Were the Gospels Transmitted like the “Telephone” Game?

In the "Telephone" game, people start by sitting in a circle. One person makes up a sentence and whispers it into the next person's ear, and the second  person whispers what was heard into the third person's ear, and so on. This process continues until the last person says the sentence out loud, and the person who started the game says the original sentence out loud. Usually the sentence get changed during the game, and the starting sentence and ending sentence...

Continue Reading

What is “Aunt Sally’s Secret Sauce”?

I've heard Greg Koukl from the Christian organization Stand to Reason use an analogy he calls "Aunt Sally's Secret Sauce" to show how the New Testament was likely transmitted in the early church.

  • Aunt Sally has a secret elixir to make herself look younger
  • Aunt Sally decides to share the recipe for the elixir with friends
  • Each friend shares the recipe for the elixir with their other...

Continue Reading

How was John’s Gospel Transmitted to Us?

The forth book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John. John was a disciple and Apostle of Jesus and witnessed his ministry, death and resurrection. There are three people known to be students of John: Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp.

Ignatius (born 35 AD, died 117 AD)[1] (he called himself "Theophorus", which means "God Bearer") became Bishop of Antioch (Turkey). He wrote a number of letters to different churches, of which some copies still exist. Ignatius quotes or refers to...

Continue Reading