With Due Respect: Was Jesus cruicified in the Sinai Bible?

 

Recently, I came across popular historian and author Billy Carson. Billy Carson has continually claimed that a Bible discovered in Sinai in 1844 does not state that Jesus was crucified. He also claimed that this "Sinai Bible" was more accurate than the King James Bible.

The event of Jesus's death is central to Christianity. 

But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  - 1 Cor 1:23-24

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  - 1 Cor 15:12-14

Thus it is important to examine whether Carson's claim is true.

What is the Sinai Bible?

The Sinai Bible is a misnomer - among scholarly circles it is known as Codex Sinaiticus. As Carson claims, it was dated to 4th century AD, nearly 1200 years before the King James Bible was compiled.

The Codex Sinaiticus consists of the Greek Old Testament, the Greek New Testament, and the Epistles of Barnabus and the Shephard of Hermas. It is considered to be a landmark document, along with Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Vaticanus, as it is one of the most complete manuscripts of the Bible.

A translation of Codex Sinaiticus is here, and clearly states that Jesus was crucified.

And they struck his head with a reed, and spit upon him, and bowing the knees they worshipped him. And when they had derided him, they took of from him the purple, and put on him his own clothes. And they led him out to crucify him, - Mark 15:19-20 [Codex Sinaiticus]

Conclusion

It is unfortunate that Billy Carson continues to pursue this claim, and he eventually was called out by Christian theologian, Wesly Huff as since in the reference video below.

For reference

Theology 1.0: How did Christianity come to Ethiopia?

 

After the ascension of Jesus, many early Christians decided to leave Jerusalem to spread the religion. Some Christians eventually came to Ethiopia, but the communities were not significant until the 4th century.

Frumentius and Aedesius, two Syrian Christians, were shipwrecked on the Red Sea coast and taken as slaves to the Aksumite court during the reign of King Ezana. Frumentius gained the trust of the royal family and was eventually freed, becoming a prominent advisor to the young King Ezana. By 330 AD, King Ezana of the Aksumite Empire converted to Christianity. About ten years later, Christianity became the official religion of the Aksumite Empire.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church itself claims to have been established in 330 AD.

The Nine Saints
During the late 5th century, nine Christians (often called the Syriac Nine Saints, even though most of them were not Syrian) decided to do missions across Ethiopia.  

Theses missions also served as permanent centers of Christian learning in which monks finally began to translate the Bible from Greek and Aramaic into Ethiopic so that Ethiopians could read Scripture for themselves. 

Thus Christianity was no longer a religion for the small percentage of Ethiopians who could read Greek or Aramaic/Syriac, but for all Ethiopians.

With Due Respect: They killed Jesus!

Accusing groups of people of killing Jesus diminishes what Jesus intended to accomplish at the cross

One of the most disheartening things I read on social media, especially Facebook is the rising antisemitism posts that has been spurred on by recent global events, chiefly the Israel-Hamas war. 

Banking on this, some political leftists see the Jews as an oppressor in the oppression-oppressed Marxist narrative. Weirdly these leftists find themselves aligned with some members of the political right who hold racists views that the Jews are the source of the problems.

Thus one of the common accusations I hear is that the "Jews killed Jesus" in an attempt to stir up hatred among the Christian community. 

So who killed Jesus then?
While one can point out the Jewish leaders of the time plotted to kill Jesus and the Roman authorities carried out the execution, it clearly states in Isaiah 53 that Jesus died for our sins ("he was pierced for our transgression").

Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. -- Isaiah 53: 4-6

This is further corroborated by the New Testament authors.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

In other words, we (humans) in our sinful nature, killed Jesus. To single out a single group and blame them for the death of Jesus is to defeat the message that Christ died for all humanity.

So how should Christians respond?

Instead, Christians should acknowledge that Jesus's death was good news - good because his death has provided us a way to reconcile with God, and news because this is true.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

Theology 1.0: Who are the St. Thomas Christians?

 

Kerala, India

One of things I like to highlight is the different Christian communities in Asia. Today I want to bring to attention the St Thomas Christians, who mainly hail from Kerala, India.

Origins
According to their traditions, they claim that St Thomas (an Apostle of Christ) came to Kerala in 52 AD to evangelise. Locally, the St Thomas Christians are also known as Nasranis, derived from the Syriac word for Christians. St Thomas converted 32 Brahmin (priest/scholar) families to Christianity during his time there. The earliest document detailing St Thomas's trip to India was the Acts of Thomas written in circa 240 AD.

The church also grew bigger when Christians from Persia migrated to India during the 3rd Century (200s AD). This brought the St Thomas Christians to be in connection with the Church of the East.

In 1498 the Portuguese open a port in India, and attempted to bring the St Thomas Christians under the Roman Catholic Church. In 1795, some Indian regions became tributiaries to the British East Indian Company, allowing contact with the Anglican Church.

Theology
Historically, the St Thomas Christians adopted Nestorianism (the belief that Christ is both human and divine but not at the same time), use the Syriac Rite and practise seven sacrements (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick). 

However, some of these changed with the coming of the Western Christians. For instance, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is in full communion with Rome and maintains an Eastern liturgy. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is also aligned with Rome but influenced by the West Syriac tradition. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church is a reformed church with Protestant influences. 

Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Singapore

Practices

Indian culture is integrated into their Christian practices, such as wearing saris in church and adapting local architectural styles for their churches.

They maintain a strong communal identity, with unique traditions like the margam kali, a Christian dance-drama.

Alternative Culture: The Pope's Speech in Singapore

 

In September 2024, Pope Francis visited Singapore as part of his tour of Asia. He gave a speech about the importance of inter-faith relations at the Catholic school, Catholic Junior College. The transcript of the speech is here. 

As usual I will give a theological take on current events, also for this speech in this post.

The good
"A young person must be a critical thinker, and it is not good never to be critical."

"Do you have the courage to criticize but also the courage to let others criticize you?"

"Young people must have the courage to build, to move forward and go out of their “comfort zones.”

The Pope advocated for critical thinking, and that is always good. Too often we Asians tend to have overly fear authority. We rather go through the motion pretending a fallacy is correct then to questions the legitimacy of a claim and risk upsetting the harmony of a team project, or upsetting the boss.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

This applies doubly for Christians. As Jesus claimed to be the truth, Christians should not be afraid to examine any claim or study any research with a critical and sceptical mind in order to find truth.

Although the pope's speech started out well, it went downhill from there.

An inter-religious gathering in Singapore, 2017

The bad (wasted opportunity)
"If you start arguing, “My religion is more important than yours...,” or “Mine is the true one, yours is not true....,” where does this lead? Somebody answer. [A young person answers, “Destruction”.] That is correct."

"All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the divine. But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children. “But my God is more important than yours!”. Is this true? There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian. Understood? Yet, interfaith dialogue among young people takes courage."

Instead of advocating for the exclusivity of Christianity, Pope Francis chose the safer, political path. He claimed that religions are pathways to the same God, and that arguing a single, right path is "destructive". 

To me, this was a great wasted opportunity. The pope had a stage to preach Christ to a multicultural Singapore, and threw it away. It is not like this platform was unprecedented; the Apostle Paul took his chances at multicultural Athens 2000 years ago and preached the following in Acts 17:

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, - Acts 17: 22-28

While as Christians we are taught to be live in peace with our neighbours, ultimately we are also to speak of God's love and sacrifice for everyone.

Conclusion
While we Christians should strive to live in harmony as far as possible, we are called to evangelise.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28: 18-20

My Confession: My Reflections on Job 12 - 14

 

I continue my reflections on Job.

Job rejects the idea that he is deserving of punishment
After Zophar accuses Job of being guilty of hidden sin, Job counters that Zophar should not claim to know the mind of God,

“I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
    though I called on God and he answered—
    a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!" - Job 12:4

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
   or let the fish in the sea inform you.
 Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?" - Job 12:7-9

“My eyes have seen all this,
    my ears have heard and understood it.
 What you know, I also know;
    I am not inferior to you.
 But I desire to speak to the Almighty
    and to argue my case with God.
 You, however, smear me with lies;
    you are worthless physicians, all of you!
 If only you would be altogether silent!
    For you, that would be wisdom." - Job 13:1-5

Job puts his trust in God
Job continues to trust God, even though he does not understand the reason for his plight. He asks for God to hear him out.

“Only grant me these two things, God,
    and then I will not hide from you:
Withdraw your hand far from me,
    and stop frightening me with your terrors.
 Then summon me and I will answer,
    or let me speak, and you reply to me.
 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?
    Show me my offense and my sin.
 Why do you hide your face
    and consider me your enemy?" - Job 13: 20 -24

Job also recognises his life and legacy is in God's control.

“At least there is hope for a tree:
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump die in the soil,
 yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.
 But a man dies and is laid low;
    he breathes his last and is no more." - Job 14: 7-10

Thus Job knows that his only hope for restoration lies with God.

"Surely then you will count my steps
    but not keep track of my sin.
 My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;
    you will cover over my sin." - Job 14: 16-17

Impressions
One thing I did admire is while Job rejected the idea that he is in the wrong (as accused in the earlier chapters). He also rejects the idea that he needs to justify himself in front of his friends and knows the only being that holds his fate is God. God may choose to spare or strike him.

"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;

    I will surely defend my ways to his face." - Job 13: 15

Again, Job is willingly to be honest with his feelings about his circumstance with God, and not cover it up with pomp and flattery.

"If only you would hide me in the grave

    and conceal me till your anger has passed!

If only you would set me a time

    and then remember me!

If someone dies, will they live again?

    All the days of my hard service

    I will wait for my renewal to come." - Job 14: 13-14

Although I do not want Job's circumstance, I do pray I have faith and honesty to that closest with God.

With Due Respect: Did the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony mock Christianity?

 

Comparing a scene from the opening ceremony and The Last Supper

Every four years, I enjoy watching snippets from my second favourite sporting event -- the Olympics. [My favourite is the FIFA World Cup.] 

While I overall did enjoy the games (I enjoy watching fencing and wrestling) and many moments were meme-able and memorable, the 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off with controversy. In one particular performance, the actors seemed to parody the painting The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci painted that during the Renaissance as a tribute to the last meal Jesus had with his disciples before his execution.

This caused uproar from the Christian community including the Vatican and Orthodox bishops, and secular entities like the Italian government and C Spire (a technology company).

Almost immediately, Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony quickly claimed that his critics were mistaken and that his ceremony was a tribute to the painting The Feast of the Gods by Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert. (Note that both paintings are the property of France.)

The Feast of The Gods portrays the Greek Gods having a party. Since the Olympics were originally conceived to be a tribute to the Greek gods, thus Jolly saw fit to have it in the opening ceremony. According to him, Christians were overreacting to his artistic direction.

Comparing a scene from the opening ceremony and The Feast of the gods 

How should Christians respond?

Christians should expect mockery

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." -- John 15: 18-19

Firstly, Christians should not be surprise when non-believers mocked them. After all, Jesus predicted that (as stated in the quote above). In fact Christianity has been researched to be the most persecuted religion in the world.

Christians should not be naive

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." - Matthew 10: 16-20

Secondly, Christians should not be so trusting. The actors were obviously portraying the Last Supper and not the Feast of the Gods. Look at the positioning of the actors and the popular image it invokes. The Last Supper is way more popular in the human psyche than the Feast of the Gods. 

Even the actors themselves thought they were portraying the Last Supper. To pretend that it was something is else is simply asinine. In addition, the organisiers have apologised for the portrayal, fully that there is validity to the claim of the similarity to the Last Supper.

In the words of Judge Judy, "don't pee on My leg and tell me it's raining". Such an action would be equivalent to wear a Buddhist swastika to a Holocaust museum and laugh at the offended people who were uneducated on the difference between a Buddhist and Nazi symbol.

Christians should not resort to violence

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." - Luke 6: 27-31

Nevertheless, Christians should not be violence over this. In fact, Jesus Himself said to bless those who cursed you. When Jesus was a arrested, he instructed Peter to sheath his sword (John 18:11) when Peter tried to defend him.

Conclusion

Christians should be aware that Jesus call us to live a life foreign to the world, and not to be shocked when the world persecutes us, either directly or indirectly. 

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