Hebrews 11:35 to 2 Maccabees 7:7 Author’s Note: Often regarded as one of the strongest New Testament references to the Deuterocanon, this passage compares Hebrews’ account of martyrdom with the story preserved in 2 Maccabees, in light of claims made for alleged references to the Pentateuch. A second example: While…

1 Timothy 6:10 to Sirach 31:1 Author’s Note: This comparison explores whether Paul’s warning about the love of money reflects language already found in Sirach. Our first example from Stewart: While Ecclesiastes does not have any direct quotes from it in the New Testament, there are a number of passages…

12 NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO THE APOCRYPHA Author’s Note: The following comparisons examine some of the strongest proposed connections between the New Testament and the Deuterocanonical books, allowing readers to evaluate the evidence for themselves. So far: (1) the Jewish Study Bible asserts (and the early Christian lists evidence) that…

THE JEWISH BIBLE VS. THE PROTESTANT CANON Author’s Note: many common Protestant claims about the canon are not supported by Jewish Rabbis, scholars or historians, and are contradicted by the testimony of the earliest Christians as well. Let’s look at the Jewish canon issue from a different perspective—in fact a…

HEBREWS 1:3 Author’s Note: The remarkable parallels between Hebrews 1:3 and the Wisdom of Solomon should be considered in light of everything we know about Hebrews 1:3. So now, let’s refocus just on Hebrews 1:3—the verse that the KJV says references Wisdom 7:26. We start with the Jimmy Swaggart Bible…

HEBREWS: AN EPISTLE TO THOSE WHO ACCEPT APOCRYPHA? Author’s Note: Hebrews contains strong connections to the Deuterocanonical books, making it a key New Testament witness to the canon of the Jews at the time of Christ. Now let’s take a deep dive into the Epistle of the Hebrews and see…

THE CHURCH’S USE OF MATTHEW’S CROSS-REFERENCES Author’s Note: The earliest Christians’ use of Matthew offers an insight into which Scriptures the earliest Christians recognized, quoted, and considered authoritative. A somewhat related analysis is that of the early Church’s use of the Bible. Matthew is not just the Gospel to the…

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: OLD TESTAMENT COMPARISON Author’s Note: This comparison uses KJV statistical evidence to evaluate competing claims about the Old Testament of the Evangelists and their audience. Let’s also look at things from the perspective of the Old Testament. Sirach and the Book of Wisdom are part of a seven-Book…

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PERFECTLY TAUGHT JEW Author’s Note: Using a statistical model, this section estimates what books Paul the perfectly instructed first-century Jew recognized as Scripture. According to the KJV, Paul accounts for almost as many possible cross references with the Apocrypha as all the other Evangelists combined. He…

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE GOSPEL TO THE JEWS Author’s Note: This analysis of the Gospel of Matthew asks what Scriptures the first Jewish Christians were most likely to have accepted and how that evidence informs the canon debate. There were 115 New Testament cross-references with Apocrypha in the original 1611…