A Ready Defense for Christianity 1 Peter 3:13-16
Apologetics: A Ready Defense for Christianity Refers to a logical, reasoned case Not a way to lead someone to Christ 2
A Ready Defense for Christianity The Bible and Its Reliability
The Uniqueness of the Bible Unique: Continuity Circulation Translation Survival Teaching Influence 4
Canon: 1. Canon = Reed = Measuring Standard 2. The standard by which we are to measure and evaluate 3. Applied to Scripture = officially accepted list of books 4. Accepted Created 5
History: 1. A.D. 70 The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple 2. Jews were scattered 3. Needed to determine which books were the authoritative Word of God 4. Needed to differentiate Christian works from God s Word 6
History: 1. The Law (Torah) 2. The Prophets (Nebhim) 3. The Writings (Kethubhim) 7
The Council of Jamina: 1. Occurred when the destruction of the Temple was imminent. (~A.D. 70) 2. Meeting surrounded only 4 books and debates on whether they should be recognized as canon Psalms Proberbs Ecclesiastes Esther 8
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Christ s witness to the Old Testament: 1. Luke 24:44 Law of Moses The Prophets The Psalms 2. Luke 11:51 (Matthew 23:35) Genesis to Chronicles (Genesis to Malachi) Able = 1 st martyr : Zecharaiah = Last (2 Chron. 24:21) 10
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New Testament witness to the Old Testament: 1. Matthew 21:42, 22:29, 26:54,56 2. Luke 24 3. John 5:39, 7:38, 10:35 4. Acts 17:2,11; 18:28 5. Romans 1:2, 4:3, 9:17, 10:11, 11:2, 15:4, 16:26 6. Etc 12
Extra-Biblical writers testimony: 1. Josephus The Law, and the Prophets and the other books of the Fathers 2. Babylonian Talmud, Tractate VII-VIII, 24 After the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel. 13
New Testament Canon: 1. 27 books written by fallible men? 2. Evaluated and decided by Godly men, local church elders. 3. The Synod of Hippo (A.D. 393) Tests for inclusion in the Canon 14
Inclusion tests: 1. Is it authoritative? Did it come from the hand of God? (Does this book come with a divine thus saith the Lord? ) 2. Is it prophetic? Was it written by a man of God? 15
Inclusion tests: 3. Is it authentic? If in doubt, throw it out 4. Is it dynamic? Did it come with the lifetransforming power of God? 5. Was it received, collected, read, and used? 16
27 Books: Gospels History Paul s letters to churches Paul s letters to friends General letters 17
Apocrypha: 1. Greek = apokruphos = hidden or concealed 2. Books added to the Old and New Testaments by the Roman Catholic church but that Protestants say are not canonical. 18
Pseudepigrapha: 1. Greek = false writings 2. Books added to the Old and New Testaments by the Roman Catholic church but that Protestants say are not canonical. Furthermore, these books falsely claim to be written by true prophets or apostles. 19
Reject Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha: 1. Abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies 2. Doctrines and practices which are at variance with inspired Scripture 3. Literary types and subject matter outside inspired Scripture 4. Lack divine character, prophetic power, and poetic and religious feeling 20
Historical Exclusion: 1. Josephus excludes apocryphal books 2. Jesus and New Testament writers never quote the apocrypha, although there are hundreds of quotes and references from the Old Testament canon. 3. Council of Jamina didn t recognize them 4. No council or canon of the Christian church recognized them for 400 years! 21
Historical Exclusion: 5. Early church great fathers spoke against them Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius 6. Jerome, translator or the Vulgate, rejected them 7. Roman catholic scholars throughout the reformation period rejected them 22
Historical Exclusion: 8. Martin Luther and the Reformers rejected them 9. Not recognized officially until 1546 by the Roman Catholic church! 23
Telephone Game 24
Homework: Tests we can use to determine if the Bible is reliable 25