This week’s class focuses on the importance of the transmission of the Gospels. We can take confidence that the narratives have not been changed over time, not only based on eyewitnesses records and the fact that we have multiple, not singular, written testimony in the four Gospels, but also on the multiple chains of custody and translations over time.

In this week’s class we will also continue with our study in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 14-16.

Each class includes prayer and reflection, an “apologetics” presentation, a review of last week’s Bible study, and a homework assignment. You will find the presentation notes, Bible study questions and additional resources below, and you can make comments or ask questions as well.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

A Case for the Gospels and A Study in the book of Matthew

Session Six: The Reliability of the Gospels – The Transmission

Prayer and Reflection

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class this evening.

At your table groups, answer the following:

Go over the categories and the 27 books found in the New Testament.
Go over the 15 major historical events of the Bible.
Recite the Memory Verse:

The Great Commission

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

HOW DO WE KNOW THE GOSPELS ARE HISTORICALLY RELIABLE?

The Gospels are based on Eyewitness Accounts and the True Nature of Eyewitness Accounts Can Be Determined by Using the Same Rules Used in Our Legal System Today:

Understanding the Apparent Contradiction in the Gospels, based on a list by J. Warner Wallace

Rule #1: Maintain A Fair Attitude
When you begin to read the Bible and examine what it says, it’s important to start off with a fair attitude. When skeptics call out apparent contradictions, take a minute to examine what it says fairly and objectively, don’t get cornered, pause and say let’s check it out.

Rule #2: Examine the Statement in Its Context
Remember, “Any text taken out of context is a pretext (an effort or strategy intended to conceal something or prove a point missing in the text). So never read a single Bible verse; always read the entire chapter and all the other accounts related to the narrative.

Rule #3: Recognize the Perspective of Each Eyewitness
Every witness offers a view of the event from his or her unique perspective, not just geographic or locational perspectives, but also the personal worldview, history, experience, idiosyncrasies and language every witness brings. We must be careful not to confuse differences in perspective with Biblical “error”.

Rule #4: Let the Witness Clarify Their Own Statement
Most modern translations of the Bible include Scripture references in the margin of the Bible to help us make sense of difficult passages. Allow the Bible to explain itself by reading these additional passages.

Rule #5: Differentiate Between Complimentary and Conflicting Accounts
When comparing two eyewitness accounts, detectives expect some degree of resolvable variation in true, reliable eyewitness accounts.

Rule #6: Don’t Confuse “Imprecision” with “Error”
The Bible was written at a time when the culture commonly used general figures or descriptions to discuss more specific issues. This is particularly true when the Bible discusses numbers. As a matter of cultural device, specific numbers are often rounded off.

Rule #7: Identify the Common Details of Parallel Accounts
When interviewing multiple eyewitnesses, detectives listen carefully for common features in their testimony. In every witness observation, common details are often the most important to the account, and detectives expect there to be variation in the ancillary information.

Rule #8: Remember A Description is Different Than An Approval
Sometimes critics of the Bible (or critics of Christianity in general) point to an evil or corrupt situation described in the Bible to argue God (or Christianity) approves of the situation (or is the source of the evil). Remember, just because a Biblical author writes about something, this does not mean God condones it or supports it. A condition described in the lives of Biblical characters isn’t always a condition God would want for those same Biblical figures.

Rule #9: Assess the Opportunity for Collusion
The Gospel authors (and the early Church) had the opportunity to eliminate alleged contradictions, but they refused to do so. As a result, we can have even more confidence in the reliability of these accounts. They display the level of variation expected if they were true, reliable eyewitness descriptions.

Rule #10: Don’t Fret Copyist Variants
None of the variations change the theology or content of the Bible. In addition, the variations existing in the ancient manuscripts can be found in the margins of the modern translations so you can investigate them for yourself (to see how important or unimportant they really are). The vast majority of these variations are single letter or number variations, and the copyists were extremely honest in the way they transmitted these errors down through the ages. As a result, the variations come down to us in complete honesty.

Rule #11: Don’t Treat Every Old Testament Citation as an Old Testament Quote
There are often times when New Testament writers cite a passage from the Old Testament to show a prophecy is being fulfilled. Some of the citations are not perfect “verbatim” quotes from the Old Testament. Our modern translations have added the quotation marks to the New Testament Scriptures. The original manuscripts did not contain the punctuation, paragraph delineations, or chapter divisions. The New Testament authors often paraphrase Old Testament passages without intending them to be verbatim quotes.

Rule #12: Remember Who’s Boss
We must remember the Bible describes the work of God here on planet earth and the history of God’s people. Sometimes we’ll read something in the Old Testament and wonder how God could act in such a way. Sometimes the God of the Old Testament can seem pretty harsh. Critics look at certain passages and argue the judgment seen in God’s nature in the Old Testament contradicts the mercy seen in God’s nature in the New Testament. But we need to read the Scriptures carefully and remember God alone is God. He knows the end from the beginning, and He is the source of all morality. He gets to make decisions over life and death, even when we don’t understand all the details.

These simple principles have been used repeatedly to evaluate alleged contradictions in the Gospels. For example, the number of angels at the tomb of Jesus, the number of women who visited the tomb, the variations in the wording of the sign over Jesus’ cross differences between the genealogies of Jesus.

How were the Gospels transmitted over time?

Let’s start with evidence that most scholars agree on:

New Testament documents are considered primary eyewitness accounts, not secondary, because they were written in the first century during the time people involved were alive to confirm or dispute the events
The writings of the New Testament were immediately copied and widely dispersed throughout the Roman Empire and beyond (see the book of Acts) thus eliminating time for changes, forgeries, or embellishments
We have over 25,000 early New Testament manuscripts and fragments in five different document families from ancient Christian communities, dating as early as the second century, and most of these documents can be viewed in various libraries, museums, and churches around the world
Scholars find a 5% agreement between these early manuscripts with variations stemming mainly from differences in spelling, grammar, word order, and minor deletions or additions (noted in modern Bible footnotes)—none of which effects any doctrine of the Christian faith

What was the chain of custody?

Mark/Apostle Peter AD 50	Apostle Paul AD 50-60	Apostle John AD 70-90
Anianum AD 75	Linus AD 70	Ignatius AD 110(7-16 books)Polycarp AD 110(14-16 books)
Avilius AD 95	Clement of Rome AD 95(7 books)	Irenaeus AD 185(24 books)
Kedron AD 100Primus AD 115	Evaristus AD 100Alexander AD 110	Hippolytus AD 220(24 books)
Justus AD 130	Sixtus AD 120Telesphorus AD 130Hyginus AD 135
Pantaenus AD 195	Pius 1 AD 150Justin Martyr AD 160(5 books)Tatian AD 175 (20 books)
Clement of AlexandriaAD 210(22 books)
Origin AD 250(27 books)
Pamphilus AD 300Eusebius AD 335(27 books)

AD 325 – 397: All 27 books of the New Testament were officially accepted and canonized in we have today!

What about all of those translations?

The Latin Vulgate

Latin replaced Greek as the universal language about the middle of the third century
Jerome, an Italian Hebrew scholar, translated both the Old and New Testaments from the original languages into Latin
The Latin Vulgate became so popular, and so identified with the Church of Rome, that it became blasphemous to have the Bible in any other language

Bible Warriors

John Wycliffe: 1384 (bones were ground to dust for making an English translation)
Martin Luther: 1522 (excommunicated and went into hiding due to death threats)
William Tyndale: 1530 (burned at the stake)
John Knox and Miles Coverdale: 1560 (exiled – both worked on the Geneva Bible)
King James: 1611 (commissioned some 54 translators – Version still used today)

Chapters and Verses are a modern addition

Chapter divisions of the Bible were created by Stephen Langton, completed around AD 1227
Wycliffe’s Bible, completed in AD 1382 before the printing press, was the first Bible to use Langton’s chapter divisions
The first English Bible to use both chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible published in AD 1560

Can We Trust the Translations today?

YES!

Through the multitude of early manuscripts available for study, we can have confidence that what we have today is based on the original texts, and not changed over time.
The Bible can be studied today by almost anyone of any language, and we don’t have to depend on others to tell us what the Word of God says, we can read it for ourselves.
Most of the modern versions today have only been translated once from the original language, not from other multiple languages (the telephone game accusation is unfounded).
Serious students of the Bible can consult the original languages for accurate meaning in their translation because the original languages are not lost languages!

Study Bibles: Versions and Translations

Translations and versions can be generally categorized as seen in the following example:

Literal Translations: Word for word translations that work closest to the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.

-New American Standard Bible

-King James Version

-New King James Version

-Revised Standard Version

-New Revised Standard Version

-English Standard Version

Dynamic Equivalent Translations: Thought for thought translations with clearest reading and closest meaning possible that finds equivalent concepts in English.

-New International Version

-Christian Standard Bible

-New Living Translation

-New English Version

-Revised English Version

Paraphrases: These have story like qualities and are not recommended for in-depth study.

-Message Bible

-Good News Bible

-Living Bible

-Phillips

-New Century Version

Note: All of the major versions can also be found in topical Bibles. Some are focused on particular groups or subjects. For example, there are student study Bibles, Bibles for men or women, and Bibles that have a specific focus like apologetics, archeology, culture, and life application.

Going Deeper

Video Recommendations from class:

Evidence for the Bible and its Reliability, J. Warner Wallace

Are there contradictions in the Gospels? J. Warner Wallace

Book Recommendations:

Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, by Gleason L. Archer

Making Sense of Bible Difficulties, by Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe

Quick Shot Review – Gospel of Matthew
chapters 11 through 13
A few points from last week…

1. Class review

– answers will vary

2. Jesus showed John the Baptist evidence that He was the “Expected One” – the Messiah, because John knew the Old Testament prophecies that pointed to Messiah. It is important to note that Jesus did not shame or rebuke John for his questions and doubt, rather He simply answered him in a way that would reassure him, and that he would understand. We, like John, have anxiety and fear over the future. We do not know God’s specific details for our lives, and we often worry and imagine things that ultimately don’t take place. We, like John, can take comfort in knowing that Jesus is who He said He was, did what He said He would do. We know He said He will never forsake us or leave us, and we can trust Him. Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit so that we can know truth.

Jesus affirmed John’s noble character to the crowd and as a man of strong convictions.
Jesus referred to John as not only a prophet, but more than a prophet – Jesus referenced John as being the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.” And, Malachi 4:5 “If you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

3. Jesus points out that the desire of God, according to Scripture (Hosea 6:6) was the desire for compassion, not a sacrifice, and the Pharisees were doing just the opposite of compassion for the people with their self-righteous condemnation. The religious leaders could not deny the supernatural power of Jesus in all that He was doing, but Jesus showed their foolishness in their accusations of His power being from Satan. He showed that they would then have to admit that their own “exorcists” were getting their power from Satan as well. Jesus ability to drive out demons showed He was stronger than their forces and at a much greater level than the religious leaders and their exorcists could ever have had.

Matthew quotes from the Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 42:1-4. This is the longest quote from the Old Testament in Matthew’s Gospel. He uses it to explain Jesus’ mission and to clarify His methods. According to Isaiah, the mission of the chosen Servant was to be…

Well-pleasing to God (18)
Accomplished through proclamation (18)
Free from quarreling or crying out (19)
Without ruckus or riot (19)
Considerate of the weak and vulnerable (20)
Focused on the goal of justice (20)

4. Jesus referenced both Jonah and the Queen of the South who came to visit Solomon in his day.

The reference to Jonah pictures his three days in the belly of the fish foreshadowing Jesus’ three days in the ground after His crucifixion – and as Jonah was resurrected (in a way) out of the fish, Jesus physically resurrected to defeat death and Satan. The people of Nineveh repented, but not so with the religious leaders (Jesus knew their hearts in advance of the resurrection). Jesus was greater than Jonah!
The Queen of the South came to hear Solomon’s teachings/wisdom from afar, the same with Gentiles (and Jews) who will believe, but not so with the religious leaders. Jesus, as King of Kings, was greater than Solomon!
The teaching that if we “clean up” our lives, but don’t fill them with the things of God, then we will have something else fill the space. We should never clear out minds without filling it with the things of God/the Word of God. Jesus was literally talking about demonic spirits that will occupy a mind and life devoid of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees had the appearance of “Clean” lives, but instead of teaching the true things of God, they filled themselves up, and taught others the same, with their own works-based self-help approach to life.
The hearers of Jesus’ parable would have clearly understood the idea of farming and sowing of seeds, Jesus explained the parable to His disciples as follows:

1) Seed that fell beside the road and the birds ate them up = a person that hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what has been sown in their heart.

2) Seed that fell on the rocky places did not have much soil and sprang up quickly, but then withered away = a person who hear the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in his heart, and when affliction, or persecution arises because of the word, they immediately fall away.

3) Seed that was sown among the thorns was choked out by the thorns = a person who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.

4) Seed that was sown on the good soil yielded a crop of a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty = a person who hears the word and understands it and bear fruit and brings forth an abundance (of believers) just like the crop!

5. According to Charles Swindoll: “ The problem of the ever-present wicked among the righteous is such a nagging issue that it dominates the landscape of many. Of these lessons by Jesus. This is an obstacle that can’t be overcome except by divine power.”

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares picks up on the same imagery, a kind of sequel, to the previous parable. In this parable a farmer sowed good seed in his field, but at night the enemy sowed tares among the wheat seed. Again, according to Swindoll, “the problem is that the tares can host a fungus, poisonous to humans that could contaminate the good wheat and utterly ruin a farmer’s crop.” Jesus’ imagery shows that these tares can hurt the wheat if torn out, so they are allowed to grow together and then be harvested out separately. Jesus explains to His disciples as follows:
- The one who sows = Jesus
- The field = the world
- The good seed = the sons of the Kingdom (saved believers)
- The tares = the sons of the devil (unsaved wicked)
- The enemy = the devil
- The harvest = the end of the age
- The reapers = angels

The people of this area (His hometown) showed rejection of Jesus by questioning His wisdom and miraculous powers; by saying they knew His family (mother, father, brothers and sisters); and by asking where He got all these things. Thus, they took offense at Him.
Jesus responded by saying “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Therefore, He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief – it might be noted that later His brothers James and Jude became believers and Apostles, both writing books in the New Testament under their names and identity.

Discussion answers may vary, but could include…

We, like Jesus, can face rejection most strongly by those we love and know us the best. Because people that know us may also know our weakness or past behaviors, it then becomes harder for them to see the truth in our changed lives or Christian message. Even though Jesus led a sinless and perfect life, people that knew Him and His family would have more difficulty believing in Him based on perceived things about Him (including His conception) and His family in general.

Bible Study

Each week, we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be posted during the week. This can also help you to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1. Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Read Matthew chapters 14 through 16, then answer the following questions:

2. (Matthew 14:1-36) In this chapter we read about the death of John the Baptist, Jesus reaction, and His continued miracles…

Why did Herod have John the Baptist killed (14:1-12)? Going Deeper: Who is this Herod, and what was the family situation that led up to this?
How did Jesus react to John the Baptist’s death, what miracle did He perform following this, and why (14:13-21)?
What other miracles did Jesus perform next? Discuss: How does Jesus use these miracles to demonstrate for His believers the importance of having faith (14:22-36)?

3. (Matthew 15:1-31) In this chapter Jesus shuts down the religious leaders with His amazing wisdom, and He continues His miracles…

What accusation did the religious leaders make against Jesus’ disciples, and how did Jesus answer them (15:1-9)? Discuss: What is the bigger point Jesus was making in this confrontation?
Jesus told the people to “hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” How did Jesus explain this parable to His disciples (15:10-20)? Give an example based on Jesus’ explanation.
Jesus continued His ministry by withdrawing into the district of Tyre and Sidon. What was His interaction there with a Canaanite woman, and how did He respond to her faith (15:21-31)? Going Deeper: Historically, who were the Canaanites?

4. Matthew (15:32-16:12) In this section Jesus feeds another multitude and has increasing run-ins with the religious leaders…

Jesus again feeds a multitude, what was different about this time, and what did the miracle point to (15:32-39)? Going Deeper: Does the number seven have any special significance in the Bible, if so what?
How did Jesus answer the religious leaders when they demanded a sign from Him, and what do you think He meant by “the sign of Jonah” (16:1-4)?
What did Jesus mean when He said, “watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (16:5-12)? Discuss: What is leaven, what does it do, and why did Jesus use it?

5. Matthew (16:13-28) In the last part of this chapter Jesus teaches about who He is and what was to come…

What most important question does Jesus ask His disciples, what answers do they give, and how did Peter answer correctly (16:13-20)? Discuss: (In your own words) how do you answer Jesus’ question?
Even though Peter answered correctly what did he do in the very next passage and how did Jesus rebuke him (16:21-23)? Discuss: How can we relate to Peter in this whole situation?
Discuss: What is the importance of Jesus’ teaching His disciples about “taking up their cross and following Him,” and what does (and should) that look like for Christians today (16:24-28)? If comfortable, share what that might look like, personally, for you.

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Gospels!”

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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.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15