*Here’s a link to the questions already answered

A: There was a recent claim that ‘bone fragments’ of the Apostle Paul were found and confirmed. However I believe that the story is somewhat questionable and lacking in real proof. <<Here’s a link to an article I’ve written on the subject>>

Q: There was much to do about some sort of burial crypt of James the Brother of Jesus being found. Then Some scholars claimed it was a fake—what ever happened to that deal?

A:  The jury is literally still out on that issue. A trial over the authenticity of the James ‘the brother of Jesus’ Ossuary is still going on in Israel. The evidence against the Ossuary has been found to be suspect. However that does not necessarily mean that the artifact is authentic though for me the evidence is leaning in that direction.

By the way, it was not a crypt in question but an Ossuary with writing on the side designating it as containing the bones of James the Brother of Jesus. An Ossuary is a stone box where bones of the dead were traditionally deposited in ancient Judea. (See the picture above)

N.T. scholar Ben Witherington is one of the experts on this issue, here’s his most recent update: <<The Dead Shall Have Their Say– More on the James Ossuary>>

A:  The Ethiopians have a long tradition that it is, however the Ethiopian Church authorities will not let scholars inspect the Ark in their possession or even look at it for that matter. You probably heard about it because it was recently in the news. <<Here’s a link to an article I wrote on this issue>>

A:  Here’s our article on the issue published a couple of years ago:

Sunday or Sabbath Worship?

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1. -Easter Question: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

Here’s a great article by William Lane Craig, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.

He looks at the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus–a timely pursuit for the Easter season:

“To answer the question of Jesus’ resurrection from a historical standpoint, we must first determine what facts concerning the fate of Jesus of Nazareth can be credibly established on the basis of the evidence and second consider what the best explanation of those facts is. At least four facts about the fate of the historical Jesus are widely accepted by New Testament historians today.”

<Read the Whole Article>

2. -Who Really Killed Jesus?

3. -The Reactions of the Criminals Crucified with Jesus -Some Discrepancies?

4. -Jesus: “Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”

5. -Still Celebrating Easter?

6. -Jesus- Who Do You Say He Is?

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(-Shrine of the Three Magi via Wikipedia)

Q:  Is it true that the bones of the Three Wise Men are buried or supposedly buried in the cathedral in Cologne?  Thanks, Don

A:  Yes, a Cathedral in Cologne, Germany does claim to be the final resting place for the Wisemen– Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral. However, the origin and disposition of the relics can only be traced back to 344 AD at Constantinople, therefore the historicity can not be verified. It is an unlikely possibility since the first mention of the relics is in the 4th century and the real Wisemen undoubtedly would have died in the first century.

Bottomline- This tradition is uncertain at best with the lack of earlier documentation.

<Here is our previous article about the Wisemen>

A:  Paul the Apostle did not write a separate gospel per se. Over the years Bible scholars have come to refer to the teaching and theology found in the Pauline epistles as ‘Paul’s Gospel’.

Also, many scholars over the years have written books exploring the teachings of Paul and have called their books something similar: ‘Paul’s Gospel’, Gospel of Paul’, Gospel According to Paul’ and etc. Go to Amazon.com and do a book search and you will see what I mean.

There are even some who claim that Paul used the Gospel of Luke and quoted from it possibly in I Tim. 5:18 (Luke 10:7) and I Cor.11:23-25 (Luke 22:19-20) –therefore have called the Gospel of Luke, ‘Paul’s Gospel’. However, most scholars believe that the Gospel of Luke-Acts was written after I Corinthians and Paul may have been quoting from oral traditions.

There is even a recent writing available on the Internet called “The Gospel of Paul” written by an anonymous fellow named Paul. It is written in scriptural style and identified as: “a true story, written by a true believer with a passion for Christ”.

Here is what the original Paul the Apostle says about the gospel he taught:

“I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12)

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  (Romans 1:16)            *Top

Q:  Who were the three Wisemen who gave the first Christmas presents?

A:  We have written on the Wisemen before. The Story of the Wisemen is found in Matthew 2:1-12. Notice that the Bible really doesn’t tell us how many there really were, only that they brought three different gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It was a later Christian tradition that settled on three.

Who were they?–we really don’t know. The scriptures identify them simply as ‘magi’.

However, hundreds of years later a number of different traditions rose up about the Wisemen, where they came from and even what their names were. The Eastern churches had different names and traditions than the Western churches.  None of the traditions can be traced back before 300 AD.

They were identified as ‘magi’, so all sorts of traditions have risen up about their possible Babylonian, Persian, or Parthenian origins. By the Middle ages in the West they came to be known by the names of:  Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar–and identified as kings from the three known continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa.  A Cathedral in Germany even claims to be the final resting place for the Wisemen– Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral. However, the origin and disposition of the relics can only be traced back to 344 AD.          *Top

  (Nativity Scene via Wikipedia)

Here’s links to some great Christmas Q & A’s from our archives:

1.  -The Christmas Story: Where is it in the Bible?

2.  -Re: The Wisemen and the First Christmas?

3.  -Were There Really Four Wisemen?