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How Corrupt is the Bible? A Response to Clines’s Article
by Jack Cascione
February 14, 2023Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
This article is a response to Dr. David Clines’s article, “How Corrupt is the Text of the Hebrew Bible? An Empirical Approach from Ezra 2 || Nehemiah 7.”
Where to begin? Clines’s publication service sent his article to this writer’s Gmail account nine times over the past three years. The comparison of these two chapters held little interest until Clines chose them as the battleground for debunking and overturning the reliability of the Bible.
David Clines established a world-wide reputation as an astute Hebrew scholar. He became a champion of the academic, seminary, and university cabal aligned against the inerrancy of the Bible we have today. He was not a shrill atheist, but assiduously quotes the Bible, verse by verse, against itself.
Righteousness versus Justification in Hebraic Meter:
How the Masoretes Hid the Doctrine of Justification
by Jack Cascione
September 23, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The standard translation of Genesis 15:6 (NASB) makes it doubtful that readers can figure out how Abram gets to heaven. The four Hebrew words for just, justification, justified, or justify exhibit some of the most inconsistent English Bible translations in the five books of Moses.
“Then he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
How does Abram get to heaven:
a. Because his faith made him righteous?
b. Because his faith is an act of righteousness?
c. Because he is now righteous like God?
d. Because God gives him righteousness?
e. All of the above
f. None of the aboveThe correct answer is “f,” none of the above. Abram gets to heaven because God views him as justified through faith, even though Abram remains an unrighteous sinner. We simply do not know how readers of English translations are to come to the correct understanding of Abram’s salvation in the English translations of Gen. 15:6.
Inspiration of the Bible and the Hidden God
by Jack Cascione
September 5, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The hiddenness of God is the foremost accusation raised by atheists when they challenge God’s existence. “If there is a God, then where is He?” Many religionists mistakenly reply that they sense God’s presence and/or know Him by faith. Rather, all we know about God is based not on our faith, but on the existence of the Creation and the inspiration of Scripture.
The inspiration of Scripture is where the rubber hits the road only if we have the original text. It is impossible to explain the hiddenness of God without the original text. The devil’s question to Eve, “Did God really say?” was not a question about her faith, but the importance of exactly what God had said. Before the Fall there was no faith, or anything that we would understand as faith, only the word of God.
It’s frustrating to listen to this debate titled, “Reflecting on the Cosmic Skeptic & Lukas Ruegger debate on God's Hiddenness,” when neither side knows that they are talking about.
The Divine Logos of John 1:1 in the Torah:
New Insights from the Joshua Tablet
by Jack Cascione
August 16, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The first verse of John’s Gospel is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible and ranks with the great opening sentences in any book ever written.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NASB).
From a historical perspective this verse also ranks as the most riveting evangelism hook ever written to the ancient Greek speaking world. This is the verse which brought down the Roman Empire, raised up the Byzantine Empire, and brought Jews and Greeks into the same church.
To a world steeped in Greek philosophy, John 1:1 boldly appropriates the innovation of Heraclitus, the father of philosophy. John’s culture-shock opening redefines Heraclitus’ deified logos and proclaims He is the Hebrew God of Genesis 1:1-3 from eternity.
Joshua Tablet versus Current Understanding of God:
New Evidence for the Origin of Language
by Jack Cascione
July 20, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The recently discovered Joshua Tablet is the oldest Hebrew text related to the Bible. It is dated as early as 1400 BC and is written in proto-Hebraic characters. It was found on Mount Ebal in Israel by an archeological team led by Dr. Scott Stripling.
The Tablet’s 23 words with 40 Hebrew letters proves that the ancient Hebrews were present in Israel and that they worshipped YHW Elohim (the LORD God) 3,500 years ago. This discovery flies into the face of scholars and universities who have taught for the past 150 years that Yahweh (LORD) did not become an official God of Israel until the 6th Century BC which turns the Bible into a historical farce.
Martin Luther was the first to write that the Bible is the only Divine artifact or relic of God. Now with the discovery of the Joshua Tablet, Stripling has uncovered the oldest Hebrew relic related to the Bible and the only original eyewitness account of any event in the Bible.
The Most Terrifying Chapter in the Bible
by Jack Cascione
June 21, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
We tend to think of the Bible in terms of superlatives. Which accounts or chapters are the most memorable, intriguing, gracious, encouraging, or uplifting? The chapters on crossing the Red Sea, Abraham and Isaac, David and Goliath, the birth of Christ, or the resurrection of Christ and more may come to mind. On the other hand, which account or chapter might be just the opposite--the most terrifying, depressing, and horrific?
As far as we are concerned, the most terrifying chapter is Deuteronomy 28.
For the past 13 years this writer has been researching Hebraic Meter; words, phrases, events, people, etc., arranged in multiples of 7s, or 10s, or 12s in the Torah beginning at Genesis Chapter 1. The search also led simultaneously to our investigation of numerous locations outside the Torah. Prior to this, beginning in 1978, the search had been broader and led to the examination of many New and Old Testaments books, and then to the publication of “In Search of the Biblical Order” which was then followed by “Repetition in the Bible.”
Stripling Discovery Brings New Relevance to Messianic Jews’ Opposition to Contemporary Marcionism
by Jack Cascione
June 14, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
Discovery of the Joshua Tablet by an archaeological team under the direction of Dr. Scott Stripling on Mount Ebal in Israel lends more relevance to the Messianic Jewish movement. The discovery was announced at the end of March 2022.
Messianic Judaism is one of the fastest growing religious denominations in the United States. Since adherents believe and teach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah, they place more significance on the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) than do many other denominations. At the same time, American religious denominations are turning to a form of Marcionism, an Early Church heresy which denied the necessity of the Hebrew Bible.
This writer recently had the privilege of addressing members of three different Messianic Jewish congregations. The meeting was held in the fellowship hall of the WELS church in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Additional viewers watched the presentation as it was live-streamed over the internet.
Stripling Discovery Leads to New Facts about God
by Jack Cascione
May 24, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
There is more information yet to be learned about God in the Bible than people realize. From the Bible’s perspective everything it says about God was written millennia ago. We are the ones who keep learning more about Him—whether by examining His words or by exploring His universe.
Doctor Scott Stripling’s astonishing discovery of the Joshua Tablet on Mount Ebal discussed in the previous article continues to leave speechless various universities and religious denominations.
We wonder how long it will be before they comment on the discovery of the oldest recorded name of God written twice in Hebrew-- with the word curse written ten times according to Hebraic Meter. The tablet contains 40 letters, arranged in twelve words.
The discovery of the Joshua Tablet leads us to reexamine Israel’s first dedication service on Mount Gerizim and Ebal after their entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 27-28). Verses 5 and 6 in Chapter 27 offer cryptic words about building the altar to the Lord. There is more to the altar to the Lord than previously known.
Joshua Tablet Discovered in Israel:
A Prophecy of Divine Blessings and Curses
by Jack Cascione
May 18, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The Joshua Tablet may be the only known writing by a Hebrew who escaped Egypt during the Exodus. If this man witnessed the manifestation of God in the Sinai Desert, he would be a prophet to our age. Three and half millennia later, the tablet is a form of prophecy to Israel and the entire world.
God told Moses in Deuteronomy 27:4-13 that after Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land; they should build an altar and hold a dedication worship service. The altar was to be built on Mount Ebal and the estimated three million people should divide with six tribes on Mount Gerizim and six tribes on Mount Ebal.
Shechem is in the valley between the two mountains; it is 61.5 miles north of Jerusalem. To this day Samaritans offer sacrifices on Mount Gerizim, site of the Samaritan temple built after the Captivity. Wikipedia has separate articles about both mountains with more detail than most Bible dictionaries.
Discovery of Joshua Tablet Confirms Authenticity of the Bible
by Jack Cascione
May 9, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
The astonishing discovery of the Joshua Tablet on Mount Ebal was accomplished by an archaeological team directed by Dr. Scott Stripling and sponsored by The Bible Seminary and Assembly of God congregations.
As described in Job 19:24, the Joshua Tablet was written as a contract with an iron pen on lead.
The Joshua Tablet predates the oldest extant extrabiblical Hebrew related to the Torah by at least two centuries to approximately 1300 BC or earlier. The estimated date of the tablet is confirmed by its style of writing and a chemical analysis of the lead.
Significant Uncelebrated Torah Themes and the Presence of God
by Jack Cascione
April 30, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
There is thirty-five-hundred-year barrier between us and knowing how Israel understood the Torah. We read the same words about the same events, but how can we know if the Hebrew people understood the Torah as we do?
Rules of interpretation are intended to bridge the millennia, but some argue that the rules are designed to arrive at predetermined conclusions about the text, while others argue that the rules are necessary for consensus on the text. Accepting the conclusions of a thousand readers with a thousand opinions would render the Hebrew text impotent.
Even more importantly, how does God want everyone throughout history to respond the text? If the Torah was intended merely for the Israelites, it would be nothing more than a historical curiosity.
NEW LCMS Book “Faith Misused” a Misuse of the Bible
by Jack Cascione
April 2, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
“Faith Misused,” another book in a series by Concordia Publishing House, designed to wean laypeople off the plenary inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible.
“Faith Misused: Why Christianity Is Not Just Another Religion,” by Rev. Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt, (published by CPH, St. Louis, 2022, 150 pages), has a forward by LCMS President, Matthew Harrison, and is endorsed, among others, by Concordia Seminary Exegetical Professor, Kevin S. Golden and Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary St. Catharines’ President, Paul Winger. Harrison’s endorsement is another reason he should not be re-elected as LCMS President.
Before reviewing Schmidt’s book, we ask, “In view of current pressing issues, how relevant is the defense of Christian faith’s exclusivity to the New Testament?”
Mysteries of the Heart in the Torah - Abstract
Summary of Three Articles on Computer Analysis and the Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovers New Hebrew Word and the Origin of New Testament Faith and Works
By Gioacchino Michael Cascione
March 20, 2022Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
Technology has made it possible to uncover new information about the Bible’s original text and this is one of those discoveries.
For nearly two millennia tradition, scholars, theologians, translators, dictionaries, and commentaries have taught that the two Hebrew words for heart לֵב leb, labe and לֵבָב lebab, lay-bawb' are the same word with two different spellings.
A comparison of these two words through computer analysis now reveals that the two spellings of the Hebrew word for heart are in fact two different words—each with its own separate meaning. Therefore, the longer spelling of the Hebrew word for heart, beginning with the text of the Torah, is a newly discovered verbal noun in the Bible.
Click here for the full Abstract article (PDF).
The three articles from which the Abstract is taken, are:
Mysteries of the Heart in the Torah - Part 1 (PDF).
Mysteries of the Heart in the Torah - Part 2 (PDF).
Mysteries of the Heart in the Torah - Part 3 (PDF).
Signs, Wonders, and Numbers in the Bible:
The Inconvenience of Miracles Today
by Gioacchino Michael Cascione
May 12, 2021Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
There are two kinds of religion—religion invented by man, and religion created by God. The goal is to determine which is which. All religion created by God is revealed by signs and wonders which verify that the Bible is created, inspired, and written, by God. False religions offer false signs and wonders which they claim are from their god. American Protestant religious denominations now offer a more “sophisticated” humanized religious experience void of signs and wonders which is little more than a philosophy of religion. They reference signs and wonders in the past tense.
Apologetics is used to defend the Bible against flawed and misleading criticism, yet apologetics can only prove the negative. For example, apologetics may prove that Evolution is false science and that everything does not come from nothing, but apologetics cannot prove that God made the world or prove signs and wonders. Apologetics may prove that all other explanations for the Creation are fiction, leaving Divine creation as the lone alternative.
Moses' Design in the Genesis Genealogy
By Gioacchino Michael Cascione
November 20, 2012Biblical Genealogy has been studied for centuries. But rarely has it been tied to patterns between the testaments. This article explores links the author has discovered between the Old and New Testaments, along with their patterns.
Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
Over the centuries, scholars have published excellent studies on Old Testament genealogy and chronology. However, rarely do they write about the design of the genealogy.
Chapter Eleven of In Search of the Biblical Order, published in 2012 by RedeemerPress.org, and available through Northwestern Publishing House, explores the origin of genealogical patterns recorded in Matthew and Luke. This article expands this focus by investigating the relationship between text and numbers in the genealogy of Genesis.
We begin by comparing the genealogical patterns within Genesis. These patterns are a paradigm for genealogical patterns in Matthew, Luke, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Genesis chapters 4 and 5 record two lines of descent from Adam, Cain and Seth. After the flood, the most important genealogy is Shem to Abraham, found in Genesis chapter 11. The more significant genealogies include the number of years these patriarchs lived.
Jesus and the Shape of Judgment
Heptadic Design in Divine Verdicts
By Gioacchino Michael Cascione
September 20, 2012The Old Testament prophecies about Jesus and the New Testament judgments about Jesus and spoken by Jesus have similar content as well as similar patterns. This article explores and addresses these similarities.
Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
In Search of the Biblical Order, published in 2012 by RedeemerPress.org, and available through Northwestern Publishing House, demonstrates, via numerous examples spanning Scripture, the Biblical writers' employment of subject-related numeric patterns based on 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 10s, and 12s.
Heptadic patterns, or heptads, are texts arranged in 7 consecutive thoughts about divine judgment. This article applies conclusions about the data from the fourth chapter of In Search of the Biblical Order as a basis to examine judgments spoken about Jesus or spoken by Jesus. In other words, Christ not only speaks as God, but words about Him or spoken by Him also have the same shape as God's judgments.
Popular opinion is that anything dealing with judgment is negative. However, all of God's opinions are judgments, and His judgments are either blessings or curses. The following two examples appear to be a paradigm for Biblical heptadic judgments...
Healing Patterns in the 4 Gospels
An Analysis of Pentadic Adaptation by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
By Gioacchino Michael Cascione
July 23, 2012This article is an expansion on the patterns explored within In Search of the Biblical Order. Further research following publication of the book has revealed even more. Please note that this version of the article is revised and updated from the original released on July 18, 2012 in Reclaim News and Christian News.
Now available in PDF format, below are the opening paragraphs:
Why do Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John use the same poetic motifs to describe the same subject? How are these motifs applied in the Gospels? What is their significance to the Christian faith?
The recently-published second edition of In Search of the Biblical Order presents a wide range of heretofore unidentified poetic motifs spanning the Old and New Testaments. These motifs are found in every book of the Bible except Song of Solomon. The advantage of finding patterns in the text is that they can be used to identify the correct ancient manuscript. If we know the correct pattern, we also know the correct manuscript. The correct manuscript completes the pattern.
This article focuses on just one of these motifs, namely pentads (5-part forms), as found in all 4 of the Gospels. A pentad is a sequence of 5 words or thoughts in the Bible that deal with suffering, joy, the human experience, the 5 senses, and worship. In comparison, a heptad is a sequence of 7 words or thoughts that deal with judgment, either blessings or curses.
Last Updated: February 14, 2023