CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS 
Philosophy and History 

Erick Nelson
For J.W. Montgomery
September 17, 1977
(Text Re-Entered December, 2007)

See the full version of this paper in one document, 2M = 172 pp:  Word Version 

Introduction - Quotes

CHAPTER ONE:  THE CRITICS 

  1. Bertrand Russell

  2. Ludwig Feuerbach

  3. Walter Kauffman

  4. Sigmund Freud

  5. Paramahansa Yogananda

  6. Mahatma Gandhi

  7. Hugh Schonfield

  8. Erick Von Daniken

  9. James Utter

  10. Owen Jensen

  11. Barry Dank

  12. Gerald Larue

  13. Summary of Objections

CHAPTER TWO:  METHOD OF INVESTIGATION – EPISTEMOLOGY 

  1. Critics’ notion of faith

  2. N.T. notion of truth      

  3. N.T. notion of faith       

  4. Assumptions      

  5. Conflicting assumptions       

  6. Starting point:  cogito, plus experience       

  7. Symbolic representation       

  8. Equivalence of mathematics and symbolic logic       

  9. Deduction and induction   

  10. Summary of epistemological approach

CHAPTER THREE:  THE POSSIBILITY OF UNDERSTANDING REALITY – METAPHYSICS

  1. The existence of an objective world

  2. Ordering experience

  3. Fallacy of materialism

  4. Kant:  the noumenon is beyond possible experience

  5. Ethics and subjectivism

  6. Naturalistic objectivism

  7. Judging between pleasures - importance of metaphysics

  8. Self-discolosure of the noumenon

  9. Theistic model

  10. Monistic model

  11. Summary of metaphysical problem

CHAPTER FOUR:  METHOD OF VERIFICATION – EVIDENCE

  1. The ontological proof

  2. The cosmological proof

  3. Modes of self-disclosure of the moumenon

  4. Miracles

  5. Myth and symbols

  6. Verification and Falsification

  7. Standards of legal evidence - competence

  8. Standards of legal evidence - veracity

  9. Burden of and degree of proof

  10. Historiography 

CHAPTER FIVE:  MATERIALS CONCERNING JESUS

  1. Pagan authors

  2. Jewish sources

  3. Textual criticism

  4. Uncial MSS

  5. Papyri MSS and miniscules

  6. Versions

  7. Patristic quotations

  8. Lectionaries

  9. Analyzing the text

  10. Comparison with classical MSS

CHAPTER SIX:  JESUS’ CLAIM

  1. Messianic prophecy

  2. Son of Man in Jewish literature

  3. The Zealots

  4. Qumran and the Essenes

  5. Jesus’ application of Messiah and Son of Man

  6. Jewish and Hellenistic concepts of Son of God

  7. Jesus’ application of Son of God

  8. Pre-existence of Jesus

  9. Relationship of Father and Son

  10. Sin and worship

  11. Paul "I Am"

  12. Religious leaders, relative to this claim 

CHAPTER SEVEN:  THE ALTERNATIVES

  1. Resurrection in Acts’ kerygma and the epistles

  2. Gospel resurrection accounts

  3. Discrepencies and contradiction

  4. The three lternatives to the truth of this claim

  5. The Plot hypothesis

  6. The Misled hypothesis - the resurrection

  7. The Misled hypothesis - Jesus’ claim 

CHAPTER EIGHT:  THE LEGEND HYPOTHESIS

  1. Four evidential points

  2. Pericopae

  3. Life-situation - didn’t want to preserve truth

  4. Legends - weren’t able to preserve truth

  5. Hellenistic notions added to aJewish framework

  6. Method of interpretation:  Cath 22

  7. Basis - anti-miraculous presuppositions

  8. Summary

CHAPTER NINE:  EYEWITNESS CHARACTERISTICS

  1. Councils and the canon

  2. Paul’s letters

  3. Mark – internal evidence

  4. Mark – external evidence

  5. Dating the New Testament

  6. Mark – dating

  7. Luke/Acts – internal

  8. Luke/Acts – dating

  9. Matthew – internal and external

  10. Matthew – dating

  11. John – internal

  12. John – external

  13. John – dating

  14. Legend hypothesis:  evaluation

  15. Application of legal and historiographical evidential standards to this problem 

CHAPTER TEN:  CONTRA THE CRITICS

  1. Emotion, not reason

  2. Belief-system

  3. Verifying God’s existence

  4. Miracles

  5. Proofs of God

  6. Historical Jesus, interest

  7. Private interpretation of documents

  8. Textual corruption

  9. Existence of historical Jesus

  10. Hellenistic additions

  11. Councils

  12. Legend hypothesis

  13. Summary of rebuttal 

Footnotes

Appendix A:   

  1. Interviewing College Professors

Appendices B thru M: 

  1. Faith and Truth in the New Testament
  2. Greek Papyri, Uncials, and Miniscules
  3. Early Patristic Quotation of the New Testament
  4. Bibliographic Evidence:  Time Spans and Extant Copies
  5. Disputed, Undisputed, and Spurious Works
  6. The Accuracy of Mark’s History
  7. The Accuracy of Luke’s History
  8. The Accuracy of John’s History
  9. Similarities Between the Gospels and Epistles
  10. Symptoms of Schizophrenia
  11. Concerning a Late Date for Mark
  12. Logical Fallacies