It is a pity that this is when I have the time to treat this issue brought to my notice early last month, on the tendentious and false claims of Professor Douglas Anele in his column in the Sunday Vanguard. Which is that the 27 Books in the New Testament were produced about a hundred years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, by authors who did not witness the events they wrote about. I had planned to deal with the subject starting from January 11 but had to postpone it because of the other topical issues that came up. But it is better late than never since I owe it a debt to those who wanted to be enlightened on the subject and thousands of other readers who would benefit from my writing about it.

Although Professor Anele of the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos at Akoka, Yaba is an avowed Antichrist person, I want to take it that his wrong opinion arose from the fact that he read only four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as the Acts of the Apostles, where the authors did not disclose their identities. As Apostles Peter and Paul did in the two and 13 books they wrote respectively. The former began his first Book, 1 Peter with: “From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ while he started 2 Peter with: “From Simon Peter,, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.

The 13 Books by Apostle Paul were letters he wrote to the Romans, Corinthians (1 & 2), Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians (1 & 2), Timothy (1 & 2), Titus and Philemon and he began each with: “From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God.” Or “From Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.” With the way Peter and Paul began their letters introducing themselves, how can Professor Anele say they were written by other people, thus giving the impression that they only used the names of the two apostles? Does it stand to reason that they would do this with regard to letters?

Indeed, it is unfortunate that someone of the academic status of Professor Anele would make a general statement on the authors of the Books in the New Testament without reading all of them before doing so. And without going on the Internet to read the biographies of each of them. Apart from Apostle Peter, two other disciples of Jesus wrote Books in the New Testament. Matthew was the work of Apostle Matthew while Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John as well as the Books of 1, 2 & 3 John and Revelation. The authors of the Books of James and Jude are said to have been the half – brothers of Jesus. So, how can Anele say the Books in the New Testament were produced about a century after Jesus died by people who did not witness what they wrote about?

One hundred years after the demise of Jesus would be 132 or 133 AD. Apostles Peter and Paul were executed in 67 or 68 AD on the orders of Emperor Nero, the pagan ruler of the Western Roman Empire. Does it stand to reason that 65 or 66 years after they died, people would come up to write letters in their names as Anele has claimed? Authors who were not born or were kids when the Apostles were alive.

The 13 Books Apostle Paul wrote were about how to be a good Christian in order to make heaven. So, it was not necessary for him to have been a disciple of Jesus to do that. Although he became a Christian a few months or a year after the death of Christ, there are evidences in the Acts of Apostles in Chapters 9 and 13 and others that he met Peter, the other disciples and Christian leaders like Ananias and Barnabas. So, it was from these people who witnessed the preaching and miracles of Jesus that he got the facts he wrote about.

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To be continued next week Wednesday with proofs in the Bible that Apostles Matthew and John as well as James and Jude wrote the books attributed to them and that the Books of Mark, Luke and Acts of the Apostles were produced by the aides of Apostles Peter and Paul.


Au revoir, Justice Olateru-Olagbegi

Au revoir are French words for till we meet again, which make them a stronger expression than goodbye, since it shows the person one is parting with or who departed by death is/was close to one and someone one hopes to see or meet again. Surely, Ile – Ife – born Mrs. Gladys Olubunmi Olateru – Olagbegi (nee Omitowoju), a former Chief Judge of Ondo State (2003 – 10),  was my classmate in the 1963 – 64 Higher School Certificate (HSC) set at Ibadan Grammar School and one I was close to and I would like to meet in the hereafter, if possible.

We met on a number of occasions in Akure, my hometown in the 1990s when she was a high court judge. But it was after the 49th anniversary of our passing out at Ibadan Grammar School marked in 2013 in Abeokuta at the palace of our classmate, His Royal Majesty Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake of Egba Kingdom, that we began getting in touch constantly.

The daughter of Dr. Joshua Olaremi Omitowoju, a medical practitioner in Ibadan and a member of the Western Regional House of Assembly (1951 – 56), Bunmi had her West African School Certificate education at Yejide Girls Secondary School, Ibadan near Ibadan Grammar School in the Molete area of the city. She was a very humble, easy – going and friendly person with a smiling face most of the time.  Light – skinned in complexion and of average height, she was the most beautiful girl in the 1963 – 64 HSC set (arts and science class) and one of the most brilliant six in our arts class.

Indeed, she’s the only one in our HSC set who has a PhD degree and who rose to the highest position in his or her career. She was the first and so far the only woman Chief Judge in Ondo State and the first of the two female old students of Ibadan Grammar School to head a state judiciary. The second one is Justice (Mrs) Ayotunde Philip (Nee Williams) the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State (2012 -14) of the 1966 – 67 HSC class. I will until the end continue to have fond memories of Bunmi because of the three classmates of our HSC set who were at my mother’s funeral church service in Akure on Friday, October 30, 2015 and all who gave me gifts, she was the only one at  Christian wake – keep the previous day.  The conclusion comes up next week.