Wes Huff

Interested in all things Bible. This is my official and only X account.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

This is one of the most important videos I've ever made.

https://t.co/wTAygyv3UT

[Peter Gurry @pjgurry]

“A metaphorical resurrection is really not of much help to beings whose death is no metaphor.”
—@NigelBiggar (Behaving in Public, p. 4)

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Researchers Jason Wilson & Luuk Van de Weghe compared the name patterns in the Gospels and Acts with a range of other ancient and later writings.

Among the sources they tested, once the sample size reached the level found in Luke-Acts, every source that accurately reflected the population’s real naming patterns was also a work of history. Fictional and legendary works did not reproduce the same pattern, even when their authors had access to genuine historical material.

That does not make name statistics a standalone proof, but it makes them an unusually revealing test of whether a text is preserving information about real people and events.

Jason Wilson & Luuk Van de Weghe, "Re-examining the Statistical Methodology and Onomastic Claims of Gregor and Blais's Argument," Journal for the Study of the New Testament (2026).

Watch the full video and see the research behind these comparisons: https://t.co/oTEyspQ6YZ

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Some of our most important ancient historical sources were written centuries after the events they describe. Arrian’s account of Alexander the Great, for example, was written more than 400 years after Alexander’s campaigns.

By comparison, Mark is commonly dated to around 40 years after the public ministry of Jesus. That (in of itself) does not automatically make Mark accurate, but it places the Gospel within living memory, when sources could still be consulted and claims could still be challenged.

Watch the full video: https://t.co/oTEyspQ6YZ

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Happy Lord’s Day. We rejoice this morning in a God who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

@wagraham recently made a video addressing the subject as well https://t.co/ABijSwzN9p

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Seeing some buzz about the eternal generation of the Son (EGS), for those of you who might not know what all that means here’s an attempt to let you in on the topic. The EGS is a doctrine affirming that the Son possesses his divine nature through being eternally begotten of the Father, thereby holding the same divine essence/nature/being as the Father. This all has stood as foundational to the doctrine of the Trinity and has been affirmed across the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds and by virtually every significant theologian (that I can think of) over the last 1800 years.

The doctrine has several critical dimensions. The Father’s generation of the Son comprises a necessary act of God, not a contingent decision; a distinction crucial because if the Son’s existence depended on the Father’s optional choice, the Son would not possess true deity or equality with the Father. This generation occurs eternally, not as a completed event in the distant past but as a timeless act of perpetual present (simultaneously ongoing and ever finished).

Importantly, the Father generates the Son’s personal subsistence rather than the divine essence itself, while simultaneously communicating the entire divine essence to him. When the Father eternally begets the Son and communicates the divine nature to him, the divine nature remains undivided, accounting for a second divine person without creating a second God.

The doctrine employs “begetting” language deliberately. The idea is this: just as Adam fathered Seth by communicating human nature to him, so the Father has eternally begotten the Son, eternally communicating divine nature to him (though this creaturely analogy must not be used to measure the divine relation itself). While the doctrine transcends our human comprehension, limited as my thinking is by time and my finite reality, it remains a teaching (as systematic theologian Scott Swain words it) “given to us in the gospel” and grasped through faith.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. - 1 John 4:8

God’s love is not a single, undifferentiated emotion but a multifaceted divine attribute that must be held in tension with other aspects of God’s character, particularly His sovereignty and justice.

There are distinct expressions of divine love: the love within the Trinity itself (Father and Son in perfect relationship), God’s providential care over creation, His redemptive love toward sinners, His particular love for the elect, and love connected to obedience. Each operates within its own proper context rather than being collapsed into a single meaning. The intra-Trinitarian love, for instance, exists in a relationship of perfection untouched by sin, whereas God’s love toward rebellious humanity manifests through wrath, redemption, and the Cross. Crucially, within the Reformed tradition I find myself within, a distinguishing between God’s love for all creatures in some general sense and His unconditional love specifically for those who are His children in Christ exists. This distinction proves essential to maintaining both divine love and divine sovereignty. While it’s accurate to say God loves the elect and passes over the reprobate, this truth requires complementary biblical affirmations to avoid drifting toward an imbalanced understanding of God’s sovereignty.

The classical Reformed position resists the logic that affirming God’s universal salvific will alongside the claim that “God is love” necessarily leads to universalism. Rather, God’s love is grounded in His sovereignty. God would commit no injustice in condemning all sinners, yet in His love He sent His Son and grants saving faith to some through the preaching of the gospel. God’s love is therefore real and genuine, but it operates within the framework of His just governance and free election, not in opposition to them. This integrated understanding of Scripture’s full testimony on God’s love proves doctrinally and pastorally essential.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

@Lanier_Greg Interested in recording this together for my channel?

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Great feedback on my recent post on the Septuagint. For those interested, I made a video on the subject almost 5 years ago now which I still applies for those interested.

https://t.co/b0oJgiL2Q5

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

@Timothy_A_Lee @drjohnmeade @Lanier_Greg thoughts?

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

So as far as I can tell the NT contains just under 300 direct quotations from the OT (those would be overt quotation and not an allusion or mere references). It's often asserted that the NT authors are "quoting the Septuagint" but that's only partly true. By my investigation the NT writers generally quote from the LXX version, which was in common use among Jews at that time so that shouldn't be a shocker, but, these quotations appear in varying forms.

The LXX is literally quoted in approx. 90 instances, while in over 80 instances it is corrected or altered, and as far as I can tell in about 100 instances the quotation agrees literally with neither the LXX nor the Hebrew text exactly.

OT and LXX specialist friends, am I on the right track with this?

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

A good quick synopsis.

[Biblingo @biblingoapp]

What language did Jesus speak? Most people assume Aramaic.

It is true that the gospels contain several statements where Jesus speaks Aramaic. Such as when He raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead and tells her, “talitha cumi.”

It’s also true that Aramaic had been growing in popularity leading up to the first century when Jesus walked the earth. So it makes sense that He would have spoken Aramaic.

But there’s a crucial false assumption here.

As modern English speakers, we live in a mono-lingual society. And it’s easy to project that reality onto past cultures. But most societies throughout history have been multi-lingual - including Judea in Jesus’ day.

So the question is not what language Jesus spoke, but which languages and when.

There’s good evidence that Jesus spoke both Greek and Hebrew as well as Aramaic and that He used these languages in different contexts throughout His ministry.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which was near the capital of the Galilee region: Sepphoris. This city was a hub of commerce - which meant it was heavily Greek influenced. Jesus likely would have visited the city with His father and learned to speak Greek there.

Of Jesus’ conversations in the gospels, at least two were likely in Greek. First, Jesus likely spoke Greek with the Roman centurion whose servant He healed, as Greek was the lingua franca, and it is unlikely the centurion knew Aramaic.

For several reasons, it is also very likely that Jesus spoke Greek with Nicodemus. First, the name Nicodemus is Greek. Second, Nicodemus was an upper-class Jew, making it likely that he spoke Greek on a regular basis. And third, the nuances of their conversation suggest that it was originally in Greek.

So Jesus almost certainly spoke Greek.

It is also likely that He spoke Hebrew and used it regularly in His ministry. Documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bar Kokhba letters, and the Mishnah attest that Hebrew was spoken for religious teaching and everyday use well into the second century AD.

It is probable that Jesus would have taught His fellow Jews in Hebrew, and we find evidence of this in the details of the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings.

Bottom line: as moderns, we tend to assume Jesus would have primarily spoken one language. But most of the world for most of history has been multi-lingual. And 1st century Galilee was no different.

Jesus almost certainly spoke Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic - and He used them on different occasions for different purposes depending on who He was speaking to.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

I was recently told that presenting the case for Christianity is counter to “having faith.” Is that true?

Jude calls believers to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), establishing a foundational principle. Peter instructs Christians to “always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15), framing defense of faith as a responsibility rooted in Christian conviction. Philippians describes believers “striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil 1:27), emphasizing the collective nature of this effort.

The apostolic practice demonstrates this principle in action. Paul regularly “reasoned from the Scriptures” in synagogues, “explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17:2–3). During his ministry, Paul “spoke boldly in the synagogue, reasoning and persuading about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). Early in his conversion, Saul “grew more powerful and confounded the Jews by proving that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 9:22). Stephen, in a like manner, engaged opponents through discussion, and “they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (Acts 6:9–10).

Beyond direct confrontation, Scripture emphasizes intellectual discernment. Believers are instructed to “test all things and hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess 5:21), suggesting an active evaluative responsibility. Paul warns against being “taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy,” (Col 2:8) implying the need for reasoned resistance to false teaching. Church leaders should be “holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that they can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).

Simultaneously and not to be forgotten, Paul instructs Timothy that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful, instructing his opponents with gentleness” (2 Tim 2:24–25), pointing out that reasoned defence must be paired with humility and compassion rather than combativeness.

Faith is not the opposite of presenting evidence. If anything, the trust I have within the context of my faith merits that I have no choice but to clearly and respectfully present the evidence

[Allie Beth Stuckey @conservmillen]

“It’s emotionally compelling to say killing babies. It’s not a baby. That’s not me being contrarian, that’s accuracy.”

But it’s not accurate. It is a baby.

We use different terms for different stages of life. We call a child a toddler or an adolescent a teenager. Those designations describe a stage of development - they don’t change the value or humanity of the person. Killing an innocent person is always wrong.

[T.C. Schmidt @ProfTCSchmidt]

A beautiful Old Nubian manuscript, extremely rare, containing, portions of 1st Corinthians and Hebrews. 9th / 10th century (British Museum)

[Museum of the Bible @museumofBible]

The Damascus Document is one of the few Dead Sea Scrolls texts known before Qumran. This copy was found in the Cairo Genizah, before fragments surfaced in Caves 4, 5, and 6. Swipe through ➡️

⏳ 1 month left. Get tickets now: https://t.co/mpLWalqBAB

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Want to work on my next documentary with me?

We’re looking for an experienced Filmmaker / Editor based in the Greater Toronto Area to help take our video content to the next level.

From filming podcasts and on location content to editing conference highlights, short form videos, and ministry resources, you'll help us tell compelling stories with creativity, quality, and consistency.

Greater Toronto Area, Ontario Full time, 40 hrs/week
Filming + Editing
A Travel for events and productions
Start Date: Immediately

If you're passionate about storytelling, creative collaboration, and using your skills to make a Gospel impact, we'd love to hear from you!
Apply by sending your resume to
[email protected] with the subject line "Filmmaker/Editor Hiring Opportunity."
Or apply online at: https://t.co/7qUBsYuOdC

[Tim Wildsmith @timwildsmith]

ONE MONTH FROM TODAY! 📖 On Saturday, September 12th, I'm hosting an event at @museumofBible about the fascinating history of our English Bibles.

I'd love to see you there... whether you're in the room with me or joining us virtually!

https://t.co/shZ61KKk6s

[Josh Meynell @Joshua_Meynell]

@WesleyLHuff Update: I reuploaded the video with corrected audio. I am inclined to leave it as "unlisted" since I don't want to delete the former. Perhaps that is not the best way, but I don't know!
https://t.co/E6whWSrRPB