Transcript
Page 1: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

66 separate books or letters…Written over 1500 years…

By about 40 different men...From different backgrounds…

In different places…In different languages.

What is our Bible?

Page 2: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?A collection of separate writings – we can trace the “canon” of the Bible back to the 3rd or 4th century.

The oldest surviving complete text of the New Testament is the Codex Sinaiticus (mid-4th century). The oldest fragments…

Page 3: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?Manuscript Contents Original Date MSS

DateTime Span

p52

(John Rylands) John 18:31-33,37-38 96 A.D. 125A.D. 29 yrs

P46 (Chester Beatty)

Rom. 5:17-6:3,5-14; 8:15-25, 27-35; 10:1-11,22,24-33,35; 16:1-23, 25-27; Heb.; 1 & 2 Cor., Eph., Gal., Phil., Col.; 1 Thess. 1:1,9-10; 2:1-3; 5:5-9,

23-28

50's-70's 200A.D.

Approx.150 yrs

P66 (Bodmer)

John 1:1-6:11,35-14:26; fragment of 14:29-21:9 70's 200

A.D.Approx.130 yrs

P67 Matt. 3:9,15; 5:20-22, 25-28 200A.D.

Approx.130 yrs

Page 4: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?• 5686 Greek manu. for the N.T.• Better preserved, more numerous than any other

ancient writing.• 99.5% textually pure• 19000 copies in Syriac, Coptic, Latin, Aramaic• Over 24000 mss. for the N.T.• Original N.T. documents finished in 70 years (w/in

the 1st Century)

Page 5: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?Author Orig. Date Mss Date Time Span # Copies AccuracyPliny 61-113 A.D. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7 ----Plato 427-347 B.C. 900 A.D. 1200 yrs 7 ----

Demosthenes 4th Cent. B.C. 1100 A.D. 800 yrs 8 ----Herodotus 480-425 B.C. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs 8 ----Suetonius 75-160 A.D. 950 A.D. 800 yrs 8 ----

Thucydides 460-400 B.C. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs 8 ----Euripides 480-406 B.C. 1100 A.D. 1300 yrs 9 ----

Aristophanes 450-385 B.C. 900 A.D. 1200 10 ----Caesar 100-44 B.C. 900 A.D. 1000 10 ----

Livy 59 BC-AD 17 ---- ??? 20 ----Tacitus circa 100 A.D. 1100 A.D. 1000 yrs 20 ----

Aristotle 384-322 B.C. 1100 A.D. 1400 49 ----Sophocles 496-406 B.C. 1000 A.D. 1400 yrs 193 ----

Homer (Iliad) 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 yrs 643 95%

Page 6: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?Author Orig. Date Mss Date Time Span # Copies Accuracy

8-9 NewTestament

Writers

1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D.)

2nd – 3rd Cent. A.D.

less than 100 years 5600 99.5%

Page 7: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible?

What is our Bible?Author Orig. Date Mss Date Time Span # Copies Accuracy

Canterbury Tales

Late 14th Cent. A.D.

Late 15th – Early 16th Cent. A.D.

~100 years 83

• No complete version

• major & minor variations

• no def. order

• no idea if completed

Page 8: The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence: Can we Trust our Bible? 66 separate books or letters… Written over 1500 years… By about 40 different men

The Bible is the Word of God: Internal Evidence

Can we depend on the Bible:1. To prove itself from its “nature”?2. To support its own conclusions?

This is not cyclical reasoning, but a matter of consistency. If the Bible is from God, it must always be consistent all the time!


Top Related