Do You Remember?

Have you read recent issues of The Watchtower carefully? If so, you will doubtless recall these points:

● What historical evidence proves that Jesus Christ was indeed raised from the dead?

More than 500 Christian disciples saw the resurrected Son of God. (1 Cor. 15:6) Those who were fully convinced that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead declared this truth fearlessly even though it could have meant their death. They could not have exercised such faith on the basis of a mere vision or on their imagination. Any attempts at deception would have been exposed at the time, as the enemies of Christians were bent on discrediting them and stopping their activity.​—4/15 pp. 25, 26.

● Why did Jehovah God choose to speak through the diviner Balaam?

It was evidently Jehovah’s purpose to prove that no weapon would succeed against his people. The Moabites and the Midianites realized that they could not hope to win against the Israelites by mere force of arms. Believing that Balaam could pronounce an effectual curse on Israel, they regarded this diviner as their most powerful weapon. But when Balaam, despite his desire to the contrary, was compelled to bless the Israelites, it became clear that fighting against them was bound to fail.​—4/15 pp. 29, 30.

● What evidence is there that the divine name (YHWH), commonly rendered Jehovah, appeared in the Christian Greek Scriptures?

The main line of evidence comes from manuscript fragments of the Greek Septuagint Version, the first Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the most complete manuscripts of this translation dating from the fourth century C.E., the divine name is replaced by the Greek words for “God” and “Lord.” However, in more ancient fragments, the divine name, in Hebrew letters, appears. Since the divine name is found in copies of the Septuagint available in the first century, it logically follows that Christian Bible writers must have used the name when quoting passages in the Hebrew Scriptures where it appeared. As the divine name eventually disappeared from Septuagint copies, it evidently was also removed from the Christian Greek Scriptures.​—5/1 pp. 7-11.

● Why are some verses found in older versions of the Bible missing in modern translations?

During the 19th and 20th centuries, many ancient Bible manuscripts were found. These have enabled scholars to undertake a careful study in an effort to determine the original readings of the Biblical text. Such scholarly studies brought to light that certain words and phrases did not appear in the oldest available manuscripts, indicating that additions had been made later by copyists. Hence, when master texts were prepared that included recent findings, these words and phrases were omitted from the main body of the work. Because many modern Bible translations are based on these more accurate, refined texts, they do not contain verses that are known to be the additions of copyists.​—5/15 pp. 12-14.

● What are some things showing that Eliab, Jesse’s firstborn son, was unsuitable for kingship?

Without sound evidence, Eliab imputed wrong motives to David. He showed lack of faith in Jehovah, doing nothing about the taunt of the Philistine Goliath. Eliab was seemingly more concerned about a few sheep than he was about having Jehovah’s name sanctified.​—6/1 p. 31.

● By encouraging Christians at Antioch to “continue in the Lord with hearty purpose,” what was Barnabas doing?​—Acts 11:23.

He was admonishing fellow believers to remain attached to the Lord Jesus Christ with their heart, with all their affection. This was to be their whole purpose in life.​—6/15 p. 6.

● In fulfillment of Isaiah 61:3, when and how did the disciples of Jesus Christ first receive a “headdress,” “the oil of exultation” and “the mantle of praise”?

This was on the day of Pentecost of the year 33 C.E. Their heads were then crowned with divine approval. It was as if soothing oil had been poured on their heads, refreshing them to the point of exultation. No longer did they have a downhearted spirit, but the praises of Jehovah identified them as if they were dressed with a “mantle of praise.”​—7/1 p. 20.