More Than A Carpenter: Chapter 6

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More Than A Carpenter: Chapter 6

May 16, 2021

Chapter 6: Are the Bible Records Reliable?

The reliability of Biblical Records is often a point of argument from those that would deny the validity of Christianity. That argument, however, does not hold up when the three basic principles of historiography are applied to these texts. In fact, it appears that the New Testament Records are not only reliable, but quite possibly, the most reliable texts of ancient history.

Isaiah 48:5“Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened, I announced them to you so that you could not say, ‘My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.”

"I love this verse because here God throws down the gauntlet. Can your idols predict the future? Can they declare the end from the beginning? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The apostles repeatedly used the argument from fulfilled prophecy in identifying Jesus. Just read the Gospels or any of the sermons in Acts preached to a Jewish audience." (Manning 2019)

In this post we will discuss Chapter 6: Are the Bible Records Reliable? In your comments please share any insights you may have had or connections you my have made while reading this chapter. Feel free to consider the following questions as well as the "What do you think?" questions within the chapter in shaping your response. Keep in mind, however, we are not looking for a list of answers to the questions.

Manning, Erik (2019, May 5) 19 Essential Bible Verses and Passages on Apologetics, cross-examined.org Retrieved from https://crossexamined.org/19-essential-bible-verses-and-passages-on-apologetics/

1) What surprised you most in this chapter about the reliability of the New Testament?

2) Why do you think our culture is so quick to believe the false “facts” given to them (by professors, scientists, intellectuals, media, etc.) that the Bible isn’t a reliable document?

3) Do you think the same objective standard of testing the validity of literature should be applied to secular and biblical literature? Why or why not?

4) Describe how the Bibliographical Test (p. 70), the Internal Evidence Test (p. 77) and the External Evidence Test (p. 84) differ. Why is it unreasonable for the New Testament to be a collection of myths and legends? What was the approximate period of time between the New Testament events and the existing copies of the New Testament?

5) Why is it important that the New Testament accounts of Jesus were recorded by men who had been either eyewitnesses of events or who related others’ eyewitness accounts (Luke 1:1-4)?

6) Regarding writings of antiquity, the time between an historical event and the earliest existing copy of that event is on average a 1000 year span. Caesar’s Gallic War, written about 50 B.C., and its first copy around 900 A.D leaves almost a thousand year span. The latest events of the New Testament between 80-90 A.D. and its first copy in 125 A.D. leaves about a 35 year span. How does this one fact affect your view of the credibility of the

New Testament?

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