Contact: Rick Dack, 763-913-0351

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., March 30, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- "There's a very important ingredient mainly in the root called Hyoscine which is one of the major pre-med's used nowadays. It has an extremely powerful effect on the central nervous system and renders people as if they are dead. It makes them completely insensible to pain." -- Sue Minter, Curator of Chelsea Physics Garden (Jesus: The Complete Story, BBC/Discovery Channel, 2001).

Was Jesus drugged on the cross by Roman soldiers and later revived in the tomb as the Discovery Channel claims in its documentary "Jesus: The Complete Story?" For over 15 years, Rick Dack of Defending the Bible International (www.defendingthebible.com) has been conducting Bible defense classes (Biographies of the Bible) in churches and faith-based schools throughout the United States. Dack is especially concerned with how the church is responding to media Bible myths over the last three decades - a deafening silence.

What is the truth regarding the resurrection and the mandrake theory according to Dack?

"Matthew 27:48 and John 19:28-30 tells us that the Roman soldiers (or 'they') gave Jesus a drink of wine vinegar at Golgotha not liquefied mandrake, a potentially fatal anesthetic, in order to knock him out – to 'appear dead' (note: the documentary depicts scenes of Jesus being given mandrake – not a neutral viewpoint). A spear is thrust into Jesus' side - he is taken off the cross and then put into the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea where he is supposedly awakened by his followers a few days later. If the mandrake theory is true wouldn't this also mean that the Roman soldiers were in conspiracy with the followers of Jesus (how deep to insert the spear into Jesus' side to make it look convincing etc.)? How much drug is acceptable? Too little mandrake would not put Jesus to sleep. Too much mandrake would kill him. The Roman soldiers would have had to measure out 'just enough.' Sounds like a bad version of the fairy tale 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' doesn't it? It's difficult to imagine blood-soaked Roman soldiers gambling for Jesus' garments while two others are working with the Mattel Kiddie Chemistry Set with two clear test tubes checking levels of mandrake toxicity," stated Rick Dack of Defending the Bible International (www.defendingthebible.com).  According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Mandrake (under Roman rule) was only administered to crucifixion victims by women (not Roman Soldiers) nor could mandrake cure spear thrusts to the side. D'oh!

Has your Pastor and Principal provided an apologetic defense of the scriptures? If not, your church and school needs to invite Defending the Bible Int'l. This ministry's "Biographies of the Bible" classes and presentations supply all of the answers you will ever need in defense of the scriptures. These classes also include 3D animations of Bible sites, Hollywood stories of faith, archaeological biographies of Bible characters and more. Check out www.defendingthebible.com for class information on over thirty topics including Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, Daniel, the Nativity, the Resurrection, Acts and more!