The Da Vinci Code quote: (p.341) “Sophie, every faith in the world is based on

fabrication. That is the definition of faith—acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion, describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors…Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.”

The Historicity of Scripture

Written over a 1,500 year span Written over 40 generations Written by more than 40 authors, from every walk

of life Written in different styles Written in different places Written in peace and war Written on 3 continents Written in 3 languages Hundreds of controversial topics Most translated Number one bestseller…ever…always Claims to be inspired

Hand copied Bibliographical

Test Eyewitness Test

(internal) External Test

Textual transmission of documents Quality Number Interval of time

“Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only seventeen letters in question. Ten of these letters are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense. Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as conjunctions. The remaining three letters comprise the word “light” which is added in verse 11, and does not affect the meaning greatly….Thus, in one chapter of 166 word, there is only one word (three letters) in question after a thousand years of transmission—and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage.”

F.F. Bruce

Dead Sea ScrollsDead Sea Scrolls

Is it the record credible. Analyze the claims Check for fraud Check for errors

Do other sources confirm? History sources Scientific

sources

Tacitus: Roman

Josephus: Jewish

Sir William Ramsay—one of the greatest archeologists ever—tried to disprove the Bible—became a Christian due to evidence.

Over 20,000 archeological finds—none disprove the Bible.

60 major Messianic prophecies

Prophecies of cities—Tyre, Sidon, Babylon

To fulfill even 8 of the Messianic prophecies in one person

1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000

Manuscripts Archeology Prophecy Statistics