FACTS

From Supper to Resurrection: Walking Through Holy Week

From the Upper Room to the Empty Tomb, Holy Week reveals the full story of redemption. In this episode, we walk through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Resurrection Sunday—unpacking the institution of the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Cross, the silence of the tomb, and the victory of the Resurrection. This is not just history—it is the Gospel in motion.If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7

Septuagint vs Hebrew Bible: The Old Testament You Thought You Knew

What if the Old Testament you grew up reading isn’t as fixed as you think? In this episode, we dive into the real evidence behind the Septuagint (LXX), the Masoretic Text (MT), and the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)—and what they reveal about the state of Scripture in the first century. From Goliath’s height to the missing verses of Esther, from Genesis chronologies to Stephen’s speech in Acts of the Apostles, we uncover a world where multiple textual traditions existed side by side—and sometimes disagreed. Was the Septuagint just a translation… or does it preserve an older form of the Hebrew text? Did the New Testament authors rely on a different Bible than the one we use today? And what do the Dead Sea Scrolls actually prove? This episode challenges the assumption that the Old Testament was ever a single, settled text—and shows why that matters for how we understand Scripture today. If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7

The Jewish Canon Wasn’t Settled—Here’s the Evidence

Most people assume that the Jewish canon of Scripture was already fixed and universally agreed upon in the time of Jesus—but the historical evidence tells a very different story. In this episode of FACTS, Stephen Boyce and Pat May take a deep dive into the world of Second Temple Judaism to examine what different Jewish groups actually believed about Scripture. From the Pharisees and Sadducees to the Qumran community (Essenes), we uncover a landscape of textual diversity, competing authorities, and a canon that was still developing. Did the Sadducees really only accept the Torah? Were the Pharisees already using the full Hebrew Bible? Why were books like Enoch and Jubilees preserved at Qumran? And what does all of this mean for how we understand the Old Testament today? We’ll also explore the role of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the rise of rabbinic Judaism after 70 AD, and how the idea of a “closed canon” emerged over time—not before Christ. If you’ve ever been told that “the Jews had a settled canon,” this episode will challenge that assumption and walk through the actual historical evidence. Join us as we separate tradition from history and take a closer look at the formation of the Hebrew Scriptures. #DeadSeaScrolls #BiblicalCanon #OldTestament #SecondTempleJudaism #MasoreticText #Septuagint #BibleHistory #ChurchHistory #Apologetics #FACTSPodcast If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7

Where Gavin Ortlund’s History of Icons Goes Wrong

Joined by Steven Alspach from The Catholic Brothers, we break down the historical context behind iconography and examine where Gavin Ortlund and other Protestant critiques miss the mark. From the early Church to the development of Christian art, we take a closer look at the evidence and challenge some of the most common assumptions surrounding icons. If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7 #GavinOrtlund #IconsDebate #ChristianHistory #ChurchHistory #EarlyChurch #Iconography Link to the Catholic Brothers: http://www.youtube.com/@TheCatholicBrothers Link to their on the Temple: https://youtu.be/Vasj98P1WAw?si=fyNvA7nIkkyfhj8d Links to Gavin's videos: https://youtu.be/_ytYX4dXpRo?si=HoiYCDSIuF6esx0Z https://youtu.be/aoU4PO5d6kQ?si=pvD1NeDf1x1MiQmm

The Making of the Septuagint

In this episode, Dr. Stephen Boyce explores the origin and historical development of the Septuagint (LXX), the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. We examine the ancient traditions surrounding its creation under Ptolemy II Philadelphus, including the well-known account preserved in the Letter of Aristeas and later repeated by Philo of Alexandria and Flavius Josephus. We also discuss how the translation likely developed historically within the Jewish community of Alexandria as Greek became the common language of the Mediterranean world.Along the way, we look at key textual examples showing the importance of the Septuagint for biblical studies and early Christianity, including the famous textual variant in Gospel of Luke 10 concerning whether Jesus sent out seventy or seventy-two disciples, and the missing “nun” verse in Psalm 145 preserved in the Septuagint and confirmed by Hebrew manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls. These examples highlight how the Septuagint sometimes preserves readings that reflect an earlier textual tradition than the later Masoretic Text. This episode helps listeners understand why the Septuagint became the primary Old Testament of the early Church and why it continues to play a crucial role in biblical scholarship today.If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7