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Can We Trust The Bible? Is It Accurate?

Can We Trust The Bible? Is It Accurate?. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures. Introduction:. Are there solid empirical reason for believing what the Bible says? Has the Text of the Bible Been Corrupted?

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Can We Trust The Bible? Is It Accurate?

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  1. Can We Trust The Bible? Is It Accurate?

  2. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures Introduction: • Are there solid empirical reason for believing what the Bible says? • Has the Text of the Bible Been Corrupted? • How Did the Bible Come Down to Us AND does Historical, Literary and Archaeological Evidence Support the Trustworthiness of the Scriptures? • Are OT Prophecies given support by NT events? • Can We All Understand the Bible Alike?? • Are there differences in the different ancient manuscripts that we have today?

  3. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures How can we know that the Bible we have today is the same as when it was written?

  4. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures Has the Bible been translated and copied and recopied in such a way that it must no longer be reliable?

  5. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures • There are over 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament available to us today. (As a comparative text, we have 643 manuscripts of the Iliad by Homer) • Other examples…

  6. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures Chart from “Evidence That Demands A Verdict” pg 42 • Even after adding together all of the surviving manuscripts from these other historical, philosophical and literary works, we still do not have as many manuscripts as we have with the N.T.

  7. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures

  8. Chronology of major early manuscripts: Chester Beaty Papyri found in 1931

  9. Papyrus Bodmer (Geneva, Switzerland) Gospels of Luke and John Dated c.175-225 Discovered in Egypt Content: Luke 3:18-22; 3:33 - 4:2; 4:34 - 5:10; 5:37 - 6:4; 6:10 - 7:32, 35-39, 41-43; 7:46 - 9:2; 9:4 - 17:15; 17:19 - 18:18; 22:4 - 24:53; John 1:1 - 11:45, 48-57; 12:3 - 13:1, 8-9; 14:8-29; 15:7-8. End of Luke's gospel and the beginning of John's gospel.

  10. Chronology of major early manuscripts: Manuscript date contents Bodmer 175-200 AD found in Papyrus 1952 Contain the world's oldest known written fragment from the Gospel of Luke, the earliest known Lord's Prayer, and one of the oldest written fragments from the Gospel of John

  11. Chester Beatty Papyrus Dated between 200-250. Earliest substantial New Testament manuscript. Purchased in Egypt. From the second century the epistles of Paul were put together in a papyrus codex and read together. The Chester Beatty papyrus is the oldest codex of Paul’s epistles.

  12. Chronology of major early manuscripts: Codex Vaticanus

  13. Codex Vaticanus Written 325-350 A.D. John 7:52–8:12

  14. Constantin von Tischendorf (1815-1874) The monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai Tischendorf visited the monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai in 1844. 129 pages from a Codex were in the library waste paper bin ready to be burnt. Some pages had already been burnt. In 1859 he again visited the monastery and was shown the Codex Sinaiticus.

  15. Major early manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus This is page 3 of the Codex Sinaiticus – Book of Matthew

  16. Chronology of major early manuscripts: Codex Alexandrinus Romans Chap 1:1-27

  17. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures Sir Frederic G. Kenyon (The Bible and Archaeology, former director/principal librarian of British Museum) "The interval, then, between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant (to still be in existence) evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."

  18. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures • 1. There are over 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament available to us today. (643 of Homer’s Iliad) • 2. Over 2,200 Lectionaries (Books used in worship that cite Bible). • 3. Over 9,000 manuscripts of Versions – (translations) • 4. Church “Fathers” – ca. 36,000 citations – scholars say that all but 11 verses of the entire New Testament text could be reconstructed from the citations of the early Church Fathers alone!

  19. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures • “…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 M. Metzger. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press (1968), p. 86.

  20. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures

  21. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures • The vast majority are very minor (spelling, differences in phraseology, etc.; modern translations often note the differences in footnotes) • Only 1/2 of one percent is in question (compared to 5 percent for the Iliad by Homer w/ 643 manuscripts) • It can be stated: "No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rests on a disputed reading...It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: especially is this the case with the New Testament." - Sir Frederick Kenyon(authority in the field of New Testament textual criticism)

  22. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures B. F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort: “If comparative trivialities such as changes of order, the insertion or omission of the article with proper names, and the like are set aside, the works in our opinion still subject to doubt can hardly mount to more than a thousandth part of the whole New Testament."

  23. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures John A. Smith: (The Inspiration & Authority of The Bible - Truth Lectures 2005; pg 331) “Amazingly there are only four passages in the New Testament that are seriously challenged. They are John 7:53-8:11; 1 John 5:7; Mark 16:9-20; & Acts 8:37. Even if these passages were dismissed as spurious, not one significant matter of faith would be disrupted. What is taught in these disputed passages is repeated in other passages that are beyond doubt. Not one contradictory notion is presented in any of these disputed passages.”

  24. Uniqueness of Jesus compared to other political or religious leaders • Never authored a book • Held no political office or position • His ministry lasted only around 3 years. • Was not in religious establishment but opposed it • Did not travel far - Few chances to influence; did not reside in influential area • Did not try to draw in large numbers of followers • Challenged them such that the numbers diminished • Followers had no monetary, political, religious rewards

  25. The Trustworthiness of The Scriptures • - Never authored a book • - Held no political office or position • - His ministry lasted only around 3 years. • - Was not in religious establishment but opposed it • - Did not travel far - Few chances to influence; • did not reside in influential area • - Did not try to draw in large numbers of followers • - Challenged them such that the numbers • diminished • - Followers had no monetary, political, religious • rewards

  26. Prophecies as Proof? • Yes, at least fulfilled prophecies • And not just one or two but over 400 prophecies were fulfilled by one man • Many of the events that fulfill a prophecy were things and events completely out of his hands, things done by others • Making a case for collusion or conspiracy becomes more difficult if not impossible on this scale

  27. Messianic Prophecies • Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matt. 1:21ff, (Gen. 3:15, Gal.4:4)

  28. Messianic Prophecies • Of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12: 1-3; 22:18; Matt: 1: 1; Gal. 3:16) • Of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Heb. 7: 14) • Of the house of David ( 2 Samuel 7:12ff; Matt. 1: 1) • Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7)

  29. Messianic Prophecies • Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matt. 3:16-17) • Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3; Mal. 3:1; Matthew 3:1-2) • Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35: 5-6; Matt. 9:35)

  30. Messianic Prophecies • Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matt. 21:12) • Rejected by the Jews (Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7)

  31. Messianic Prophecies • Die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving: • rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11) • silence before accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-19 • being mocked (Psalm 22:7-8; Matthew 27:31)

  32. Messianic Prophecies • piercing his hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Luke 23:33) • being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:38) • praying for his persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:43)

  33. Messianic Prophecies • buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60) • casting lots for his garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)

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