God bless you. If people truly require truth and logic, you provide it. And, of course, the Holy Spirit will lead them to God's Holy Word. Let it be so, in Jesus name.
The NT GOSPELS - Evidence of Author's & Dates Written ▪︎ Matthew - A tax collector who became Jesus' apostle and wrote about the life of Jesus as the Messiah for the Jewish community c. 60 AD. ▪︎ Mark - A Jew, and a companion of Peter and Paul, who wrote for both Jews and Gentiles about Christ's death and resurrection c. 60 AD. ▪︎ Luke - A Gentile doctor, and a companion of Peter and Paul who wrote for the Gentiles about Christ the saviour for humankind. c. 60 AD ▪︎ Luke - also wrote the Acts of the Apostles c. 60 AD. ▪︎ John - The 'beloved' apostle of Jesus, wrote in his later years about the Word who took on Flesh (John 1:1,14) c. 80-90 AD. ▪︎ John - also wrote 3 Letters and The Book of Revelations c. 80-90 AD. ▪︎ James - wrote 1 letter c. 35 AD. ▪︎ Paul - wrote 13 letters c.49 - 65 AD. ▪︎ Jude - wrote 1 letter c. 65 AD. ▪︎ Peter - wrote 2 letters c. 67 AD. ▪︎ The author of The Letter to Hebrews is unknown c. 65 AD. (Wikipedia). ▪︎ Jesus Christ's' ministry occurred between 27-30 A.D. ▪︎ Christianity began after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ when thousands of Jews became followers of 'The Way' (Jesus). ▪︎ The New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, gives strong historical evidence that the New Testament was completed by A.D. 100. ▪︎ Most writings of the New Testament were completed twenty to forty years before 100 AD. (Wikipedia). ▪︎ The apostles and their companions wrote the New Testament from their first-hand experiences with Jesus. New Testament integrity is supported by historians, biblical and textual scholars, along with thousands of early codices, manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, proving the validity and preservation of the Gospels written between c. 35-90 A.D (Eusebius, Church History 111. 39 .15; Irenaeus Against Heresies, 111.1) INTERNAL Evidence: ▪︎ The internal evidence supports these early dates for several reasons. The first three Gospels prophesied the fall of the Jerusalem Temple which occurred in A.D. 70. However, the fulfillment is not mentioned. It is strange that these three Gospels predict this major event but do not record it happening. Why do they not mention such an important prophetic milestone? The most plausible explanation is that it had not yet occurred at the time Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. ▪︎ In the book of Acts, the Temple plays a central role in the nation of Israel. Luke writes as if the Temple is an important part of Jewish life. He also ends Acts on a strange note: Paul living under house arrest. It is strange that Luke does not record the death of his two chief characters, Peter and Paul. The most plausible reason for this is that Luke finished writing Acts before Peter and Paul's martyrdom in A.D. 64. A significant point to highlight is that the Gospel of Luke precedes Acts, further supporting the traditional dating of c. A.D. 60. Most scholars agree Mark precedes Luke, making Mark's Gospel even earlier. ▪︎ Finally, the majority of New Testament scholars believe that Paul's epistles are written from A.D. 48-60. Paul's outline of the life of Jesus matches that of the Gospels. 1 Corinthians is one of the least disputed books regarding its dating and Pauline authorship. In 1Corinthians chapter 15, Paul summarizes the gospel and reinforces the premise that this is the same gospel preached by the apostles. Paul quotes from Luke's Gospel in 1 Timothy 5:18, showing us that Luke's Gospel was indeed completed in Paul's lifetime. This would move the time of the completion of Luke's Gospel along with Mark and Matthew. This Internal Evidence presents a strong case for the early dating of the Gospels. EXTERNAL Evidence - Gospel Dates: ▪︎ Were the Gospels written by eyewitnesses of the events, or were they not recorded until centuries later? As with the internal evidence, the external evidence also supports a first century date. ▪︎ Fortunately, New Testament scholars have an enormous amount of ancient manuscript evidence. The documentary evidence for the New Testament far surpasses any other work of its time, with over 5000 manuscripts, and many are dated within a few years of their authors' lives. KEY documents: ▪︎ Chester Beatty Papyri contains most of the N.T. writings, and is dated around A.D. 250. ▪︎ The Bodmer Papyri contains most of John, and dates to A.D. 200. ▪︎ Rylands Papyri that was found in Egypt and contains large fragments of John, and dates to A.D. 130. From this fragment we can conclude that John was completed well before A.D. 130 because, not only did the gospel have to be written, it had to be hand copied and make its way down from Greece to Egypt. The majority of scholars agree that John is the last gospel written, so we can affirm its first century date along with the other three with greater assurance. EARLY New Testament Papyrus Manuscripts: ▪︎ Dead Sea Scrolls, the Full Text of Isaiah 53 and a portion of every book, c. 250 BC. ▪︎ Old Testament Greek Septuagint c. 200 BC. ▪︎ P52 (John Rylands Fragment) - John 18:31-33; 37-38 c. 96 AD ▪︎ P90 (Oxyrhynchus) - John 18:36; 19:7 c. 96 AD ▪︎ P104 (Oxyrhynchus) - Matthew 21:34-37, 43, 45 c. 60-65 AD ▪︎ P46 (Chester Beatty Papyrus) - Romans 5:17-6; 5-14; 8:15-25; 27-35; 10:1-11, 22, 24-33, 35; 16:1-23; 25-27. And Hebrews; 1 & 2; Corinthians; Ephesians; Galatians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 9-10; 2:1-3; 5:5-9, 23-28 c. 50’s-70’s AD ▪︎ P98 (IFAO) - Revelation 1:13; 2:1 c. 90 AD ▪︎ P66 (Bodmer Papyrus) - John 1:1-6,11; 6:35; 14:26; fragment of 14:29; 21:9 c. 70’s AD ▪︎ P67 Matthew 3:9, 15; 5:20-22; 25-28 c. 60-65 AD ▪︎ Evidence also comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls Cave 7. Jose Callahan discovered a large fragment of the Gospel of Mark and dated it to have been written in A.D. 50. Also large fragments of Acts and other epistles and dated them to have been written slightly after A.D. 50.4 Another line of evidence is the writings of the church fathers. ▪︎ CLEMENT of Rome sent a letter to the Corinthian church in A.D. 95. in which he quoted from the Gospels and other portions of the N.T. ▪︎ IGNATIUS, Bishop of Antioch, wrote a letter before his martyrdom in Rome in A.D. 115, quoting all the Gospels and other N.T. letters. ▪︎ POLYCARP wrote to the Philippians in A.D. 120 and quoted from the Gospels and N.T. letters. ▪︎ JUSTIN MARTYR, A.D. 150 quotes John 3. Church fathers of the early second century were familiar with the apostle's writings and quoted them as inspired Scripture. ▪︎ Early dating is important for two reasons. The closer a historical record is to the date of the event, the more likely the record is accurate. Early dating allows for eyewitnesses to still be alive when the Gospels were circulating to attest to their accuracy. The apostles often appeal to the witness of the hostile crowd, pointing to their knowledge of the facts as well (Acts 2:22, 26:26). Also, the time is too short for legends to develop. Historians agree it takes about two generations, or eighty years, for legendary accounts to establish themselves. From the evidence, we can conclude the Gospels were indeed written by the authors they are attributed to. THE First Fully Bound Bible Books/Codices ▪︎ Codex Vaticanus: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 280 - 330 AD ▪︎ Codex Siniaticus: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 300 - 350 AD ▪︎ Codex Alexandrius: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 350 - 400 AD ▪︎ Codex Vulgate: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 380 - 400 AD JESUS and the Jews were multilingual ▪︎ "Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: 'JESUS Of NAZARETH, THE KING Of THE JEWS'. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek" (John 19:19-20) ▪︎ The Gospels were written in Koine Greek being the World's language in the 1st century The Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (Septuagint) c.200 BC for the many Greek speaking Jews It is well known that first-century Jerusalem was inhabited by Greek speaking Jews who were at least bilingual. And Jesus most likely was trilingual apart from the ability to read minds. So the original Gospels were written in Koine Greek and sent throughout the World.. ▪︎ Jewish culture was heavily influenced by Hellenistic culture, and Koine Greek was used not only for international communication but also as the first language of many Jews. This development was furthered by the fact that the largest Jewish community in the world lived in Ptolemaic Alexandria. (Wikipedia) GOD Protects His Sacred Words: ▪︎ "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!" (Galatians 1:8-9). ▪︎ Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matt 24:35). ▪︎ God protects His Word & Gospels and warns of antichrists. (1John2:22). ▪︎ Christ's Good News of Salvation, His Birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection hasn't changed for 2000 years. ▪︎ The Gospels are evidenced by internal and external historical, archeological & literary facts. ▪︎ The Gospels are reliable and transparent with any variations transparently referenced in the footnotes. ▪︎ The Gospels have 1000 times more manuscripts than the most documented ancient literature by Greco-Roman historian, Suetonius. ▪︎ Bible is the most comprehensive and reliable source re. 1st century Jerusalem history & used by archaeologists supporting research today.. Hallelujah......
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
EARLY Church Fathers - Confirm NT Authors Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. ▪︎ Matthew - A tax collector who became Jesus' apostle and wrote about the life of Jesus as the Messiah for the Jewish community c. 60 AD. ▪︎ Mark - A Jew, and a companion of Peter and Paul, who wrote for both Jews and Gentiles about Christ's death and resurrection c. 65 AD. ▪︎ Luke - A Gentile doctor, and a companion of Peter and Paul who wrote for the Gentiles about Christ the saviour for humankind. ▪︎ Luke - also wrote the Acts of the Apostles c. 65 AD. ▪︎ John - The 'beloved' apostle of Jesus, wrote in his later years about the Word who took on Flesh (John 1:1,14) c. 80-90 AD. ▪︎ John - also wrote 3 Letters and The Book of Revelations c. 80-90 AD. ▪︎ James - Jesus' half brother, wrote 1 letter c. 35 AD. ▪︎ Paul - wrote 13 letters c.50 - 67 AD. ▪︎ Jude - wrote 1 letter c. 65 AD. ▪︎ Peter - wrote 2 letters c. 67 AD. ▪︎ The author of The Letter to Hebrews is unknown c. 65 AD. (Wikipedia). ▪︎ Jesus Christ's' ministry occurred between 27-30 A.D. ▪︎ Christianity began after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ when thousands of Jews became followers of 'The Way' (Jesus). ▪︎ The New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, gives strong historical evidence that the New Testament was completed by A.D. 100. ▪︎ Most writings of the New Testament were completed twenty to forty years before 100 AD. (Wikipedia). ▪︎ The apostles and their companions wrote the New Testament from their first-hand experiences with Jesus. New Testament integrity is supported by historians, biblical and textual scholars, along with thousands of early codices, manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, proving the validity and preservation of the Gospels written between c. 35-90 A.D (Eusebius, Church History 111. 39 .15; Irenaeus Against Heresies, 111.1) ▪︎ Eusebius & The Testimony of Clement: ▪︎ Eusebius, writing at the end of the third century specifically credits the four Gospels to the four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John . ▪︎ Eusebius didn't make the connection himself but quoted from earlier works such as Clement of Alexandria. ▪︎ Clement of Alexandria lived 100 years before Eusebius and held that Mark wrote his Gospel, taken from the teaching of Peter. He also notes that this Mark is the one Peter mentions in 1 Peter 5:13 (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.15.1-2).1. He later states that Mark's writing of the Gospel happened while Peter was still alive (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 6.16.6).2 The Testimony of Papias: ▪︎ While Clement's writings bring us to within a century of the Gospels' composition, Eusebius quotes and even earlier source, the writer Papias. Richard Bauckham notes that Papias' writings, while composed probably around 110AD are reflections from his earlier investigations as he collected oral reports from disciples who sat under either the apostles' direct disciples or the apostles themselves. Bauckham notes "the period of which he is speaking must be around 80CE."3 According to Craig Blomberg, Papias states Mark, who served as Peter's interpreter, "wrote accurately all that he remembered, not indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord."4 ▪︎ Similarly, we have early support for the other authors as well. Blomberg notes that Papias tells us that Matthew wrote his gospel "alleging that he originally wrote the ‘sayings' of Jesus in the Hebrew dialect" 5 Irenaeus, who lived just after Papias confirms that Matthew wrote his gospel and did so early: "Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church" (Against Heresies 3.1.1). ▪︎ Clement of Alexandria, in the same Eusebius passage where he confirms Mark authorship also confirms Luke and John's authorship of their gospels. There is a strong chain of testimony linking Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the men to the Gospel accounts. References: 1. See this passage in the Christian Classics Ethereal Library digital version of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers at www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vii.xvi.html. 2. Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.xi.xiv.html. 3. Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2006. Print. 14. 4. Blomberg, Craig. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. Second ed. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 2007. Print. 25. 5. Bloomberg, 26. THE Early Church Fathers Confirm The Gospel Authors: ▪︎ Justin Martyr, who was writing from Rome in around 150 AD.“In the memoirs [=Gospels], which I say have been composed by the apostles and those who followed them”… (Dialogue with Trypho, 103.8.) ▪︎ Irenaeus of Lyon, which is in modern-day France. Around 180 AD, Irenaeus wrote: "Then [after the publication of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke] John, the disciple of the Lord, who had even rested on his breast, himself also gave forth the Gospel, while he was living at Ephesus in Asia” (Cited in Eusebius, Church History 5:8, compare Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1.) ▪︎ Irenaeus writes: “I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse - his going out, too, and his coming in - his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance” (Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, Chapter 2) ▪︎ The Muratorian Fragment lists 22 of the 27 books that were later included in the New Testament. It’s dated to around 180 AD. Here’s what it says about John’s Gospel: “The fourth of the Gospels is that of John, [one] of the disciples. To his fellow disciples and bishops, who had been urging him [to write], he said, “Fast with me today for three days, and what will be revealed to each one let us tell it to one another.” On the same night, it was revealed to Andrew, [one] of the apostles, that John should write down all things in his own name while all of them should review it” (Muratorian Canon of Rome, nos. 9-16) ▪︎ Clement of Alexandria, who was also writing around 180 AD. Regarding John’s Gospel, Clement says: “Of all those who had been with the Lord only Matthew and John left us their recollections (hypomnēmata), and tradition says that they took to writing perforce…. John, it is said, used all the time a message which was not written down, and at last took to writing for the following cause. The three gospels which had been written down before were distributed to all including himself; it is said he welcomed them and testified to their truth but said that there was only lacking to the narrative the account of what was done by Christ at first and at the beginning of the preaching…. They say accordingly that John was asked to relate in his own gospel the period passed over in silence by the former evangelists” (Cited in Eusebius, Church History, 3.24.1-13) ▪︎ So Clement tells us that John specifically went out of his way to give us information that was not already adequately told Synoptics. ▪︎ Tertullian of Carthage, which is in modern-day Tunisia, who was writing around 207 AD. Tertullian wrote: “We lay it down as our first position, that the evangelical Testament has apostles for its authors…. Of the apostles, therefore, John and Matthew first instill faith into us; whilst of apostolic men, Luke and Mark renew it afterwards” (Against Marcion 4.2) ▪︎ According to the majority viewpoint, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, collectively referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, are the primary sources of historical information about Jesus and of the religious movement he founded.[19][20][21] The fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, differs greatly from the first three gospels. Historians often study the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles when studying the reliability of the gospels, as Acts was seemingly written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. ▪︎ Among scholars, a growing majority considers the Gospels to be in the genre of Ancient Greco-Roman biographies,[22][23] the same genre as Plutarch’s Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar. Typically, ancient biographies written shortly after the death of the subject include substantial history.[22] Some biblical scholars view Luke’s Gospel as ancient history rather than ancient biography.[23] References: 19 a b c Sanders, E. P. (1993). The Historical Figure of Jesus. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-192822-7. Archived from the original on 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2017-08-29. 20 "The Synoptic Gospels, then, are the primary sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus" "Jesus Christ." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 November 2010 [1] Archived 2015-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. 21 Vermes, Geza. The authentic gospel of Jesus. London, Penguin Books. 2004. 22 a b Keener, Craig S. "Otho: A Targeted Comparison of Suetonius's Biography and Tacitus's History, with Implications for the Gospels' Historical Reliability." Bulletin for Biblical Research (2011): 331-355. Penn State University Press. See Abstract. www.jstor.org/stable/26424373?seq=1 23 a b Licona, Michael R. Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography. Oxford University Press, 2016. p.3 Amen... Hallelujah......
Simple logic to me. -Apostles were devoutly Jewish. This is well known. -why would 12 religious Jews create and perpetuate a lie that wasn’t true? -A lie that they KNOW is responsible for the death of their Rabbi? -a lie that would result in there own painful executions. -I’m supposed to believe they were willing to lie, but not for any type of wealth, power or prosperity? -liars don’t lie for nothing, most lie to gain something. -the only thing the apostles gained was a life of oppression and a painful death. -please explain the logic in that. -a religious Jew, especially 2000 yrs ago knows the commandments. -almost every commandment would have been broken by claiming Jesus was something he wasn’t. I can’t see the apostles doing this just so Jesus could revolt against Rome in a way that only further divided Israel. A revolt that would have ended after Christ’s death yet they continued the lie with no obvious effect on Rome being in Israel. That’s my logic
Outstanding comment. The internet atheist troll will respond with "the whole story is a made up fairytale and that none of these people ever existed". That's the level of intelligence we're dealing with in debating these people.
It seems that you are speaking of the new covenant only. It would be more credible to title it why i know the new covenant is true. Most christians are missing a lot of context from the beginning up until Jesus descended from the heavens.
No we aren't. Not even the first Christians. They had access to the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Not everyone had a personal copy like we do today, but there were definitely copies around. We know because they still exist.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8
Reason 6 - archaeological evidence. Eg the Megiddo Mosaic which proves early believers worshipped Christ as God before the Councils.
God bless you. If people truly require truth and logic, you provide it. And, of course, the Holy Spirit will lead them to God's Holy Word. Let it be so, in Jesus name.
The NT GOSPELS - Evidence of Author's & Dates Written
▪︎ Matthew - A tax collector who became Jesus' apostle and wrote about the life of Jesus as the Messiah for the Jewish community c. 60 AD.
▪︎ Mark - A Jew, and a companion of Peter and Paul, who wrote for both Jews and Gentiles about Christ's death and resurrection c. 60 AD.
▪︎ Luke - A Gentile doctor, and a companion of Peter and Paul who wrote for the Gentiles about Christ the saviour for humankind. c. 60 AD
▪︎ Luke - also wrote the Acts of the Apostles c. 60 AD.
▪︎ John - The 'beloved' apostle of Jesus, wrote in his later years about the Word who took on Flesh (John 1:1,14) c. 80-90 AD.
▪︎ John - also wrote 3 Letters and The Book of Revelations c. 80-90 AD.
▪︎ James - wrote 1 letter c. 35 AD.
▪︎ Paul - wrote 13 letters c.49 - 65 AD.
▪︎ Jude - wrote 1 letter c. 65 AD.
▪︎ Peter - wrote 2 letters c. 67 AD.
▪︎ The author of The Letter to Hebrews is unknown c. 65 AD.
(Wikipedia).
▪︎ Jesus Christ's' ministry occurred between 27-30 A.D.
▪︎ Christianity began after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ when thousands of Jews became followers of 'The Way' (Jesus).
▪︎ The New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, gives strong historical evidence that the New Testament was completed by A.D. 100.
▪︎ Most writings of the New Testament were completed twenty to forty years before 100 AD. (Wikipedia).
▪︎ The apostles and their companions wrote the New Testament from their first-hand experiences with Jesus.
New Testament integrity is supported by historians, biblical and textual scholars, along with thousands of early codices, manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, proving the validity and preservation of the Gospels written between c. 35-90 A.D
(Eusebius, Church History 111. 39 .15; Irenaeus Against Heresies, 111.1)
INTERNAL Evidence:
▪︎ The internal evidence supports these early dates for several reasons. The first three Gospels prophesied the fall of the Jerusalem Temple which occurred in A.D. 70. However, the fulfillment is not mentioned. It is strange that these three Gospels predict this major event but do not record it happening. Why do they not mention such an important prophetic milestone? The most plausible explanation is that it had not yet occurred at the time Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written.
▪︎ In the book of Acts, the Temple plays a central role in the nation of Israel. Luke writes as if the Temple is an important part of Jewish life. He also ends Acts on a strange note: Paul living under house arrest.
It is strange that Luke does not record the death of his two chief characters, Peter and Paul. The most plausible reason for this is that Luke finished writing Acts before Peter and Paul's martyrdom in A.D. 64. A significant point to highlight is that the Gospel of Luke precedes Acts, further supporting the traditional dating of c. A.D. 60.
Most scholars agree Mark precedes Luke, making Mark's Gospel even earlier.
▪︎ Finally, the majority of New Testament scholars believe that Paul's epistles are written from A.D. 48-60. Paul's outline of the life of Jesus matches that of the Gospels.
1 Corinthians is one of the least disputed books regarding its dating and Pauline authorship.
In 1Corinthians chapter 15, Paul summarizes the gospel and reinforces the premise that this is the same gospel preached by the apostles.
Paul quotes from Luke's Gospel in 1 Timothy 5:18, showing us that Luke's Gospel was indeed completed in Paul's lifetime. This would move the time of the completion of Luke's Gospel along with Mark and Matthew.
This Internal Evidence presents a strong case for the early dating of the Gospels.
EXTERNAL Evidence - Gospel Dates:
▪︎ Were the Gospels written by eyewitnesses of the events, or were they not recorded until centuries later? As with the internal evidence, the external evidence also supports a first century date.
▪︎ Fortunately, New Testament scholars have an enormous amount of ancient manuscript evidence. The documentary evidence for the New Testament far surpasses any other work of its time, with over 5000 manuscripts, and many are dated within a few years of their authors' lives.
KEY documents:
▪︎ Chester Beatty Papyri contains most of the N.T. writings, and is dated around A.D. 250.
▪︎ The Bodmer Papyri contains most of John, and dates to A.D. 200.
▪︎ Rylands Papyri that was found in Egypt and contains large fragments of John, and dates to A.D. 130.
From this fragment we can conclude that John was completed well before A.D. 130 because, not only did the gospel have to be written, it had to be hand copied and make its way down from Greece to Egypt.
The majority of scholars agree that John is the last gospel written, so we can affirm its first century date along with the other three with greater assurance.
EARLY New Testament Papyrus Manuscripts:
▪︎ Dead Sea Scrolls, the Full Text of Isaiah 53 and a portion of every book, c. 250 BC.
▪︎ Old Testament Greek Septuagint c. 200 BC.
▪︎ P52 (John Rylands Fragment) - John 18:31-33; 37-38 c. 96 AD
▪︎ P90 (Oxyrhynchus) - John 18:36; 19:7 c. 96 AD
▪︎ P104 (Oxyrhynchus) - Matthew 21:34-37, 43, 45 c. 60-65 AD
▪︎ P46 (Chester Beatty Papyrus) - Romans 5:17-6; 5-14; 8:15-25; 27-35; 10:1-11, 22, 24-33, 35; 16:1-23; 25-27.
And Hebrews; 1 & 2; Corinthians; Ephesians; Galatians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 9-10; 2:1-3; 5:5-9, 23-28 c. 50’s-70’s AD
▪︎ P98 (IFAO) - Revelation 1:13; 2:1 c. 90 AD
▪︎ P66 (Bodmer Papyrus) - John 1:1-6,11; 6:35; 14:26; fragment of 14:29; 21:9 c. 70’s AD
▪︎ P67 Matthew 3:9, 15; 5:20-22; 25-28 c. 60-65 AD
▪︎ Evidence also comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls Cave 7.
Jose Callahan discovered a large fragment of the Gospel of Mark and dated it to have been written in A.D. 50. Also large fragments of Acts and other epistles and dated them to have been written slightly after A.D. 50.4
Another line of evidence is the writings of the church fathers.
▪︎ CLEMENT of Rome sent a letter to the Corinthian church in A.D. 95. in which he quoted from the Gospels and other portions of the N.T.
▪︎ IGNATIUS, Bishop of Antioch, wrote a letter before his martyrdom in Rome in A.D. 115, quoting all the Gospels and other N.T. letters.
▪︎ POLYCARP wrote to the Philippians in A.D. 120 and quoted from the Gospels and N.T. letters.
▪︎ JUSTIN MARTYR, A.D. 150 quotes John 3. Church fathers of the early second century were familiar with the apostle's writings and quoted them as inspired Scripture.
▪︎ Early dating is important for two reasons. The closer a historical record is to the date of the event, the more likely the record is accurate. Early dating allows for eyewitnesses to still be alive when the Gospels were circulating to attest to their accuracy.
The apostles often appeal to the witness of the hostile crowd, pointing to their knowledge of the facts as well (Acts 2:22, 26:26).
Also, the time is too short for legends to develop.
Historians agree it takes about two generations, or eighty years, for legendary accounts to establish themselves.
From the evidence, we can conclude the Gospels were indeed written by the authors they are attributed to.
THE First Fully Bound Bible Books/Codices
▪︎ Codex Vaticanus: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 280 - 330 AD
▪︎ Codex Siniaticus: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 300 - 350 AD
▪︎ Codex Alexandrius: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 350 - 400 AD
▪︎ Codex Vulgate: Origin 1st century M/S - first Codex, 380 - 400 AD
JESUS and the Jews were multilingual
▪︎ "Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross.
It read: 'JESUS Of NAZARETH, THE KING Of THE JEWS'.
Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek" (John 19:19-20)
▪︎ The Gospels were written in Koine Greek being the World's language in the 1st century
The Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (Septuagint) c.200 BC for the many Greek speaking Jews
It is well known that first-century Jerusalem was inhabited by Greek speaking Jews who were at least bilingual. And Jesus most likely was trilingual apart from the ability to read minds.
So the original Gospels were written in Koine Greek and sent throughout the World..
▪︎ Jewish culture was heavily influenced by Hellenistic culture, and Koine Greek was used not only for international communication but also as the first language of many Jews. This development was furthered by the fact that the largest Jewish community in the world lived in Ptolemaic Alexandria. (Wikipedia)
GOD Protects His Sacred Words:
▪︎ "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!" (Galatians 1:8-9).
▪︎ Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matt 24:35).
▪︎ God protects His Word & Gospels and warns of antichrists. (1John2:22).
▪︎ Christ's Good News of Salvation, His Birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection hasn't changed for 2000 years.
▪︎ The Gospels are evidenced by internal and external historical, archeological & literary facts.
▪︎ The Gospels are reliable and transparent with any variations transparently referenced in the footnotes.
▪︎ The Gospels have 1000 times more manuscripts than the most documented ancient literature by Greco-Roman historian, Suetonius.
▪︎ Bible is the most comprehensive and reliable source re. 1st century Jerusalem history & used by archaeologists supporting research today..
Hallelujah......
Wow thanks for your Work very impressive Bless you ❤
Good work. God bless you.
Thank you for your heart to spread the truth of the Gospel even for few of us it's a real blessing God Bless you in Jesus Name
Thank you! More people need to find this channel!
Wow, you never disappoint, Det. Wallace!
Love this info! Thank you.
Thanks for your case study of authenticity of Bible. ❤
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏿
His grace and mercy be upon you and your loved ones 🕊️🥛🍯
Thank you Jimmy! God bless you!
Blessings
Excellent. Thank you.
Edifying content❤
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
EARLY Church Fathers - Confirm NT Authors Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
▪︎ Matthew - A tax collector who became Jesus' apostle and wrote about the life of Jesus as the Messiah for the Jewish community c. 60 AD.
▪︎ Mark - A Jew, and a companion of Peter and Paul, who wrote for both Jews and Gentiles about Christ's death and resurrection c. 65 AD.
▪︎ Luke - A Gentile doctor, and a companion of Peter and Paul who wrote for the Gentiles about Christ the saviour for humankind.
▪︎ Luke - also wrote the Acts of the Apostles c. 65 AD.
▪︎ John - The 'beloved' apostle of Jesus, wrote in his later years about the Word who took on Flesh (John 1:1,14) c. 80-90 AD.
▪︎ John - also wrote 3 Letters and The Book of Revelations c. 80-90 AD.
▪︎ James - Jesus' half brother, wrote 1 letter c. 35 AD.
▪︎ Paul - wrote 13 letters c.50 - 67 AD.
▪︎ Jude - wrote 1 letter c. 65 AD.
▪︎ Peter - wrote 2 letters c. 67 AD.
▪︎ The author of The Letter to Hebrews is unknown c. 65 AD.
(Wikipedia).
▪︎ Jesus Christ's' ministry occurred between 27-30 A.D.
▪︎ Christianity began after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ when thousands of Jews became followers of 'The Way' (Jesus).
▪︎ The New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, gives strong historical evidence that the New Testament was completed by A.D. 100.
▪︎ Most writings of the New Testament were completed twenty to forty years before 100 AD. (Wikipedia).
▪︎ The apostles and their companions wrote the New Testament from their first-hand experiences with Jesus.
New Testament integrity is supported by historians, biblical and textual scholars, along with thousands of early codices, manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, proving the validity and preservation of the Gospels written between c. 35-90 A.D
(Eusebius, Church History 111. 39 .15; Irenaeus Against Heresies, 111.1)
▪︎ Eusebius & The Testimony of Clement:
▪︎ Eusebius, writing at the end of the third century specifically credits the four Gospels to the four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John .
▪︎ Eusebius didn't make the connection himself but quoted from earlier works such as Clement of Alexandria.
▪︎ Clement of Alexandria lived 100 years before Eusebius and held that Mark wrote his Gospel, taken from the teaching of Peter. He also notes that this Mark is the one Peter mentions in 1 Peter 5:13 (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.15.1-2).1.
He later states that Mark's writing of the Gospel happened while Peter was still alive (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 6.16.6).2
The Testimony of Papias:
▪︎ While Clement's writings bring us to within a century of the Gospels' composition, Eusebius quotes and even earlier source, the writer Papias. Richard Bauckham notes that Papias' writings, while composed probably around 110AD are reflections from his earlier investigations as he collected oral reports from disciples who sat under either the apostles' direct disciples or the apostles themselves. Bauckham notes "the period of which he is speaking must be around 80CE."3 According to Craig Blomberg, Papias states Mark, who served as Peter's interpreter, "wrote accurately all that he remembered, not indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord."4
▪︎ Similarly, we have early support for the other authors as well.
Blomberg notes that Papias tells us that Matthew wrote his gospel "alleging that he originally wrote the ‘sayings' of Jesus in the Hebrew dialect" 5
Irenaeus, who lived just after Papias confirms that Matthew wrote his gospel and did so early: "Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church" (Against Heresies 3.1.1).
▪︎ Clement of Alexandria, in the same Eusebius passage where he confirms Mark authorship also confirms Luke and John's authorship of their gospels.
There is a strong chain of testimony linking Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the men to the Gospel accounts.
References:
1. See this passage in the Christian Classics Ethereal Library digital version of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers at www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vii.xvi.html.
2. Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.xi.xiv.html.
3. Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2006. Print. 14.
4. Blomberg, Craig. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. Second ed. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 2007. Print. 25.
5. Bloomberg, 26.
THE Early Church Fathers Confirm The Gospel Authors:
▪︎ Justin Martyr, who was writing from Rome in around 150 AD.“In the memoirs [=Gospels], which I say have been composed by the apostles and those who followed them”… (Dialogue with Trypho, 103.8.)
▪︎ Irenaeus of Lyon, which is in modern-day France.
Around 180 AD, Irenaeus wrote: "Then [after the publication of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke] John, the disciple of the Lord, who had even rested on his breast, himself also gave forth the Gospel, while he was living at Ephesus in Asia” (Cited in Eusebius, Church History 5:8, compare Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1.)
▪︎ Irenaeus writes: “I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse - his going out, too, and his coming in - his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance” (Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, Chapter 2)
▪︎ The Muratorian Fragment lists 22 of the 27 books that were later included in the New Testament. It’s dated to around 180 AD. Here’s what it says about John’s Gospel:
“The fourth of the Gospels is that of John, [one] of the disciples. To his fellow disciples and bishops, who had been urging him [to write], he said, “Fast with me today for three days, and what will be revealed to each one let us tell it to one another.” On the same night, it was revealed to Andrew, [one] of the apostles, that John should write down all things in his own name while all of them should review it” (Muratorian Canon of Rome, nos. 9-16)
▪︎ Clement of Alexandria, who was also writing around 180 AD. Regarding John’s Gospel, Clement says:
“Of all those who had been with the Lord only Matthew and John left us their recollections (hypomnēmata), and tradition says that they took to writing perforce…. John, it is said, used all the time a message which was not written down, and at last took to writing for the following cause. The three gospels which had been written down before were distributed to all including himself; it is said he welcomed them and testified to their truth but said that there was only lacking to the narrative the account of what was done by Christ at first and at the beginning of the preaching…. They say accordingly that John was asked to relate in his own gospel the period passed over in silence by the former evangelists” (Cited in Eusebius, Church History, 3.24.1-13)
▪︎ So Clement tells us that John specifically went out of his way to give us information that was not already adequately told Synoptics.
▪︎ Tertullian of Carthage, which is in modern-day Tunisia, who was writing around 207 AD. Tertullian wrote:
“We lay it down as our first position, that the evangelical Testament has apostles for its authors…. Of the apostles, therefore, John and Matthew first instill faith into us; whilst of apostolic men, Luke and Mark renew it afterwards” (Against Marcion 4.2)
▪︎ According to the majority viewpoint, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, collectively referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, are the primary sources of historical information about Jesus and of the religious movement he founded.[19][20][21]
The fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, differs greatly from the first three gospels. Historians often study the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles when studying the reliability of the gospels, as Acts was seemingly written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke.
▪︎ Among scholars, a growing majority considers the Gospels to be in the genre of Ancient Greco-Roman biographies,[22][23] the same genre as Plutarch’s Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar.
Typically, ancient biographies written shortly after the death of the subject include substantial history.[22] Some biblical scholars view Luke’s Gospel as ancient history rather than ancient biography.[23]
References:
19 a b c Sanders, E. P. (1993). The Historical Figure of Jesus. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-192822-7. Archived from the original on 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
20 "The Synoptic Gospels, then, are the primary sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus" "Jesus Christ." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 November 2010 [1] Archived 2015-05-03 at the Wayback Machine.
21 Vermes, Geza. The authentic gospel of Jesus. London, Penguin Books. 2004.
22 a b Keener, Craig S. "Otho: A Targeted Comparison of Suetonius's Biography and Tacitus's History, with Implications for the Gospels' Historical Reliability." Bulletin for Biblical Research (2011): 331-355. Penn State University Press. See Abstract. www.jstor.org/stable/26424373?seq=1
23 a b Licona, Michael R. Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography. Oxford University Press, 2016. p.3
Amen...
Hallelujah......
Simple logic to me.
-Apostles were devoutly Jewish. This is well known.
-why would 12 religious Jews create and perpetuate a lie that wasn’t true?
-A lie that they KNOW is responsible for the death of their Rabbi?
-a lie that would result in there own painful executions.
-I’m supposed to believe they were willing to lie, but not for any type of wealth, power or prosperity?
-liars don’t lie for nothing, most lie to gain something.
-the only thing the apostles gained was a life of oppression and a painful death.
-please explain the logic in that.
-a religious Jew, especially 2000 yrs ago knows the commandments.
-almost every commandment would have been broken by claiming Jesus was something he wasn’t.
I can’t see the apostles doing this just so Jesus could revolt against Rome in a way that only further divided Israel.
A revolt that would have ended after Christ’s death yet they continued the lie with no obvious effect on Rome being in Israel.
That’s my logic
Outstanding comment. The internet atheist troll will respond with "the whole story is a made up fairytale and that none of these people ever existed". That's the level of intelligence we're dealing with in debating these people.
Presumably Paul wrote his letters at some point before he was executed? A bit tricky thereafter. 1 Corinthians 15 the key bit here.
The bible being God's written word is good enough for me.
It seems that you are speaking of the new covenant only.
It would be more credible to title it why i know the new covenant is true. Most christians are missing a lot of context from the beginning up until Jesus descended from the heavens.
No we aren't. Not even the first Christians. They had access to the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Not everyone had a personal copy like we do today, but there were definitely copies around. We know because they still exist.