Erik Manning

Erik is the creative force behind the YouTube channel Testify, which is an educational channel built to help inspire people's confidence in the text of the New Testament and the truth of the Christian faith.

Mark’s Gospel: The Case for a Peter-Driven Memoir

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The Gospels’ authors are a topic of debate for those questioning the New Testament. Mark’s Gospel, early and rich in Jesus’ life story, lacks an eyewitness tag. How did Mark learn about Jesus? The church fathers largely agree that Mark served as a scribe or interpreter for Peter while he preached in Rome. In this post I’ll explore this evidence and see if it matches up with some internal clues. A couple of weak arguments against Petrine influence Before we move forward, let’s address a couple of common objections. Some people say that because Mark never explicitly says he got his information from Peter, it means he probably didn’t. After all, that’s a pretty big … Read more

MythVision’s Misguided Quest to Debunk Undesigned Coincidences Is Getting Weird

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So I watched a recent episode of MythVision, in which they took another swing against the argument from undesigned coincidences. This time Derek was hosting Dr. Joseph AP Wilson, an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. Dr. Wilson has a lot of impressive credentials, holding a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida, an MS in Archaeology from Michigan Technological University, an MA in Religious Studies from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, and a BS in Anthropology from Kent State University. After the previous Dr. Jef Tripp fiasco that happened on MythVision, I was hopeful that some lessons would have been learned. Um….yeah. Lessons were most certainly not learned; … Read more

The Napoleon Myth

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Historians are fascinated with the character of Napoleon Bonaparte. This obscure Corsican upstart, depending on whom you ask, is either an individual of exceptional talent and bravery or a person of limited ability and cowardice. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the French army, achieved significant victories, and, filled with success, embarked on an expedition to Egypt. Some view this endeavor as brilliantly executed, while others see it as a wild and foolish venture. Although he was initially unsuccessful, he returned to France to find a favorable disposition towards him, which allowed him to easily overthrow the existing government and secure supreme power – initially as consul and later as emperor. During his rule, … Read more

The 2023 World Series is a Myth

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Is the 2023 World Series real? No, not at all. At least according to renowned biblical scholar, historian, blogger, and philosopher Kerry R. Ricardo. Observe these striking parallels from one astute X user. Surely these cannot all be coincidences. Clearly, this is an example of what biblical scholars term a doublet, casting doubt on the historical accuracy of both reports. I mean, can we truly believe that both of these events occurred 22 years apart? Pretty unlikely, if you ask me. Also, the trope of a snake killing a bird finds its basis in the legend of Aegypius. In this myth, Aegypius met his demise at the hands of snakes sent by the god Apollo, … Read more

Some Undesigned Coincidences in the Thessalonian Correspondence

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In his well-known work, Horae Paulinae, William Paley presents a compelling case for the reliability of the book of Acts through a concept he termed “undesigned coincidences.” In this blog post I’ll look at several notable examples of undesigned coincidences between Acts and Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Just to remind you, an undesigned coincidence is “a notable connection between two or more accounts or texts that doesn’t seem to have been planned by the person or people giving the accounts. Despite their apparent independence, the items fit together like pieces of a puzzle.” (McGrew, Hidden in Plain View, pg. 18) So you might be reading a passage and it raises a question, but then … Read more

Analyzing Resurrection Discrepancies: Post-Conversation Musings with Hartke

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During my recent friendly and enjoyable conversation with skeptic Matthew Hartke, I mentioned that I might have some “shower thoughts” after our discussion. We were talking about contradictions in the resurrection stories, and while I think I did an okay job defending my points, I got a bit stuck at one spot. We were discussing a chapter in Lydia McGrew’s book Testimonies to the Truth called “Unexpected Harmonies,” which explores the concept of reconcilable variations. In the 19th century, the apologist T.R. Birks (there I go quoting another long-deceased apologist) defined a reconcilable variation as follows: “The entire sameness of the narrative, in two or three distinct works, would weaken, and almost destroy the authority … Read more

Coinfidence in Undesigned Coincidences: In Defense of the “Why Philip?” example

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A commonly mentioned example of an undesigned coincidence is about why, in John 6:5, Jesus asks Philip where to get food for the crowd before miraculously feeding the five thousand. The explanation relies on details from John and Luke. In John, we learn that Philip came from Bethsaida, while Luke independently says the feeding happened there (Luke 9:10). In Luke’s story, the place is mentioned, but Philip’s role isn’t. In contrast, John doesn’t specify the location but does mention that Philip is from Bethsaida and tells us about Jesus asking Philip. This makes sense as an undesigned coincidence if Philip knew the area well and its local food joints. It’s important to note that John … Read more

Countering The Amateur Exegete’s Green Grass Coincidence Critique

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In Lydia McGrew’s book Hidden in Plain View, she presents a compelling argument for the trustworthiness of the Gospels, featuring numerous undesigned coincidences as supporting evidence that the Gospels and Acts were authored by individuals closely connected to the original witnesses of Jesus’ ministry. One of these coincidences centers on the mention of green grass in Mark’s Gospel, which corresponds with an account of it being Passover time in the Gospel of John. (If you’re unfamiliar, I discuss this coincidence in more detail here.) However, a well-read and bright blogger who goes by “The Amateur Exegete,” whose actual name is Ben, raises questions about this apparent coincidence, challenging its evidential value. For a full understanding … Read more

Unraveling the Genealogical Mystery: Resolving the Alleged Contradiction in the Gospels

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The Gospels provide us with valuable teachings, history, and inspiration. However, they also contain parts that can be confusing, with apparent contradictions. One such challenge involves the family history of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. It seems like these genealogies don’t match up much at all, which can be puzzling. As noted biblical critic Bart Ehrman points out: “The real problem they pose, however, is that the two genealogies are actually quite different” (Jesus Interrupted, p. 37). But if we dig deeper and consider the historical context, we can find the real story behind this supposed contradiction. Matthew 1:16—“…and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is … Read more

The Apostles and Suffering: A Response to Paulogia’s Skepticism

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In his videos, the skeptical YouTuber Paulogia questions how strong the evidence is for the suffering and deaths of the apostles, even if we assume that the book of Acts is historically accurate. He points out that we have limited information about their suffering, mostly just about Peter, John, and later, Paul. We don’t know much about what happened to other apostles like Simon the Zealot, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thaddeus, Thomas, and more. It’s like they disappeared from pages of reliable history, so we’re not sure about the dangers they might have faced or what risks they really took. In his response to Catholic apologist Trent Horn, Paulogia says: In (Acts) chapter 5, Peter and the … Read more

Is Jesus Alive?