PART 3: VALIDITY OF THE BIBLE: HISTORICAL AND FACTUAL REASONING

 

                 Now, here are some historical, factual reasons. Though, all the factual evidence in the world won't quench the questioning if one approaches closed off to God. For our purposes here, imagine, what if Jesus actually were who He claimed to be, and that He endured torture, hostility, and separation from God for you?

 

                Regarding the validity of the Bible, Sir Frederic Kenyon (the late director of the British Museum and leading expert on manuscript verification) deduced,

"In no other case is the interval of time between composition of the book and the date of the earliest extant manuscripts so short as the New Testament... so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established." 1

 

                 Practically all historians consent that Jesus Christ existed & was crucified under the rule of Pontius Pilate -- non-Biblical sources from history (such as 1st century historian Flavius Josephus's Antiquities in Book 18 Ch. 2 and Cornelius Tacitus's Annals XV) record this as well as Christ's disciples causing an uproar saying that Jesus rose from the dead, that Christianity spread so much that it was what Constantine could solely use to unite the Roman Empire, and more. 

 

                 Also, skeptics claimed that Christians wrote Isaiah 53 after Jesus since it describes such accurate prophesies that Jesus Christ fulfilled. At that time, the oldest manuscripts of Isaiah were from around the 10th century. Then, in 1947, the Dead Sea scrolls were found, which included all of Isaiah and was dated to be written in 300 B.C. (before the birth of Christ). And so, those claims were completely vaporized. 2

 

               So what about the resurrection? Two theories against it are that the disciples stole the body or lied. However, all but one died gruesome deaths for their message of Christ. Why would they suffer excruciating persecution and deaths for what they knew was false? Even more, why would Paul (who initially imprisoned and killed Christians and then came to believe in Jesus) & James (who didn't believe Christ was God but then dramatically changed after seeing Him resurrected) suffer the same for a lie?

 

 

EPILOGUE

 

               There are intellectual, natural, philosophical, personal, logical, and historical reasons. I hope you continue considering actively and examining what the Bible says. I hope that you won't turn away from God, but instead come to Him with a contrite heart.

 

               But in the end, it is between you and Him.

 

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9    

 

 

WORKS CITED

1. Kenyon, Frederic G. The Bible and Archaeology. University of Berkeley : G. Harrap, 1940.

2. Zukeran, Patrick. "The Dead Sea Scrolls Shed Light on the Accuracy of Our Bible." Probe Ministries, 17 Apr. 2006.

 

Many thanks and much credit to the Evangelism Training Ministry from Evangel Bible Church and Course 101 from Gracepoint!