Some interesting historical and literary facts about the Bible:
If you put 10 people in a room and gave them a subject to write about what would you expect the outcome to be? Would you expect them to have the same theme, ideas, storyline, and conclusions? Would they have the same personal beliefs and views on the topic and write with the same convictions? The odds fall strongly in favor of no, but that is not what we see in the Bible:
- The Bible is made up of 66 individual books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament); written by 40 different authors, over a period of about 1,500 years, and from 10 different countries
- The Bible has a cast of 2,930 characters depicted in 1,551 places
- The Bible’s human authors (inspired by God) came from various stations of life: Kings, peasants, poets, herdsmen, fishermen, scientists, farmers, priests, pastors, tentmakers, tax collectors, doctors and governors
- The Bible was written in extreme places like the wilderness, dungeons, palaces, prisons, on lonely islands, and in military battles
- The authors wrote on various subjects, including the unknown future
What would we expect to see in this type of book? Probably a real mess of information, with various personal views and differing perspectives on life, but that is not what we get at all. We get a seamless story! Amazingly the books of the Bible are so united in their historical and narrative themes, and so remarkably linked to one main storyline, from Genesis to Revelation, that the Bible is considered by most scholars to be “A Literary Masterpiece!”
The Bible meets and exceeds all historical and literary requirements for excellence based on scholarly academic standards!
- There are more early manuscripts of the Bible available for verification than any other ancient document
- The Bible is a primary source document and contains multiple eyewitness accounts of events, including hostile witness accounts
- The New Testament accounts of the first century (AD) life of Jesus and the early Church were written within the lifetime of the people involved in the events (completed by the mid to late first century AD)
- Archeology and outside Biblical sources have confirmed over 25,000 people, places and events recorded in the Bible, none have ever been negated
- The original languages used in the Bible are still with us today so translations can be made directly from these unique sources
A great example of the Bible’s historical reliability comes from Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Christian and non-Christian scholars alike consider Luke to be one of the greatest historians to ever write. His historical accounts have always been confirmed and the details he gives allow scholars, historians, and archeologists to uncover historical truths based on his records.
To demonstrate, this lets take a look at the Gospel of Luke, chapter three. Here we find over fifteen confirmed historical, political, and geographical facts just in the first four verses:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip, tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.
Watch this 15 minute video clip called “Why I Should Trust the Bible?” by Impact Video Ministries. It gives a great visual overview of some of the best evidence for the reliability of the Bible:
The written word is critical in contract law. It provides evidence of an agreement on the part of the individuals involved. God made sure that His Word was recorded as evidence of His agreement with us (found in His Covenant Promises throughout Scripture), and there is no way He would allow it to be lost. When studying the Bible we often come across certain words that are used in thematic repetition and it would seem that God is emphasizing something very important. For example:
The word “remember” appears in the Scripture 227 (examples: 1 Chronicles 16:15, Psalm 111:4, 119:52, Isaiah 46:9, Malachi 4:4), and the word “written” 251 times (examples: Deuteronomy 28:58, Joshua 1:8; 8:34, Psalm 102:18, 1 Kings 2:3, Ezra 3:2, Nehemiah 10:36). The high use of these words indicates that God is stressing something important for us to know. He wants us to remember our history (both the good and bad) and learn from it, and He made sure that his chosen authors have written down these things so that it would not be lost over the generations.
He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
–Psalm 111:4 (NASB)
One of the most important things to consider when studying the history and reliability of the Bible is that it claims to be the Word of God. If true (and it is) then it would have been easy for Him to make possible the transmission of His Word over time. Three of the greatest characteristics our God possesses, according to Scripture, are omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), and omnipresence (present everywhere at all time). This makes the God of the Bible (YHWH) a God we can take comfort in because He is a God that will not, and cannot, make mistakes. His promises are sure, and this includes the great love He has for us all.
Sean McDowell, along with his dad Josh, have updated the book: “Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Life Changing Truth for A Skeptical World.” A large part of that book deals with the reliability and historicity of the Bible. Watch Sean’s presentation on “Why the Bible Can Be Trusted: “
Reflection:
- Write out a prayer asking God to show you new truths about the reliability of the Bible; ask Him to help you understand His Word in the Bible as you make a commitment to reading and studying it through.
- What are a few important facts about the Bible that stood out to you in this lesson? Pray about sharing them with someone else.
Join us next week as we investigate how the Scriptures were passed down over time: The Transmission
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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