
If
circumcisions was a rite and sign to set the Hebrews apart from surrounding
tribes and nations, what is the significance of the fact that this rite was
practiced for thousands of years prior to Abraham in
16.
What
are the parallels between the Ausar/Osiris resurrection story and the Christian
Gospel account?
17.
Why
does an exact replica of the Ark of the Covenant appear on the temple walls in
18.
Why
does the “Hymn to the Aten” so closely resemble Psalm 104?
19.
Why
does the earlier written Wisdom of Amenenope so closely resemble a major portion
of the Book of Proverbs?
20.
Are
Aten/Adon, Twt/Dwd(David), Amon/Amen linguistic equivalents?
21.
What
were David, a man after Yahweh’s own heart, and his wife Mikhal doing with a
household idol, big enough to disguise as David, when he had to escape Saul’s
men? 1 Samuel 19:11-17.
22.
To what
extent did the Babylonians and the Persians influence
23.
Was
Ezra born a Hebrew?
24.
Why
did Nebuchadnezzer write portions of the book of Daniel?
25.
What
role did the successive Roman councils, beginning with Nicea, play in
shaping our understanding of Christian doctrine?
What were the prevailing doctrinal views prior to the councils?
26.
With
whom and when did the concept of Messiah/Christ originate?
27.
Why
does the Pauline doctrine outweigh the word of Yahshua in the New Testament
Church?
I purposely have not provided any of my personal
responses to these questions at this time to allow the individual analysis and
discovery of each student. My
responses will follow in a later essay. Many
would argue that we have to accept certain things by faith.
But, this was not the case of the Bereans who did not accept doctrine at
face value, but searched out the Scriptures for verification (Acts 17:11).
When studying, do not presume the Israelites were immune or quarantined from neighboring cultural, philosophical, and religious influence. Try to put flesh on the characters presented; don’t over spiritualize. Pray for wisdom, illumination, and revelation in connecting the dots of information. Check the sources of information.
And, above all, think critically!
Dr. Keita Kenyatta