How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
Are there mistakes in the Bible?
Handout of errors
Examples of added texts
Luke 24:40
Errors handout
Do they make a difference?
NO!!!
1
1
Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict,(Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1999) pg. 47 and 89.
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
Infallibility: “…what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of faith
(doctrine) and practice (ethics) are true and will never lead us astray.”2
Inerrant: “…what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of fact (history,
geography, science, etc.) are also true and will never lead us astray.”3
“Inerrancy means that when all the facts are known, the Scriptures in their original
autographs, properly interpreted, will be shown to be wholly true in everything they
affirm, whether this has to do with doctrine or morality or with the social, physical, or life
sciences.”4 [emphasis added]
Isaiah 11:12 12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the
banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four
corners of the earth.
Was Isaiah’s point to describe the nature and makeup of the earth?
What was his point?
This is where the church has gotten in trouble
Excommunicating or even executing
People who claimed the earth was round
People who claimed the sun was the center of the
solar system and that the earth revolved around it
Psalm 19:4-6 4 Their line has gone out through all
the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is
as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It
rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising
is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the
other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from
its heat.
People point to these as reasons why science and religion cannot
go together
“When properly interpreted”
2 Robert H. Stein, A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules, (Grand Rapids:
Baker Books, 1994) pg. 62.
3 Ibid, pg. 62.
4 McDowell, pg. 338.
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
Why should we believe the Bible?
“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents,
written by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eye witnesses. They report
supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophesies and claim that
their writings are divine rather than human in origin.”5
2 Peter 1:16-21 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His
majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an
utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with
whom I am well-pleased "-- 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from
heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic
word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a
dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know
this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God.
We dealt with the divine vs. human origin a couple weeks ago
I. Reliable collection of historical documents:
The Bible was written over a period of 14-1500 years, by over 40 authors, from 3
different continents. Yet, it is without contradiction and many events that were
predicted hundreds to thousands of years in advance have come to pass.
A. Bibliographic evidence
1. Shear Number
Number of Greek manuscripts in existence: 5,686,6 in addition there are over 19, 284
manuscripts in other ancient languages. Many of these, Syriac and Latin versions were
written around 150 A.D. and there are more than 15,000 of these copies in existence
today.7
“to be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of
classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as
well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”8
5 Voddie Baucham, “Why I Choose to Believe the Bible,” in 5 parts, available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEtZnxqC_fM. Accessed 9/9/10.
6 There is some variation on this number based on the criteria used by the researcher to
determine what consists of a manuscript (i.e. the size of scraps considered manuscripts).
7 McDowell, pg. 34, 41.
8 John Warwick Montgomery in, McDowell pg. 35.
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
Some authors point to the fact that the OT was transmitted so well over thousands of
years as evidence, in and of itself, of divine intervention. “we do not possess so many
different manuscripts of pagan productions, coming from such widely separated eras, as
we do in the case of the Old Testament.” The closest is the Egyptian Book of the Dead
but that has vast variations sometimes leaving out or inserting entire clauses.9
Relative to the NT, the OT is not as well documented in shear number however,
there are a few reasonable explanations for this.
1. Age, they are much older
2. Less widespread usage, Israelites primarily
3. The scribal tradition of destroying damaged or older texts
Meticulous copying allowed them to trust in the accuracy of new
copies
Older copies were buried or destroyed
Seen as less reliable because of damage through time
2. Time Gap
The earliest manuscripts we have of Sophocles’ 7 plays are from 1400 years after the
poet’s death yet the authenticity of these plays is not called into question.10
There are partial manuscripts of the NT as early as the 2nd century.11
The first Harmony of the Gospels was completed around 160 A.D. by Tatian.12
Codex Vaticanus copy of nearly the entire NT was written around 325-350 A.D.13
9
Gleason Archer in, McDowell, pg. 70.
McDowell, pg. 35.
11 McDowell, pg. 36.
12 McDowell, pg. 39.
13 McDowell, pg. 39.
10
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
Some people will try to argue that the Bible has been changed over time
Telephone game
Not how texts are translated
Intentionally changed
Someone or better a group of people
Massive consipiricy
Mythologyize historical accounts
Would have had to have motivation
Would have to have had massive resources,
knowledge of and access to all these different
documents in all these different languages, and
insane ability to cover up all their changes with no one
saying anything.
i. The Old Testament
Up until about 60 years ago the oldest manuscripts of the OT were from around
900 A.D.
This is roughly 13-1400 years after the last accounts were written
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
1947 Dead Seas Scrolls were found
MSS from as early as 125 B.C.
Including an entire copy of Isaiah,
Virtually exact to the Masoretic text
3. Early Quotations
“the quotations [of early church fathers] are so numerous and widespread that if no
manuscripts of the New Testament were extant, the New Testament could be
reproduced from the writings of the early Fathers alone.”14
Historical attestation of people and events in scripture by secular writers: Tacitus, 1st
century Roman historian writes of Christ and how he suffered under Pontius Pilate.
Suetonius; secretary to Emperor Hadrian speaks of the Jews being dispelled from
Rome as Acts 18:2 claims, in addition he mentions persecution of Christians.
Josephus; Jewish historian working under Roman rule mentions many historical events
discussed in OT and NT, including James the brother of Jesus, John the Baptist, and
Jesus. Many more.
B. Archeological evidence
Voddie Baucham sites 23,000 different archeological digs that support the biblical
account.
“It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a
biblical reference.”15
“The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, certain phases of which still appear periodically,
has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the
accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of
the Bible as a source of history.”16
Recent discovery of the anchors off Paul’s ship from Acts 27:27-29.
II. Written by eyewitnesses in the lifetime of eyewitnesses
2 Peter 1:16-21 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tale…but we were
eyewitnesses of His majesty.
Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things
accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the
14
Geisler, in McDowell, pg. 43.
Nelson Glueck in, McDowell, pg. 61.
16 W. F. Albright in, McDoweel, pg. 61.
15
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How we know the Bible is true and how to use it.
Curtis Solomon
CSYG
9.15.10
beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as
well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in
consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth
about the things you have been taught.
1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with
our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of
Life-- 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you
the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have
seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many
convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the
things concerning the kingdom of God.
We have numerous manuscripts dating to right after the end of the first century
This was not a compiling of various stories that were just hearsay, they
actually saw the events
They were copies of earlier documents written by eyewitnesses
No one can say they were written by others much later
Multiple accounts by eyewitnesses that all attest to the same facts
The letters were widely circulated and if they contained errors they would have
been contradicted or corrected by those who saw the same events differently
could testify that they didn’t happen.
III. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific
prophecies.
2 Peter 1:16 when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance
are the words of my groaning.
Psalm 22:14-18 14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My
heart is like wax; It is melted within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And
my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs have
surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and
my feet. 17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18 They divide my
garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.
Written by David some almost 1,000 years before Christ and also the invention of
crucifixion.
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