America’s most popular podcaster Joe Rogan who’s a self-described agnostic, expressed amazement during a recent episode after receiving a replica of what his guest, Biblical scholar Wesley Huff, claims is the oldest known manuscript of the New Testament called Papyrus 52.
This ancient fragment is believed to contain text from the Gospel of John, written nearly 2,000 years ago, detailing Jesus’s trial before Pontius Pilate.
The Canadian Christian apologist presented the replica as evidence supporting the historical existence of Jesus, stunning the podcast host, who responded, “Wow. That’s unbelievable. That’s so fascinating.”
Papyrus 52 is often hailed by Christians as evidence for the authenticity of Biblical events and is a small fragment believed to have been part of a portable copy of the Gospel of John.
The manuscript was likely carried from Ephesus to Egypt and is unique for being written on both sides, a characteristic of early Christian writings.
During the discussion, Mr. Huff also delved into historical accounts and artifacts, including the Alexamenos Graffito, an ancient Roman graffiti etched between 50 AD and 250 AD.
This drawing depicts a man worshiping a figure with a donkey’s head on a cross, mocking early Christians and their faith in the crucified Jesus.
Mr. Huff described it as potentially the earliest visual depiction of the crucifixion.
He also discussed the resurrection referring to a 1986 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examining the physical causes of Jesus’s death, concluding it was likely due to hypovolemic shock, asphyxia, and cardiac failure.
Joe Rogan seemed intrigued and asked about ancient accounts denying the resurrection.
The 57-year old one-time comedian and sports commentator has previously referred to himself as an atheist, but more recently has admitted to exploring spiritual ideas, partly in response to the death of his grandfather.
Mr. Huff, who is the son of missionaries, encouraged the podcast host to engage with history and evidence to understand faith.
Australian Christian commentator Stephen McAlpine described the interview as “a triumph.”
“It ticked a lot of boxes. And it did so in a way that has had more cut-through than just about any apologetic moment (in the positive) that I can remember in the recent past.”
Mr McAlpine pointed out that Wesley Huff has a sizeable following in the hundreds of “ks” on both Instagram and YouTube, but mainly “in Christian circles.”
He argues the Joe Rogan interview has expanded Huff’s reach.
It only came about because of the storm around a previous interview the Canadian apologist had with well-known writer and speaker, Billy Carson when they were guests on another Christian site.
Stephen McAlpine writes that: “Huff calmly and deftly picks apart Carson’s un-researched biases, as well as his unscholarly assumptions about the ancient Biblical manuscripts. As someone who claims to be an expert on ancient documents, Carson was woefully exposed.”
“Huff was clear, calm, collected and strong. He didn’t let Carson off the hook when Carson made claims he could not back up. And he offered conclusive evidence to back up his own views, even reaching over for text books that explicitly refuted things that Carson was saying. Those moments were YouTube gold.”
Billy Carson walked out of the interview early and is now suing Wesley Huff.
The Canadian was the same with Joe Rogan, presenting credible evidence for the Gospel’s history, calmly, intelligently and in good humour.
Mr. McAlpine observed that for once, the apologetic argument got outside the Christian bubble.
“You see, when it comes to our general reach as Christians, if you can’t get it out there, you might as well be saying nothing.”
Nearly four million people have tuned into the Huff interview.
“Two words spring to mind here: grace AND truth.” wrote Stephen McAlpine, adding that: “In terms of his witness, Wes followed his Lord, King Jesus. He did exactly what was required of him from 1 Peter 3:15-16:
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
“So many people were able to see that, contrary to what is so often presented or projected, Christianity’s leaders and thinkers can be clear, scholarly, faithful and generous.”
The Christian themes on The Joe Rogan Experience continued when Mel Gibson discussed his faith, the challenges of creating Christian-oriented films in Hollywood and why he believes Darwinian evolution is a flawed theory.
The actor and director explained there was a lot of opposition in Hollywood to making his huge box office success about Jesus’s crucifixion The Passion of the Christ.
“I think if you ever hit on that subject matter, you’re going to get people going because, of course, it’s a big subject matter.
“The idea was that we’re all responsible for this, that His sacrifice was for all mankind, and that for all our ills and all the things in our fallen nature. It was a redemption, so you know, and I believe that.”
Joe Rogan who was raised Catholic, agreed with Gibson, saying he believes that Christianity, unlike other religions, is often subject to criticism, especially in secular Hollywood.
“Christianity is the one religion that you’re allowed to disparage,” he said, adding that while Hollywood is full of “progressive, open-minded leftist people” who might embrace various religions, Christianity, “for whatever reason that represents like white, male, colonialism, whatever it represents, it’s negative.”
When the topic of the veracity of the resurrection of Christ came up, Gibson said he considers the Gospels to be “verifiable history,” pointing to extra-Biblical historical accounts that confirm the existence of Jesus of Nazareth.
He also pointed out that all the apostles who spread the message of Christianity were willing to sacrifice their lives to spread the Gospel.
“Every single one of those guys died rather than deny their belief,” said Gibson, adding that “nobody dies for a lie.”
Photo: Instagram – Wesley Huff
