Biola University professor and Director of Christian Apologetics program, Craig Hazen, was interviewed Monday, June 8, 2009 about his recent published article in the Christian Research Journal titled, “Gabriel’s Revelation: A Challenge to Our View of the Resurrection?” Radio show host Hank Hanegraaff, president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute International, interviewed Hazen live on his nationally-syndicated show “Bible Answer Man.”

In July of 2008, the news media widely reported the discovery of a large first-century stone tablet. the media and several archaeological scholars worldwide were riveted by the so-called "Gabriel Revelation," a pre-resurrection, stone tablet with missing text that allegedly falsified evidence for Jesus of Nazareth rising from the dead. Israel Knohl, the Yehezkel Kaufmann professor of Biblical studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Senior Fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, did research on the tablet.

"Israel Knohl created headlines about this artifact by filling in some of the missing text with words that line up with his idea that the notion of a suffering and dying messiah who rises on the third day was part of the consciousness of Judaism before Christianity emerged and therefore the source of the stories about Jesus,” said Hazen.

Hazen talked with Hanegraaff about this new find and why it is important for people to study the evidences in support of the resurrection of Jesus in order to spot untrue claims.

" ...scholars have concluded that even if Knohl's recreation of the text of the tablet is correct," said Hazen, "there is no threat to the New Testament picture of Jesus. Indeed, Knohl's view, if proven true, could actually bolster the Christian case."

At Biola and at churches and colleges across North America, Hazen is known for lecturing on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and why it matters that there is real, testable knowledge about the resurrection and not just a privately held belief about it.

Hazen and Hanegraaff both underscored the importance of apologetics training if Christians are to be an intelligible and winsome witness for Christ and Christianity in the culture.

"I run into people all the time that have been impacted by your life, your ministry and your commitment to apologetics," said Hanegraaff. "And we are deeply grateful for people like you and the university settings that have the capability to take complex issues and make them simple and transferrable.”

Listen to the entire show at OnePlace.com.

Craig Hazen's article appeared in the current issue of the Christian Research Journal (32:2, 2009).  The Christian Research Journal is the journal of the Christian Research Institute, which seeks to probe today's religious movements, promote doctrinal discernment and critical thinking, and provide reasons for Christian faith and ethics.

Written by Joseph Gorra, Christian Apologetics, and Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator. Jenna can be reached at (562) 777-4061 or through email at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.