Historicity of the Scriptures RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE SACRED TEXTS Jun 21, 2015
Introduction, Context, and Method The New Testament - Gospels Bibliographical Tests External Tests Internal Tests The New Testament Letters & Revelation Internal Tests Bibliographical Tests External Tests Early/Later Old Testament Bibliographical Tests Internal Tests External Tests Jun 21, 2015 2
Overview The Gospels are true and authentic! The Epistles and Prophecy Pauline Letters General Epistles (several authors) Revelation Jun 21, 2015 3
Gospels Historicity Manuscripts Dating Synoptic Problem (Sourcing) Textual Criticism Non- Biblical Authors Archeology The Gospels are True and Reliable! Jun 21, 2015 4
The Epistles and Prophecy Biography History Pauline Epistles General Epistles Prophecy Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Phillipians Colossians I Thessalonians II Thessalonians I Timothy II Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 11 Peter I John II John III John Jude Revelation Jun 21, 2015 5
Internal Tests Three essential questions for this test 1. Are the witnesses close to the events in question? 2. Do the accounts contain internal contradictions? 3. Did the bias of the author distort their reporting of events? Jun 21, 2015 6
Internal Tests (Pauline Letters) 1. Are the witnesses close to the events in question? Scholars disagree over how many of the New Testament letters attributed to Paul were really written by him In the last one hundred years or so, almost all critics have accepted Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians Today, a standard liberal view accepts at least seven to nine as authentic Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus being excluded Some also exclude Colossians and 2 Thessalonians Jun 21, 2015 7
Internal Tests (Pauline Letters) con t 1. Are the witnesses close to the events in question? So an objective historian would agree: We possess from seven to thirteen letters from the hand of Paul Most of these letters are dated from 49 to 65 AD Jun 21, 2015 8
Internal Tests (Pauline Letters) 2. Do the accounts contain internal contradictions? Two important features of Paul s letters A high, advanced Christology With no evolutionary development of Christology within the letters themselves Jun 21, 2015 9
Internal Tests (Pauline Letters) 3. Did the bias of the author distort their reporting of events? Paul is clearly biased toward the fully formed truth of who Jesus was the Christ, sent by God, to provide the means of salvation to all men That this bias remains static means that it was fully formed before he began his missionary journeys (48 AD) Also means that a fully developed Christology existed within 15 years after the crucifixion There are a few authors who propose that Paul actually created Christianity, based on a Christ myth Arguments based in negative assertions Jun 21, 2015 10
Internal Tests (non-pauline books) 1. Are the witnesses close to the events in question? James, Peter, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews James half-brother of Jesus, became the leader of the Jerusalem church, writing in 45 or 46 AD Peter the apostle, writing 63/64 and 67/68 AD John the apostle; writing 85-90 AD Jude, aka Judas half-brother to Jesus and full brother to James, writing 70-80 AD Jun 21, 2015 11
Internal Tests (non-pauline books) 2. Do the accounts contain internal contradictions? None pretend to be a complete exposition of Christian faith. They are written to believers, and only expound the ideas and the beliefs which they assume to be those of their readers Generally they don not contain the details of Christ s life and ministry Can one assume these were well known by the audience? Jun 21, 2015 12
Internal Tests (non-pauline books) 3. Did the bias of the author distort their reporting of events? In general, no Nature of these books is not an emphasis on the specifics of dates and times, but rather on community living; e.g., personal relationships (Hebrews); duties of church leaders (1, 3 Timothy; Titus); warnings of false teaching (Jude); a faith lived out in community (James) Jun 21, 2015 13
Internal Tests (Revelation) Written by John, the Apostle Likely between 81-96 AD (rule of Domitian, who sent him to Patmos), while exiled on Patmos Many scholarly and philosophical works on the role of revelation, the historicity of revelation Do the three questions apply? 1. Are the witnesses close to the events in question? 2. Do the accounts contain internal contradictions? 3. Did the bias of the author distort their reporting of events? Jun 21, 2015 14
Coming Weeks... Jun 28 New Testament Letters #2 Chris Jul 5 New Testament Letters #3 Jim Jul 12 Latter Old Testament #1 Jon Jul 19 Latter Old Testament #2 Chris Jul 26 Latter Old Testament #3 Clint Aug 2 Early Old Testament #1 Jim Aug 9 Early Old Testament #2 Jon Aug 16 Early Old Testament #3 Chris Jun 21, 2015 15
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Pauline Epistles Scholars disagree over how many of the New Testament letters attributed to Paul were really written by him In the last one hundred years or so, almost all critics have accepted Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians Today, a standard liberal view accepts at least seven to nine as authentic Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus being excluded Some also exclude Colossians and 2 Thessalonians So an objective historian would agree: We possess from seven to thirteen letters from the hand of Paul Most of these letters are dated from 49 to 65 AD Jun 21, 2015 17
Eyewitness Testimony Frequently mentioned (Luke 1:1-4; Galatians 1; 2 Peter 1:16) Apostolic qualifier (Acts 1:21-22; Hebrews 2:3) Indirect testimony to eyewitness evidence Arguments supporting eyewitness influence Assumed trustworthy Four tests Adverse eyewitness accounts would inhibit the Gospel Inconsistency likely without common eyewitness accounts May 24, 2015 18
Eyewitness Testimony Objections to eyewitness influence The Gospels are theological, kerygmatic, propagandistic works, not objective, historical biographies of Jesus. Thus, eyewitness testimony is irrelevant, given the nature of the Gospels. Ancient people were less interested in facts than we are today and thus ancient historians were not concerned or able to distinguish fact from fiction. The Gospel materials merely met needs in the early church; thus, they are the result of a great deal of shaping at the hands of the early Christian community May 24, 2015 19
Dating the Gospels Authorship Traditional dates: Mark 70 AD Matthew & Luke 75-85 AD John 95 AD Assumption based on: Mark is the earliest and necessarily delaed while tradition stabilized Prompted by Jesus prediction of Jerusalem s fall (70AD) Recent trend in dating the Gospels earlier May 24, 2015 20
Synoptists Versus John Synoptists The outer facts of the Lord s life The human aspects of the Lord s life The public discourses (largely) The Galilean ministry (mainly) John The inner facts of the Lord s life The Divine aspects of the Lord s life The private discourses (largely) The Judean ministry (mainly) May 24, 2015 21
The Synoptic Problem The first three Gospels are clearly related Much in common o Wording, sequencing, inclusion of specific material Yet each has unique material The Synoptic Problem is to state the literary relationship among them explaining their similarities and their differences No clear, accepted solution, but most hold to a four source theory May 24, 2015 22
Four Source Theory Mark is the first Gospel Luke and Matthew used Mark in writing their Gospels Stronger case for Luke s use than Matthew s A fourth Q source is postulated Alleged to be the source of the material that Matthew and Luke have in common, but Mark does not contain So Q and Mark pre-date Luke and Matthew and Luke pre-dates Acts slightly, therefor May 24, 2015 23
Dating the Gospels Authorship The key to dating the Gospels is dating Acts Six arguments, taken in total, make the case for dating Acts at 62-64 AD No mention of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD No mention of Nero s persecutions in the mid-60s No mention of James (61), Paul s (64) or Peter s (65) martyrdom Acts deals with issues important prior to the fall of Jerusalem Several expressions are very early and primitive No mention of the Jewish-Roman war (from 66) May 24, 2015 24
Recommended Sources Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Zondervan, 2013) Steve Cowan and Terry Wilder, In Defense of the Bible (B&H Academic, 2013) Barry Cooper, Can I really trust the Bible (The Good Book Company, 2014) D. A. Carson and John Woodbridge, eds., Scripture and Truth (Baker, 1983); idem, Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon (Zondervan, 1986) Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena (vol. 1): Part IV: Revelation (Baker Academic, 2003) Ned Stonehouse and Paul Woolley, eds., The Infallible Word: A Symposium by the Members of the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary (P&R, 1946) May 24, 2015 26
Recommended Sources con t E. J. Young, Thy Word Is Truth (Banner of Truth, 1963) John MacArthur, Why Believe the Bible (Regal, 2008) J.I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (Eerdmans, 1958) William Whitaker, Disputations on Holy Scripture (Soli Deo Gloria, 2000) John Owen, The Divine Original: Authority, Self-Evidencing Light, and Power of the Scriptures, vol. 16 of Owen s Collected Works (Banner of Truth, 1988) Meredith Kline, The Structure of Biblical Authority (Wipf & Stock Pub, 1997) John Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God (P&R, 2010) B. B. Warfield, The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible (P&R, 1948) May 24, 2015 27
Many Questions May 2, 2015 29
External Evidences Correlated Biblical people Roman Emperors: Caesar Agustus, Tiberius, Claudius Roman Governors: Pontius Pilate, Serguis Paulus, Gallio, Felix, Festus Regional Rulers: Herod the Great, Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Philip, Herod Agrippa I, Herod Agrippa II, Lysanias, Aretas IV High Priests: Annas, Joseph Caiphas, Ananias Prominent Biblical Figures: John the Baptist, and James the Just, and Jesus Simon of Cyrene May 24, 2015 30
John the Baptist Limited references Gospels Flavius Josephus An apocalyptic preacher Josephus more about John, than Jesus Description of Herodias and Salome Herod s army destroyed by God for John May 24, 2015 31
External Evidences Non-biblical authors Eusebius Confirms the historicity of Mark and Matthew through primary writings of Papias Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (160 AD) Confirms the existence and value of the Canon documents Polycarp A disciple of John, routinely quotes from the NT Flavius Josephus Jewish historian working for the Romans Documents John the Baptist, James the Just, and Jesus May 24, 2015 32
External Evidences Archaeology Simon the Cyrene Critics of the existence of Nazareth Its name showed up in a first-century synagogue inscription at Caesarea. Augustus census edicts are borne out by an inscription at Ankara, Turkey. In his famous accomplishment, the Roman emperor proudly claims to have taken a census three times and mandated that husbands had to register their families for the Roman census. May 24, 2015 33
External Evidences Archaeology Sites at Bethsaida, Chorazin, Capernau, Caesarea Philippi, Shechem, Bethany, and Jerusalem all under excavation The remains of the synagogue at Capernaum are below the ruins of a 4 th century synagogue Peter s house in Capernaum has been uncovered from underneath a 4 th century Christian sanctuary May 24, 2015 34
An Overview of the Process Materials and Methods Manuscripts and canons Texts o Hebrew Bible o New Testament Extra-biblical sources Writing and reading history May 3, 2015 35
The Overview con t Challenges to historicity The Hebrew Bible New Testament Schools of archaeological and historical thought Overview Maximalist Minimalist dichotomy Biblical minimalism Biblical maximalism Decreasing conflict May 3, 2015 36
Number of NT Manuscripts ~5,700 Greek NT manuscripts in existence (2 nd 16 th centuries) ~10,000 Latin Vulgate NT manuscripts ~8,000 Ethiopic, Slavic, and Armenian ~24,000 total NT manuscripts in existence There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament (F.F. Bruce Univ of Manchester author of: The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable) >1 million NT quotations from church fathers May 10, 2015 37