In my last article, I started to explore some reasons for accepting the validity of the Old Testament. We briefly discussed the historical, archeological, and prophetic evidence, and saw a solid basis for accepting them as fact. Today, I want to move to the New Testament to examine some of the credentials for its acceptance. It is the New Testament, after all, that contains the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we base our eternity upon those teachings. It is, therefore, essential that we are convinced that the accounts we read today are factual and accurate to what the authors intended to write. Being satisfied with that, we can, without reservation, devote our lives to learning and living up to the message that God Himself has left for us.

Textual Criticism

1. We have such a huge number of handwritten manuscript copies — over 24,000.
2. Those copies agree with each other, word for word, 99.5% of the time. Sometimes the spelling may vary, or words may be transposed but that doesn’t change their meaning.
3. The dates of these manuscripts are very close to the dates of their originals.¹

Twenty-four thousand copies is an awful lot of evidence to work with. These are handwritten copies written in Greek, Coptic, and other languages. By cross-referencing these documents, scholars can accurately trace back the wording of the original documents (written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, etc.). Add to it the fact that the writing of these manuscripts dates back very close to when the originals were written, and their credibility increases tremendously.

Historical Documents

In addition to the Biblical documents themselves, ancient historians also attest to the existence of Christ and His followers. Historically, this helps us to realize that Jesus was much more than just a mythical figure developed by some poor fishermen (as some people believe). The following is an excerpt of the writings of first century Roman historian Tacitus (AD 55–120): “…Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate….”²

Similarly, Jewish historian Josephus (AD 38–100+) wrote:

“We learn that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected.”³

Archeology

Now, let’s look at some archeological evidence. The New Testament is filled with accurate historical data. Archaeologists and historians alike have been impressed by the many finds that have agreed with the details presented in the New Testament. There have even been many times when the Biblical data was thought to be faulty, only to be verified as truth many years later. One such example is found in Luke’s description of a governor named Quirinius and the Roman census he described in Luke, Chapter 2. For many years there were challenges concerning these details until archeologists actually found an ancient inscription bearing the name of Governor Quirinius in Antioch. They also discovered proof of a cyclical Roman census that took place in the time period matching the period that Luke reports about.

Additionally, in the past, scientists had doubts concerning specific titles of authorities such as “Tetrarch” and the “parts” or “districts” of certain cities. But through archaeology, many of the ancient cities and titles that Luke tells of in the Book of Acts have been found and proven correct.⁴

Some other New Testament discoveries include the place where Jesus was tried, which was known as Gabbatha in John, Chapter 13, and the Pool of Bethesda found in John, Chapter 2.

Perhaps one of the most convincing arguments for believing the information found in the New Testament is that of the changed lives of Jesus’ disciples after His resurrection. These men went from being fearful, confused followers to bold, unstoppable proclaimers of the risen Christ! Practically all of them were martyred for their beliefs. They were eyewitnesses of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. If any of these accounts had not been true, surely these men would have been the ones that would have known it. But instead, they went to their deaths holding onto their truths. Reference the writings of Peter who said in 2 Peter 1:16 that they were “Eyewitnesses of His (Christ’s) majesty.” Or the words of John who declared in 1 John 1:3 that, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard.” Or, the words of Paul who not only summarized the Gospel but told how the risen Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at the same time, and how that since most of those people were still alive, you could check the accuracy of his account by speaking directly with them (1 Corinthians 15:3–8).

The Choice is Yours

These are but some of the numerous facts that speak for the credibility and accuracy of the New Testament. As I stated at the beginning of this article, once we can settle in our mind that the Bible we have today is the very message that God Himself intended us to have, it is then up to us to devote our lives to worshiping the very One who made us, loved us, and paid the price for us. The choice is yours.

Footnotes:
¹“Why You Can Believe the Bible.” EveryStudent.com. https://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html
² Tacitus, A. 15.44.
³ Wilkins, Michael J. Jesus under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995. 40.
⁴ Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1999.