President Obama told a supportive crowd of Reform Jews here on Friday (Dec. 16) that no other administration in U.S. history “has done more in support of Israel’s security.”

“Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact,” Obama told more than 4,500 people attending the biennial convention of the Union for Reform Judaism.

The audience of rabbis, lay people and members of an enthusiastic contingent of Reform teenagers were on their feet numerous times during his 30-minute speech.

Obama credited the Reform movement — representing 1.5 million people and 900 synagogues in North America — with contributing to a range of social justice issues, including helping draft civil rights legislation. “Without these efforts I probably wouldn’t be standing here today,” he said.

Obama ticked off his accomplishments, such as repealing the ban against openly gay military members, working for equal pay and health care reform.

He also made a special case for his administration’s Israel policy, which has been criticized by some conservative Jewish groups as too pro-Palestinian, and caused some to wonder if some Jewish voters will abandon Obama in next year’s elections.

“As president, I have never wavered in pursuit of a just and lasting peace — two states for two peoples, an independent Palestine alongside a secure Jewish State of Israel,” he said.

Obama added that he has worked with allies against a particular threat to Israel by trying to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Washington-based Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said after the speech that his organization has appreciated that Obama has made the Iranian threat “a major priority.”

Earlier in the meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated his assurance of the strong links between the U.S. and Israel, including work to deter Iran.

“The unshakeable bonds between Israel and America and their respective Defense establishments under the guiding hand of President Barack Obama are stronger and deeper than ever, and we are very thankful and appreciative of that,” he said in remarks on Thursday.

Obama’s speech came within weeks of the Washington meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, where most of the GOP presidential candidates hammered Obama on his Middle East policy.

On Thursday, the “Emergency Committee for Israel” took out ads in major U.S. newspapers questioning Obama’s record on Israel.

The ads accused the Obama administration of treating Israel “like a punching bag,” and quoted “cheap shots” made by U.S. officials about the Jewish state.

David A. Harris, president and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council, countered the ads saying the Republicans who placed them “have plenty of cash on hand to spread myths about this president, and to shamefully turn support for Israel into a partisan football.”

Pollster Jim Gerstein, writing last month (November) in The Forward, a prominent Jewish publication, predicted that Jews’ approval of the president’s job performance — which is higher than the approval of the American electorate — and their general opposition to political conservatives and the Republican Party will help Obama in the 2012 election.

Question: “Should a Christian celebrate Hanukkah (Christmaskah)?”

Answer: Chanukkah (or Hanukkah) is the Jewish Festival/Feast of Dedication, also known as the “Festival of Lights.” It is an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which typically falls in November or December on our calendar. Although this Jewish festival in not mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), it is referenced in the Talmud: “On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight… these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving” (Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud).

Chanukkah is probably one of the best-known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. Because of this, it is ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion and people, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on the Jewish calendar.

The holiday of Chanukkah celebrates the events which took place over 2,300 years ago in the land of Judea, which is now Israel. It begins in the reign of Alexander the Great, who conquered Syria, Egypt, and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs, and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than 100 years after Alexander, Antiochus IV rose to power in the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. One of the groups which opposed Antiochus was led by Mattathias (Matitiyahu) the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee (“The Hammer”).

This small band of pious Jews led guerrilla warfare against the Syrian army. Antiochus sent thousands of well-armed troops to crush the rebellion, but the Maccabees succeeded in driving the foreigners from their land. According to historical accounts, Jewish fighters entered Jerusalem in December 164 BC. The Holy Temple, the Jewish religious center, was in shambles, defiled and desecrated by foreign soldiers.

The Maccabees cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated it on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. When it came time to re-light the Menorah (the multi-branched lampstand), they searched the entire Temple, but only one small jar of oil bearing the pure seal of the High Priest could be found. Miraculously, the small jar of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply of oil could be brought. From then on, Jews everywhere have observed a holiday for eight days in honor of this historic victory and the miracle of the oil. The observance of Chanukah features the lighting of a special Chanukkah menorah with eight branches (plus a helper candle), adding one new candle each night.

In the Brit Chadasha (The New Covenant), in the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus the Jewish Messiah was at the Holy Temple during the “feast of dedication” or Chanukkah: “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon” (John 10:22-23).

During this great season of remembering miracles, Jesus pointed out to His listeners that the miracles He had done authenticated His claim that He was, indeed, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (see John 10:37-38). His works and His true character clearly demonstrated who He was.

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12). The Lord Jesus gives all of us, Jew and Gentile, the “light of life.” And He commanded us to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Should Christians celebrate Chanukkah today? First, be mindful of the fact that we are under no obligation or “law” to celebrate any of the Jewish festivals given to Israel in the Torah (Law of Moses). But to all true Believers in Jesus Christ, especially those who have a profound appreciation for the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith, celebrating the “true light” of this world only seeks to glorify our wonderful Lord and Savior.

As Christians, we can celebrate the “Festival of Lights” as we rededicate our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as the perfect and true light of this world. As believers, when we celebrate Chanukkah it reminds us of God’s wonderful miracles on our behalf. It reminds us of God’s protection throughout our lives. It reminds us to remain true to God even when the world around us tries to force us into assimilation.

Jesus told us that whoever follows Him will not have darkness, but the Light of Life. What a wonderful time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that God has done for us, by giving us new light and new life.

Recommended Resource: The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel.

A Christian group said recently that it will help to bring some 8,700 Ethiopian Jews to Israel due to their grave situation in Ethiopia.

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem said it is responding to an appeal by The Jewish Agency For Israel, and it will sponsor Aliyah flights within the coming months of Ethiopian Jews due to drought and political unrest in the region.

Howard Flower, who heads ICEJ’s Aliyah Operations told BosNewsLife that Ethiopian Jews are beset with a food crisis and he is fearful that the wave of revolutions in many parts of the Arab world may also reach Ethiopia.

Flower also told BosNewsLife about an increasing amount of medical problems that are affecting Jewish refugee camps in Gondar, a mountainous area in Ethiopia where a number of clinics have had to close down for lack of funds.

The ICEJ website said that many Ethiopian Jews are in need of urgent medical treatment which is unavailable in that country. Health has been aggravated by food shortages that resulted from a severe drought, affecting harvests.

The website also said that for many years, the families of Ethiopian Jews have been separated, a social issue that is also contributing to health issues. The problem is aggravated as the children grow up, while grandparents age.

Flower told BosNewsLife, “Children are growing up away from their grandparents, who are now well advanced in age. With concerns growing over their deteriorating conditions, the Jewish Agency is eager to speed up the process, and due to budget cuts they are very thankful for the help from the Christian Embassy.”

ICEJ expressed concern in its website that if the Arab revolutions reach Ethiopia, it may call for emergency airlifts. This in turn would affect pre-aliyah programs that are now in force in Gondar.

So far, The Jewish Agency For Israel has brought over some three million Jews from different parts of the world to Israel since the nation was established in 1948. Some 8,700 remain in Ethiopia.

Since November The Jewish Agency For Israel has been flying 200 Ethiopian Jews monthly to Israel. This could mean it would take four years before they are all brought over, BosNewsLife reported.

Flower told BosNewsLife, “With concerns growing over their deteriorating conditions, the Jewish Agency is eager to speed up the process, and due to budget cuts they are very thankful for the help from the Christian Embassy.”

According to the ICEJ website, Aliyah refers to the gathering of Jews from all around the world to return to Israel.

It “is rooted in the Jewish people’s fervent hope to rebuild its national life in the country from which it was exiled nearly 2,000 years ago.”

Flower told BosNewsLife, “We are a long-time partner with [The Jewish Agency For Israel] in the great modern-day Aliyah and this provides us with another amazing opportunity to assist in the final Ingathering of the Jews to the land of their forefathers.”

Amid uncertainty from Jewish leaders, the Association of Hebrew Catholics held recently a three-day closed conference at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, to which the media was unwelcome.

The Archdiocese stated that they decided to close the conference to media in order to avoid needless controversy. However, they did however provide CDs about the conference when it was over, St. Louis Today reported.

Mainstream Jews reject the notion that a Jew who changes faith can still be Jewish. They also do not accept the notion of witnessing as unlike Islam and Christianity, the Jewish faith is not evangelical, The Jewish Journal said.

Jewish officials have objected to continued involvement of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Vatican in AHC activities. They decry the fact that the AHC is also cited in the archdiocese website as an official organization, The Jewish Journal said.

Some Jewish organizations have claimed that the smooth relationship between Catholics and Jews in St. Louis may be at risk by this. Representatives of the city’s Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council expressed deep concern over the issue, St. Louis Today said.

In 2002, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in a resolution denounced “Misleading and Aggressive Proselytizing” saying “utilizing misleading practices, some … groups misrepresent themselves as Jews in an effort to enhance their proselytizing efforts,” St. Louis Today reported.

Jewish leaders in fact “have publicly and unequivocally rejected the ‘Hebrew-Christian’ movement’s claim to be a form of Judaism. Of particular concern is that by accepting Hebrew Catholics proselytizing may increase, according to St. Louis Today.

The stated purpose of the conference was to “preserve the identity and heritage of Catholics of Jewish origin within the Church.” However, a number of the speakers at the conference have been known to openly express a desire to convert Jews to Catholicism, The Jewish Journal said.

In their website, the AHC describes itself as a lay apostolate comprised of Catholics both of Jewish and non-Jewish background. Their goal is to preserve the heritage and identity of the people of Israel by gathering together Jews who have joined the Catholic Church, the website said.

AHC president David Moss sees no problem with this saying, “Jews outside the church need to see a Jewish reality inside the church. We don’t evangelize, but if Jews are able to preserve themselves within the church, it will open the floodgates for Jews to come into the church,” St. Louis Today reported.

Eugene Fisher, a former staffer of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ interreligious affairs office said that “The Catholic Church has not sanctioned any organizations created specifically to ‘target’ the Jewish community. This does not, of course, diminish in any way the Catholic Church’s universal proclamation of the gospel to all humanity,” according to St. Louis Today.

Jewish Catholics also distinguish themselves from messianic Jews, who joint groups like Jews for Jesus and are often linked to Protestant evangelical Christianity, St. Louis Today reported.

A Methodist group was established recently to counter the stand of the Methodist conference who, in a recent report called on all church members to support a boycott of goods from West Bank settlements.

Reverend Pam Smith of Monmouth, South Wales created the group, Methodist Friends of Israel and has set up a website and Facebook group to generate more support among Methodists for Israel despite the conference report, The Jewish Chronicle said.

Smith said, “After the recent conference accepted the report I felt it was necessary to encourage and support those Methodists who support Israel. It is also to help Methodists to access links that will give the facts, instead of just accepting the very biased, flawed media report,” The Jewish Chronicle said.

Smith added, “We want to support Israel by buying goods from the land and showing our Jewish friends that we do not agree with the conference resolution. I have received a lot of feedback as the news of MFI has spread. So far it has been very positive,” The Jewish Chronicle said.

Strong criticisms have been raised against the report of the Methodist conference. The Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a joint statement with the Jewish Leadership Council where they said the Methodists should “hang their heads in shame.” They said the report could affect the harmonious relationship that has so far prevailed among different faith groups in the UK, Redress News said.

They called the report “unbalanced, factually and historically flawed” and said the authors “abused the goodwill of the Jewish community, which tried to engage on this issue, only to find our efforts were treated as an unwelcome distraction,” Redress News said.

In their joint statement they said, “This is a very sad day, both for Jewish-Methodist relations and for everyone who wants to see positive engagement with the complex issues of Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Methodist Conference has swallowed hook, line and sinker a report full of basic historical inaccuracies, deliberate misrepresentations and distortions of Jewish theology and Israeli policy,” Redress News said.

Of the Methodists Friends of Israel Jonathan Hoffman, co-vice chair of the Zionist Federation said, “I hope this will be the start of a grass-roots movement within the Methodists to reverse the motion passed at the Methodist Conference, which was theologically invalid, maligned Zionism and demonized Israel,” The Jewish Chronicle said.

The Methodist conference report was made in response to appeals from Palestine Christians, some Jewish organizations and the World Council of Churches who feel the building of settlements in the disputed area is unjust, and who hope a boycott can put an end to it.

A woman professor from Oxford University filed charges recently against the school, claiming she was discriminated against when she converted from Judaism to Christianity.

Dr. Tali Argov of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies told the Reading Employment Tribunal hearing that she was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against after she became an Anglican in 2008.

Argov said she was bypassed for promotion, lost her privileges and was treated coldly by her peers at social gatherings.

She said the staff wanted to check her lectures to ensure she does not criticize Israel. Eventually she was dismissed although she had offered to undertake new roles, the Telegraph said.

Argov said, “It is my belief that, following firstly the conversion of my husband and then the conversion of myself, the treatment which I received as an employee of the Respondents was very different and a number of incidents occurred which led me to believe that I was being discriminated against,” the Telegraph said.

Argov said she and her husband, Eran, were raised as Jews and formerly lived in Israel. In 2000 they moved to England when Argov was offered a lector of modern Hebrew post at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies, the Telegraph said.

At first she was well accepted by her peers, but when her husband converted to the Church of England in 2005, “all those kind, heart-warming gestures disappeared overnight,” the Telegraph said.

She was treated even worse when she also became an Anglican in 2008, and became active with St. Mary Magdalene church, which is situated at the center of Oxford, the Telegraph said.

Argov said, “It is very rare for an Israeli Jew to convert to Christianity and I was aware that not only would this be frowned upon but many Jews would believe I was a traitor who had betrayed the faith,” the Telegraph said.

She said she noted strange looks from some colleagues and hushed silence whenever she approached. When she applied for a lectureship post a colleague told her, “Don’t bother – you will be kicked on your teeth.” She claims a less qualified candidate got the post.

She also said she felt humiliated as the only full-time staff who was not included in a photo shoot for a brochure. In due time her office was taken from her, as was her pigeonhole, the Telegraph said.

A lesser title was placed on her University ID card, which meant loss of her email account and admission to the library. These privileges were later reinstated, the Telegraph said.

She was not invited to a London fundraising event, but she and her husband were permitted admission. However the Center’s president at the time, Peter Oppenheimer, seemed to sneer at the couple and gave her a “limp handshake” when they arrived, she said. Other colleagues ignored them and made them feel very uncomfortable, the Telegraph said.

Argov also said that in 2008, the year when she became an Anglican, she was told that her lectures would need to be cleared in advance. She regarded this as an insult to her professionalism and an incursion on her academic freedom, the Telegraph said.

In October of that year she was also told that she would henceforth be paid hourly because the Center was confronted with financial difficulties. However, she noted that new staff were still being accepted. She was later dismissed, the Telegraph said.

Dr. David Ariel, president of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, declined in a statement to comment on the case because it is still ongoing. However, he said the Center adheres to a policy of respect for the religious beliefs of all its employees, the Telegraph said.

Some 3,000 angry Muslims, spurred by their imam, went on a rampage in the coastal city of Marsa Matrouh in Egypt recently, completely destroying 18 homes, 23 shops, and 16 cars owned by Christians according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The Muslims had just finished their Friday prayers when they were exhorted by the mosque’s imam to cleanse the city of its infidel Christians, whom they call Copts, the WSJ said.

During the rampage some 400 Copts barricaded themselves in their church for 10 hours until the frenzy died down.  Since May of last year, over a dozen violent incidents have occurred in villages in Egypt.  One of them was a drive bye shootout at Christians leaving a Coptic Christmas church service, resulting in seven dead and 26 seriously injured, according to the WSJ.

The Copts comprise 12% of the population of this primarily Muslim country.  The last few years have resembled a Christian purge however, with waves of mob assaults forcing up to thousands of Christian citizens to flee their homes, the WSJ said.

Despite frantic appeals the police usually arrive after the violence is over.  Then they coerce the injured to accept “reconciliation” with their attackers.  No Muslim to date has been convicted for any of these crimes, the WSJ said.

The Egyptian government insists that there is no sectarian problem in the country, and they say those who draw international attention to the Copts’ plight are traitors, the WSJ said.

The United States and the rest of the Western democracies, despite repeated Coptic appeals, have done little besides calling upon the Egyptian regime to foster greater tolerance, the WSJ reported.

Egypt’s Christian Copts suffer customary and official discrimination.  For example, no church can be built or even repaired without a presidential decree.  Also, Copts may not join intelligence and security services because they are deemed a security risk, the WSJ said.

The discrimination springs from a traditional social norm that rules the elite and large sectors of the Muslim community.  This norm, though no longer legal, lives in the social psyche that views Christian and Jewish minorities as dhimmi in Muslim lands.

The dhimmi status presumes it is unreasonable in an Islamic society to expect strict equality between Muslims and the infidels; and that an individual offense by a dhimmi against a Muslim warrants retribution for the entire dhimmi community, the WSJ said.

Moroccan palace gate

The government of Morocco has suddenly expelled large groups of Christians on the charge of “proselytizing” Muslims.

The sudden expulsion of more than twenty Christian house parents and workers from an orphanage has left thirty-three Moroccan children without the only parent figures they have ever known.

According to Australia’s Christian Today, the Village of Hope orphanage, registered with the Moroccan government since 2002, has always included workers from America, New Zealand and other countries who were open about their Christianity.

The house parents were not allowed to adopt the children, as only Muslims are allowed to adopt Moroccan children. So they acted as foster parents.

World Magazine’s Jamie Dean states that beside the orphanage workers, a number of Christian businessmen and their families who have lived in Morocco for years were given one day’s notice to leave the country. World Magazine has been covering the deportation event.

Dean was interviewed on Moody Christian Radio’s Prime Time America show in April 2010.

When asked in the interview about what might be changing, Dean explained there has been a rise in terrorist activity in Morocco since a suicide bombing in 2003. The magazine staff speculates that the government may be succumbing to threats if they don’t strengthen their Islamic stance against the influence of other faiths.

Separate research by the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism shows that nine convicted terrorists escaped from a Moroccan prison in 2008. Their current activities are unknown.

The deported workers, both from the orphanage and businesses, are denying any efforts to evangelize the Muslims around them.

About Morocco’s Islamic government and laws
Morocco won independence from France in 1956. It constituted into a Kingdom, ruled by a constitutional monarchy in 1972.

The kingship of Morocco (currently Mohamed VI, ruling since 1999) is a hereditary position. The king is considered a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed, and as such the protector of the country’s Islamic faith. He appoints a Prime Minister. There is a Supreme Court and an elected Parliament. Although the legal system is based on Islamic law, they rule by review, taking into consideration French and Spanish civil laws.

Morocco, long considered a vacation haven, has been known as the most progressive Islamic nation – open to Christians, Jews and other faiths who have been free to worship openly – but not to evangelize. It is against the law to proselytze Muslims.

‘Porn for Porn’ says University atheist group as they misinterpret the Bible’s sexual stories

A group of atheists at the University of Texas San Antonio Campus renewed their yearly “smut for smut” exchange campaign this month. Porn for porn? No….

The Atheist Agenda group, formed on campus in 2005, encouraged students to turn in their Bibles in exchange for pornographic material.

This year, it caused quite the stir at numerous media outlets as diverse as Huffington Post and Fox News.

The atheists claim the Bible is full of sexual stories with mistreatment of women—no different than your average book of porn—and that it is a parallel trade-off.

As a Jewish believer in Jesus, I believe they are pitifully off target. Yet I understand in some ways.

A young person may look at any story with sexual details and, after reading the most sensational part, rush to show the article to their friends. In fact, some adults might do the same thing.

But if they do this with the Bible, they will miss the part further along that tells the moral of the story.

In the Bible, there are always consequences for sexual acts outside of marriage, and plenty of rules against the sexual mistreatment of women. Even the heroes of the Bible got into trouble for such things.

Take Samson in the Old Testament, for example (Judges 14-16). He could have married any well-bred woman within his Hebrew community, but he lusted after prostitutes and got away with it for quite a while. Until Delilah, who took away his strength and turned him over to Philistine captors. Samson’s eyes were poked out, he was thrown in a hard labor prison, and only redeemed himself by dying to save his countrymen.

Abraham accepted his wife Sarah’s suggestion to sleep with her handmaiden because she herself was barren. This was an act of doubting God’s promise. As a result, when Sarah finally had a child, it began a nation-dividing strife between the two boys that continues in the Middle East today (Genesis 16-21).

David lost his first-born son by Bathsheba due to his taking her from another husband and having the man killed (2 Samuel 11-12).

In the New Testament, Jesus preached against men being able to throw women out of a marriage simply because society allowed it (Matthew 5). He would not allow the religious leaders of the day to cast a stone on an adulterous woman without looking at their own sin first (John 8).

And the apostle Paul never said for husbands to keep women “under foot” as many feminists believe. Just the opposite. He encouraged men to love women as much as they love themselves and God (Ephesians 5).

I could go on with a long list of verses telling people not to have sex outside of marriage for their own good.

Perhaps the best thing that could happen from this Texas University Bible-for-porn swap is that the atheists who take the Bibles begin to read them thoroughly, for full understanding of sex outside of marriage, adulterous sex and murderous sex.

Perhaps an atheist or two will discover Jesus in the process.

See my previous Underground article, Does the Bible Put Women Down? For more answers on this topic.

A recent archaeological excavation outside Jerusalem has uncovered a gate, tower and wall that might have been part of Solomon’s Temple 3,000 years ago.

Pottery shards found by Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University and her team of archaeologists during excavation are purported to be from the 10th century B.C.

The dating of the ancient fortifications place the structures during the time of the first temple built by King David’s son Solomon as mentioned in 1 Kings 5 and indicates that a powerful centralized governing body existed in ancient Jerusalem, according to the Washington Post.

Also found during the excavation, according to National Geographic, were large storage vessels and typical 10th century statues such as animals and fertility symbols all bearing Hebrew inscriptions indicating ownership by high-ranking government officials.

The Wailing Wall as it stands in Jerusalem today may be part of Solomon's Temple.

The only visible remnant of the Temple today is the Wailing Wall. There is some disagreement among archaeologists and historians as to whether it was part of this original Temple or the rebuild by Herod.

Though, according to an Associated Press report, Mazar said this is her most significant find, she is not without her critics.

The Israeli online publication Haaretz reported that naysayers in the archaeological and rabbinical communities feel that most biblical events are myth and Mazar is trying to make connections that aren’t really there.

The battle between those who believe that the Bible is an accurate record of history and those who do not runs deep within the scholarly community.

Skeptics have tried to disprove biblical events since the days in which they occurred, while others claim to have many pieces of evidence that have stood the test of time.

For example, though the Dead Sea Scrolls—more than 800 ancient documents found between 1947 and 1956 in caves near the sea in Qumran—have been used to by some to authenticate manuscripts such as Isaiah and therefore “prove” the accuracy and consistency of the Bible,  there are some scholars who say that the scrolls do nothing more than give scholars a view into the life of a religious sect, which may or may not have been the Essenes.

“[The Dead Sea Scrolls] speak of a Teacher of Righteousness and a pierced messiah, of cleansing through water and a battle of light against darkness. But anyone looking to the Dead Sea Scrolls in search of proof, say, that Jesus of Nazareth was the messiah presaged by the prophets, or that John the Baptist lived among the scroll’s authors, will be disappointed,” says an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“What the scrolls provide instead, scholars say, is a window into a world of religious ferment 2,000 years ago that gave rise to Judaism and Christianity as we know them today.”