tested/content/source/question-index.md

Bible Defense — Question Index

Oct 2, 2026 · Joshua Oosthuizen

How to read this

Every question gets a status for how confident its answer is, the domains the evidence comes from, and a one-to-two-sentence answer. Full articles come later.

Status	Meaning	Example
Green	Settled. Multiple lines of evidence agree; the answer can be stated with confidence.	Jesus was crucified
Yellow	Strong case, but debated. Good evidence for the answer, yet serious scholars (including Christians) disagree, or it rests on a miracle evidence supports but can't force.	The resurrection itself
Red	Open. Evidence is too thin to conclude; present it and leave it open.	Who wrote Hebrews

Domains: Scripture, History, Archaeology, Science, Philosophy, Textual Criticism, Theology, Context (language, genre, culture).

1. Existence of God & Worldview

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
1.1	Does God exist?	Yellow	Philosophy, Science	The cosmological, fine-tuning and moral arguments build a strong cumulative case. It can't be proven like a math theorem, but belief is reasonable.	1.2 Beginning, 1.3 Fine-tuning, 1.5 Morality, 7.9 Resurrection
1.2	Did the universe have a beginning?	Yellow	Science, Philosophy, Scripture	Big Bang cosmology points strongly to a finite past, matching Genesis 1:1. Whether that was an absolute beginning is still argued among physicists.	1.1 Does God exist, 2.4 Age of the earth, 2.5 Creation days
1.3	Is the universe fine-tuned for life?	Green	Science	Physicists broadly agree the constants sit in very narrow life-permitting ranges. What explains it (design vs. multiverse) is the debated part.	1.1 Does God exist, 2.11 Origin of life, 2.13 Intelligent design
1.4	Who created God?	Green	Philosophy	Category error. Only things that begin to exist need a cause; God is by definition eternal and uncaused.	1.1 Does God exist, 1.2 Beginning, 8.1 Trinity
1.5	Can there be objective morality without God?	Yellow	Philosophy	Without a moral lawgiver, objective moral duties are hard to ground. Atheist philosophers offer alternatives, so it stays debated.	9.1 Evil vs God, 9.5 Euthyphro
1.6	Are faith and science enemies?	Green	History, Philosophy	No. Many founders of modern science were believers, and Scripture calls us to test things (1 Thess 5:21). Biblical faith is trust based on evidence.	2.3 Evolution, 2.13 Intelligent design, 4.6 Archaeology
1.7	Are all religions basically the same?	Green	Philosophy, Scripture	No. Their core claims contradict (who God is, who Jesus is, how we're saved), so they can't all be true (John 14:6).	1.9 Never heard, 8.2 Only way
1.8	Why does God seem hidden?	Yellow	Philosophy, Scripture	God reveals Himself in creation, conscience, Scripture and Christ (Rom 1:20), but leaves room for free response rather than forced belief.	1.1 Does God exist, 9.2 Suffering
1.9	What about people who never hear of Jesus?	Yellow	Scripture, Philosophy	Scripture says God judges justly (Gen 18:25) and by the light people had (Rom 1–2). Christians differ on the details.	1.7 All religions, 8.2 Only way, 9.4 Hell & love

2. Creation & Science

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
2.1	Does the Bible teach a flat earth?	Green	Scripture, Context, Science	No. "Four corners" and "ends of the earth" are idioms, like we say "sunrise". Isaiah 40:22 speaks of the "circle of the earth". Flat earth is simply false.	2.2 Geocentrism, 11.1 Dome
2.2	Does the Bible teach the sun orbits the earth?	Green	Scripture, Context	No. "The sun rises" is observational language, not a scientific model.	2.1 Flat earth, 11.1 Dome
2.3	Is evolution compatible with the Bible?	Yellow	Science, Scripture, Philosophy	Unguided, purposeless evolution contradicts a Creator. Whether God used a process is where Christians split: young-earth and old-earth creationists say no; theistic evolutionists say yes but face hard questions on Adam and death before the Fall. Present the science fairly, then the tension.	2.4 Age of the earth, 2.6 Adam & Eve, 2.7 Death before Fall, 1.6 Faith & science
2.4	How old is the earth?	Yellow	Science, Scripture	Mainstream science dates it about 4.5 billion years. Young-earth views (6,000–10,000 years) read the genealogies as complete; old-earth views read them as selective. Genesis gives no stated age.	2.5 Creation days, 2.8 Flood, 1.2 Beginning
2.5	Are the creation days literal 24 hours?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Hebrew yom can mean a day or an era. Views: 24-hour days, day-age, framework. All hold that God created. My Notes: Biggest argument for young earth is the day 3 and day 4 creation (plants created on day 3, but the sun and stars etc on day 4). Also the flood can be reason for the earth dated later than it is and God could've created the earth "old".	2.4 Age of the earth, 11.7 Gap theory
2.6	Were Adam and Eve real people?	Yellow	Scripture, Science, History	Jesus and Paul treat them as historical (Matt 19:4, Rom 5:12). Genetic diversity data is debated; several models argue a real first couple fits the evidence. My Notes: It makes sense, however other people might have also existed (story of Cain), like the Bible focuses on the poeple of Isreal and that doesn't mean that other's didn't exist, and keep in mind Noah and his family restarted the entire global population. (God's hand in the genetics in that time is key however).	2.3 Evolution, 2.7 Death before Fall, 6.8 Genealogies
2.7	Was there death before the Fall?	Yellow	Scripture, Science	Young-earth views say no animal death; old-earth views say Romans 5 refers to human death. Hinges on 2.3 and 2.4.	2.3 Evolution, 9.3 Natural disasters
2.8	Was Noah's flood global or local?	Yellow	Scripture, Science, History	"All the earth" can mean the known world. Geology doesn't support a recent worldwide flood, but flood stories appear across ancient cultures. Christians hold both views. My Notes: However, fossils on some of the highest mountains would prove a global flood.	2.9 Ark animals, 4.8 Gilgamesh, 11.2 Ark found
2.9	Could the animals fit on the ark?	Yellow	Scripture, Science	Depends on what "kinds" means. If kinds are broad (family level), the ark's dimensions (about 300 × 50 × 30 cubits) give ample room. My Notes: Also, there is the Ark Encounter which shows how this is possible.	2.8 Flood, 11.2 Ark found
2.10	Where do dinosaurs fit?	Yellow	Science, Scripture	Fossils are real. When dinosaurs lived depends on your view of 2.4. Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 40–41) are debated.	2.4 Age of the earth, 3.7 Nephilim
2.11	Can science explain the origin of life?	Yellow	Science	Not yet. No accepted natural pathway from chemicals to the first cell exists; it's an open research field. Careful: avoid "God of the gaps" arguments.	1.3 Fine-tuning, 2.13 Intelligent design
2.12	Does the Bible have scientific errors (bats as birds, hares chewing cud)?	Yellow	Context, Science	Mostly category confusion. Hebrew 'oph means "flying things", not modern "birds"; hares re-eat food in a cud-like way. Ancient categories, not modern taxonomy. My Notes: Must be very clear here.	4.7 Contradictions, 2.1 Flat earth
2.13	Is intelligent design science?	Yellow	Science, Philosophy	Design inferences are used in other fields (forensics, SETI). Critics say ID isn't testable. Debated.	1.3 Fine-tuning, 2.11 Origin of life
2.14	Did the Tower of Babel happen?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Babylonian ziggurats match the description. Direct evidence for the event and the language split is lacking. Note: This needs to be presented as although evidence might be lacking does not mean that it is not true.	4.8 Gilgamesh, 4.6 Archaeology

3. The Canon

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
3.1	How was the canon formed?	Green	History, Scripture	The Jewish Old Testament was recognized by Jesus' day ("Law, Prophets, Psalms", Luke 24:44). NT books were recognized by apostolic origin, orthodoxy and wide use; Athanasius listed the 27 in AD 367. Councils recognized the canon rather than inventing it.	3.2 Nicaea, 3B Missing books, 4.1 Text changed?
3.2	Did the Council of Nicaea pick the books?	Green	History	No. Nicaea (AD 325) dealt with Arius and Christ's deity. The canon myth comes from modern fiction.	3.1 Canon formed, 11.10 Constantine
3.3	What is in the Book of Enoch?	Green	Textual Criticism, History	Five sections: Watchers (fallen angels and Nephilim), Parables (a "Son of Man" figure), Astronomical Book (364-day calendar), Dream Visions (Israel's history as animals), Epistle of Enoch (woes and judgment).	3.4 Why not Enoch, 3.6 Enoch vs Scripture, 3.7 Nephilim
3.4	Why isn't Enoch in the Bible?	Green	Textual Criticism, History	It was written c. 300–100 BC by several authors, not by Enoch. It was never in the Hebrew canon and only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church accepts it.	3.5 Jude quotes Enoch, 3.11 Ethiopian Bible, 3B.10 1 Enoch
3.5	But Jude quotes Enoch. Doesn't that make it Scripture?	Green	Scripture, Context	Quoting isn't endorsing the whole book. Paul quotes pagan poets (Acts 17:28, Titus 1:12). Jude affirms that one prophecy was true.	3.4 Why not Enoch, 3B.15 Cited sources
3.6	What in Enoch lines up with Scripture, and what doesn't?	Yellow	Scripture, Textual Criticism	Lines up: God's holiness, coming judgment, a heavenly Messiah figure. Doesn't: blames human evil mainly on angels rather than Adam's sin, a fixed 364-day calendar, giants of absurd height. Useful as history of Jewish thought, not as authority.	3.3 Enoch contents, 3.7 Nephilim, 2.6 Adam & Eve
3.7	Who were the Nephilim and "sons of God" (Gen 6)?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Three views: fallen angels with human women (oldest view, also in Enoch), Seth's line marrying Cain's line, or ancient kings.	3.6 Enoch vs Scripture, 2.10 Dinosaurs, 11.4 Nephilim aliens
3.8	Why don't Protestants include the Apocrypha?	Yellow	History, Scripture	Catholics and Orthodox include books like Tobit and Maccabees. Protestants follow the Hebrew canon; Jesus never quotes these books and 1 Maccabees itself notes there was no prophet then (9:27). Traditions still disagree.	3B.1–3B.9 Apocrypha books, 8.12 After death
3.9	What about the Gnostic gospels (Thomas, Judas, Mary)?	Green	History, Textual Criticism	Written in the 2nd century or later, long after the apostles, with Gnostic theology that clashes with the earlier gospels.	3B.17–3B.23 NT apocrypha, 6.10 Married?
3.10	Are there lost books of the Bible?	Green	Scripture, History	Books like Jasher are cited but never claimed as Scripture. Nothing meant to be canon is missing.	3B.14–3B.16 Cited books, 3B.24–3B.28 Early church books
3.11	Is the Ethiopian 81-book Bible the "original"?	Green	History	No. It's a later, wider collection. The earliest canon lists are shorter.	3.4 Why not Enoch, 3B.11 Jubilees
3.12	Is the canon closed?	Yellow	Scripture, Theology	Most Christians say yes: the apostolic era ended. Revelation 22:18 strictly refers to Revelation itself.	3.1 Canon formed, 10.4 Revelation literal?
3.13	Did Moses write the Torah?	Yellow	Textual Criticism, Scripture	Jesus attributes it to Moses (Mark 12:26). Critical scholars propose multiple sources. Later edits (like Moses' death in Deut 34) are acknowledged by all.	3.14 Hebrews author, 4.7 Contradictions
3.14	Who wrote Hebrews?	Red	Textual Criticism	Unknown. Paul, Apollos and Barnabas are proposed. Its authority never depended on knowing.	3.13 Moses & Torah, 3.1 Canon formed

3B. The "missing books", one by one

None of these books were lost or hidden. Each was known, read and weighed by the early church. Status here rates how confident we are that leaving it out was right; Yellow means major Christian traditions still disagree.

#	Book	Group	Status	What it is, and why it's not in (Protestant) Bibles	Related
3B.1	Tobit	Apocrypha	Yellow	A devout exile, his son and the angel Raphael (c. 200 BC). Not in the Hebrew canon; its timeline has Tobit living through events about 200 years apart. In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.	3.8 Apocrypha
3B.2	Judith	Apocrypha	Yellow	A widow beheads an enemy general to save her town. Not in the Hebrew canon; calls Nebuchadnezzar king of Assyria, a clear historical error. Reads like a moral tale.	3.8 Apocrypha, 4.7 Contradictions
3B.3	Wisdom of Solomon	Apocrypha	Yellow	Poetic reflections on wisdom, written in Greek c. 1st century BC, not by Solomon. Rich theology, but never in the Hebrew canon.	3.8 Apocrypha
3B.4	Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)	Apocrypha	Yellow	Proverbs by Jesus ben Sira (c. 180 BC). Its own prologue places it after "the Law, the Prophets and the other books", setting itself apart from them.	3.1 Canon formed
3B.5	Baruch & Letter of Jeremiah	Apocrypha	Yellow	Claims to come from Jeremiah's scribe, but most scholars date it centuries later. Not in the Hebrew canon.	3.8 Apocrypha
3B.6	1 Maccabees	Apocrypha	Yellow	Solid history of the Jewish revolt (167 BC on) and the origin of Hanukkah (John 10:22). It admits there was no prophet in that era (9:27), so it reads as history, not prophecy.	3.8 Apocrypha, 5.9 Daniel's date
3B.7	2 Maccabees	Apocrypha	Yellow	Retells the revolt with miracles; includes prayers for the dead (12:43–45), used for purgatory. Its author calls it an abridgment and apologizes if it's poorly done (15:38), not how inspired writers speak.	8.12 After death
3B.8	Additions to Esther and Daniel (Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Azariah)	Apocrypha	Yellow	Greek expansions added to the Hebrew originals. Not in any Hebrew manuscript of those books.	3.8 Apocrypha, 5.9 Daniel's date
3B.9	Orthodox extras (1 Esdras, 3–4 Maccabees, Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, 2 Esdras)	Apocrypha	Yellow	Found in some Orthodox Bibles or appendices. Mostly rewrites or later Jewish works; Psalm 151 appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls but was never in the Hebrew Psalter.	3.8 Apocrypha, 4.2 Dead Sea Scrolls
3B.10	1 Enoch	Pseudepigrapha	Green	Full breakdown in 3.3–3.6. Written c. 300–100 BC by several authors, not by Enoch.	3.4 Why not Enoch, 3.7 Nephilim
3B.11	Jubilees	Pseudepigrapha	Green	Retells Genesis–Exodus in 49-year cycles with a 364-day calendar (c. 160–150 BC). Pseudonymous; only the Ethiopian church accepts it.	3.11 Ethiopian Bible, 3.4 Why not Enoch
3B.12	2 Enoch and 3 Enoch	Pseudepigrapha	Green	Later works (about 1st century AD and 5th century AD or after) with heavenly-journey legends. Never accepted by any church.	3.4 Why not Enoch
3B.13	Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs	Pseudepigrapha	Green	Deathbed speeches put in the mouths of Jacob's sons, with later Christian edits. Never treated as Scripture.	3.13 Moses & Torah
3B.14	Book of Jashar	Cited, not kept	Green	Quoted in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18: a collection of songs the writers drew on, never Scripture itself. The "Book of Jasher" sold today is a much later work, not the lost book.	3.10 Lost books
3B.15	Book of the Wars of the LORD; royal chronicles; records of Nathan and Gad	Cited, not kept	Green	Sources the biblical authors cite (Num 21:14, 1 Chron 29:29), like a historian citing archives. Using a source doesn't make it Scripture.	3.10 Lost books, 3.5 Jude quotes Enoch
3B.16	Paul's lost letters (earlier letter to Corinth; letter from Laodicea)	Cited, not kept	Green	Mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9 and Colossians 4:16. Not every apostolic letter was meant for the whole church. The "Epistle to the Laodiceans" in circulation is a later forgery stitched from Paul's phrases.	3.10 Lost books, 3.12 Canon closed
3B.17	Gospel of Thomas	NT apocrypha	Green	114 sayings of Jesus, mostly 2nd century, with Gnostic ideas (its last saying says Mary must "become male" to enter the kingdom).	3.9 Gnostic gospels, 4.4 Gospel dates
3B.18	Gospel of Judas	NT apocrypha	Green	2nd-century Gnostic text that makes Judas the hero. Irenaeus already rejected it around AD 180.	3.9 Gnostic gospels
3B.19	Gospels of Mary and Philip	NT apocrypha	Green	2nd–3rd century Gnostic texts. Philip's "kiss" passage is the source of the Jesus-was-married myth.	6.10 Married?, 11.9 Mary Magdalene
3B.20	Gospel of Peter	NT apocrypha	Green	2nd-century account with a talking cross. Bishop Serapion rejected it around AD 200 for false teaching about Christ's body.	7.8 Resurrection accounts
3B.21	Infancy Gospel of Thomas	NT apocrypha	Green	2nd-century legends of a child Jesus who strikes playmates dead. Clashes with the Jesus of the Gospels.	6.5 Miracles, 6.11 Lost years
3B.22	Protoevangelium of James	NT apocrypha	Green	Story of Mary's birth and childhood (c. AD 150). Shaped later tradition but was never read as Scripture.	6.6 Virgin birth, 6.9 Siblings
3B.23	Acts of Paul (and Thecla)	NT apocrypha	Green	A romance about Paul's travels. Tertullian (c. 200) says the elder who wrote it confessed and was removed from office.	4.1 Text changed?
3B.24	Shepherd of Hermas	Early church	Green	Popular visions and moral teaching (2nd century), even bound in Codex Sinaiticus. The Muratorian Fragment says it's fine to read but too recent to count with the prophets and apostles.	3.1 Canon formed
3B.25	Didache	Early church	Green	A church manual (c. AD 50–120) on baptism, prayer and the Lord's Supper. Treasured, but never claimed apostolic authorship.	3.1 Canon formed
3B.26	1 Clement	Early church	Green	Letter from the Roman church to Corinth (c. AD 96). Respected, but its author never claims apostolic authority.	3.1 Canon formed
3B.27	Epistle of Barnabas	Early church	Green	Allegorical reading of the OT (c. AD 70–135), not by Paul's companion Barnabas. Included in Sinaiticus but dropped as non-apostolic.	3.14 Hebrews author
3B.28	Apocalypse of Peter	Early church	Green	2nd-century tour of heaven and hell. Even early lists noted some churches refused to read it publicly.	8.7 Hell, 10.4 Revelation literal?

4. Reliability of the Text & History

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
4.1	Has the Bible been changed over time?	Green	Textual Criticism	No. There are over 5,000 Greek NT manuscripts, far more than any ancient work. Most variants are spelling or word order, and no core doctrine rests on a disputed reading.	4.2 Dead Sea Scrolls, 4.3 Missing passages, 4.9 KJV only
4.2	What did the Dead Sea Scrolls show?	Green	Textual Criticism, Archaeology	Their Isaiah scroll is about 1,000 years older than the previous oldest copy and matches it closely.	4.1 Text changed?, 5.9 Daniel's date
4.3	What about passages missing from early manuscripts (Mark 16:9–20, John 7:53–8:11)?	Green	Textual Criticism	They're not in the earliest copies and most Bibles flag them. No doctrine depends on them.	4.1 Text changed?, 4.9 KJV only
4.4	When were the Gospels written?	Yellow	History, Textual Criticism	Mainstream dating: Mark c. 65–70, Matthew and Luke c. 80–90, John c. 90–100. Many conservatives date them earlier because Acts ends around AD 62. Either way, within living memory of Jesus.	4.5 Eyewitnesses, 7.2 Early creed, 3B.17 Gospel of Thomas
4.5	Are the Gospels based on eyewitnesses?	Yellow	History	Early church tradition ties them to apostles and their circle, and they name specific witnesses. Critical scholars debate authorship.	4.4 Gospel dates, 7.8 Resurrection accounts
4.6	Does archaeology confirm biblical people and places?	Green	Archaeology	Repeatedly: Tel Dan Stele ("House of David"), the Pilate Stone, the Pool of Siloam, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the Caiaphas ossuary. Some periods are still debated (see section 5).	5.1 David, 5.3 Jericho, 6.1 Jesus existed
4.7	Does the Bible contradict itself?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Most alleged contradictions resolve with context, genre or translation. A few (e.g., accounts of Judas' death) take more work and Christians propose different harmonies.	6.8 Genealogies, 7.8 Resurrection accounts, 2.12 Science errors
4.8	Did Genesis copy older myths like Gilgamesh?	Yellow	History, Context	They share an ancient Near Eastern setting, but Genesis pushes back on them: one God, a good creation, humans with dignity instead of slaves to the gods.	2.8 Flood, 2.14 Babel
4.9	Is the KJV the only true Bible?	Green	Textual Criticism, History	No. Modern translations work from the same languages, plus older manuscripts found after 1611.	4.1 Text changed?, 4.3 Missing passages

5. Old Testament History & Difficulties

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
5.1	Did David exist?	Green	Archaeology	Yes. The Tel Dan Stele (9th century BC) names the "House of David". How large his kingdom was is still debated.	4.6 Archaeology, 5.2 Exodus
5.2	Did the Exodus happen?	Yellow	Archaeology, History	Direct evidence is thin, which is expected for nomads in a desert. The Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC) shows Israel already in Canaan. Early (c. 1446 BC) and late (c. 1260 BC) dates are both argued.	5.3 Jericho, 4.6 Archaeology
5.3	Did Jericho's walls fall?	Yellow	Archaeology	Excavators found collapsed walls, but disagree on dating them to Joshua's time.	5.2 Exodus, 5.4 Conquest
5.4	Was the conquest of Canaan genocide?	Yellow	Scripture, Context, Philosophy	Ancient war texts use hyperbole ("left no survivors", yet the same peoples appear later). It was judgment after centuries of patience (Gen 15:16). Still one of the hardest questions; treat it honestly.	9.2 Suffering, 8.4 OT vs NT God
5.5	Does the Old Testament approve of slavery?	Yellow	Context, Scripture	It regulated a common ancient practice that differed from race-based chattel slavery; kidnapping someone to sell them was a capital crime (Ex 21:16). Still a hard question.	9.6 NT slavery, 5.6 Harsh laws
5.6	Why were OT laws so harsh?	Yellow	Context, Scripture	They were civil law for ancient Israel as a nation, not a timeless law code for all states. Christ fulfills the law (Matt 5:17).	8.5 Keep OT law?, 8.4 OT vs NT God
5.7	Did people really live 900 years?	Red	Scripture, Science	Unknown. Some read the ages literally, some as honorific or symbolic. The Sumerian King List has even longer ages.	2.4 Age of the earth, 2.6 Adam & Eve
5.8	Was Jonah really swallowed by a fish?	Yellow	Scripture	It's presented as a miracle, and Jesus refers to it as real (Matt 12:40). Accepting it depends on accepting miracles at all.	6.5 Miracles, 7.9 Resurrection
5.9	Was Daniel written before or after the events it predicts?	Yellow	Textual Criticism, History	Traditional date: 6th century BC. Critical date: c. 165 BC. Copies among the Dead Sea Scrolls are early, and some prophecies reach past 165 BC.	4.2 Dead Sea Scrolls, 3B.6 1 Maccabees, 10.3 Revelation date
5.10	Did Jesus fulfil Old Testament prophecy?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Key texts: Isaiah 53, Micah 5:2, Psalm 22, Daniel 9. The combined pattern is strong; skeptics argue the Gospel writers shaped events to fit.	6.4 Claimed to be God, 7.9 Resurrection

6. Life of Christ

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
6.1	Did Jesus exist?	Green	History	Yes. Virtually all historians agree, including skeptics. Sources include Paul's letters, the Gospels, Josephus and Tacitus.	6.2 Crucified, 6.3 Pagan copy, 4.6 Archaeology
6.2	Was Jesus crucified?	Green	History	Yes. It's one of the best-attested facts of ancient history, reported by Christian and non-Christian sources (Tacitus, Josephus).	7.1 Swoon theory, 6.1 Jesus existed
6.3	Is Jesus a copy of pagan gods (Horus, Mithras)?	Green	History	No. The claimed parallels come from unreliable modern sources, are invented, or come after Christianity.	11.11 Easter & Ishtar, 11.10 Constantine
6.4	Did Jesus claim to be God?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Yes, by strong evidence: "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58), forgiving sins (Mark 2:5–7), the Son of Man on the clouds (Mark 14:62). Some critical scholars argue these claims developed later.	8.1 Trinity, 5.10 Prophecy
6.5	Did Jesus perform miracles?	Yellow	History, Philosophy	Historians widely agree he was known as a healer and exorcist; even hostile Jewish sources called him a sorcerer. Whether they were real miracles depends on whether miracles are possible.	1.1 Does God exist, 7.9 Resurrection, 3B.21 Infancy Gospel
6.6	Was Jesus born of a virgin?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Matthew and Luke report it independently. It's a miracle claim, so it stands or falls with the rest of the case for Jesus.	3B.22 Protoevangelium, 6.7 Birth date
6.7	When was Jesus born?	Yellow	History	Probably c. 6–4 BC, before Herod died. December 25 is tradition, not a historical date.	6.6 Virgin birth, 11.11 Easter & Ishtar
6.8	Why do Matthew's and Luke's genealogies differ?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Common views: one traces Joseph's line and one Mary's, or one legal and one biological line.	4.7 Contradictions, 2.6 Adam & Eve
6.9	Did Jesus have brothers and sisters?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Scripture names brothers including James (Mark 6:3, Gal 1:19). Catholics and Orthodox read them as cousins or step-siblings.	3B.22 Protoevangelium, 7.4 Skeptics converted
6.10	Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene?	Green	History	No evidence. The idea comes from late Gnostic texts and modern fiction.	3B.19 Mary & Philip, 11.9 Mary Magdalene
6.11	Did Jesus travel to India in his "lost years"?	Green	History	No evidence. The main source was exposed as a 19th-century hoax.	3B.21 Infancy Gospel, 6.3 Pagan copy

7. The Resurrection

The facts are mostly Green; the conclusion that Jesus rose is Yellow, pushing hard toward Green, because it's a miracle drawn from those facts as the best explanation.

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
7.1	Did Jesus actually die? ("swoon" theory)	Green	History, Science	Yes. Roman executioners were experts, and a half-dead man couldn't convince anyone he'd conquered death.	6.2 Crucified, 7.5 Empty tomb
7.2	How early is the resurrection claim?	Green	History, Textual Criticism	Very early. The creed Paul passes on in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 is dated by most scholars to within a few years of the crucifixion.	4.4 Gospel dates, 7.3 Appearances
7.3	Did people really believe they saw Jesus alive?	Green	History	Yes. Nearly all scholars, including skeptics, accept the disciples had experiences they took as appearances of the risen Jesus, including groups and over 500 people (1 Cor 15:6).	7.6 Hallucinations, 7.4 Skeptics converted
7.4	Were enemies and skeptics converted?	Green	History	Yes. Paul (a persecutor) and James (Jesus' doubting brother) both became leaders after claimed appearances.	6.9 Siblings, 7.3 Appearances
7.5	Was the tomb empty?	Yellow	History	A majority of scholars say yes: women are named as first witnesses (unlikely to be invented then) and opponents claimed the body was stolen, admitting it was missing.	7.7 Stolen body, 7.1 Swoon theory
7.6	Could it have been hallucinations?	Green	History, Science	No. Hallucinations are private, not shared by groups, and don't explain the empty tomb.	7.3 Appearances, 7.5 Empty tomb
7.7	Did the disciples steal the body?	Green	History	No. They suffered and many died for the claim; people don't die for what they know is a lie.	7.5 Empty tomb, 7.9 Resurrection
7.8	Do the resurrection accounts contradict?	Yellow	Scripture, History	They differ in details (number of angels, order of visits) but agree on the core. That's typical of independent eyewitness testimony.	4.7 Contradictions, 4.5 Eyewitnesses, 3B.20 Gospel of Peter
7.9	Did Jesus rise from the dead?	Yellow	History, Philosophy, Scripture	It's the best explanation for all the facts above. Rejecting it usually rests on ruling out miracles beforehand, not on the evidence.	6.5 Miracles, 1.1 Does God exist, 10.2 Jesus returns

8. Theology & Doctrine

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
8.1	Is the Trinity in the Bible?	Green	Scripture	The word isn't, but the teaching is: one God (Deut 6:4), with Father, Son and Spirit each divine (Matt 28:19, John 1:1, Acts 5:3–4).	6.4 Claimed to be God, 11.10 Constantine
8.2	Is Jesus the only way to God?	Green	Scripture	That's what the New Testament plainly claims (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).	1.7 All religions, 1.9 Never heard
8.3	Why did Jesus have to die?	Green	Scripture	To pay the penalty for sin and reconcile us to God (Rom 3:23–26, 2 Cor 5:21).	7.9 Resurrection, 6.2 Crucified
8.4	Is the OT God different from the NT God?	Green	Scripture	No. The OT is full of mercy (Ex 34:6) and the NT includes judgment (Rev 19). Same God, unfolding plan.	5.4 Conquest, 5.6 Harsh laws
8.5	Do Christians have to keep the Old Testament law?	Green	Scripture	Not as a covenant: Acts 15 and Galatians settle that. Its moral principles still guide us.	5.6 Harsh laws, 8.6 Faith & works
8.6	Do Paul and James contradict on faith and works?	Green	Scripture, Context	No. Paul: we're saved by faith, not works. James: real faith shows itself in works. Different questions.	8.5 Keep OT law?, 8.9 Lose salvation
8.7	Is hell eternal conscious punishment?	Yellow	Scripture	The traditional view; some evangelicals hold annihilationism (the lost are ultimately destroyed). Both cite Scripture.	9.4 Hell & love, 3B.28 Apocalypse of Peter
8.8	Predestination or free will?	Yellow	Scripture, Philosophy	Scripture affirms both God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Calvinists and Arminians weigh them differently.	8.9 Lose salvation, 1.9 Never heard
8.9	Can you lose your salvation?	Yellow	Scripture	Debated between traditions; each side has strong texts (John 10:28 vs Heb 6:4–6).	8.8 Predestination, 8.10 Unforgivable sin
8.10	What is the unforgivable sin?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28–30): persistent, hardened rejection of God's work. Worrying you've done it is a good sign you haven't.	8.9 Lose salvation
8.11	Are tongues and prophecy for today?	Yellow	Scripture	Cessationists say the gifts ended with the apostles; continuationists say they continue.	3.12 Canon closed
8.12	What happens right after death?	Yellow	Scripture	Believers are "with the Lord" (2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23) awaiting bodily resurrection. Details of the intermediate state are debated.	3B.7 2 Maccabees, 8.7 Hell

9. Evil, Suffering & Morality

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
9.1	Does evil prove God doesn't exist?	Green	Philosophy	No. Most philosophers, including atheists, accept that the logical version of this argument fails: God and evil aren't contradictory if God has good reasons, like free will.	9.2 Suffering, 1.1 Does God exist
9.2	Why does God allow so much suffering?	Yellow	Philosophy, Scripture	Free will, a fallen world, soul-making and God's bigger purposes (Rom 8:28) are part of the answer. The "why this much?" question stays genuinely hard, and Scripture (Job, Psalms) allows lament.	9.1 Evil vs God, 9.3 Natural disasters, 1.8 God hidden
9.3	Why natural disasters?	Yellow	Philosophy, Science, Scripture	A stable world with natural laws makes life possible but also produces disasters; Scripture links creation's brokenness to the Fall (Rom 8:20–22).	2.7 Death before Fall, 9.2 Suffering
9.4	How can a loving God send people to hell?	Yellow	Scripture, Philosophy	God is just as well as loving, and hell is ultimately people getting the separation they chose. Ties to 8.7.	8.7 Hell, 1.9 Never heard
9.5	Is God good because He commands it, or does He command it because it's good? (Euthyphro)	Green	Philosophy	False choice. Goodness is God's own nature; His commands flow from it.	1.5 Morality
9.6	Does the New Testament support slavery?	Yellow	Context, Scripture	It addressed slaves within their reality, but planted principles that undermined slavery (Gal 3:28, Philemon). Christians led abolition, though others defended slavery.	5.5 OT slavery
9.7	Is the Bible sexist?	Yellow	Context, Scripture	Women were radically valued for the time (first witnesses of the resurrection, Gal 3:28). Roles in church and home are debated (complementarian vs egalitarian).	7.5 Empty tomb, 11.9 Mary Magdalene
9.8	Isn't religion the cause of most wars?	Yellow	History	Most wars aren't mainly religious. The Crusades and Inquisition happened and should be owned honestly, but they contradict Jesus' teaching rather than follow it.	5.4 Conquest, 1.7 All religions

10. Revelation & End Times

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
10.1	Can we know when Jesus will return?	Green	Scripture	No. "No one knows the day or hour" (Matt 24:36). Every date-setter so far has been wrong.	10.2 Jesus returns, 10.8 Rapture
10.2	Will Jesus physically return?	Green	Scripture	Yes. It's affirmed across the NT (Acts 1:11, 1 Thess 4:16) and in all historic creeds.	7.9 Resurrection, 10.1 When he returns
10.3	Who wrote Revelation, and when?	Yellow	History, Textual Criticism	A John on Patmos; tradition says the apostle. Most date it c. AD 95, some before AD 70.	10.6 Preterism, 3.12 Canon closed
10.4	Should Revelation be read literally?	Yellow	Context	It's apocalyptic genre, full of symbols (lampstands = churches, 1:20). Christians differ on how much is literal.	10.5 666, 10.9 Millennium, 3B.28 Apocalypse of Peter
10.5	What is 666 / the mark of the beast?	Yellow	Context, Textual Criticism	A strong case points to Nero: his name in Hebrew letters adds to 666, and some manuscripts read 616, matching the Latin spelling. Future application is debated.	10.10 Antichrist, 10.6 Preterism
10.6	Was Revelation fulfilled in AD 70? (preterism)	Yellow	History, Scripture	Some see much of it fulfilled in Jerusalem's fall; most see future fulfilment too.	10.3 Revelation date, 10.5 666
10.7	Is Israel's 1948 rebirth prophetic?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Many dispensationalists say yes; other traditions say the church is the focus of fulfilment.	10.9 Millennium, 5.10 Prophecy
10.8	When is the rapture: before, during or after the tribulation?	Red	Scripture	No consensus. Each view has texts; the church has never settled it.	10.9 Millennium, 10.1 When he returns
10.9	What is the millennium?	Red	Scripture	Premillennial, amillennial and postmillennial views all have long histories. Unresolved.	10.8 Rapture, 10.4 Revelation literal?
10.10	Who is the Antichrist?	Red	Scripture	Unknown. John says many antichrists already exist (1 John 2:18). Avoid naming people.	10.5 666

11. Fringe Claims & Myths

Here the status rates the answer. A Green "No" means the claim is debunked.

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
11.1	Does the Bible describe a solid dome over the earth?	Yellow	Context, Scripture	Hebrew raqia ("firmament") may reflect ancient description of the sky as seen, not a scientific claim. Scholars debate how literal it was meant.	2.1 Flat earth, 2.2 Geocentrism
11.2	Has Noah's ark been found?	Green	Archaeology, Science	No confirmed find. The famous Durupınar site is a natural rock formation, and most creationist groups reject it too.	2.8 Flood, 2.9 Ark animals
11.3	Are giant skeletons proof of the Nephilim?	Green	Archaeology	No. The viral photos are edited hoaxes.	3.7 Nephilim, 11.4 Nephilim aliens
11.4	Were the Nephilim aliens?	Green	Scripture, Science	No evidence. It's a modern idea read back into Genesis 6.	3.7 Nephilim, 3.6 Enoch vs Scripture
11.5	Is there a hidden "Bible code"?	Green	Science	No. Researchers found similar "codes" in other long books like Moby Dick; it's a statistical artifact.	5.10 Prophecy
11.6	Is the Shroud of Turin Jesus' burial cloth?	Red	Science, History	Carbon dating (1988) put it at c. 1260–1390, but that sample is disputed and how the image formed is still unexplained. Open.	7.5 Empty tomb, 4.6 Archaeology
11.7	Was there a "gap" of ages between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Gap theory was popular in the 1800s; most scholars today, of all views, reject it on grammar.	2.5 Creation days, 2.4 Age of the earth
11.8	Was Lilith Adam's first wife?	Green	Scripture, History	No. She comes from medieval Jewish legend. Isaiah 34:14 mentions a night creature, not a wife.	2.6 Adam & Eve, 3.10 Lost books
11.9	Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?	Green	Scripture, History	No. The Bible never says so; it's a conflation from a sermon in AD 591.	3B.19 Mary & Philip, 6.10 Married?, 9.7 Sexist?
11.10	Did Constantine invent Christianity or Jesus' divinity?	Green	History	No. Christians worshipped Jesus as divine centuries earlier (Phil 2:5–11, Pliny's letter c. AD 112).	3.2 Nicaea, 8.1 Trinity, 6.4 Claimed to be God
11.11	Is Easter a pagan Ishtar festival?	Green	History	No. Most languages call it Pascha (Passover). The English word's origin is unclear, but it's unrelated to Ishtar.	6.3 Pagan copy, 6.7 Birth date

12. The Bible's Unity & Prophecy

The Bible is about 40 authors over 1,500 years telling one story, with prophecy that lands centuries later. The facts here are strong; the probability numbers are illustrations, not proof.

#	Question	Status	Domains	Basic answer	Related
12.1	How connected is the Bible?	Green	Scripture	About 40 authors, roughly 1,500 years, three continents, three languages, one storyline. A well-known visualization maps about 63,779 cross-references between its chapters.	12.2 One story, 12.3 Foreshadowing, 4.1 Text changed?
12.2	Is it really one story from Genesis to Revelation?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Genesis 3:15 promises someone who will crush the serpent; the line runs through Abraham, Israel and David to Christ, and Revelation 22 ends with Eden restored. Critics say later editors stitched it together.	12.3 Foreshadowing, 5.10 Prophecy, 10.2 Jesus returns
12.3	Does the Old Testament foreshadow Jesus?	Yellow	Scripture, Context	Jesus and the apostles point to these themselves: Jonah (Matt 12:40), the bronze serpent (John 3:14), the Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7). Some proposed "types" are stretched, so lead with the ones the NT names.	12.2 One story, 5.8 Jonah, 12.4 Fulfilled prophecies
12.4	Which prophecies did Jesus fulfil?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2), from David's line (Isa 11:1), pierced (Zech 12:10), lots cast for his clothes (Ps 22:18), buried with the rich (Isa 53:9), the suffering servant (Isa 53). Lists often claim 300+; a tight core of clear ones is more convincing.	5.10 Prophecy, 12.5 Staged?, 12.6 The odds
12.5	Couldn't Jesus have staged them?	Yellow	History, Philosophy	A few, yes (riding a donkey, Zech 9:9). Most, no: his birthplace, ancestry, method of execution, what the soldiers did and where he was buried. The skeptic's real reply is that the Gospel writers shaped the details.	12.4 Fulfilled prophecies, 4.5 Eyewitnesses, 6.2 Crucified
12.6	What are the odds of one man fulfilling them?	Yellow	Science, Philosophy	Peter Stoner's Science Speaks (1950s) estimated 1 in 10¹⁷ for just eight prophecies. The odds are clearly tiny, but his numbers are estimates, not measured data. Use it as an illustration, not proof.	12.4 Fulfilled prophecies, 12.5 Staged?
12.7	Were the prophecies written before Jesus?	Green	Textual Criticism, Archaeology	Yes. The Great Isaiah Scroll, including Isaiah 53, dates to roughly the 2nd century BC, and the Old Testament was translated into Greek before Jesus was born.	4.2 Dead Sea Scrolls, 5.9 Daniel's date, 12.4 Fulfilled prophecies
12.8	Did Daniel predict when the Messiah would come?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Daniel 9:24–26 says the Anointed One is "cut off" before the city and temple are destroyed, which happened in AD 70. Exact year counts vary and depend on how Daniel is dated.	5.9 Daniel's date, 12.4 Fulfilled prophecies, 10.6 Preterism
12.9	Are there fulfilled prophecies beyond Jesus?	Yellow	Scripture, History	Isaiah names Cyrus as Jerusalem's rebuilder (44:28), and Jesus predicted the temple's fall (Mark 13:2), fulfilled in AD 70. Critics respond by dating the texts after the events, so dating is the key fight.	12.8 Daniel's timeline, 5.9 Daniel's date, 4.4 Gospel dates
12.10	Why does the Bible expose its own heroes?	Yellow	History, Scripture	Abraham lies, David commits adultery and murder, Peter denies Jesus. Historians treat embarrassing details as a sign of honest reporting, since people rarely invent them.	7.5 Empty tomb, 4.5 Eyewitnesses
12.11	Does the Bible anticipate modern science?	Yellow	Science, Context	A few points fit well, like quarantine and washing laws (Lev 13–15). Many popular claims are overstated; it isn't a science textbook, and stretched claims hurt credibility.	2.12 Science errors, 2.1 Flat earth, 11.5 Bible code
12.12	How has the Bible survived and spread?	Green	History	Despite bans and burnings, it's the most printed and translated book in history, with the full Bible in over 700 languages.	4.1 Text changed?, 4.9 KJV only