Is Christianity true (the Bible)?
This blog is part of my series titled “Is Christianity true?” The series addresses four common objections to the truthfulness of the Christian worldview, namely concerns about: (1) the trustworthiness of the Bible; (2) the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection; (3) the compatibility of faith in God with modern science; and (4) the incompatibility of Christian truth claims with those of other worldviews.
IS THE BIBLE TRUSTWORTHY? LINES OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE TRUTH CLAIMS OF THE BIBLE
For purposes of this discussion, I will cover six lines of evidence:
The manuscripts we have were written relatively soon following the events recorded.
They were based upon eyewitness accounts.
The eyewitnesses often died while refusing to recant their testimony that the accounts were true.
Many details in the New Testament accounts would have been embarrassing to the leaders of the early church.
Many of the New Testament accounts fulfilled prophetic utterances given centuries earlier.
Extrabiblical writings support the historicity of the Bible, as do many archaeological discoveries.
With the exception of points five and six, these six lines of evidence focus on the reliability of the New Testament.
EARLY DATING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS
An important aspect in determining whether writings accurately reflect the events they claim to record is when they were written relative to the dates of the events. As the gap of time increases, myth tends to creep into accounts, making it difficult to uncover what, if anything, in the account actually occurred versus embellishments and pure fabrication.
As it happens, the books of the New Testament were written relatively soon after the events they recorded. In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he makes the following statement: “For 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 Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NIV)
Paul is citing a creedal statement that had been circulating among believers since the resurrection, probably a gap of less than five years following the event.
Scholars generally agree that in this passage, Paul is citing a creedal statement that had been circulating among believers since the resurrection, probably a gap of less than five years following the event. Note that it captures the core of historic Christianity, including the fact of Christ’s death, the purpose of His death, His burial, His resurrection on the third day, and His physical appearance to a large number of people—including Peter, James, and Paul himself.
While there continues to be debate regarding the precise date when each book was written, there is no serious debate concerning their early authorship. It is significant that not one of the Gospel accounts or letters makes reference to one of the most significant events in the history of Israel— namely, the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman army in AD 70. Given the devastating impact on the Jewish nation, including the elimination of the Jews’ means of reconciliation to God through temple sacrifice and the dispersal of the Jewish people throughout the ancient world, one would have expected some reference. The reasonable inference is that all the Gospels and letters were written prior to AD 70.
Next week, we will consider the fact that the New Testament is grounded in the testimony of eyewitnesses to the events.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
