This week we are covering the topic of authentication in our “Apologetics” for the New Testament. Skeptics of Christianity will make claims that our foundational beliefs have been changed over time, or were later additions. But, that is simply not true. As we will see, foundational beliefs such as the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection and the Deity of Christ were there from the beginning. We can say with confidence, that what we believe to be true about Christianity today is the same truth held by the first and early followers of Jesus.

Watch the class presentation on this topic:

Overview Notes From the Presentation:

Authentication

Additional corroboration for the New Testament books:

Even if we did not have any of the early manuscripts from the various text families could we reconstruct the autographs from other sources to establish Christianity’s foundational beliefs?

YES!

Lectionaries

• We have 2,135 lectionaries from the early Church leaders that have readings from the New Testament
• These lectionaries have been catalogued and preserved over time
• This practice of reading passages of Scripture (lectionaries) from the New Testament books—began in the sixth century
• If there had been any forgeries or changes to the New Testament writings or beliefs all of these would have had to be changed as well

Early Church Fathers’ Letters

• There are 86,000 quotes from the early Church Fathers
• There are 36,000 quotations from the New Testament books found in writing before the council of Nicaea in A.D. 325
• Even the deniers of the faith quoted from the New Testament books never realizing they were helping to verify authenticity in the future!
• Overall there are estimated to be over one million quotes from early Christians directly from the New Testament—the same books we read today!

The Testimony of the Fathers

“Besides textual evidence derived from New Testament Greek manuscripts and from early versions, the textual critic has available the numerous scriptural quotations included in the commentaries, sermons, and other treatises written by the early Church fathers. Indeed, so extensive are these citations that if all other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament.” 

Bruce Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, 126

Creedal Importance

• Skeptics claim that the foundational beliefs of Christianity were added hundreds of years later, for example: The Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, and the Deity of Jesus
• This cannot be true based on the early writings and teachings of the Church Fathers and what we find in the creeds
• A few of the most prominent creeds are as follows (notice the basic tenants of foundational Christian beliefs in each one):

The Nicene Creed (AD/CE 325)

We believe [1] in one God [2], the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth [3], of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father [4]; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation [5] he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary [6, 7] and became truly human [8]. For our sake he was crucified [9] under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again [10] in accordance with the Scriptures [11]; he ascended into heaven [12] and is seated at the right hand of the Father [13]. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead [14], and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified [15], who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church [16]. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins [17]. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Apostle’s Creed (c. AD/CE 300)

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen

“The first Creed:” 1^st Corinthians 15:3-8

(established c. AD/CE 35)

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me…

Note: the point of looking at these creeds is not to debate doctrine (that can be for another post), but to uncover the early foundational beliefs these Christians held about Jesus when they were written.

Reflection: Memorization Practice

To practice your memorization skills, and to improve your Biblical knowledge, practice memorizing the following things…

1. Review the Ministry Statement’s four focus points for your Christian Walk (from the “Class Introduction” post). Reflect on how you think you are doing in each area, or how you might make improvements.
2. Recite, and practice memorizing in order to tell the story, the 15 points for the Bible’s Big Picture from our previous post.
3. Recite, and practice memorizing the 27 books of the New Testament, in order by their categories.

Bible Study

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.

We are taking a pause on our chapter by chapter study for the next few weeks, and we will pick up with Acts chapter 13 when we start our new fall class. In the meantime, here is the following recommendation to stay consistent with your Bible study:

• Take some time to read through the Gospel of Luke – this will allow you to review the Gospel message and see how Luke connects his Gospel to the Book of Acts. There are three things you can do to make this study more in-depth:
  1. Pick a time where you can sit down and read through the entire Gospel of Luke in one sitting – just like you would do with novel (do not take notes or read commentaries, just absorb the story)
  2. Go back and break your reading down into sections by passages (where the storylines break) use a highlighter or other marker to separate them
  3. Review each passage a third time and do a more in-depth study of the section by reading commentaries, taking notes, looking up cross-references within the Bible, doing word studies and/or writing down questions you have
• Once you have read through, and studied, the Gospel of Luke go back and do the same for the book of Acts chapters 1-12 (that we just completed) to prepare for our next chapter by chapter study in Acts.

Join us next week as we conclude the Apologetics for our “Case for the New Testament” by looking at the questions: Were there books left out of the Bible?

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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