Prolific “Christian Author, Philosopher, And Apologist” Robert Clifton Robinson seems to have an abiding problem with at least one core principle of scholarly ethics. As was discussed in articles and comments on this blog at the beginning of 2023 (see here and here), Robinson has on occasion been less than rigorous in properly quoting and citing his sources, whether they be biblical commentaries or Wikipedia entries. If he did read those analyses of his apparent dalliances with plagiarism, it may nevertheless remain a temptation he is unable or disinclined to resist at times.
A new case in point is Robinson’s May 24, 2024 post, The New Apologetics Of Women, Slaves, And Homosexuals.1 Part of that piece involves a discussion of the episode concerning the priests Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. As readers might recall, Yahweh incinerates Nadab and Abihu for neglecting to adhere strictly to ritual standards of obeisance.
Certain statements and passages in Robinson’s post clearly paraphrase and duplicate text about this incident that Dr. Jay Sklar2 first wrote in Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary (InterVarsity Press, 2014). Yet Robinson fails to use quotation marks where appropriate, and nowhere at all does he cite Sklar’s work, not even in a vague and cursory way.
| Robinson (2024) | Sklar (2014) |
| Nadab and Abihu were the oldest of Aaron’s four sons. They are seen is [sic] Leviticus 10 as priests bringing incense before the Lord within the censers that held the coals of fire (16:2) [sic]. [Lev. 16:2 says bupkis about censers, incense, and coals. This citation is almost certainly a typo for Lev. 16:12, per Sklar.] | Nadab and Abihu were the oldest of Aaron’s four sons (Exod. 6:23). As the story begins, they bring an incense offering before the LORD in their censers (vessels in which incense and coals of fire could be carried; cf. 16:12). [p. 156] |
| The Lord warned that they could not come before Him, into the Holy Place, whenever they wanted, or they will die (10:2). Nadab and Abihu made two critical errors:They came before the Lord at a time He had not authorized.They tried to enter the Most Holy Place, when they were not authorized. We see an example of a breach of royal protocol in Esther 4:11 . . . . To come into the presence of the king without authorization was considered a sign of tremendous disrespect. | The Lord then warns Aaron “not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place . . . or else he will die” (v. 2). These verses imply that the sin of Nadab and Abihu was twofold. First, they approached the Lord’s presence at a time that was not authorized . . . . Second they tried to enter a place that the Lord had not authorized: the Most Holy Place itself . . . . This was considered a severe breach of royal protocol (cf. Esth. 4:11) and thus a sign of gross disrespect to the Lord (cf. v. 3 below). [pp. 156-157] |
| Nadab and Abihu greatly disrespect the Lord in the context of worship, and experience his judgment as a result (vv. 1–7). | In the first [section of Lev. 10], the priests Nadab and Abihu greatly disrespect the Lord in the context of worship, and experience his judgment as a result (vv. 1-7).[p. 156] |
In theory, it might be conceivable the first example is just an astonishing coincidence, and perhaps—if we’re being exuberantly and irrationally charitable past the point of sainthood—also the second. But the third example, in which Robinson copies not only Sklar’s exact wording but also his distinctive citation (“(vv. 1-7)”), leaves zero room for doubt. He is passing off Sklar’s ideas and words as his own, with no acknowledgement whatsoever.
Federal academic policy defines plagiarism, a type of research misconduct, as “the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.” Fortunately for Robinson, he is no university-affiliated scholar, so his malfeasance here is not grounds for potential professional discipline or government sanctions. But it is a little sleazy and a lot sloppy.
One final thought. Robinson’s website includes a lengthy “Copyright Warning” page on which he writes: “If you would like to use any of the material from this website for research or your own work–all that I ask is that you give proper attribution to myself as the Author and source of this work,” with a detailed statement of acknowledgement.
Readers are invited to decide for themselves whether Robinson reliably practices what he preaches.
- The text in question also appeared verbatim in Robinson’s February 23, 2023 piece, Because You Did Not Consider The Lord Holy: Why Critics Are Wrong About God And His Judgments. The dude is a diligent recycler. ↩︎
- Dr. Sklar is Professor of Old Testament and Vice President of Academics at Covenant Theological Seminary. ↩︎
The Amateur Exegete 