Tests for the Reliability of Ancient Literature - Part 4

References: (1)  I followed the arguments that that Norman Geisler used in his book "Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True." But in his book Stealing from God  Frank Turek boils that argument down to 4 questions:     1. Does TRUTH exist?     2. Does GOD exist?     3. Are MIRACLES possible?     4. Is the NEW TESTAMENT historically reliable? (2) Allah, the God of Islam, and Jahweh, the God of Christianity share some similarities. For example, both are proclaimed as one (as opposed to the gods of pantheism or polytheism); both are transcendent, creators of the universe, supreme rulers, and omnipotent. Both have communicated through angels and prophets and will eventually judge all humankind. But the differences are so SUBSTANTIVE  that to claim the  2 religions are IDENTICAL is IMPOSSIBLE. (3) “5 Minute Apologetics for Today” by Ron Rhodes lists 10 differences between Allah and Yahweh. (4) When the apostle Peter stood in front of the religious leaders of his day in Jerusalem and said regarding Jesus, “Salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, NIV). (5) Neither Peter nor Paul were refusing anyone the right to believe DIFFERENTLY. Instead, they were taking a CLEAR STAND about their own UNDERSTANDING of spiritual truth — which is something all Christians must do. (6) C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, wrote that “If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong ALL THROUGH . . . . If you are a Christian, you are FREE to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least SOME HINT of the truth.”  Lewis says further that we should think of other religions in terms of ARITHMETIC. There is only one right answer to 2 + 2 — and that’s 4, of course — but if someone answered 6, that answer would be closer to the truth than someone who answers 37. (7) As a Christian I can appreciate the truth in some aspects of Buddhism. For example, the first 2 of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism state that there is a lot of SUFFERING in the world, and our DESIRES are often the cause of the suffering. Buddhism also teaches many things that I appreciate and affirm as clearly MORAL: we should not murder, lie, steal, or engage in immoral sexual behavior. (8) But here’s where the discussion starts to get MESSY. While many world religion academic courses show how much is held in common, the reality is that there are vast DIFFERENCES on the most FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES. So while there is some common ground say between Buddhism and Christianity, there are also enormous TENSION POINTS. (9) The Dalai Lama has stated publicly that the CENTRAL DOCTRINES of Buddhism and Christianity are NOT COMPATIBLE. He has been quite open about you cannot be a Christian Buddhist or a Buddhist Christian. (See, for example, the Dalai Lama’s book The Good Heart, pp. 81-82). (10) Christians embrace Jesus as God in human form; Islam ranks Him as a prophet second to Muhammad. Neither does Islam consider Jesus as divine or as the Savior of the world. Also Islam says someone else took His place on the cross, so Jesus did not die for sins and He did not appear to over 500 people after being raised from the dead contrary to 1 Cor. 15:3-8. (11) Okay, let me sum this up. There is just one way to God, and it is through Jesus (John 14:6). “So,” you might ask, “are you saying that all those people who aren’t Christians are going to hell? Does someone really GOOD and NOBLE, like Gandhi, go to hell just because he didn’t ACKNOWLEDGE Jesus as the only way to God?” Many who ask these questions, will go further and say, “Because if you are saying that, you have lost me. I just can’t believe that THAT is right. Are you saying that good Muslims, good Hindus, good Jews, good Buddhists are going to hell if they don’t profess Jesus is Lord?” (12) We must trust the character of Yahweh. Much of the Christian’s relationship with God rests on our understanding of, and faith in, His CHARACTER and His NATURE. If God is the one true God, He is utterly, completely fair and just. He will do the right thing by every person. Gen. 18:25 says, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth, do right?” Psa. 25:8, 10 say, “Good and upright is the LORD . . . . All the paths of the LORD  are lovingkindness and truth.” (13) Yahweh God will treat every person with complete and total love.  “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Yes, people are saved by Christ alone, but it is God who will make the final ASSESSMENT of where someone STANDS in relation to Christ’s saving grace. This is episode 266.

References: (1) When Mortimer Adler, editor of the Great Books of the Western World, was asked why the “God” section was the largest section in those books, he observed that it was because more implications FLOW from the SUBJECT of God than from any other subject. (2) “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek says that the 5 most consequential questions are: origin, identity, meaning, morality, and destiny. (3) The answers to each of these questions depend on the EXISTENCE of God. If God exists, then there is ultimate MEANING and PURPOSE to your life. If there is a real purpose to your life, then there is a REAL RIGHT AND WRONG WAY to live it. Choices you make now not only affect your life here and now but will affect your ETERNAL DESTINY. (4) On the other hand, if there is no God, then your life ultimately MEANS NOTHING. Since there is no enduring purpose to life, there is no right or wrong way to live it. Dostoevsky said, “If God does not exist, everything is permissible.” So if there are no restrictions on morality; EVERYTHING GOES. And it doesn’t matter how you live or what you believe — your ultimate destiny is ANHILATION. All creation will be incinerated in the final heat death of the universe. (5) So which world religion, if any, answers the God question correctly? Allow me to answer that question by saying, if you desire to work on a jig-saw puzzle, you know you need the PICTURE on the BOX TOP to help you. Correspondingly, does any religion provide the true box top for life? (6) First, many say it is UNREASONABLE to believe that only one religion could be EXCLUSIVELY TRUE. Okay, let’s accept that statement for the time being. What is your evidence? Without evidence the statement is merely an opinion, and everyone has one. Don’t just spout out your opinion and leave it there. You have the right to your opinion, but all opinions are at the same level of value without evidence. (7) If one religion were really true, it would mean billions of people from other religions are wrong today and have been wrong for centuries. (8) Easygoing Americans are more likely to believe that NO RELIGION is the truth. This sentiment is often illustrated by a parable from an ancient Hindu text of 6 blind men describing an elephant. One man touches its trunk and compares it to a snake. Another feels its ear and compares it to a fan. The third man places his hand on the elephant’s leg and says it is like a tree trunk. A fourth pushes on the elephant’s side and insists it is like a wall. The fifth man holds the tail and suggests it is a like a rope. The last man feels a tusk and declares that the elephant is a spear. (9) The skeptics HOPE has many things WRONG with it. On closer inspection the elephant story creates more problems than it SOLVES. (10) In her book “Confronting Christianity” the author Rebecca McLaughlin lists seven problems: the problem of respect, truth, history, conversion, ethics, monotheism, and the problem of Jesus. I address only 3 only 3 of McLaughlin’s 7 problems. (11) In terms of a Supreme Being or Beings that are worshiped, there is no absolute God in Buddhism, although many have interpreted Buddhism as a search for God. Many Buddhists believe that the existence of suffering and evil in the world offers evidence against belief in God. (12) God doesn’t DECIDE to do holy, just, and right things; this is something He IS by nature. All that is right and holy, just and good is DERIVED from His core nature. (13) In their book 77 FAQs About God and the Bible, Josh and Sean McDowell say, “This is incredibly important! What people miss and fail to understand about God is that He is PURE GOODNESS. All that is perfect and right and beautiful and complete and meaningful and eternally full of contentment, joy, and happiness is because of Him and comes from Him. His very nature and essence are good.” (14) Once we comprehend in some small way the infinite, almighty, loving God, we can begin to see ourselves for what we really are without Christ as our LORD — fallen creatures alienated from a holy and just God by sin. If we trust in Jesus as our LORD and Savior only then can we begin to discover what we can become by God’s grace. This is episode 265.

References: (1) The Bible stands out as a unique text because it transcends time, offering timeless wisdom and guidance. (2) The Bible is unique because it speaks in the present time. (3) The Bible is unique because it unfolds a single continuous story — of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. From Genesis to Revelation, one SCARLET THREAD OF REDEMPTION runs throughout it: God is redeeming His people through love. (4) In my life time C. S. Lewis has been one of the greatest popularizers of the Christian faith along with other Christian apologists like Norman Geisler, Frank Turek, William Lane Craig, J. Warner Wallace, Alistar McGrath, and Doug Groothuis. (5) Let me now articulate 6 habits that should be ABANDONED if we want to hear God’s voice clearly. Habit 1. Refusing stillness. Habit 2. Speaking constantly in prayer. Habit 3. Neglecting Scriptures. Habit 4. Persisting in known sin. Habit 5. Expecting God to speak only through emotion. Habit 6. Divided allegiance. (6) Lewis says God continues to speak. The real question is whether we are willing to REMOVE what PREVENTS us from hearing Him clearly. This is episode 264.

References: (1) A Visual Guide to Biblical Apologetics by Joseph M. Holden and Sarah R. Enterline. (2) The third historiographical test for the Bible’s historical reliability is the external test. Recall that this test compares the text with external sources of historical or archaeological facts. The question is: Does the text align or not with data OUTSIDE ITSELF? If so, it is considered reliable; if not, it is NOT reliable. (3) There are thousands of artifacts that directly or indirectly CONFIRM the historicity of the Bible. I have said before that when I was in college in the late 1950s there were skeptics that questioned the Bible’s reference to the Hittites. But at that very same time there was an established museum at the University of Chicago that had artifacts from the Hittite dynasty that was discovered some 50 years before. I think the skeptics knew that basic fact but hoped that the people to whom they were talking DID NOT KNOW it. I have said many times that atheists will DO ANYTHING to win an argument even going SO FAR as to purposely MISQUOTE historical and archaeological facts. (4) “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. (5) The first century historian Flavius Josephus made specific references to John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and James in his “Antiquities of the Jews.” In this work, Josephus gave us many background details about the Herods, the Sadducees and Pharisees, the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, and the Roman emperors mentioned in the Gospels and Acts. (6) Higher criticism in the 19th century, for example, made many DAMAGING CLAIMS that would completely OVERTHROW the INTEGRITY of the Bible, but the explosion of archaeological knowledge in the 20th century REVERSED almost all of these higher criticism claims. Notably archaeologists William F. Albright, Nelson Gluek, and Ernest Wright developed great respect for the HISTORICAL ACCURACY of the Scriptures as a result of their work. No archaeological evidence has ever REFUTED any Biblical claim. (7) Dr. Rick Cornish’s book “5 Minute Apologist” p. 66, says “In a court of law the BURDEN OF PROOF lies with the accuser, namely, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The same approach should dictate how we evaluate sources of information which have a long track record of being right. Claims of the Bible being proven wrong falls short of that boast. What many critics mean is that the Bible includes passages they can’t figure out. So what? Christians know that better than the skeptics do.” (8) What sets the Bible apart from other religious writings? The Bible stands out not only in its CONTENT, but in its power to SPEAK, CONVICT, and TRANSFORM. It is unique due to its acknowledgement of divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16). Christians hold the belief that the Bible is not merely a record of human thoughts about God, but instead the very Word of God about humanity, BREATHED OUT by His Spirit and ALIVE with His presence. (9) Not only is His word living and powerful; He speaks in the present time. This is episode 263.

References: (1) “The Historical Reliability of the Gospels” by Craig L. Bloomberg. (2) Bible deniers declare that the Bible is FULL of contradictions. (3) Bart Ehrman, the NT scholar at UNC and the author of several skeptical books. (4) Richard Dawkins, the author of several books including “The Blind Watchmaker,” “The Selfish Gene,” and “The God Delusion." (5) For Christians finding a contradiction in the Bible would have the effect of destroying our faith because the Bible says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:2] and all Scripture is given by inspiration of God [2 Tim. 3:16]. The apostle Peter said that Jesus has the words of eternal life [John 6:68]; and Jesus Himself said, “If you continue in My Word, . . . . you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). If any PART of the Bible were found to be anything other than the truth that would imply that God Himself is NOT TRUE. (6) Hundreds of examples of so-called contradictions exist, but not a single one has ever proved to be a GENUINE contradiction. (7) Hundreds of examples of so-called contradictions exist, but not a single one has ever proved to be a GENUINE contradiction. (8) But now faith is back in public life. (9) Around the time when I was in college I discovered a book that answered about 500 alleged contradictions in the Bible. On every occasion where I have had to consider a cited contradiction I have been able — after some effort — to realize that these supposed contradictions actually have reasonable answers for the truth of what the Bible said. (10) Voddie Baucham says, “The NT is a RELIABLE COLLECTION of historical documents, written by EYEWITNESSES during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report SUPERNATURAL EVENTS that took place in fulfillment of SPECIFIC PROPHESIES, and claim that their writings are DIVINE rather than HUMAN in ORIGIN.” (11) There is simply NO CASE OF PROVEN FRAUD or error in the Bible. Instead, the Bible condemns deceitful practices and dishonest schemes through its teachings (Exod. 20:15; Prov. 11:1; 21:6). (12) “Understanding the Bible” by John Stott. (13) The main THRUST of the biblical message is that God LOVES the VERY REBELS who deserve nothing from His hand but judgment and condemnation.” This is episode 262.

References: (1) “Misquoting Jesus”  by Bart Ehrman. (2) “Jesus Interrupted” by Bart Ehrman. (3) The main character of “Everybody Loves Raymond” would say to critics like Ehrman: “Bull-loney.” What I reported about the biographical test blows Ehrman’s comments out of the water. (4) Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Ehrman doesn’t have a leg to stand on. (5) We have all heard other critics, like Ehrman, say, “The Bible is full of errors and contradictions.” That accusation is one of the STANDARD MISCONCEPTIONS of our time. Repeating it has almost become a SOCIAL OBLIGATION. (6) Most Bible critics are not interested in a rational conversation regarding the Bible. They don’t emotionally LIKE the Bible, so they CHOOSE not to believe it. The Bible denier is generally SATISFIED with any claim that happens to REINFORCE their PRECONCEIVED UNINFORMED CHOICE. Such criticism is based on HEARSAY and FAULTY REASONING contributing to an erroneous interpretation. (7) It is always helpful to define any relevant TERMS at the outset of any discussion with skeptics. Here we need to define the concept of a CONTRADICTION. Two statements are said to be contradictory when one statement ASSERTS what the other DENIES. (8) Keeping the Faith in an Age of Reason by Jason Lisle. (9) There is no contradiction in the claim “Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2) in the sense of helping those in trouble, and “bear his own burden” (Gal. 6:5) in the sense of taking responsibility for your own obligations. (10) What is called a compatible difference is not a contradiction. There is no contradiction between the claim “the car is fast” and the claim “the car is red.” The Gospel writers each chose to record different details of what they observed, but the differences are COMPATIBLE with each other and thus not contradictory. So when Matthew states that Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus does not contradict John’s statement that Joseph and Nicodemus buried Jesus. Both statements are true, even though they are different. If Matthew had stated that ONLY Joseph buried BY HIMSELF,  then we would have a contradiction. But that is not what was stated. This is episode 261.

References: (1) The bibliographic test seeks to determine if we can RECONSTRUCT the original writings from the extant copies of the documents we have at hand. It examines the QUANTITY, the QUALITY, and the PROXIMITY of the MSS relative to the ORIGINAL TEXTS. More MSS and earlier copies generally indicate a higher level of reliability. (2) The Internal Test checks for INCONSISTENCIES within the text itself. It evaluates the accuracy of the internal content of the MSS. If the text contains internal contradictions, it will not be considered as reliable. (3) The External Test involves examining historical documents and archaeological findings OUTSIDE the MSS that support the Bible’s claims. (4) According to Norman Geisler’s book Christian Apologetics pp. 306-307 there is more abundant and accurate manuscript evidence for the NT THAN FOR ANY OTHER BOOK from the ancient world. (5) In contrast, the typical number of existing MSS copies for any works of ancient authors, such as the well known classical authors Caesar, Livy, Tacitus, Thucydides, Herodotus, Demosthenes, Homer, NT, given in a table of Christian Apoletics that range from the 9 century BC for Homer to the first century AD for the NT. The earliest copies of these ancient non-Christian authors range from 643 for Homer, 200 for Demosthenes but the other BC writers the number of copies range from 8 to 20 and this is typical for many other ancient writers as well. The average gap between when the original manuscript was first penned to the discovery of the earliest copy is over 1000 years. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of MSS; but the NT boasts thousands. The degree of ACCURACY is greater for the NT than for other books that can be compared. (6) Bruce M. Metzker (1914-2007) was an American biblical scholar and historian who taught NT languages and literature at Princeton University. (7) The NT has about 20,000 lines. Of these only about 40 are in doubt (i.e., about 400 words). The Iliad has about 15,600 lines with 764 lines in question. This would mean that Homer’s text is only 95% pure compared to what Metzker says that the NT can be regarded as approximately 99.5% accurate. (8) We need only compare such SLIM EVIDENCE for classical authors to the MASS of NT DOCUMENTATION involving over 24,000 MSS portions and versions dating within 70 years after they were originally written. (9) The small percentage of minor mistakes are due to scribal error (like spelling, word order, etc.). Only a fraction of these have any real consequences. Furthermore, NO VARIANT READINGS are significant enough to call into question any doctrines of the NT. (10) Josh McDowell says in his book God Breathed that Dr. Peter Flint, the director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University in British Columbia and author of the book The Dead Sea Scrolls, affirms that the scrolls confirm the Hebrew text. (11) The proximity of the NT MSS Is EXCEPTIONAL. For most of the NT is less than 70 years from the date of authorship to the date of our earliest NT MSS. This can be contrasted with the average gap of over 1000 years between the composition and the earliest copy of other ancient authors. The early dates of the MSS, copied close to the time of the events of the Bible, do not allow enough time for MYTH and EMBELLISHMENT to have ALTERED the text. (12) To summarize the bibliographic test, the OT and NT enjoy far greater MSS attestations in terms of quantity, quality, and proximity span than any other ancient documents. In other words, the Bible passes the biographical test and must be graded with the HIGHEST MARK of any ancient literature we possess. This is episode 260.

References: (1) The OT and NT pass the separate historiographical tests like NO OTHER ancient books. Most professional archaeologists and historians acknowledge the historicity of the Bible. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 contribute to that confidence. (2) “The Bible and Archaeology” by Sir Fredrick Kenyon who lived from 1863-1952, and was the former director and principal librarian of the British Museum. (3) “The NT Documents: Are They Reliable?” By F. F. Bruce, who served as the Rylands Professor of Religious Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester from 1959 to 1978. (4) The great Princeton scholar B. B. Warfield says, “the great bulk of the NT has been transmitted to us without, or almost without, ANY VARIATIONS. It can be ASSERTED with CONFIDENCE that the sacred text is EXACT and VALID and that NO ARTICLE OF FAITH and NO MORAL PRECEPT in it has been distorted or lost.” (5) Christ cannot be dismissed as a MYTHICAL CREATION of the early church. All the evidence supports the historical reliability of the Gospel accounts about Jesus. I have shown J. Warner Wallace’s 4-fold test for the reliability of witnesses. (6) Jesus said “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). The word for “are” can indicate that they are one in HARMONY and AGREEMENT in attitude toward the purpose of God. But more than that, we can interpret this passage as saying they are one in NATURE. God the Father is certainly divine in nature, so then Jesus, the Son of God, is divine in nature as well. (7) “God Breathed”by Josh McDowell. (8)The 3 tests are the bibliographical test, the internal test, and the external test. (9) Two books and an article relate that the accuracy of biblical documents can be assessed by combining 3 basic TESTS of HISTORIOGRAPHY that pertain to the reliability of ancient literature. These are McDowell’s book “God Breathed,”the book “A Visual Guide to Biblical Apologetics” by Joseph M. Holden and Sarah R. Enterline, and the article from Ankerberg Theological Institute by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon entitled “The Historic Reliability of Scripture — Part 2.” This is episode 259.

References: (1) Skeptics bring up their opposition to the Bible and Jesus all the time. They say, “The Bible is UNRELIABLE, and UNTRUSTWORTHY.” In fact, the skeptic may go so far as to say, “It’s DOUBTFUL that Jesus even EXISTED.” (2) Gary Habermas, a NT scholar, theologian, and author, has discovered a total of 39 extra-Biblical sources, which includes 17 non-Christian sources that witness to over 100 details of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. (3) In the books The Verdict of History and On the Resurrection Vol. 1 Gary Habermas summarizes Tacitus’ comments that give 8 fundamental facts about Jesus that align with the NT accounts of Jesus. Other observations by Tacitus disclose additional historical facts. (4) “Christianity: The Witness of History” by J. N. D. Anderson. (5) There are 3 types of considerations. First option: The Bible is not trustworthy. The second option: The claim is that the Bible has real PROBLEMS in one or more TROUBE SPOTS. (6) This can OPEN THE DOOR to a clear presentation of the Gospel, and your conversation can go from there. Review the 4 basic points of the Gospel in 1 Cor. 15:3-8 — namely, Jesus DIED for our sins, was BURIED, ROSE AGAIN from the dead, and APPEARED to 517 people. Rom. 10:9-10 says “If you CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus and BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness l, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (7) Remember: TRUTH is own our side. God’s word is true (John 17:17). This is episode 258.

References: (1) The Gospel documents pass J. Warner Wallaces’s 4 part test for the credibility of witnesses. (2) “Basic Christianity” by John Stott. (3) Jesus’ own viewpoint concerning His deity. (4) The rapid pace of Mark’s Gospel is emphasized by the Greek word “eutheos” whose means “immediately” or “straightway.” (5) Mark identifies John the Baptist as the coming messenger. (6) We can identify the works of Jesus’ deity because He did what only God can do. Jesus was Creator, Savior, the Giver of Life. Jesus told Martha, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). (7) The book, “12 Points That Show Christianity is True” by Norman Geisler and Doug Potter show that Jesus accepted worship on 10 occasions. (8) Jesus’ words, actions, miracles, and resurrection point to His deity. (9) I challenge you to recognize His authority, believe in Him, receive Him as Savior and Lord, worship Him, and follow Him. This is episode 257.