When a person holds a strong opinion, but with weak evidence, that’s a sign that he isn’t using critical thinking. Conviction should follow the facts, not come before them. What a person wants to believe shouldn’t dictate what he believes. The key to learning is valuing truth. So many faith groups in the world have a sacred text; Muslims have the Quran, Mormons have the Book of Mormon, Jehovah’s Witnesses have the New World Translation, Jews have the Torah, Christians have the Holy Bible, and Catholics have the Bible but with over a dozen additional books added. How can anyone know which sacred text is valid? In order to make this decision we must use evidence that is outside of these books. This essay provides a snapshot of some of the many forms of evidence that demonstrate the validity of the Bible, both the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).
I. MANUSCRIPTS – A manuscript is a handwritten copy of an original document; “manu” = hand, “script” = write. Hand writing is a long process that focuses on strict accuracy, quality, and is not concerned with speed and quantity. When copying OT manuscripts, Jewish scribes held to amazingly strict rules; the number of letters, words, and lines were counted, and even the middle letter of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and the middle letter of the OT were determined. If a single mistake was discovered, the entire manuscript would be destroyed. Similarly, letter for letter strictness has been used by scholars and scribes who copied the NT. Over the centuries scholars have compiled and compared thousands of NT manuscripts. We’ve been able to ensure that the NT alone is considered to be 99% textually pure. This means that of the hundreds of thousands of fragments and thousands of full manuscripts, there is only a 1% variation with today’s Bible compared to the oldest known manuscripts. Debated variations are corrected by comparing them to other manuscripts that don’t have the variants, or by simply reading the context to determine accuracy. Most importantly, of all known variants, nothing affects the doctrine or primary message being communicated. Consider that there are about 138,000 NT words, and only 1,400 of those words remain uncertain in their exact meaning, and the 1,400 words that are debated are trivial with regards to how they might affect the doctrine or central message of the passage. When seeking to validate a manuscript, there are three primary tests that are in view; bibliographic, eyewitness, and external.
Bibliographic Test – This considers both the number of manuscripts available, and the time span between the original document and the earliest known manuscripts. A shorter time span between the original document and later copies means a less likely chance for textual error. Of just the known 5,800+ Greek New Testament manuscripts, there are more than 2.6 million pages. Combining both the Old and New Testament, we have more than 66,000 manuscripts and scrolls, and over 400,000 fragments. Where do these come from? For example, over 10,000 manuscripts dating 800 A.D. from the Cairo Geniza find of 1897. There were over 700 OT manuscripts until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls from 1946-1955, which added about 1,000 more, some as early as 250 B.C., only 150 years after the original writings. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain manuscripts or fragments of every book in the OT except the book of Esther. Regarding NT manuscripts, we have over 5,800 copies, many of which were dated on or before 1,000 A.D. and in some cases, the time between the original document and the earliest manuscripts is less than 30 years. Skeptics question the Bible’s accuracy because of its age and many years of translations. Yet, they accept other books older than the Bible like Homer’s Iliad (written about 750 BC) or writings of Plato and Aristotle (from around 350BC) as reliable. Manuscript evidence is key to validating any book of antiquity. Consider manuscript evidence between the NT and other famous books of antiquity (chart next page).
| Author/Book | Date Written | Earliest Copies | Time Gap | Existing Copies |
| Home – Illiad | 750 B.C. | 400 B.C. | 350 years | 643 |
| Herodotus – History | 450 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1,350+ years | 8 |
| Thucydides – History | 425 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1,300+ years | 8 |
| Plato | 400 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1,300+ years | 7 |
| Aristotle – Poetics | 300 B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 1,400 years | 5 |
| Caesar – Gallic Wars | 75 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1,000 years | 10 |
| Livy – Rome’s History | 25 B.C. | 4th century (partial) | 400 years | 1 |
| * Livy – Rome’s History | 10th Century (mostly) | 1,000 years | 19 | |
| Tacitus – Annals | 100 A.D. | 1100 A.D. | 1,000 years | 20 |
| Pliny – Natural Hist. | 85 A.D. | 850 A.D. | 750 + years | 7 |
| New Testament | 50-100 A.D. | 114 A.D. (fragments) | 25-30 years | 5,800+ |
| * New Testament | 200 A.D. (books) | 100 years | 18,000+ | |
| * New Testament | 250 A.D. (most) | 150 years | ||
| * New Testament | 325 A.D. (all NT) | 225 years | 5000+ |
Eyewitness Test – Today and throughout human history, eyewitnesses are always the most reliable source to recount an event. The Bible is no exception to this. Biblical authors were either eyewitnesses (ex: David, Peter, Paul), or interviewers of eyewitnesses (ex: Mark, Luke). Or, a Biblical writer can be someone that was an eyewitness to some events, and received divine revelation to events unseen (ex: Moses, who wrote about events before he lived, during his life, and events after his life, including his death to come).
External Test – This test involves looking outside the Bible at secular sources for historical reliability regarding events, locations, people, and culture. For example, NT places, customs, events, and people are confirmed by historians like – Flavius Josephus (60-100 A.D.) who made multiple specific references to John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the rule of the Herod’s, the Sadducees and Pharisees, the high priests like Annas and Caiaphas, and the Roman emperors mentioned in the gospels and Acts. We find another early secular reference to Jesus in a letter written a little after A.D. 73 by an imprisoned Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapion. This letter to his son compares the deaths of Socrates, Pythagoras, and Christ. Other first and second-century writers who mention Christ include the Roman historians Cornelius Tacitus (Annals) and Suetonius (Life of Claudius, Lives of the Caesars), the Roman Governor Pliny the Younger (Epistles), and the Greek satirist Lucian (On the Death of Peregrine). Jesus is also mentioned several times in the Jewish Talmud.
A skeptic might ask, “Why aren’t there more contemporary sources from Jesus’ day that affirm His death, burial and resurrection?” A legitimate follow up question could be, “What ancient writers do you think exist that should have mentioned Jesus and yet did not?” Seeing the list given above is compelling. What we do have are multiple biographies about Jesus, from multiple eyewitnesses, from multiple interviewers of Jesus’ day that reported what eyewitnesses had seen. The fact is there are more writers about the teachings and events of Jesus’ life than there are of most major figures of antiquity. The fact is, the writings that skeptics want to find do exist; they were written so early and collectively gathered and put into a collection of writings that we call the New Testament.
II. ARCHEOLOGY – The Bible makes abundant references to nations, cities, kings, battles, mountains, rivers, buildings, treaties, customs, economics, politics, dates, etc. Because the historical narratives of the Bible are so specific, many of its details are open to archaeological investigation. While we cannot say that archaeology proves the authority of the Bible, it is fair to say that archaeological evidence has provided external confirmation of hundreds of biblical statements. Nelson Glueck, a leading Jewish archaeologist said, “It can be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference” (Rivers In The Desert, Farrar, Strauss and Cudahy. 1959. P.31). Because the Scriptures continually refer to historical events, they are verifiable. The chronological details in the prologue to Jeremiah (1:1–3) and in Luke 3:1–2 are two illustrations of this. Ezekiel 1:2 is another example; this verse allows us to date Ezekiel’s first vision of God down to the day (July 31, 592 BC). Archeology does not prove divine inspiration, but it confirms the credibility of writers who also claim that they wrote with God’s authority. The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., a secular institution, considers the Bible a reliable historical document, in as much as archeology has validated Biblical cities, kingdoms, royalty and political figures, major events, customs, laws, currency forms, and cultures. In contrast, the Smithsonian disregards the Book of Mormon as a historical document in that no city, people group, currency type, or major event has ever been validated with archeology.
Some examples of significant archeological finds that validate Biblical claims are;
Moabite Stone/Tablet – On the tablet is a text written in Moabite dating to 850-840 BC. It’s likely a victory stone erected by King Mesha to commemorate his military achievements where he speaks of a war fought with Israel in 850 BC, in which Moab revolted against King Jehoram of the northern kingdom of Israel soon after the death of Ahab. The Bible records the same incident in 2 Kings 3.
Ketef Hinnom Scrolls – found in a tomb at Ketef Hinnom in 1979, southwest of Jerusalem, these scrolls dating to about 650 B.C. contained the priestly benediction from Numbers chapter 6.
Tel Dan Inscription – found in 1993, at Tel Dan in northern Israel, uncovered a stone inscription dating around 850 B.C. that refers to the house and lineage of David, second and most prominent King over Israel
Lachish Letters – excavated at the site of Lachish in the 1930’s, debris remained that dated before a fire at the hands of the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 589/588 BC. Found were 18 ostraca: ink written on pieces of broken pottery, most of which were military correspondence, although a few were lists of names, but they reveal several events as described by the prophet Jeremiah in chapters 26-39. Lachish has great historical significance; the city was captured and violently destroyed by Joshua ca., 1450 B.C. (cf. Joshua 10:31-33). In the tenth century B.C., King Rehoboam rebuilt the city (2 Chron. 11:5-12). Eventually the King of Assyria, invaded (701 B.C.) and destroyed it. 64 years later, around 637 B.C., during the reign of King Josiah and the prophet Jeremiah, the city of Lachish was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 586 B.C.
Nuzi Tablets – found just to the east of Mari and the Euphrates River between 1925-1941, are several thousand cuneiform tablets (dating back to 1500 BC) that confirm many customs of the day mentioned in Genesis, including: the servant heir custom (i.e., having your eldest servant inherit your wealth if you were childless), a practice mentioned by Abraham in reference to Eliezer in Genesis 15:2. The birthright sales custom, mentioned with Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:31). The custom of household idols (Genesis 31:19 tells the account of Rachel having stolen these from her father, Laban).
Mari Tablets – (found 1933) are diplomatic correspondences and governmental records involving King Zimri-Lim (a contemporary of Babylon’s Hammurabi). To date, some 20,000 clay tablets have been found dating back to around 1800 BC. These letters, along with the Nuzi tablets, illustrate the patriarchal customs in great detail. They also mention the city of Nahor, which apparently is named after the Nahor identified in Genesis 11:24, and refer to the “Habiru” people (most likely an Akkadian reference to the Hebrews—an allusion to them as a nomadic people).
Laws of Moses – Skeptics once claimed the Mosaic Law could not have been written by Moses, because writing was largely unknown at that time and because the law code was too sophisticated for that period. But archeological findings of the codified Laws of Hammurabi (ca. 1700 B.C.), the Lipit-Ishtar code (ca. 1860 B.C.), the Laws of Eshnunna (ca. 1950 B.C.), and the Ur-Nammu code (ca. 2100 B.C.) have refuted these claims. There are thousands of archeological finds that continue to support the people, places, and events of the Bible. Countless sources are available online.
III. PROPHECY – Skeptics argue that prophecy is merely Biblical authors recording events after they happened and then editing and dressing up the text to look like predictions made before the events. This is not possible. OT manuscripts clearly spell out events that came to pass sometimes many centuries later, and these prophecies were confirmed by the quantities of manuscripts found. Some examples of Biblical prophecy being fulfilled are; Israel’s rebirth as a nation after being dispersed many centuries ago was predicted by the Bible (Isaiah 11:11 – written circa 750 B.C.; Ezekiel 37:1-14 – written circa 600 B.C.). For almost 2,000 years (since A.D. 70) the nation of Israel did not exist. Then, on May 15, 1948, Israel became a nation. In 1967 (The Six-day War) its area quadrupled and Jerusalem became Jewish property. The destruction of the city of Tyre was predicted in detail by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 26 – written circa 600 B.C.). In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great completed the destruction begun by others. Each detail Ezekiel predicted was fulfilled. Four great successive world kingdoms (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome) were specifically prophesied and described by Daniel (Daniel 2 & 7 – written about 535 B.C.). Each detail was fulfilled as these empires rose and fell in the coming centuries. There are over 2500 prophecies in the Bible of which 2000 of them have already been fulfilled to the letter. Over 300 of those prophecies were fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This alone should be enough to convince anyone that the Bible must be from God. Lists of fulfilled Bible prophecies can be found in abundance online.
V. STATISTICS – It is an impossibility that prophetic events found in the Bible could have come to pass by random chance, or deception. The Bible was written by about 40 authors over a 1,600-year time period, on different continents, in three languages, with no way to communicate or conspire. Yet, with all this variance, the Bible has no contradictions and is unified in purpose and theme. The American Scientific Affiliation pronounced Professor Peter Stoner’s analysis of probability to be sound. Concerning the over 330 prophecies pertaining to Jesus, Stoner wrote that, “If only 8 of Jesus’ prophecies were to come true, the odds of that happening by random chance is 1 in 10 to the 17th power,” (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000).
Consider these additional evidences for the validity of the Bible.
Distribution and Indestructibility –
1. The Bible is far and away the world’s “best seller.” By 1932 it was computed that 1 billion copies of the Bible had been published. By the 1960’s it is estimated that over 2 billion were published. Currently, a total of 3-4 billion is reasonable. No other book is even close. 2. The Bible has been translated into well over 1000 languages, representing about 90% of the world’s population. 3. Throughout the centuries, various enemies have tried to destroy the Bible (Diocletian Edict, circa A.D. 300). Voltaire, the French philosopher, and skeptic, predicted in the 18th century, that the Bible and Christianity would soon be obsolete. In 1828, fifty years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society was using his press and his house to publish Bibles.
A Logical Argument for Inspiration –
Charles Wesley proposed the following logical argument: “The Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men, or devils, or of God. 1. It could not be the invention of good men or angels; for they neither would or could make a book, and tell lies all the time they were writing it, saying, “So says the Lord,” when it was their own invention. 2. It could not be the invention of bad men or devils; for they would not make a book which commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to hell to all eternity. 3. Therefore, I draw this conclusion, that the Bible must be given by divine inspiration.” (Robert W. Burtner and Robert Chiles, A Compend of Wesley’s Theology, Abingdon Press. 1954. p.20)
Acceptance – When, and by whom, was the text accepted as true?
If it can be shown that original documents were accepted as true accounts right from the time of the recorded events, it’s a powerful argument for the reliability of the record. For example, try to get people today to believe a reconstructed history from World War II, including the idea that U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower miraculously healed the injured, or that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill parted the waters of the English Channel for the troops to cross into France. How many people would accept your story?! The fact that the documents were accepted as true at the time they were written demonstrates that much of the surface criticism of the Bible is not logical. OT text, miracles and all, was accepted as the true, reliable, and authoritative Word of God as far back as we can trace the documents and the people in those ancient civilizations.
a. Accepted by the Hebrews/Jews – If the information had been false, the Jewish people would have rejected it. Or, if the documents/manuscripts had any historical or numerical errors, the Jewish people would have revised and corrected them. There’s no evidence of this ever happening. If OT documents were not entirely reliable, the Jewish people would have simply denied that they were truly Scripture. For example, the Jewish people never accepted the intertestamental books (the “Apocrypha”) as Scripture. Even when the Jewish people didn’t like the contents of a book, they still accepted the documents as the true Word of God. They didn’t try to change or delete or “sanitize” the many accounts of their sin and rebellion, or the resulting judgment God sent upon them.
b. Accepted by Jesus Christ – Jesus accepted and quoted the Old Testament as reliable and true. For example, Jesus referred to the Genesis account of Creation (Matthew 19:4-6), the worldwide Flood (Matthew 24:37-39), and the story of Jonah (Matthew 12:40-41). He obviously considered these accounts to be true, even though many people today dismiss them as fables or Jewish mythology. If Jesus accepted the Old Testament as true, and it was not true, then either Jesus was ignorant, or else He knowingly went along with legends that were false, and thus He would have deliberately deceived people.
NT text was also accepted as the true Word of God by first century audiences, including the miracles and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
a. In a short time – Even while the New Testament was still being written, hearers and readers believed that the information in the documents was true and reliable. They accepted them as documents of Scripture (see 2 Peter 3:15-16). However, the early Christians never accepted other books written around this time as true and reliable (such as the apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings of the time). The time gap between the events and the time when the records were written is brief. It’s certainly too short for blatant exaggerations or obvious errors to have been inserted (see Acts 26:25-26). Eyewitnesses to the events recorded in the Gospels and Acts were still alive when the documents were written (see 1 Corinthians 15:6). These witnesses would have certainly denied exaggerated or falsified accounts. Furthermore, they would have corrected any documents that were only partially true. But there’s no evidence that any of the NT documents were ever revised.
b. Despite persecution – Some early Christians were imprisoned, and some were executed for their faith. Is it reasonable to believe that so many people would be willing to suffer persecution, torture, and death for a lie, when they knew it was a lie? (For a few examples, see Acts 4:1-3, 5:17-18, 7:57-60, 12:1-4.)
c. Widespread and immediate impact – As the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are shared, they are believed and embraced immediately and the outgrowth of followers was exponential. If the information was suspect, or unable to be substantiated, this response would not be the case. The volume of changed lives responding to the resurrection of Jesus, according to historian Flavius Josephus of the first century, “Continues on to this day.” The believability and impact of the NT was immediate and widespread.
Consider that after X’s death, His disciples were terrified and in hiding, demoralized. As Jews, they had no concept of a Messiah who is executed by His enemies, and much less to come back to life. The Jews believed in a resurrection, but a universal resurrection after judgement day. Also, under Jewish law, Jesus’ execution as a criminal meant that He was under God’s curse. Despite all of this, the disciples suddenly and passionately came to believe that God had risen Jesus from the dead. They were so convinced and empowered that even under the duress of torture and the threat of death didn’t persuade them to deny what they had experienced. Paul, who killed Christians, suddenly became a Christian himself after encountering the risen Jesus. There is no logical explanation to account for the immediate and exponential rise of Christianity other than the resurrection of Jesus. How does one account for the empty tomb, appearances of Jesus, and the movement of Christianity that followed? Only the resurrection as recorded in the NT.