New Testament Archaeology

Part 1 - Jesus' Home and Ministry in Galilee

Part 2 - Archaeology of the Crucifixion

by Chris W. Ashcraft
Cedar Park Church Bothell, WA. October 11th, 2023

Description:

The New Testament of the Bible records the history of the new Christian Church. However, this important account has been attacked by archaeologists who have claimed that the Bible is inaccurate or even fictitious. Major events, such as the crucifixion, have been challenged on archaeological grounds because no records of key figures in the historical narrative had been found outside the Bible.

This multimedia presentation will review several well-known Biblical events and personages in the life of Jesus that can now be substantiated by recent archaeological discoveries, including the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate and Caiaphas, the High Priest. With each new finding the historicity of the Bible is proven true and accurate.

Outline:

• Part 1 - Jesus' Home and Ministry in Galilee
  • Text Authenticity
  • Capernaum (Synagogue and House of Jesus)
  • Magdala
• Part 2 - Archaeology of the Crucifixion
  • Caiaphas Ossuary
  • Pilate Inscription
  • Nazareth Inscription
  • James Ossuary
  • Shroud of Turin

Files:

The latest files for this presentation are below, and are made freely available to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

About the Speaker:

Chris Ashcraft is a Christian educator employed as high school science teacher at Cedar Park Christian Schools and Adjunct Professor at NW University. Formerly, Chris was a biology research technician specialized in plant tissue culture and genetic transformation technology. He was employed at the Cotton Fiber Production Laboratory at Texas Tech University and the Plant Transformation Facility at Oklahoma State University, and lastly was the Plant Transformation Specialist for EDEN Bioscience in Bothell Washington.

He obtained a Bachelor of Science in biology from Wayland Baptist University in 1989, a Master of Science in biology from Texas Tech University in 1996, a Master of Education from the University of Washington in 2008, and a Master is Teaching Math and Science from Seattle Pacific University in 2012.

Chris moved from research science into the teaching profession to serve God in Christian education. His decision was motivated by the impact that secular science is having on people of faith. Today, close to 50% of Christian students lose their belief in God while attending secular schools. This tendency could be lessened if the Church was better equipped to defend the authority of Biblical teachings (1 Peter 3:15). To be prepared for these challenges, it is important that Churches provide regular educational programs on creation and other Bible apologetics.