In order to prove the authenticity of a major religious document, the researcher must establish for himself very strict standards to which he must comply. By applying these standards, he either attests to the reliability of the document in question or rejects them as spurious. In both, my own and a large number of international scholars’ opinions, there is no book which has been subject to all types of evaluation, criticism and examination as the Bible, in respect to both the Old and New Testaments. This is why the defenders of the Bible as well as its critics must develop strict criteria before coming to any conclusion. Since time is limited, certain points will be highlighted without allusion to much detail.
I. Internal Evidences
A. The Bible is divided into two portions
1. The Old Testament- written before the first coming of Jesus.
2. The New Testament- written after the first coming of Jesus.
B. The Authority of the Bible
1. Jews as well as Christians accept the authority of the Old Testament.
2. It was written over a 1600 year span by over 40 authors, all inspired by the Holy Spirit.
3. The writers came from every walk of life.
4. The books were revealed in different places, at different times and during different moods.
5. The locations of their revelation included three continents.
a. Asia
b. Africa
c. Europe
C.In spite of the above, and because the entire Bible was revealed and inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, the bible preserved unity without any contradiction in its:
1. Veracity
2. Authenticity
3. Originality
D. The Bible is full of Prophecies all fulfilled to the last detail.
1. The Old Testament includes
a. Approximately sixty major messianic prophecies
b. Approximately 270 ramifications
c. All fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ.
2. There are hundreds of prophecies about nations which were not in existence , yet the prophet predicted their emergence.
a. Prophecies concerned not only neighboring countries but also empires which were founded in Europe, such as:
1. The Greek Empire
2. The Division of the Greek Empire.
3. The Roman Empire
3. All prophecies were strikingly fulfilled in an astonishing way.
a. They were not speculations.
b. They were not a matter of insight into world affairs.
4. There is no other book like the Bible which contains hundreds of major and minor prophecies all having been proved so true and authentic.
E. All the prophets of the Old Testament and the disciples of Christ testified that God spoke to them and inspired them to write their prophecies and teachings.
1. No one claimed He spoke of himself. If he ever did he would admit it:
a. In his Epistles, Paul made that clear by saying:
1. This is from me and not from the Lord.
2. This is pure honesty
b. Every prophet, apostle and writer of the Gospels ascertained that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to record the revealed Word of God.
2. Jesus Himself told the disciples: "For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you," Matthew 10:20
3. All the writings of the New Testament took place after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
a. II Samuel 23:2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue."
b. Isaiah 34:16 "Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them."
c. Isaiah 40:7-8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
d. II Peter 1:20-21 "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
F. Jesus Himself quoted the Scripture of the Old Testament, especially those prophecies pertaining to himself beginning with the Books of Moses and continuing throughout the Old Testament books.
1. Jesus never accused the Jews of corrupting their Scriptures.
a. If the Jews did corrupt the scriptures, Jesus would be the first to point it out.
b. Christ accepted and used the Jewish Scriptures.
1. He read from them in the synagogues.
2. He emphasized their authenticity.
2. After the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars now have scrolls of the books of the Old Testament dated centuries before Christ to compare them with the existing Old Testament.
a. Scholars did not find any differences between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the current Old Testament.
b. On many occasions, the Disciples themselves cited the Old Testament and not one disciple claimed the Jews had perverted their scriptures.
G. Jesus Himself foretold His disciples about the events of His suffering, crucifixion, death and resurrection.
1. Jesus quoted the Old Testament and predicted to the disciples the current future events which were going to take place in Jerusalem.
a. Every single prediction was fulfilled during the time of the disciples.
b. In the disciples’ inspired writings, each emphatically stressed his eye witness account to all that happened.
2. The disciples witnessed Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.
a. Each disciple preached the above events and proclaimed to the Jews who also witnessed the events, among them: the High Priests, the Scribes and leaders of the nation.
b. No one dared to defy the disciples proclamations of both the Old Testament prophecies and the current events of the time.
H. The Bible recorded the detail of the lives of the great men of the scripture whether prophets, kings or disciples.
1. It recorded both the virtues and vices of these men, which is an interesting point in the defense of the Bible’s authenticity.
No one can claim the Bible is corrupted since the first thing the corrupters would have done is to remove all blemishes and vices from the biography of these great men of God.2. The bible records the sins of David.
a. David, the prophet and founder of the Kingdom of Israel was revered and respected by his people.
b. The sins he committed were so terrible, God brought His judgment on the house of David.
1. No one dared to remove or eliminate these black spots from the scriptures.
2. His iniquities are not the only ones recorded in the scriptures.
3. Other prophets who failed to live up to God’s standards and who sinned against their Lord are also recorded. For example:
a. Adam
b. Abraham
c. Isaac
d. Moses
e. Noah Note: When reading the Bible, it confirms its authenticity because the Holy Spirit of the Lord is impartial and reveals even what is committed in secret.
I. The New Testament documents the details of Jesus’ trial.
1. There are four documents (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) full of specific details of Jesus:
a. The course of events leading to His arrest.
b. The name of the traitor.
c. The names of His judges, i.e, The High Priest and his juridical assembly.
d. The name of the Roman Governor.
e. The name of the puppet king.
f. The details of the interrogations.
g. The witnesses.
h. The dates and times of His arrest.
i. Many other specifics which would be difficult, if not impossible, to invent about such historical events are also recorded
2. There are also accounts providing accurate information of Jesus’ resurrection.
3. These are four authentic, reliable documents full of facts which no objective judge or judges could deny. They are not mere statements subject to different interpretations about Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection.
J. All of the disciples, with the exception of John, were tortured, flogged and martyred. Would these people who have been praised by the Qur’an, die for a lie?
1. A person would only sacrifice his life for something he believes in- events to which he is an eye-witness.
a. The New Testament relates to us that not only did the disciples suffer death and persecution for the sake of Christ, but also many other Christians faced death courageously.
b. These people also witnessed the death and resurrection of Christ.
1. They did not believe in a lie.
2. They believed in a person and His teachings and promises as they were handed down to them.
2. These people were ready to give up their earthly lives for death in this world.
Each was confident that through Jesus Christ they had eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven.II. The External Evidences
A. Manuscripts are the most important evidence of the authenticity of the Scriptures.
1. Both Christians and secular scholars agree there is no one book in the world today which claims more manuscripts as the Bible.
2. Josh McDowell, a world authority in Biblical manuscripts states, "When it comes to the manuscript authority of the New Testament, the abundance of material is almost embarrassing in contrast. After the early papyri manuscript discoveries that bridged the gap between the Time of Christ and the second century, and abundance of other manuscripts came to light. Over 20,000 copies of the New testament are in existence today. The Iliad has 643 manuscripts and is second in manuscripts authority after the New Testament."
3. He also quotes Sir Frederic Kenyon who was the director and principal librarian at the British Museum and second to none in authority in issuing statements about manuscripts. He concludes: "The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extent evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."
B. It is believed some disciples like Matthew and John, may have recorded directly many events of Jesus’ life while He was still with them.
C. It is written in the Gospel, Mary, Jesus’s mother, who was an eye-witness to Jesus’ life events from birth to his resurrection, "Treasured all these things in her heart." She also became a very valuable source for the information we have about Christ.
D. Alluding to the Old Testament, it is enough to point to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
1. The scrolls (especially those which are copies of the Old Testament books) have proved beyond any doubt that the Old Testament which we have today, is as authentic as the original.
2. These documents are dated from 200 BC. To 68 AD.
3. When compared to other manuscripts of a much later date (1000 years) it was found they contain the exact text (especially the book of Isaiah). This demonstrates, as McDowell says, "the unusual accuracy of the copyist of the scripture over a thousand year period."
E. The early church fathers who were contemporaries or students of the apostles have left a treasure of conclusive evidences about the authenticity of the Bible.
1. Clement, Bishop of Rome, worked with Paul. Philippians 4:3
2. Dionysus, Bishop of Corinth who died in 100 AD.; Hermas, a contemporary of Paul, wrote a book in three volumes containing many quotations from the New Testament.
3. Ignatius, appointed Bishop of Antioch 37 years after Christ’s ascension.
4. Polycarp, the martyr disciple of the Apostle John and Bishop of Smyrna. Only one of his writings survived. It is a letter full of citations from the four gospels.
5. Papias, known as a gifted scholar about the year 110 AD., wrote a commentary of six volumes on the Bible. He said the gospels in Greek were circulating in the churches and testified to the Gospel of Mark and Matthew.
6. Justin, the martyr born in 89 AD. was a heathen philosopher before his conversion, but his search after the truth led him to Christianity.
a. This celebrated thinker wrote many books in defense of Christianity and based his defense on the four gospels.
b. In one book, he mentions he visited the churches in Rome, Alexandria and Ephesus and noted Christians worshiped by reading aloud from the Gospels in their churches.
7. Reneus, of Greek origin and a disciple of Polycarp, mentioned above, wrote an epistle full of quotations from the Gospels.
8. Clement, Bishop of Alexandria, who lived 16 years after Reneus, testified that all churches believed in the four gospels. This meticulous scholar cited the gospel in his teachings and writings and said the four Gospels were authentic.
F. Christian scholars who meticulously and diligently studied the writings of the fathers of the early church beginning of the first century said if all manuscripts of the new testament were lost, it is possible to construct the New Testament again from the church fathers’ quotations with the exception of 17 verses.
III. Other Non-Christian Evidences
A. Non-Christian historians and authors from the first and second centuries attested to the many events which occurred during the life of Jesus and after His ascension.
1. Cornelius Tacitus, born 52-54 AD, a Roman historian stated Pontius Pilate put Jesus to death.
2. Flavius Josephus, born 37 AD., reported the story of Christ’s crucifixion.
3. Seutonius, another Roman historian, born 120 AD., recorded the persecution of Christians because of their belief in Christ.
4. Plenius Secundas, born 112 AD., and Thallus who was a gentile author wrote in 52 concerning the darkness which covered Palestine during the crucifixion of Jesus.
a. He tried to explain it as an eclipse of the sun, but Julius Africanus, a Christian writer commented on that in 221 AD. by saying this was unreasonable of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the paschal full moon that Christ died.
b. The above shows us that the gospel account of the darkness which fell upon the land during Christ’s crucifixion was well known.
5. The Jewish Talmud referred to Christ’s death and crucifixion in many places, though in a negative way.
B. The Bible has become a guide and source for archeological discoveries.
1. In many cases critics, as well as adherents, referred to the Bible account to prove or disprove their points of view in issues related to :
a. The Creation.
b. The Flood
c. Ur of the Chaldees.
d. Joseph’s life events.
e. The Hebrew captivity in Egypt.
f. The Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt.
g. The law of Moses.
h. The Biblical account of some ancient races.
i. The altar Joshua built on the Mount of Jerrizzim.
2. William F. Albright, known for his reputation as one of the great archeologists states, "There can be be doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition... discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of History."
3. F.F. Bruce, the noted British scholar said, "Where Luke has been suspected of inaccuracy and accuracy has been vindicated by some inscriptional evidence, it may be legitimate to say that archeology has confirmed the New Testament record."
4. Sir William Ramsey, who is regarded by most as one of the greatest archeologists ever to have lived, was taught in the German historical school of the mid-nineteenth century that the book of Acts was a product of the mid-second century AD.
a. He was firmly convinced of the above and set out to prove his belief, but after so many years of discoveries and archeological research, he came to the amazing conclusion that the book of Acts is an authority for the topography, antiquities and ancient sociology of Asia Minor.
b. He also regarded Luke as "historian of the first rank."
c. Sir William presents us with conclusive archeological and historical evidences to support his objective opinion about Luke and the Scripture.
d. Later, Sir William became a firm believer in the accuracy of the Scripture. His findings are not based on speculations, or "it was said." "And God knows better" but on research, archeological excavations and the Biblical records. The results were astonishing! Truly, the genuine Word of God will never fail.
IV. In Conclusion
As I read the Qur’an, I did not find any indication that the Qur’an is accusing the Christians and the Jews of changing the actual text of their scriptures. The Jews were accused they had lied or twisted the meaning of the text but not the text itself. In fact, I found the Qur’an had urged Muslims to refer to the Gospel and the Torah, whenever they are in doubt of any of their religious issues. The concept of corruption of the Gospel and the Torah was formulated at a later time by certain individuals in order to attempt to explain the origin of perceived differences of faith between Muslims and Jews and /or Muslims and Christians. The evidences which attest to the authenticity of the bible are:
1. The authors attested to its inspiration.
2. Jesus attests to it.
3. The disciples attest to it.
4. The texts themselves attest to each other.
5. The early fathers of the church attest to it.
6. The non-Christian historians attest to it.
7. The ancient manuscripts attest to it.
8. The archeological discoveries attest to it.
9. Legal official reports of Jesus’ time attest to it.
10. The Qur’an attests to it.
11. The fulfillment of its prophecies attest to it. If all these evidences and testimonies are not enough to convince the entire Bible is the Word of God, then which book has more evidences and documented facts than this one?
