Adam Schmidt

When I was Muslim, I never noticed what the Quran doesn’t have. Dates. Places. Names you can check. Read the Quran’s stories: no chronology, almost no geography, kings called only “Pharaoh,” events floating in no particular year. Where did the story happen? When? Under whom? The text doesn’t say. You can’t check it… which conveniently means you can’t crosscheck it. Now read the opening of Luke 3: “In the FIFTEENTH YEAR of the reign of TIBERIUS CAESAR — PONTIUS PILATE being governor of JUDEA, HEROD being tetrarch of GALILEE, his brother PHILIP tetrarch of ITUREA and TRACHONITIS, and LYSANIAS tetrarch of ABILENE, during the high priesthood of ANNAS and CAIAPHAS…” SEVEN historical anchors in one sentence. An emperor, a governor, three rulers with their exact territories, two high priests. And people HAVE checked — for centuries, often trying to break it. Skeptics mocked Luke’s “Lysanias of Abilene” as an error… UNTIL an inscription naming Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene turned up. Pilate was called legend by some… until the Pilate Stone was dug up at Caesarea in 1961 with his name and title carved in it. Luke 1:3-4 tells you why: “Having followed all things closely… that you may have CERTAINTY.” Certainty. That’s the offer. One book floats above history where nothing can touch it. The other planted its flag in checkable ground and said: dig. They dug. It’s still standing. Praise the Lord and His mighty God-Breathed scripture.