Justin Taylor's Blog, page 40

An Important but Neglected Tool for Clear Thinking: Learn to “Divide the Issue”

Several years ago in National Review Online, Kevin Williamson did a post on “What to Think about Global Warming.” His main point was as follows:

The debate is polarized, and it is natural to throw one’s lot in with one camp or another—The World Is Ending vs. Global Warming Is a Hoax—but there are more than two propositions to consider. And those propositions are not mostly scientific in character, but political.

I post this not to debate the subject of his essay, but rather to point to it as an example of how to divide or untangle a complex cluster of issues.

There are a lot of important strategies for working through arguments, such as defining terms, following the rules of logic, sniffing out unstated assumptions and presuppositions, etc. But determining the actual claims—which often involves dividing the issue—can be a neglected step.

Here is how Williamson went about breaking down and analyzing the claims within the claim.

The planet is getting warmer. This seems to accord with what we know. From 1906 to 2005, the average surface temperature rose by 0.74 degrees Celsius by most estimates. The planet seems to have warmed much more quickly during the second half of that interval than in the first half. There has been a recent cooling trend, it is true, but the larger trend seems to be upward. While the Climate Research Unit fraud has given us reason to be skeptical of much of the data touching the global-warming debate, this fundamental claim seems to be reasonably well documented.


The planet is getting warmer, and human activity is the reason. This is the real crux of the debate, and, in truth, there are several different ways of considering this claim: Human activity may be the only reason for global warming, it may be one important factor among many, it may be one minor factor among many, or it may be a trivial factor or, possibly, no factor at all. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change does not seem to be an irresponsible organization, and I know of no obvious reason to suspect that it is involved in any shenanigans of the CRU variety. At the same time, IPCC does not do its own research; it is dependent upon the research of others, and therefore upon the scrupulousness of others. Nonetheless, they write: “The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing and very likely that it is not due to known natural causes alone.” (That “very” is an escalation from their previous position of just “likely.”) Having no scientific basis to disregard this conclusion, and no strong basis to suspect IPCC’s honesty, we ought to consider this claim carefully and sympathetically.


The planet is getting warmer, human activity is a main factor, and the consequences will be catastrophic. It is here that the claims cease being mostly scientific in nature and begin to become political and economic questions. Unsurprisingly, it is here that the emotional tenor of the debate starts to become shrill, with visions of maritime nations lost, New York City under water, and the like. In truth, the IPPC predicts a warming, over the next century, of 1-3.5 degrees Celsius. Much of that warming, IPPC concludes, will take place at the poles; it will not be evenly distributed around the globe, and the organization writes that “on regional scales, confidence in future climate projections remains low. . . . The degree to which regional climate variability will change also remains uncertain.” In economic terms, which Jim Manzi has considered extensively, the damage is equivalent to 1-2 percent of global GDP — a century from now. Yale economist Robert Mendelsohn concludes that the damage is more like 0.08-0.24 percent of global GDP — again, 100 years from now, when global GDP is expected to be many times larger than it is now. Real damage, to be sure, but something less than Armageddon.


The planet is getting warmer, human activity is a main factor, the consequences will be catastrophic, and some U.N.-style climate policeman is going to be able to manage a mitigating response. Here we make the transition to the purely political questions, and they do not look very promising for the warming-activist camp. Any international coalition to manage or prevent global warming will have to include China and India to be effective. China and India have made it abundantly clear that the price they are willing to pay to prevent global warming is, approximately, zero. The West’s willingness to subsidize global-warming projects on behalf of China and India is not zero, but it is not very much higher than zero. The international community has very little credibility in dealing with real and present danger — such as Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal and Tehran’s ambition to possess one — and so it seems unlikely that they will be effective in dealing with a less concrete, less immediate, more complex set of challenges, particularly one in which the various members of the international community have different and often conflicting economic incentives.


The planet is getting warmer, human activity is a main factor, the consequences will be catastrophic, and some U.N.-style climate policeman is going to be able to manage a mitigating response — in an economically efficient manner. It is at this point, it seems to me, that the argument for a Kyoto-style climate regime enters into the realm of fantasy. Even if we could imagine an international response that was 100 percent effective in achieving its climate-mitigation goals, the price ceiling on such an effort would have to be, at most, 1-2 percent of global GDP. In all likelihood, the better response would be to take corrective and adaptive steps as we go rather than investing our hopes, and our capital, in the United Nations or a comparable organization.


The planet is getting warmer, human activity is a main factor, the consequences will be catastrophic, and some U.N.-style climate policeman is going to be able to manage a mitigating response — in an economically efficient manner that also is consistent with our political liberties and national sovereignties. And the rational response to this is: Yeah, right.

Again, the point of this is not to debate Williamson’s arguments. My motivation is rather to hold this up as an example of how helpful it can be to untangle various claims, which can help us determine where we agree and where we actually disagree.

Here is the article in chart form:

 

This (↔) Is About That (↕)

 Kings Church Eastbourne has produced a wonderful little video with Andrew Wilson on the ultimate meaning of marriage:

For a book-length treatment of this, see Ray Ortlund’s Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel.

B. B. Warfield’s Analogy for the Trinity in the Old Testament

B. B. Warfield:

The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted; the introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before.

The mystery of the Trinity is not revealed in the Old Testament; but the mystery of the Trinity underlies the Old Testament revelation, and here and there almost comes into view.

Thus the Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the fuller revelation that follows it, but only perfected, extended and enlarged.

—Benjamin B. Warfied, “The Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity,” in Biblical Doctrines, The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield, vol. 2 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1932; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 141-42.

HT: Fred Sanders’s video lectures on The Triune God

When a Secular Palaeoentomologist (and the Spokesman for the Darwin Museum Exhibit) Began Reading Intelligent Design Literature

Who is Günter Bechly? Here’s part of his Wikipedia entry:

Bechly studied biology at the University of Hohenheim and zoology, parasitology and paleontology at the University of Tübingen. In 1999 he finished his PhD thesis on the fossil history and phylogeny of dragonflies and damselflies. After working for nearly a year as scientific volunteer in 1999, Bechly began became curator for amber and fossil insects at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart. He left the museum in December 2016. He has made research visits to the Museum of Comparative Zoology and other natural history museums.

Bechly’s research as palaeoentomologist is mainly focussed on the evolution, phylogeny, and fossil history of odonates and other basal pterygotes, and fossil insects from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Plattenkalk of Germany and the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil, as well as diverse amber inclusions. Bechly described about 167 new species and numerous higher taxa, including a phylogenetic re-classification of dragonflies and damselflies. The description of the new fossil insect order Coxoplectoptera in 2011 provided new clues to the evolution of insect wings and received broad international media coverage.

In 2009 Bechly organized as project leader the special exhibition “Der Fluss des Lebens – 150 Jahre Evolutionstheorie” at Rosenstein Castle, which attracted over 90.000 visitors and was one of the largest events of the “Darwin Year” celebrations in Germany.

The clip is from the documentary, Revolutionary: Michael Behe and the Mystery of Molecular Machines.

You can find more information about him here.

If You Had Been Here: A Poem for Easter

Glen Scrivener:

In John chapter 11, Jesus’ best friend lies ill. His family beg Jesus to come and heal him. Jesus does not respond right away. When he shows up, Lazarus has been dead for four days. It seems he’s too late.

But to this tragedy Jesus brings two surprising gifts—tears and triumph. He cries at the grave then raises his friend from death. It’s these tears and triumph that we need in the face of our own tragedies.

Lord, If You Had Been Here: A Poem for Easter

Glen Scrivener:

In John chapter 11, Jesus’ best friend lies ill. His family beg Jesus to come and heal him. Jesus does not respond right away. When he shows up, Lazarus has been dead for four days. It seems he’s too late.

But to this tragedy Jesus brings two surprising gifts—tears and triumph. He cries at the grave then raises his friend from death. It’s these tears and triumph that we need in the face of our own tragedies.

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

When’s the last time you were convicted by a book promo?

Well, my creative colleagues at Crossway have produced a brilliant little video to introduce Tony Reinke’s incredibly wise and perceptive new book, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You.

But there is ample gospel-hope for us, too, as Reinke writes in the preface:

Self-doubt is a hallmark of wise creatures (Proverbs 3:5-8; 12:15; 26:12). . . . We all need healthy critique. But if you are only harsh with yourself, let me speak a word of caution. This book fails if, having read it, you only hate yourself more; it succeeds only if you enjoy Christ more. So if you are easily weighed down with conviction and self-doubt, I pray that this book educates and equips you to enjoy freedom in life to taste deeper the infinite joy we have in Christ, leaving mediocre indulgences behind for deeper and more satisfying pleasures ahead.

You can read online for free John Piper’s foreword, along with Tony’s preface and introduction.

Endorsements

“Are Christians using technology to transform the world or is technology transforming Christians in unhealthy ways? Especially since the era of Franklin and Jefferson, when inventing things and technological ways of organizing things became a way of life, Christians have needed to be alert to such questions. Tony Reinke’s reflections on the smartphone offer helpful advice as to how people today need to be vigilant regarding the impact of their favorite new technologies.”

—George M. Marsden, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History Emeritus, University of Notre Dame; author, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship

“12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You is an incredibly convicting and profoundly insightful read. Smartphones have become a part of our lives, but Tony explores the devastation to the human mind and soul due to devotion to technology. He calls us to examine not merely the use of our smartphones but the motives that inspire it. This is a necessary book for our generation, to remind us that our phone habits will either amplify or get in the way of our most important longing of all: the soul-satisfying glory of our Savior.”

—Jackie Hill Perry, poet; writer; hip-hop artist

“In contrast to the television that dominates the modern living room, the smartphone is typically far less conspicuous in its presence. Perhaps on account of this subtle unobtrusiveness, surprisingly few have devoted sustained reflection to the effect this now ubiquitous technology is having on our lives. In this book, Tony Reinke plucks these devices from the penumbra of our critical awareness and subjects them to the searching light of Christian wisdom. The result is an often sobering assessment of the effect they are having on our lives, accompanied by much prudent and practical counsel for mastering them. This is a timely and thoughtful treatment of a profoundly important issue, a book that should be prescribed to every Christian smartphone owner for the sake of our spiritual health.”

—Alastair Roberts, theologian; blogger

“Tony Reinke’s 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You is one of the most important little books a twenty-first-century Christian could read. Highly recommended.”

—Bruce Riley Ashford, Provost and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“For many, the phone is an object of increasing anxiety, exhaustion, and dependency. The wise Tony Reinke leads us practically to find freedom from the phone without requiring us to huddle away in a monastery somewhere in the middle of Montana. If you want to know how to steward your technology and your life for Christ and his kingdom, read this.”

—Russell D. Moore, president, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; author, Onward

“If you feel uneasy about your constant relationship with your phone (and even if you don’t, but wonder if you should), you will find Tony Reinke to be a reliable guide for how we should assess the impact of our phones on ourselves and our relationships. A marvelous book that tackles a massive subject in clear and compelling language!”

—Trevin Wax, Managing Editor, The Gospel Project; author, Gospel-Centered Teaching, Counterfeit Gospels, and Holy Subversion

“Two things strike me about this book. First, Reinke writes with great humility, including himself in the narrative to help us see him not only as a teacher but also as a fellow struggler. Second, this is not a guilt-ridden slog through what not to do. Tony keeps pulling us up into the glories of Christ and even helps us to dream of new ways to glorify God through our digital technologies. Helpful, hopeful, humbling, and inspiring, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You is a book for this age and wisdom for generations to follow.”

—Trillia Newbell, author, Enjoy; Fear and Faith; and United

“Image is everything, and for a woman who has built her identity on the sands of how she’s embraced online, the eventual letdown will come like a crash. But there’s a better way forward, a way to use our phones in selfless service, to glorify God in our connectivity, and to image Christ by our phone behaviors. For this, we must evaluate our glowing screens and train our discernment to see the difference between the sight-driven habits of our age and the Scripture-lit pathway of faith. Every chapter of this book is like the right kind of push notification in our lives. Stop, read, process, and apply with care.”

—Gloria Furman, author, The Pastor’s Wife; Missional Motherhood; and Alive in Him

“As a teenager and a smartphone user, I needed this book. Tony Reinke is compelling and convicting, yet continually meets us with grace. My generation needs this book, because we need to get technology right. If we don’t, the cost is great. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You should be a must-read for every smartphone user, especially for us younger ones.”

—Jaquelle Crowe, lead writer and Editor in Chief, TheRebelution.com; contributor, The Gospel Coalition; author, This Changes Everything

“It took more than a generation for the quaint ‘horseless carriage,’ with all its magic and horror, to become the ordinary, unexamined ‘car.’ But the device we once called a ‘smartphone’ has reached its status as ‘phone’—a common, everyday inevitability—with such breathtaking speed that it has left us little time for reflection on the true power it has in our lives. Tony offers us a distinctly Christian take on the little wonders in our pockets, seeing their goodness, beauty, and power, but also applying godly wisdom and well-researched cautions to help readers use their phones without being used by their phones.”

—John Dyer, author, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology

“Experience practical theology at its finest as Tony applies a thorough understanding of the Scriptures to a thorough understanding of our culture, resulting in a beautifully written and balanced guide to the dangers and opportunities in the palms of our hands. Yes, our phones have changed us for the worse, but this book will change us and our phone use for the better.”

—David Murray, pastor; Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Jesus on Every Page and Reset

“The more widespread and influential something is, the more Christians should think carefully about it. In this wisdom-filled book, Tony Reinke helps us do just that with the smartphone. Without descending into technophobia or paranoia, he shows the various ways in which phones are changing our lives, highlighting both the problems with this and the solutions to it. A timely and thoughtful book.”

—Andrew Wilson, pastor, Kings Church Eastbourne, East Sussex; author, If God, Then What? and Unbreakable

“Rarely is a book as practically impactful as it is theologically rich. In an age in which daily we are drawn into a digital vortex, Tony Reinke warns of the implications and challenges us to examine whether our phones have displaced our spiritual priorities in Christ. With unflinching honesty, Reinke shares his own technological struggles, and in so doing, moves us to a posture of reflection, prayer, and even repentance. Thoroughly engaging and immediately applicable, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You is a must-read for our time.”

—Kim Cash Tate, author, Cling: Choosing a Lifestyle of Intimacy with God

Table of Contents

Foreword by John Piper

Preface

Introduction: A Little Theology of Technology

1. We Are Addicted to Distraction

2. We Ignore Our Flesh and Blood

3. We Crave Immediate Approval

4. We Lose Our Literacy

5. We Feed on the Produced

6. We Become Like What We “Like”

7. We Get Lonely

8. We Get Comfortable in Secret Vices

9. We Lose Meaning

10. We Fear Missing Out

11. We Become Harsh to One Another

12. We Lose Our Place in Time

Conclusion: Living Smartphone Smart

Epilogue

Read the Bible Like John Piper: 68% Off a Book and Bible Bundle

A great deal from WTS Books—a new 400+ page hardcover volume from John Piper plus a cloth-over-board Thinline ESV for under $20:

 

The sale ends April 20, 2017. More info here.

They are also offering the Collected Works of John Piper for 57% off + free shipping.

Endorsements

“Not many books should be recommended for both beginning Bible readers and mature Bible readers, but this is one of them. Utilizing brief and pointed expositions of often overlooked Bible verses, John Piper helpfully explains why we should be reading the Bible, the work of the Spirit in our Bible reading, and the fundamental skills and habits of faithful Bible reading. I cannot imagine a serious Christian who would not benefit from a thoughtful reading of this book.”

D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Cofounder, The Gospel Coalition

“I have been reading the Bible daily for thirty-five years. Reading the Bible Supernaturally challenged my motives, effort, and enjoyment. I doubt I will read the Scriptures the same way again. I look forward to deeper and more wonderful times alone in the Word in the days ahead. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to take Bible study seriously.”

Francis Chan, New York Times best-selling author, Crazy Love and Forgotten God

“Stunning. Profound. Powerful. Reading the Bible Supernaturally will move you to captivated and awestruck worship at the Divine’s plan for his Word as an instrument to magnify his unrivaled glory. Seeing and savoring the God of the Scriptures is an extraordinarily high calling every believer must pursue, and no man can move us to that place quite like John Piper. This book, accessibly written and weighty in content, is so much more than a manual or study guide to the Scriptures. Rather, it’s an invitation to the experience God intended we have with his Word—an experience that is Spirit dependent, faith building, and worship inciting.”

Louie Giglio, Pastor, Passion City Church, Atlanta; Founder, Passion Conferences; author, The Comeback

“The seemingly mundane topic of reading the Bible ushers us into a world of supernatural grace for sinners. With constant reference to the Holy Scriptures, John Piper shows us how to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and to read by the light of Christ. Yet Piper commends no passive mysticism, but studious labor over the best of books; he is thorough, practical, and engaging throughout. Take up and read!”

Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

“Reading the Bible Supernaturally reminds us why we cannot rest until every person on earth has access to the Bible in their own tongue. Tribes, languages, peoples, and nations are perishing without access to, or opportunity to know, this glorious God through this glorious book. John Piper stokes the urgency of our calling as the church of Jesus Christ to deepen our appreciation for the Word that God uses toward a missional end—his global and eternal glory.”

Michael Oh, Global Executive Director, The Lausanne Movement

“Reading the Bible Supernaturally is a thorough and compelling wake-up call to lethargic, passive, resistant, mechanical Bible readers (which is all of us at one point or another) to become hungry, eager, inquisitive, aggressively observant miners for the treasure in the text—fully expectant that God will bring us from death to life, from foolishness to wisdom, from damning despair to glorious hope through his Word.”

Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author, Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow

“If you disconnect the Bible from God’s glory, you lose your grip on both. What terrible things we hear people say about each of them, taken in isolation. John Piper puts them together, and finds himself preaching an astonishingly high doctrine of Scripture, right alongside an intimately experiential doctrine of God’s glory. Reading the Bible Supernaturally is not just one of the helpful activities that make up the Christian life. Kept in proper context, seen in full perspective, and received in wide-awake recognition of the living voice of the triune God, reading the Bible is the central act of Christian existence. This book, a kind of extended Christian hedonist gloss on Psalm 119, is an invitation to the miracle of Bible reading.”

Fred Sanders, Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University; author, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything

“No book has inspired me to approach Scripture with as much anticipation as Reading the Bible Supernaturally. Read this book at your own risk, for it will ignite your devotional life. You will find yourself actively hunting for treasure in the Bible, looking carefully at each passage, praying and trusting that God himself will open your eyes to see and savor his glory. Don’t let the length of this book fool you; it is clear, accessible, and inspiring. In fact, it is the most practical, passionate, and motivating book on reading the Bible I have ever read. Read it. Apply it. Test it. It will transform your approach to God’s Word.”

Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author, The Scars That Have Shaped Me

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction



Part 1: The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible

Introduction to Part 1: The Proposal

Reading the Bible toward God’s Ultimate Goal
Reading the Bible toward White-Hot Worship
Reading to See Supreme Worth and Beauty, Part 1
Reading to See Supreme Worth and Beauty, Part 2
Reading to See Supreme Worth and Beauty, Part 3
Reading to Savor His Excellence, Part 1
Reading to Savor His Excellence, Part 2
Reading to Be Transformed, Part 1
Reading to Be Transformed, Part 2
Reading toward the Consummation

Part 2: The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible

Introduction to Part 2

The Necessity and Possibility of Reading the Bible Supernaturally
Why the Pharisees Couldn’t Read
New Testament Pictures of Bible Reading as a Supernatural Act

Part 3: The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally

Introduction to Part 3

God Forbid That We Despise His Natural Gifts
Humility Throws Open a Thousand Windows
The Indispensable Place of Prayer in Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Wakening Our Desire for the Word
The Indispensable Place of Prayer in Reading the Bible Supernaturally: To See, Savor, and Love with a United Heart
Reading the Bible by Faith in the Promises of God
Reading the Bible by Faith in His Promise to Instruct Us
The Ordinary Aim of Reading: The Meaning of Meaning
The Ordinary Aim of Reading: Five Reasons to Define Meaning as What the Author Intended to Communicate
The Ordinary Aim of Reading: God’s Intention through Man’s Intention
The Power of Patience and Aggressive Attentiveness
Active Reading Means Asking Questions
Asking Questions about Words and Phrases
Propositions: Collections of Nuggets or Links in a Chain?
Querying the Text about Paradoxes, Pleasures, and a Transformed Life

Conclusion

Appendix: Arcing

A Word of Thanks

Odd Thomas on the Gospel in 3 Minutes

Odd Thomas of Humble Beast on the Reality of the Resurrection:

A Guide to the Entire Cast of Characters During Jesus’s Final Week

The following is adapted from the glossary and reference guide for The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived, paired down just to the main characters. (The original, longer guide also defines key places and events.)

For a limited time the Kindle version of the book is on sale at Amazon for $3.19, 82% off the retail price.

Annas. The patriarchal former high priest who presided over the initial hearing of Jesus (John 18:12-24; see also Luke 3:2). His official rule was from AD 6 to 15, and he was succeeded by his son-in-law Joseph Caiaphas. While the Romans were the ones who appointed and deposed high priests, the Jews considered the position to last for life. The power of Annas’s Sadducee family is seen in the fact that his successors after Caiaphas included five of his sons. He died in AD 35, two years after Jesus’s execution. His headquarters may have been a two-story palatial mansion on the eastern slope of the Upper City (the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem), just southwest of the Temple Mount.

Barabbas. A prisoner released by Pilate as a Passover custom. Bar-abbas is an Aramaic patronymic meaning “son of the father,” and an early scribal tradition identifies his name as “Jesus Barabbas”—which would add to the irony of his release instead of Jesus the son of the eternal Father. All of our information about Barabbas comes from the Gospel accounts. He is characterized as a notorious revolutionary (Matt. 27:16), guilty of murder and plunder during an insurrection in Jerusalem (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19, 25; John 18:40). He may have had supporters in the crowd (see Mark 15:18), and the two thieves on the cross may have been arrested for similar crimes.

Battalion. At full strength this would be six hundred Roman soldiers (also known as a “cohort”), one-tenth the size of a “legion.” They gathered before Jesus at Pilate‘s headquarters (Matt. 27:27; Mark 15:16).

Beloved Disciple. The apostle John’s self-designation in his Gospel, which identifies the author (21:24-25; see also 21:20) as an eyewitness to Jesus’s Last Supper in the upper room (13:23), his crucifixion (19:35), and the empty tomb (20:8).

Caiaphas, Joseph. A son-in-law of Annas and the acting high priest who presided over Jesus’s Jewish trial. A Sadducee, he ruled nineteen years (AD 18 to 36), longer than any other high priest in the first century (high priests were often deposed after a year in office). It was Caiaphas who offered a political prediction during the plot to kill Jesus that John interprets with deeper theological meaning and irony ( John 11:49-52; see also 18:14). The Caiaphas Ossuary (bone box), which may well be authentic, was discovered in South Jerusalem in 1990. Now another ossuary has been found of Caiaphas’s granddaughter, with Caiaphas spelled the same slightly unusual way in Hebrew.

Centurion. A skilled Roman officer in command of a century (up to one hundred, but usually between sixty and eighty soldiers). After the crucifixion and the earthquake, the centurion at Golgotha praised God, acknowledged Jesus’s innocence, and confessed Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47); he also confirmed to Pilate that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44-45).

Cleopas. One of two disciples of Jesus who encountered the risen Messiah on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Cleopas was likely with either his wife or a friend.

Herod Antipas. One of Herod the Great’s four sons, he was a ruler in Galilee and Perea who inherited part of his father’s kingdom upon his death in 4 BC. He reigned for forty-two years, from 4 BC to AD 39. He was known as “Herod the Tetrarch” [i.e., ruler of a quarter].

High Priest. A powerful position usually held by Sadducees. Appointed by the Roman governor, the high priest served as president of the Sanhedrin, collected taxes, supervised the temple, and represented Jewish interests before Rome.

Jesus of Nazareth. Also called “The Christ” (Messiah). Jesus was born of a young virgin in the town of Bethlehem, perhaps in October of 6 or 5 BC. After his mother, Mary, and his adoptive father, Joseph, fled to Egypt on account of the murderous designs of Herod the Great, the family relocated to the town of Nazareth in lower Galilee, where Joseph served as a carpenter. Apart from a brief account of Jesus’s interaction with the rulers of Jerusalem when he was twelve years old (probably in AD 7 or 8), we hear no further details about the life of Jesus until the beginning of his public ministry, which likely began in late AD 29 and continued until his death on Friday, April 3, AD 33. Jesus’s relatively brief public ministry began with his baptism and wilderness temptations, continued with his authoritative teaching and miracle-working power, and culminated in his atoning death at the hands of the Romans and Jews, followed by his resurrection and ascension.

Joanna. Among the first women to discover the empty tomb (Luke 24:10), she was the wife of Chuza, the household manager or steward of King Herod Antipas. She was a follower of Jesus and helped to provide financially for Jesus’s ministry, along with Susanna and many others (Luke 8:3).

Joseph of Arimathea. A Pharisee who was a secret disciple but feared what fellow Jews would think of him if they knew his allegiance (John 19:38). He was wealthy (see Matt. 27:57), was a respected member of the Sanhedrin who did not agree with the Council’s treatment of Jesus (see Luke 23:50-51), and was originally from the Jewish town of Arimathea (Luke 23:50). Joseph requested possession of Jesus’s body from Pilate and was granted permission to bury him in a newly hewn rock tomb that he owned near a garden and near Golgotha ( John 19:41).

Judas Iscariot. One of Jesus’s twelve original disciples, he served as the treasurer, was known to steal money from their collective moneybag (John 12:6), and was the son of Simon Iscariot. He betrayed Jesus with a kiss for the price of thirty pieces of silver, and then hung himself after Jesus was condemned to die (Matt. 27:1-10; see also Acts 1:18-19).

Legion. A Roman army unit composed of nine cohorts and one first cohort (5,120 legionaries plus a large number of camp followers, servants, and slaves). Including the auxiliaries, it could contain as many as six thousand fighting men. Jesus reminded Peter that his Father could send more than twelve legions of angels (i.e., over 60,000) to intervene for him (Matt. 26:53).

Malchus. A bondservant of the high priest Caiaphas. His right ear was cut off by Peter and immediately healed by Jesus during the arrest (John 18:10; see also Matt. 26:51; Mark 14:47). One of Malchus’s relatives, a fellow bondservant of the high priest, questioned Peter about his relationship with Jesus (John 18:26).

Mary Magdalene. A Galilean woman probably from the town of Magdala (on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee). Jesus delivered her from seven demons (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9). She became a follower of Jesus (Matt. 27:57), a witness to the crucifixion and burial (Matt. 27:61; 28:1; Mark 15:40, 47; John 19:25), and was among the women who went to the tomb on Sunday (Mark 16:1; John 20:1). She was the first person to see Jesus alive (Mark 16:9) and told the other disciples (Luke 24:10; John 20:18).

Mary (mother of Jesus). She gave birth to Jesus, raised him, was present at his execution and burial, and witnessed his resurrection life. From the cross Jesus entrusted his widowed mother to John’s care, and she went to live in his home (John 19:25-27)—perhaps because Mary’s other sons were not yet believers ( John 7:5; see also Matt. 13:57; Mark 3:21, 31; 6:4). Mary’s other sons were named James (author of the biblical book of James), Joseph/Joses, Simon, Judas/Jude (author of the biblical book of Jude) (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:2-3; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:4-5; Gal. 1:19). She also had at least two daughters (Mark 6:3).

Mary (mother of James and Joses/Joseph). A witness of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection appearances. Her sons were named James the Younger (hence her husband must have been named James) and Joses/Joseph. See Matt. 27:61; 27:56; Mark 15:40, 47. The fact that two Marys in the story have sons with the same names ( James and Joseph/ Joses) shows the commonality of certain surnames in first-century Galilee. The name Mary, in particular, was exceedingly common in first-century Palestine, hence the need to distinguish between different Marys in the Gospels, whether by way of their hometown (Mary Magdalene) or in association with their husband (Mary of Clopas) or sons (Mary mother of James and Joses).

Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus). Jesus’s friend from Bethany who hosted Jesus during the last week of his earthly life in the home she shared with her siblings Lazarus and Martha (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-2; 12:1-8). She anointed Jesus’s head with oil (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8; but not Luke 7:36-50, which features another, earlier anointing of Jesus by a “sinful woman”).

Mary (wife of Clopas). A Galilean witness of Jesus’s crucifixion, she may be identified as Jesus’s “mother’s sister” (John 19:25)—though see discussion under Salome below. According to Hegesippus, as quoted by the historian Eusebius, Clopas was the brother of Joseph of Nazareth (Hist. Eccl. 3.11; 3.32.6; 4.22.4). If so, Mary and Clopas were Jesus’s aunt and uncle. Their son Simeon ( Jesus’s cousin) became a leader of the Jerusalem church succeeding James the brother of Jesus.

Nicodemus. A Galilean Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin who had a substantial conversation at night with Jesus on the new birth ( John 3:1-15), pled with his fellow Jewish leaders for fairness regarding Jesus ( John 7:50), and brought a substantial aromatic mixture of spices to preserve the corpse of Jesus ( John 19:35).

Pilate, Pontius. A Roman citizen, a member of the equestrian (middle) class, and the Roman governor of Judea and Roman prefect under Emperor Tiberius. He ruled from AD 26 to 36. He ruled over all non-Roman citizens in Judea and Samaria. His headquarters and residence were in Caesarea Maritima, about 68 miles (110 km) northwest of Jerusalem. Pilate was in Jerusalem for Passover in AD 33, staying in his Jerusalem headquarters, the former palace of Herod the Great.

Salome. One of Jesus’s female followers in Galilee, she witnessed the crucifixion and went to the tomb on Sunday (Mark 15:40; 16:1). The parallel passage in Matthew 27:56 makes it likely that she is the mother of the sons of Zebedee (i.e., James and John). Interpreters differ on the number of women represented in the Greek construction in John 19:25 (“his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene”). If “his mother’s sister” is a separate woman, the reference is likely to Salome (which would make James and John the cousins of Jesus). However, it seems slightly more likely that Mary the wife of Clopas is Mary’s sister (or sister-in-law). See the discussion under Mary (wife of Clopas).

Sanhedrin. Or “Council.” Headquartered in Jerusalem and comprised of both Pharisees and Sadducees, this was the highest ecclesiastical court of the Jews and the highest national body in charge of Jewish affairs. At full strength it may have had seventy elders, but twenty-three members present were sufficient for a quorum. The president of the Council at the time of Jesus’s arrest was Caiaphas the high priest.

Simon (of Cyrene). An African man, likely a Jew, from Cyrene (a region in North Africa with a large Jewish population) who carried Jesus’s cross to the site of the crucifixion on Golgotha. Simon and his sons Alexander and Rufus were likely traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. The mention of his sons’ names may indicate that they were believers in the early church.

Simon Peter. Spokesman for the Twelve (e.g., John 6:68-69), paired with the “beloved disciple” in the second half of John’s Gospel (e.g., 21:15-23), who denied Jesus three times prior to the crucifixion (18:15-18, 25- 27) but was subsequently reinstated into service by Jesus (21:15-19).

Twelve, the. Jesus’s twelve core disciples (Matt. 10:1-4 pars.): Simon Peter and Andrew (brothers), James and John (brothers, sons of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Thomas, Matthew (Levi), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus ( Judas the son of James), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot (son of Simon).