External Evidence
Jesus has to be either one of these four L words
Liar
Lunatic
Lord
Legend
Do the authors of the Bible and Jesus claim it to be God's word?
Yes.
Over 3,000 times, in some form or another, the Bible’s authors claimed to be speaking for God. With phrases like “the word of God” and the “word of the Lord” they indicated that they believed their words were of divine origin. Jesus tied His own life and reputation to the claim that the Bible was God's Word. So either He is God and His Word is flawless or both Christ and His Word are false.
Where in the Bible can you find this verse? "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be completer, equipped for every good work"
A) 2 Timothy 3:16
B) John 3:16
C) Titus 3:16
D) Hebrews 3:16
A) 2 Timothy 3:16
Why is there a 20-65 year gap between Jesus' life and the Gospels being written?
1. Ancient vs Modern Writing - "We get the news in 10 minutes, but it isn't always true"
2. 1st Centry Orał Culture vs. 21st Century Written Culture
3. Illiteracy
4. They didn't record for accuracy but for authority - As 1st generation died off they wrote so their memories wouldn't be lost or changed
Who is the main character of the Bible?
Jesus!
What can we learn from this non-christian source outside of the Bible?
1. Tacitus Roman Historian (NON-CHRISTIAN)
Nero fastened the guilt ... on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of ... Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome....
1. Jesus existed!
2. He was crucified by Pilate in Judea while Tiberius was Emperor!
3. Christianity spread from Judea all the way to Rome by 60’s.
4. Christianity was big enough to be known and hated by culture.
Summary: gives place, manner and rough time of Jesus’ execution!
True or False: The original copies of the New Testament were actually anonymous
False.
The first manuscripts with the names of authors come from the 2nd century
Why so late? Does this mean they were later added?
Most earlier manuscripts have lost their title page
There is no variation of which author is ascribed to which Gospel
Differences in variety include "Gospel According to Mark" and "According to Mark"
Fake Gospels use bigger names (Peter, James, Thomas, Mary, Judas)
Which passage in scripture does Jesus say, "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me."?
A) John 5:39
B) Mark 8:21
C) Matthew 5:23
D) Luke 17:17
A) John 5:39
About how many Old Testament manuscripts are there?
A) 1,000
B) 10,000
C) 32,000
D) 48,000
E) 80,000
D) 48,000
What are some ways you can create a healthy bible reading habit?
Listen to it
Bible App Plan
Journal Scripture
Accountability partner
Bible Study Group
How many times is Jesus mentioned by non-biblical sources in his era compared to the Roman Emperor?
70:10
What are some examples of self-damaging material we see in the New Testament with Jesus and His disciples?
Think of stories that would be embarrassing to tell that if you were lying you'd make it look better.
Jesus has an emotional breakdown in Gethsemane asking God for a way out
Jesus says he doesn't know the time or hour of his return (Mark 13:32)
Jesus can't do miracles in Nazareth (Mark 6:5)
Disciples abandon Jesus at his arrest and go and hide
Peter is called satan, sinks into water for lack of faith, denies Jesus 3 times, and is corrected by Paul
Which character in the Bible affirms that Paul's writings are scripture?
Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16)
"Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. 16 He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures."
Illiad by Homer was written in 800 BC and the earliest copy we have is from 400 BC (400 years later). There are 1800 manuscripts
Tetralogies by Plato was written in 400 BC and the earliest copy we have is from 895 AD (1300 years later). There are 210 manuscripts
The New Testament was written between 50-100 AD and the earliest copy of a fragment is from 118AD, earliest copies of books by 200 AD, and whole copies of the entire collection by 325 AD
How many Greek manuscripts do you think we have of the New Testament?
5,838
a. NT is far better at quantity than any other ancient book
i. If you go out to 1500 yrs. # is 24,000
ii. Church Fathers (1st-5th cent) quote all but 11 verses of the N.T.
b. With this quantity comes quality differences (variants)
c. Scholars feel confident in the accuracy of those other ancient books with far worse textual evidence.
d. The N.T. puts all other ancient sources to shame.
According to a 2018 study, what percentage of Gen Z has a biblical worldview?
4%
What can we learn from the best 1st century Jewish Historian?
Josephus (Jewish-Roman ~93 A.D.)
“At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good, and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”
1. Jesus had a following
2. Pilate condemned to crucifixion
3. Followers didn’t give it up after His death.
4. Alleged to see Him alive after death!
5. Thought He was the MESSIAH.
How would you explain the reason for some of the New Testament's contradictions?
For example, Regarding the last words of Jesus while on the cross, Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 quote Jesus as crying with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Luke 23:46 gives his final words as, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” John 19:30 alleges the last words were, “It is finished.”
Paraphrasing vs. Verbatim (Sermon on the Mount)
Gospels are not strictly chronological, move for effect (Luke 3)
Summarize/Shorten Time Frame (Fig Tree)
Similar events over 3 years of ministry
Harmonization (Easter Morning Tomb)
Which passage in Scripture is most quoted by authors in Scripture?
A) Exodus 34:6-7
B) John 3:16
C) Psalm 110:1
D) Joshua 1:9
A) Exodus 34:6-7
A textual variant is a difference between the wording of two or more manuscripts.
What percentage of of the textual variants for the New Testament do scholars consider to be meaningful?
Meaningful: means changes meaning of the text.
Viable: means has a legitimate historical chance of being the original wording.
Type 1: Meaningful but not viable
Type 2: Neither viable nor meaningful
Type 3: Viable but not meaningful.
Type 4. Meaningful and Viable
1%
Most variants are a difference in word order, misspelling, and nonsense (clearly not original)
For the meaningful and viable variants, no major doctrines are in jeopardy. Ex: 1st John 1:4 “our joy” or “your joy”
What can the Bible be useful for?
1. Teaching us what is true
2. Making us realize what is wrong in our lives
3. Teaching us to do what is right
4. Preparing and equipping us to do what God has called us to do
What can we learn from this account by a Greek satirist?
Lucian ~166 A.D.
“The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day,–the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account…. You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.”
1. Christians worship a man -Jesus
2. He was crucified. ‘Crucified sage’
3. Christian belief explained as…
a. Belief in immortal (eternal life)
b. So, death not feared.
c. Self-devotion, sacrificial living
d. All brothers, unity of Church
e. Deny idols
What makes for a good source?
1. Eye-witness information
2. Consistency vs. Contradictory
3. Details
4. Self-Damaging Material
How many cross references are found in the Bible?
63,779
About how many archaeological discoveries have been made proving various biblical accounts?
25,000
What are the 6 C's of God's Redemptive Story?
Creation
Curse
Covenant
Cross/Christ
Church
(re)Creation