Lesson #77

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #77

Last month we covered the time between the testaments and while we touched on some things on the AD side of history let’s start this month with the birth of Christ. The exact date of Jesus birth is not known for a number of reasons so let’s address that question. When was Jesus born? Chapter 11 of Andrew Steinmann’s book “From Abraham to Paul” gives the question a very thorough treatment, what I will try to do here is give a summary overview of the many historical elements that affect how we understand the date of Jesus birth.

First the traditional view based on a biblical chronology has Jesus birth falling somewhere between 3 and 1 BC, while the modern consensus view dates the birth before 4 BC. The consensus view is primarily based on the estimate of Herod the Grate’s death in 4 BC. There are a number of dating contradictions and inconsistencies between ancient sources when trying to nail down a reliable chronology of Herod the Great. Without getting into any great detail I will give a summary of datable events in Herod’s reign based on Steinmann’s well-argued chronology.

            Late 39 BC Herod is appointed King.

            38 BC Herod begins his first full regnal year.

            36 BC Herod conquers Jerusalem.

            35 BC Herod begins his first full regnal year in Jerusalem.

            31 BC The battle of Actium takes place on September the 2^nd .

            20 BC Caesar is in Syria and Herod begins work on the Temple.

            Late 19 Early 18 BC Work on the Temple complete.

            12 BC Work on the temple precincts completed.

            11 or 10 BC work completed on Caesarea Sebaste also known as Caesarea Marittima.

            5 BC Magi observe the star.

            4 BC Pheroras murdered, Antipater deposed, Archelaus named Herod’s heir.

            3 or 2 BC Tax Revolt of Judas.

            Mid 3 BC John the Baptist is born.

            Late 3 Early 2 BC Jesus Born.

            40 to 50 days later Jesus family escapes to Egypt.

            First quarter of 1 BC Herod dies.

            Later in 1 BC Jesus family returns to Nazareth.

            Because of the fragmented and conflicting nature of the ancient evidence associated with the life and times of Herod the Great. No chronology can assert with absolute certainty the accuracy of their time line. However, we can affirm the sound scholarship that lays behind such a chronology. We can also say the with all the evidence in consideration that Jesus was born Somewhere between 6 and 2 BC. In my mind it is quite amazing that we can have such a small window of time for an event two millennia in the past.

            Next month we will examine the Chronology of the life of Christ

Till Then

Pastor Portier

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #76

We left off last month at the end of the Old Testament chronology in 428 BC. The prophets and scripture fall silent at that time, so we must rely on ancient texts other than scripture to learn of the historical events between 428 BC and the birth of Christ. There are a number of good sources if you want to go deeper into this time period, but I think the best synopsis can be found in The Apocrypha: the Lutheran Edition with notes, from CPH. The introductory matter in this book covers the period of 538 BC to 135 AD in about 40 pages, and gives a great overview.

While the bulk of ancient written histories during this time period still cover the happenings in the fertile crescent of the Middle East, we begin to see datable events in cultures all over the world. If the Tower of Babel event took place around 2242 BC, 106 years after the flood and just after the birth of Peleg (Gen 11:16-19), then by 428 BC, ~1800 years had passed for the earth to be populated, and that is exactly what had happened. In the Americas, in the central region pyramids were built in like the ones at Monte Alban or Chitzen itza. The famous Mayan calendar was created during this time, around 580 BC (this was the civilization the preceded the classical period in North America which began around 50 BC).

In South America, the Tiahuanaco civilization began around 600 BC until the dominant culture of the Paracas in the Andes took hold around 100 BC. In the Orient, Japan’s city states began to take shape around 260 BC, while in China, the Zhou Dynasty came to a close, the Quin Dynasty followed with its first uniting emperor, and the Han Dynasty followed that. Russia was in the middle years of their Scythian period, and during that time India was part of a few empires including both Persian and Greek invasions, as they entered their classical period around 200 BC. The Greek republic peaked somewhere between 650 and 350 BC, building the Parthenon, and giving birth to the western idea of a democratic republic along with philosophers like Plato, Socrates & Aristotle.

Greece entered its Macedonian period when Alexander the Great began his reign at the age of 20 in 336 BC. Much has been written about his famous conquest of the kingdoms of North Africa and the Middle East. To summarize, he became Pharaoh of Egypt in 332 BC, the first King of Asia in 331 BC, and King of Persia in 330 BC. After his death in Babylon in 323 BC, his four Generals divided up his kingdom. Africa entered the Ptolemaic period until conquered by Rome in 30 BC. Mesopotamia entered the Seleucid period until conquered by Rome around 65 BC. Greece stayed in its Macedonian period until conquered by Rome around 150 BC.

Rome was founded as a city state around 625 BC and would be in control of most of the Mediterranean countries of North Africa, Europe, and Asia by the time Christ was born. It would be better stated that Rome conquered what was left of the three kingdoms listed above, because what it conquered in many cases were towns and cities that were part of kingdoms that no longer existed or had dwindled to only a few cities.

Finally, let’s discuss “the time between the testaments” in the Levant. The “Levant” is a geographical term that refers to a large area in Southwest Asia, south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Arabian Desert in the south, and Mesopotamia in the east. The term is also sometimes used to refer to modern events or states in the region immediately bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea: Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. This general area was Part of the Persian empire until conquered by Alexander the Great in the late 330s BC. From around 310 to 200 BC the Ptolemaic empire controlled most of the region. From 200 to 160 BC the Seleucid Empire controlled most of the region. For about 100 years the Jewish Maccabeans had primary control of the region.

The Roman period for this region around Israel, (called Syria by the Romans) began in 63 BC. However, it was through alliance rather than conquest. Rome first become an ally then later its ruler. The Idumean or Edomite dynasty lasted from 63 to 6 BC. Herod the Great, who ruled from 37 to 4 BC (consensus view) is called “the Great” primarily for his building projects, not the least of which were the temple mount improvements that stand today, and a complete renovation in 20 BC of the second temple finished by Zerubbabel in 515 BC. Sadly, that temple was destroyed in 70 AD only years after the finishing touches were put on the surrounding structures. The Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on that location in 705 AD.

I think we have sufficiently filled your head with names dates and locations for one session and covered the time between the testaments. Next month we will begin to look at the time into which our Lord and savior was born.

Till next month,

Pastor Portier

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #75

            The Assyrian Babylonian Exile begins, for our purposes, in 587 BC with the fall of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar. There are three empires we need to be familiar with in order to understand Jewish history over the next 250-year period.

            First the Assyrian Empire, which reached its peak between 880 BC & 612 BC. In 722 BC Assyria conquered the northern 10 tribes often identified in scripture as Israel.

            Second the Babylonians took the capital of Assyria in 612 BC and after defeating Egypt in Carchemish in 605 BC controlled the area around Judah. This led to the eventual fall of Judah after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.

            Finally, around 50 years later in 539 BC, Persia captured Babylon and took over the empire. The following year in 538 BC the Jewish people were repatriated, encouraged by the Persian King Cyrus II to practice their faith and culture, restoring Jerusalem and the temple. The Persians ruled the region for another 200 years although they struggled with the Greeks for supremacy from 513 BC until around 333 BC when Alexander the Great swept through the region.

            On this exterior framework we can now hit some of the highlights of the history of God’s people during this time of great struggles over the Levant (historical geographical term for a large area of the Eastern Mediterranean).

            We get Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity recorded in Daniel chapter 4 somewhere between 573 BC and 569 BC. Daniel records some of the final visions for King Belshazzar of the Babylonian empire in chapters 7 and 8. Daniel reads the handwriting on the wall “mene, mene, tekel, upharsin” in chapter 5 on the eve of the fall of Babylon. While much can be said about that evening in history, I find it quite amazing that we can, with great certainty, date that event to Sunday October 11^th 539 BC. (I will refer you to page 175 of Andrew Steinmann’s book “From Abraham to Paul” as my source for this date. Most of the dates in this series are drawn from that book)

            Ezekiel and Daniel are good sources for history during the exile while we look to Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah for post exilic or return from exile information. We learn in the first chapters of Ezra that Cyrus decreed the return of the exiles in 538 BC in 533 BC. They arrive in the summer and in that same year they build a new altar and conduct their first sacrifice on it. The second temple construction begins in 532 BC, only to be halted the following year because of suspicious neighbors. It was not until Haggai and Zechariah prophesied in 520 BC that the second temple building resumed. We know of a number of events and their dates during the reign of Xerxes through the book of Esther. These are Jews who chose to stay in the Susa instead of returning to Jerusalem. Most of the events leading to deliverance of the Jews, allowing them to defend themselves, came in Mordechai’s edict in 474 BC. This edict leads to the celebration, of the first festival of Purim, on Friday April 6^th 473 BC.

            Ezra and Nehemiah record a number of key events that close out the Old Testament chronology. In 445 BC, the wall of Jerusalem is built and a number of events reestablishing the Jewish culture and identity as God’s people take place. Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem in late 428, early 429 BC, and that is the last solidly datable event in the Old Testament.

            Next month we will examine the time between the testaments.

Till next month

Pastor Portier

#74 Back to History

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #74

We are back on the topic of History. In the last history lesson (#61), we discussed Solomon, who served the first two years as king in a coregent status until David’s death in 969 BC. Solomon began his reign in 971 BC and died in 932 BC, serving as Israel’s king for just over 40 years. In 2014, we covered the first 3000 years of human existence. This year, in a high-speed-flyover fashion, we will attempt to cover the past 3000 years. We will have to be very selective because most written histories cover this second half. I would like to finish history this year, so we will change up the format and try to cover about 300 years in each lesson. We will cover each segment in accordance with the following two principles: first, we will highlight things that are of historic significance to Christianity, and second, we will cover these things with regard to their roles in affirming the reliability of the biblical historical narrative. Of course, biblical history ends during the first century AD, so the remaining 2000 years will be covered in light of biblical truth.

The period of time from 932 BC to 732 BC is generally known as the time of the Divided Monarchy. Solomon’s son Rehoboam was clearly not as wise as his father, and was unable to keep the kingdom united. The northern 10 tribes broke off, and for the period between 931 BC and 732 BC, the northern kingdom is referred to as Israel, and the southern Kingdom is referred to as Judah. During this period, both kingdoms had 20 kings. Scripture identifies all of Israel’s kings as bad or evil, and it fell to the Assyrian empire in 732 BC. Judah, on the other hand, actually had 5 of their kings identified as good for at least some of their reign. They held out for 145 years longer before falling to the Assyrian empire in 587 BC.

            There were also some other interesting things going on around the world at that time. The Greeks were settling the coast of Spain, the city of Rome was established around 753 BC, the Celts were beginning to move into England, and the first recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BC (they may have started as early as 1350 BC, but the 776 BC games are the first on record). Iron utensils began to pop up in some regions, and the first recorded Solar Eclipse (written in Chinese histories) occurred on Sept 6^th 775 BC. There are also some biblical events and individuals from this time mentioned in extra-biblical sources. For example, the 853 BC Battle of Qarqar is recorded on a monolith inscription, and King Ahab the Israelite is listed as a participant. Also, Jehu’s 841 BC tribute to Shalmaneser III is recorded on a black obelisk. Some others include Azariah’s 743 BC tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III, Hosea’s 731 BC Tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III, Samaria’s 723 BC fall under the rule of King Hoshea to Shalmaneser V, the Egyptian & Assyrian defeat at Haran in 609 BC, and Nebuchadnezzar’s first and second capture of Jerusalem in 605 & 597 BC.

            Outside sources and biblical information contained primarily in Kings and Chronicles, along with information found in a number of the prophets gives us a fairly accurate chronology of this otherwise tumultuous period. Some kings from this time took the throne while still very young (Joash at 7), and some were relatively old (Rehoboam at age 41). Some ruled for only months, while Uzziah ruled for 52 years. Also, the start and end dates of the reigns of the last 4 Judean kings can actually be translated from the ancient Jewish calendar to a modern Gregorian BC date!

            Next month we will pick things up during the period known as the Assyrian Babylonian Exile starting in 587 BC, and we will see if we can get to the end of the Old Testament period in 430 BC. We may even begin to venture into the time between the testaments.

Till next month,

Pastor Portier

Lesson # 73 Logical fallacy wrap up

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #73

Philosophy: what is it, and why does it matter? More importantly, as this is a Bible institute, why does it or even should it matter to a Christian?  We continue to looking at essential tools for intelligent debate by identifying and avoiding Logical fallacies.

Appealing to Extremes: A fallacy very similar to slippery slope, which involves taking an argumentative claim or assertion to its extreme, even though the arguer does not advocate the extreme interpretation. The difference between the two fallacies is that appealing to extremes does not necessarily involve a sequence of causal connections. Example: Debtor to creditor: Hey, you've already repossessed my car and my television. Why don't you just draw a quart of blood or carve a pound of flesh from my heart too? Paul uses a similar rhetorical extreme when speaking to the Judaizers suggesting if they continue to require circumcision why not castrate themselves, pointing out how wrong it was to continue require what God does not. 

Hypothesis Contrary to Fact: This fallacy consists of offering a poorly supported claim about what might have happened in the past or future if circumstances or conditions were other than they actually were or are. The fallacy also involves treating hypothetical situations as if they were fact. Example: If you had only tasted the stewed snails, I'm sure you would have liked them. Example: If Hitler had not invaded Russia and opened up two military fronts, the Nazis would surely have won the war.

Non Sequitar: (literally means "does not follow") in a general sense any argument which fails to establish a connection between the premises and the conclusion may be called a non-sequitar. In practice, however, the label non-sequitar tends to be reserved for arguments in which irrelevant reasons are offered to support a claim. Example: I wore a red shirt when I took the test, so that is probably why I did so well. Example: Mr. Boswell couldn't be the person who poisoned our pet, because he was always so nice to her. What shirt you where or how nice someone is does not make a factual connection to what took place. 

Red Herring: attempting to hide a weakness in an argument by drawing attention away from the real issue. A red herring fallacy is thus a diversionary tactic or an attempt to confuse or fog the issue being debated. The name of the fallacy comes from the days of fox hunting, when a herring was dragged across the trail of a fox in order to throw the dogs off the scent. A variation of this is shifting to a related topic in essence changing the subject. Example: accused by his wife of cheating at cards, Ned replies "Nothing I do ever pleases you. I spent all last week repainting the bathroom, and then you said you didn't like the color." Example: There's too much fuss and concern about saving the environment. We can't create an Eden on earth. And even if we could, remember Adam and Eve made a very bad choicer there as well.

Inconsistency: advancing an argument that is self-contradictory, or that is based on mutually inconsistent premises. Example: A used car salesperson says, "Hey, you can’t trust those other car salesmen. They’ll say anything to get you to buy a car." Example: A parent has just read a child the story of Cinderella. The child asks, "If the coach, and the footmen, and the beautiful clothes all turned back into the pumpkin, the mice, and the rags, then how come the glass slipper didn’t change back too?" while I know you might be saying with the child “yea why?” I will ask you back into what? J

              Ok enough philosophy, we have had a year break from history and left that endeavor during the time of King Solomon. So back to history next month.

Have a blessed Valentine’s day and may your Lenten season be rich and full of preparation for Easter.

In Christ Robert Portier  

SMBI # 72

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #72

Philosophy: what is it, and why does it matter? More importantly, as this is a Bible institute, why does it or even should it matter to a Christian?  We continue, this month, to look at essential tools for intelligent debate by identifying and avoiding logical fallacies.

Tautology, also called a “circular argument”, involves defining terms or qualifying an argument in such a way that it would be impossible to disprove the argument. Often, the rationale for the argument is merely a restatement of the conclusion, just using different words. Example: “The Bible is the word of God. We know this because the Bible itself tells us so.” While this is a true statement, and Christians can agree that God’s word is a reliable witness to its own authority, we must also admit that this statement does not follow the rules of logic. In order for something to be logically true it must also be falsifiable. That is, it must be possible to present a counter-argument, which, if proven true, would disprove the original argument. In our example concerning the authority of scripture, we can look at the many falsifiable truth claims made in the Bible, which can be challenged and verified. We find that these claims always stand up to objective scrutiny, confirming the trustworthiness of the Biblical record. We must also acknowledge, however, that when scripture makes supernatural claims, it is the Holy Spirit who gives us access to faith in God’s word. Another, simpler example of tautology example would be, “We used the bone in a rock layer to date the rock layer to 10 million years. It is clear that the bones are 10 million years old because we found them in the 10-million-year old rock layer.”

Appeal to Authority is a fallacy which attempts to justify an argument by citing a highly admired or well-known (but not necessarily qualified) figure who supports the conclusion being offered. Example: “If climate change is a concern of our president and all of those well-known Hollywood actors, then it is most certainly true.” In reality, actual scientific data is what should be presented and discussed, rather than the opinions of politicians or actors.

Appeal to Tradition, A.K.A. “don't rock the boat” or “let sleeping dogs lie”, cites precedent or tradition alone. Example: “We should continue to do things as they have been done in the past. We shouldn't challenge time-honored customs or traditions.” “Because we have always done it that way” is not a good or logical reason to do anything, so no matter how old or new a process or tradition is, we should always know why we do what we do so that it does not lose its purpose or meaning, and likewise, so that we don’t inhibit helpful changes without cause.

Appeal to the Crowd is a fallacy which refers to popular opinion or majority sentiment in order to provide support for a claim. Example: “If living together is immoral, then I have plenty of company.” Moral norms and truth are not established by popular opinion, however, but by the Creator. Another example: “That professor’s test was extremely unfair. Just ask anyone who took it.” Fairness, however, is established by facts, not opinions. And finally, “Molecules-to-Man Evolution must be true since most scientists believe it.” Scientific fact is determined using the scientific method, not by polling the beliefs of scientists. (Who, incidentally, are in fact much more divided on the issue than people like Bill Nye would have you believe.)

Slippery Slope, A.K.A. “the domino theory”, suggests that if one step or action is taken, it will invariably lead to similar steps or actions, the end results of which are negative or undesirable. A slippery slope always assumes a chain reaction of cause-effect events which result in some eventual dire outcome. This was often used as a reason for our nation’s involvement in the Vietnam conflict. “If we let them fall, then one country after another will similarly fall to communism.” It is illogical to say that one event causes another, only because they are connected or similar. We can acknowledge their similarity or connectedness while at the same time acknowledging that one did not cause the other.

We will spend one more session on logical fallacies next month.

Have a blessed New Year,

Pastor Portier

Lesson #71 Logical Fallacies continued

Smoky Mountain Bible Institute

(Est. 2009) Lesson #71

Philosophy: what is it, and why does it matter? More importantly, as this is a Bible institute, why does it or even should it matter to a Christian? In this issue we continue to provide essential tools for intelligent debate by helping you identify and avoid logical fallacies. In essence, a logical fallacy is an error of reasoning. It occurs when someone adopts a position or tries to persuade someone else to adopt a position which is based on reasoning that breaks down due to poor structure. Logical fallacies can be classified as formal or informal, and some are more common than others. The most common ones have been named and defined; here we will take a walk through some and give examples to help you understand them.

Bifurcation, also known as “either-or”, “black or white”, “all or nothing”, or “false dilemma”. This example assumes that two categories are mutually exclusive and exhaustive. That is, that something is either a member of one or the other category, but never both or a member of some third category. Example: to assert, “You are either for me or against me”. There are other possibilities, of course; perhaps I am ambivalent or apathetic towards you, or maybe I have no cause to be either; if you are running for president of never-never-land, my lack of citizenship there means that I cannot vote in that election so the assertion could not even apply.

Tu Quoque, also known as “look who's talking” or, “two wrongs make a right”, points to a similar wrong or error committed by another. This is used to change the topic or to point out that an argument is hypocritical. Instead of engaging the original argument, it responds to a critique with a different critique. Example: “The church should not condemn gay marriage because many people in the church cohabitate or sleep around.” The fact that Christians are sinners who violate the 6^th commandment has no bearing on the truth of God’s word about gay marriage. Physical intimacy belongs in monogamous, heterosexual marriage. All who violate this commandment (in whatever fashion) should seek and receive God’s forgiveness. The same is true for those involved in gay marriage.

Equivocation, also known as “complex question”, allows a key word or term in an argument to shift its meaning during the course of the argument. The result is that the conclusion of the argument is not concerned with the same thing as the premise(s) of the argument. Example: “Only man is rational. No woman is a man. Therefore, no woman is rational.” In this example, “man” has the meaning of “all mankind” the first time it is used, and “male” (gender) the second time it is used.

Begging the Question entails making an argument that contains or is based on an unstated or unproven assumption. Example: “Abortion is murder, since killing a baby is an act of murder.” While this statement is true, it begs the question, “Can the unborn properly be called babies?” A better way to state this would be, “Because it can be proved with simple biology that the unborn are, in every way, physiologically unique lives, it follows logically that abortion is murder, when murder is defined as the taking of an innocent life.” Another example, in the form of a loaded question, would be, “Have you stopped beating your wife?” This of course begs the question, “do you beat your wife?”

Straw Man:  mischaracterizing or misstating your opponent's position or arguing against a weaker, irrelevant portion of that position. Example: “mandatory seat belt laws could never be enforced. You can't issue citations to dead people”. This assumes all people who violate such a law will die because of their actions.

If you would like to read more about this topic, here are some good websites to visit: “yourlogicalfallacyis.com” or “commfaculty.fullerton.edu/rgass/fallacy3211.htm” Enough fallacies for now, more next month.

In Christ,

Robert Portier