From: Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Can_we_trust_t?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?he_New_Testame?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?nt_as_a_histor?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?ical_document=3F?= Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:02:56 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_039A_01C3F4E1.03B924B0"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.3314.1001 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_039A_01C3F4E1.03B924B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: =?iso-8859-1?B?aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jYXI=?= =?iso-8859-1?B?bS5vcmcvcXVlc3Rpb24=?= =?iso-8859-1?B?cy90cnVzdGJpYmxlLmg=?= =?iso-8859-1?B?dG0=?= Can we trust the New Testament as a historical = document?
 =20 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS &=20 RESEARCH MINISTRY  

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Can we trust the=20 New Testament as a historical document?


     Many people do not believe = that the=20 Bible is a reliable document of history. To choose this, however, = the=20 Bible is very trustworthy as a historical document. If we were to = look at=20 a chart that compared the biblical documents with other ancient = documents,=20 we would see that the Bible is in a class by itself regarding the = number=20 of ancient copies and their reliability. Please consider the chart = below
 
Author1 Date
Written		 Earliest=20 Copy Approximate Time Span=20 between  original & copy

Number of = Copies

 Accuracy = of=20 Copies
 Lucretius died 55 or 53 = B.C.   1100 = yrs 2 ----
 Pliny 61-113 = A.D. 850 = A.D. 750 = yrs 7 ----
 Plato 427-347 B.C. 900 = A.D. 1200 = yrs 7 ----
 Demosthenes 4th Cent. = B.C. 1100 = A.D. 800 = yrs 8 ----
 Herodotus 480-425 = B.C. 900 = A.D. 1300 = yrs 8 ----
 Suetonius 75-160 = A.D. 950 = A.D. 800 = yrs 8 ----
 Thucydides 460-400 = B.C. 900 = A.D. 1300 = yrs 8 ----
 Euripides 480-406 = B.C. 1100 = A.D. 1300 = yrs 9 ----
 Aristophanes 450-385 = B.C. 900 = A.D. 1200 10 ----
 Caesar 100-44 = B.C. 900 = A.D. 1000 10 ----
 Livy 59 BC-AD = 17 ---- ??? 20 ----
 Tacitus circa 100 = A.D. 1100 = A.D. 1000 = yrs 20 ----
 Aristotle 384-322 = B.C. 1100 = A.D. 1400 49 ----
 Sophocles 496-406 = B.C. 1000 = A.D 1400 = yrs 193 ----
 Homer (Iliad) 900 = B.C. 400 = B.C. 500 = yrs 643 95%
 New
 Testament		 1st Cent. = A.D. (50-100=20 A.D. 2nd Cent. = A.D.
 (c. 130 A.D. = f.)		 less than 100 = years 5600 99.5%

     It = should be obvious=20 that the biblical documents, especially in the New Testament = documents,=20 are superior in their quantity, time span from original = occurrence, and=20 textual reliability. The question is not into documents a reliably = transmitted to us. In the question is whether or not the biblical=20 documents record actual historical accounts.

The Bible is a = book of=20 History

     It could be said = that the=20 Bible is a book of history -- and it is. The bible describes = places,=20 people, and events in various degrees of detail.  It is = essentially=20 an historical account of the people of God throughout thousands of = years.  If you open to almost any page in the Bible you will = find a=20 name of a place and/or a person.  Much of this can be = verified from=20 archaeology.  Though archaeology cannot prove that the Bible = is the=20 inspired word of God, it has the ability to prove whether or not = if some=20 events and locations described therein are true or false.  So = far,=20 however, there isn't a single archaeological discovery that = disproves the=20 Bible in any way.
     Nevertheless, many = used to=20 think that the Bible had numerous historical errors in it such as = Luke's=20 account of Lysanias being the tetrarch of Abiline in about 27 AD=20 (Luke=20 3:1).  For years scholars = used this=20 "factual error" to prove Luke was wrong because it was common = knowledge=20 that Lysanias was not a tetrarch, but the ruler of Chalcis about = 50 years=20 earlier than what Luke described.  But, an archaeological = inscription=20 was found that said Lysanias was the tetrarch in Abila near = Damascus at=20 the time that Luke said.  It turns out that there had been = two people=20 name Lysanias and Luke had accurately recorded the facts. =20
     Also, the walls of Jericho have been = found,=20 destroyed just as the Bible says.  Many critics doubted that Nazareth = ever existed,=20 yet archaeologists have found a first-century synagogue = inscription=20 at Caesarea verified its existence.  Finds have verified = Herod the=20 Great and his son Herod Antipas.  The remains of the Apostle = Peter's=20 house have been found at Capernaum.  Bones with nail scars through the = wrists and=20 feet have been uncovered as well demonstrating the actuality of=20 crucifixion.  The High Priest Caiaphas' bones have been = discovered in=20 an ossuary (a box used to store bones). 
     There is, of course, a = host of=20 archaeological digs that corroborate biblical records such as = Bethsaida,=20 Bethany, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum,=20 Cyprus, Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, = Ephesus,=20 Rome, etc.  For more on this see, = Archaeo= logical=20 Evidence verifying biblical events and places.
    

  1. An inscribed = stone was=20 found that  refers to Pontius Pilate, named as Prefect of=20 Judaea.=92  (The New Bible Dictionary, (Wheaton, = Illinois:=20 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1962.) =20
    1. Luke=20 3:1, "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign = of=20 Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of = Judea..."=20
  2. "A decree of = Claudius=20 found at Delphi (Greece) describes Gallio as proconsul of Achaia = in ad=20 51, thus giving a correlation with the ministry of Paul in = Corinth (Acts=20 18:12)." (The New Bible Dictionary)
    1. Acts=20 18:12, "But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, = the Jews=20 with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before = the=20 judgment seat."
  3. Excavations = have revealed=20 a text naming a benefactor Erastus which may be a reference = relating=20 to  the city-treasurer of Rom. 16:23.  (The New = Bible=20 Dictionary)
    1. Rom. 16:23, = "Gaius,=20 host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the = city=20 treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother." =
  4. At Ephesus = parts of the=20 temple of Artemis have been uncovered as is mentioned in Acts = 19:28-41.=20 (The New Bible Dictionary)
    1. Acts 19:28, = "And when=20 they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying = out,=20 saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians." =
  5. "It is known that = Quirinius=20 was made governor of Syria by Augustus in AD 6. Archaeologist = Sir=20 William Ramsay discovered several inscriptions that indicated = that=20 Quirinius was governor of Syria on two occasions, the first time = several=20 years prior to this date...archaeology has provided some = unexpected and=20 supportive answers. Additionally, while supplying the background = behind=20 these events, archaeology also assists us in establishing = several facts.=20 (1) A taxation-census was a fairly common procedure in = the Roman=20 Empire and it did occur in Judea, in particular. (2) = Persons were=20 required to return to their home city in order to fulfill the=20 requirements of the process. (3) These procedures were = apparently=20 employed during the reign of Augustus (37 BC=96AD 14), placing = it well=20 within the general time frame of Jesus=92 birth."2=20
  6. "The = historical=20 trustworthiness of Luke has been attested by a number of = inscriptions.=20 The =91politarchs=92 of Thessalonica (Acts=20 17:6,8) were = magistrates and are=20 named in five inscriptions from the city in the 1st century ad.=20 Similarly Publius is correctly designated pro=B5tos (=91first = man=92) or=20 Governor of Malta (Acts=20 28:7). Near Lystra = inscriptions=20 record the dedication to Zeus of a statue of Hermes by some = Lycaonians,=20 and near by was a stone altar for =91the Hearer of Prayer=92 = (Zeus) and=20 Hermes. This explains the local identification of Barnabas and = Paul with=20 Zeus (Jupiter) and Hermes (Mercury) respectively (Acts=20 14:11). Derbe, Paul=92s = next=20 stopping-place, was identified by Ballance in 1956 with Kaerti = H=FCy=FCk=20 near Karaman (AS 7, 1957, pp. 147ff.). Luke=92s earlier = references=20 to *Quirinius as governor of Syria before the death of Herod I=20 (Luke=20 2:2) and to *Lysanias = as tetrarch=20 of Abilene (Luke=20 3:1) have likewise = received=20 inscriptional support." (The New Bible = Dictionary.)=20

     There = are many such=20 archaeological verifications of biblical events and places.  = Is the=20 Bible trustworthy?  Absolutely!  Remember, no = archaeological=20 discovery has ever contradicted the Bible.  Therefore, since = it has=20 been verified over and over again throughout the centuries, we can = continue to trust it as an accurate historical = document.

________________
1. =20 This chart was adapted from three = sources: =20 1) Christian Apologetics, by Norman Geisler, 1976, p. 307; = 2) the=20 article "Archaeology and History attest to the Reliability of = the=20 Bible," by Richard M. Fales, Ph.D., in The Evidence Bible, = Compiled by=20 Ray Comfort, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Gainesville, FL, 2001, p. = 163; and=20 3) A Ready Defense, by Josh Mcdowell, 1993, p. = 45.
2. =20 (Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for = the Life=20 of Christ, (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company)=20 1996.)

Return to Questions about = the=20 Bible

=

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND=20 RESEARCH MINISTRY
Home | Contact | Newsletter&nbs= p;|=20 Publications | = Donations | = Copying and=20 Linking
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