how can i know that my bible is right? apologetics part i hsmparadox.wikispaces.com

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How Can I Know That My Bible is Right? Apologetics Part I hsmparadox.wikispaces.com

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How Can I Know That My Bible is Right?

Apologetics

Part I

hsmparadox.wikispaces.com

The ReasonBut in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

1 Peter 3:15-16

The Environment And the Lord's servant must not quarrel;

instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2 Tim 2:24-26

The Opposition• There are no original manuscripts of the

Scriptures.• We can’t know that what we do have is

what was in the original.• The copies we do have are so far removed

from the events recorded that they are not accurate. They probably record legend.

• Copies of copies (etc.) are unreliable.• The guys who selected the books of the

Bible selected what they wanted, so the canon is arbitrary

The Bible as Literature• How do other works of literature from the

ancient world compare to the Bible?

• Can we be sure of their accuracy?

• How many copies of them do we have?

• Are the copies accurate?

• Would your opinion of the Bible change if it were shown to be at least as reliable as other ancient texts?

Autograph

• Definition: original manuscript in the author’s own hand

• In the whole of ancient literature, there are none.– Only copies, and copies of copies

Author Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Ancient Text Comparison

Author Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Ancient Text Comparison

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Plato 400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

7

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Plato 400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

7

Herodotus 480-425 B.C c. 900 A.D. 1350 yrs

8

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Plato 400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

7

Herodotus 480-425 B.C c. 900 A.D. 1350 yrs

8

Pliny 61-113 A.D. c. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Plato 400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

7

Herodotus 480-425 B.C c. 900 A.D. 1350 yrs

8

Pliny 61-113 A.D. c. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7

Thucydides 460-400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

8

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Julius Caesar 100-44 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1000 yrs

10

Plato 400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

7

Herodotus 480-425 B.C c. 900 A.D. 1350 yrs

8

Pliny 61-113 A.D. c. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7

Thucydides 460-400 B.C. c. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs

8

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs 643

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

New Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

New Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

c. 200 (books)

100 yrs

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

New Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

c. 200 (books)

100 yrs

c. 250

(most NT)

150 yrs

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

New Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

c. 200 (books)

100 yrs

c. 250

(most NT)

150 yrs

c. 325

(whole NT)

225 yrs

Ancient Text ComparisonAuthor Date written Earliest copy Gap #

Homer 800 B.C. c. 400 B.C. 400 yrs

643

New Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

c. 200 (books)

100 yrs

c. 250

(most NT)

150 yrs

c. 325

(whole NT)

225 yrs

5366

Ancient Text ComparisonNew Testament

50-100 A.D. c. 114 A.D.

(fragment)

+50 yrs

c. 200 (books)

100 yrs

c. 250

(most NT)

150 yrs

c. 325

(whole NT)

225 yrs

5366

Various other translations

25,000 more

Reconstruction• Quotations from the NT are found in

almost every one of the writings of the early church fathers—Christians who lived in the 400 years after Christ.

• Even is we didn’t have the 30,000-ish other manuscripts described earlier, we would still be able to reconstruct the NT from the early church’s writings

The John Rhylands Ms.• Small portion of the Gospel of John

• Dates to 117-130 A.D. (some say even earlier)

• Supposedly John wrote his Gospel in 90 A.D.

• That means that this ms. is less than 30 -35 years from the date of the original writing

What about the OT?• The dates for the Old Testament are much

less impressive than those for the NT

• That is, the gap is much greater

• However, the Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered in 1948) have a complete version of the book of Isaiah (for example) which reads verbatim with only the slightest variation (& nothing which changes any meaning)

Do the documents agree?• Early documents are in Greek, Latin,

Ethiopic, Slavic, and Armenian

• All these documents agree and there are no differences in any doctrine among translations

• Granted, there are an estimated 200,000 variances among manuscripts (word order, spelling, etc.)

• However, if the same word is misspelled in 2000 documents, that’s 2000 variants

What about the legends that grow up around heroes?

• Mark wrote his Gospel between A.D. 60-63

• Luke wrote after Mark in the late A.D. 60’s

• Paul wrote 1 Corinthians between A.D. 52-54

I Cor. 15:3-6For 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 Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

2 Peter 1:16We did not follow cleverly invented stories

when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

Why THOSE books?• The 27 books of the NT and 66 books of

the OT are called the “canon.”

• How do we know that the books of the canon are the whole picture; that the early church fathers didn’t cut out parts they just didn’t like?

What determines “canon?”1. Apostolic authorship (eyewitnesses)2. Consistency of message3. Continuous acceptance and use among

churches at largeOther documents• Written much later• Message varies

– Gospel of Thomas: “Split wood; I am there. Lift up a stone, you will find Me.”

– “Let Mary go away from us, because women are not worthy of life.”

The Bible as Literature• How do other works of literature from the

ancient world compare to the Bible?

• Can we be sure of their accuracy?

• How many copies of them do we have?

• Are the copies accurate?

• Would your opinion of the Bible change if it were shown to be at least as reliable as other ancient texts?

How Can I Know That My Bible is Right?

Apologetics

Part I

hsmparadox.wikispaces.com