In a recent video, atheist Alex O’Connor responded to Wesley Huff’s interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, challenging several points made by Huff during the conversation.
Here is a summary of three specific areas where O’Connor disputes the credibility of Christianity.
1. Jesus never claimed to be God.
2. Mark’s Gospel does not mention the resurrection.
3. John’s Gospel was written significantly later than commonly believed.
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Let’s take a closer look at each of the three refutations O’Connor presents to determine whether his arguments against Christianity hold up under scrutiny.
1. Did Jesus claim to be God?
O’Connor argues that because Jesus did not explicitly declare, “I am God,” He never made a claim to divinity. However, this interpretation overlooks the Jewish cultural context of first-century Galilee. In that setting, Jesus’s statements and teachings conveyed His authority in ways not reliant on modern interpretations.
For instance, Jesus frequently prefaced His teachings with the term “Amen” or “Truly,” which set Him apart from other rabbis who traditionally did not claim such definitive authority in their teachings. In the Sermon on the Mount, He employed the phrase “Ego de Lego,” meaning “But I say,” indicating that His words were the ultimate expression of God’s will (Matthew 5:22, 28, 34). This use of self-reference indicated a unique authority, suggesting that He regarded Himself as the source of divine truth.
N.T. Wright, a renowned British New Testament scholar, notes that by starting His statements with “Amen,” Jesus was making a profound claim about His divine authority.
Although Alex may consider the Gospel accounts as mere speculation, it could be pointed out that many eyewitness accounts of the first century corroborate Jesus’s statements and the miraculous actions that He did and that are reported in the historical records of the canonical Gospels. For example, Jesus did miracles like healing the sick and bringing the dead back to life. Many of Jesus’s miracles attracted large crowds because they were performed in public and witnessed by both His followers and His enemies.
For example, an illustration of Jesus’s divine authority is found in Mark 2:7, where Jesus first forgave a paralytic’s sins. After this, the scribes questioned, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus responded by teaching that He was validating His authority, saying, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10). The title “Son of Man” has prophetic antecedents in Daniel 7:13 and serves as a significant marker of Jesus’s divine identity.
In Mark 4:39-41, Jesus calms a storm, demonstrating divine control over nature—an act clearly understood to be performed only by God Himself.
2. Does Mark’s Gospel mention Jesus’s resurrection?
Scholars use “Markan Priority” to acknowledge Mark as the earliest Gospel, probably written in the early 50s. This dating also allows for the presence of eyewitnesses like the Apostle Peter, whose experiences provide the foundation for John Mark to write down an accurate account of Jesus’s life.
The early Church Father Papias (a pupil of the Apostle John himself) affirmed this link as well, writing in “Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord” (AD 130 or 140) that Mark accurately recorded Peter’s eyewitness accounts without error.
Additionally, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, writing around AD 180, affirmed in “Against Heresies” that Mark’s account came directly from the Apostle Peter’s insights, reinforcing its historical credibility.
Although Mark 16:9-20 is absent from the earliest and most complete Greek manuscripts, such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (4th century), this absence does not undermine Jesus rising from the dead. Here are a few things to consider:
- Other Gospel accounts: The resurrection is documented in three different Gospels — Matthew, Luke, and John. These accounts offer strong narratives of Jesus’s resurrection, guaranteeing that the core message stays intact despite Mark’s shorter ending.
- Key details in Mark’s Gospel: Even without Mark 16:9-20, the preceding verses in Mark 16:5-8 convey critical details:
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- Jesus was buried in a tomb.
- The tomb was found empty by the women.
- An angel informed the women that Jesus, who had been crucified, had risen.
- The disciples were instructed to meet Jesus in Galilee.
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- Brevity of Mark’s Gospel: Scholars often point out that the abrupt conclusion of Mark aligns with the overall brevity and style of his Gospel. Early church fathers Eusebius and Jerome observed this trait, suggesting that a shorter ending might be more consistent with Mark’s writing style.
- Scribal additions: Even if verses 9-20 were added later, it’s possible that scribes had access to earlier manuscripts containing these verses.
- Irenaeus’ reference: The fact that Irenaeus quoted Mark 16:19 in his work “Against Heresies” (AD 180) indicates that some manuscripts included the more extended version of the resurrection prior to the 4th century.
3. Is the P52 fragment from John’s Gospel?
According to O’Connor, the P52 fragment lacks solid verification, raising concerns about how much trust we can place in the dating and structural content of John’s Gospel.
What we do know is that in 1934, C.H. Roberts sent photographs of P52 to three European papyrologists, who dated it to AD 100-150. Additionally, the handwriting resembled that of papyri discovered during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, who ruled from AD 117-138.
While the date of P52 is debated between AD 100 to AD 150, what truly stands out is the preservation of the Gospels and the New Testament letters. As Sir Frederick Kenyon, a notable biblical scholar in ancient manuscripts, stated in Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts,
“No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rests on a disputed reading … It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.”
While Alex O’Connor is a thoughtful seeker of truth, analyzing his claims against Christianity reveals that his arguments lack historical context, overlook strong textual evidence, and disregard early testimonies supporting Jesus’s divinity and resurrection.
We can trust in the preservation of these sacred teachings from the Gospels, which offer us the eternal words of Jesus Christ that lead to everlasting life.
