Textual Criticism Over the past several weeks we have been looking at the mounds of evidence for the reliability and historicity of the Bible from various angles: Eyewitness testimony, extra-Biblical corroboration, translation methods, original languages, transmission over time, etc. All this put together gives us confidence that what we have in the content of Scripture… Continue Reading
Category Archives: A Case for the Bible
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding how hostile witnesses actually give support to the Biblical record when practicing Christian Apologetics
Hostile Witness Accounts Last week we looked at the importance of eyewitness testimony and the fact that the Bible is written mainly by primary witnesses, or by those that interviewed them. Another powerful testimony to the reliability of the Bible comes from outside sources. These sources are non-Christian, and in many cases were hostile to… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding how eyewitness testimony corroborates Biblical accounts when practicing Christian Apologetics
No other faith, or religious belief, can make a case for what they believe like Christianity. Put on trial for its historicity and truthfulness, the New Testament in particular can boast of its reliability based on eyewitness accounts. What is so amazing is that we can find multiple, not singular, testimonies for events, people and… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding that no inspired books were left out of the Christian Bible when practicing Christian Apologetics
Were there books left out of the Bible? Easy answer: No, there are no inspired books that were left out of the Bible, otherwise it would not be Christianity! Classical Christianity is based on the teachings of the 66 books of the Christian Bible. Other books that skeptics have said were “left out” teach something… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding how the Bible can be authenticated through other sources when practicing Christian Apologetics
The Bible’s Authentication Question: When you were in school (or if you still are) did the teachers or professors lecture from their own material? In other words, do teachers and professors only use their own work or do they lecture from sources that others have authored? With some exception (mainly at the university level), most… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding how the canon of the Bible came to be when practicing Christian Apologetics
How were the final books selected for our Christian Bible? Who decided what books would be chosen and which ones would be left out? Why do some Bibles contain books that others do not? Skeptics of Christianity will often pose these questions and Christians struggle to answer them. This week we will help you gain… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding how the Bible was translated when practicing Christian Apologetics
Translations Over the last two weeks we looked at the transmission of both the Old and New Testament, from the time of Moses through the fourth century AD/CE. Up to that point the original languages of Hebrew and Greek were the only ones available for reading the text of the Bible (Aramaic is found in… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding the transmission of the Bible when practicing Christian Apologetics – Part 2 The New Testament
Last week we looked at the transmission of the Old Testament from the time of Moses to today, roughly a 3500-year period. The New Testament has a shorter transmission timeline, yet it comes under attack by skeptics more than the Old Testament. Could that have anything to do with Jesus being a major part of… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding the transmission of the Bible when practicing Christian Apologetics – Part 1 The Old Testament
Even if you are a skeptic, or you don’t believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, you have to admit that it is very intriguing to find an ancient document such as the Bible surviving thousands of years with minimal damage to its reputation and content. There is no other book of… Continue Reading
A Case for the Bible: The importance of understanding basic literary and historical facts about the Bible when practicing Christian Apologetics
This week we are continuing with making a case for the Bible by looking at some of the manuscript evidence over the next few weeks from our M category in the acronym MAPS-S. Just think, the Bible (and narrative from the books therein) has been the subject of hot debate for roughly the last two-thousand years,… Continue Reading