Discovery #3 – The Parameters

The material we are about to cover represents a major shift in the journey we’ve been on so far. Previously, we’ve been looking all over for answers to our questions: Does God exist? If He does, what is He like?

But now, having used the filter of “infinite and personal”, we have narrowed our focus to Christianity. Many religions either worship an infinite or personal god, but not a god that is both. Judaism and Islam worship a God that is both infinite and personal, but the information we have about God from their sources is based on the communication between God and a prophet. Also, the accounts of Judaism and Islam often contradict each other, further muddying the waters.

Christianity, however, possess the unique claim that God has participated in history in the person of Jesus Christ. The accounts of what Jesus said and did while he was present on Earth are mainly recorded in the Bible, in the New Testament.

“Many people are unaware how the Bible arose and how it was transmitted from ancient times. As a result, they are easily influenced to question its truthfulness and are unable to answer challenges like these:

Many people don’t know what to say when someone alleges that the New Testament of the Bible contains legends, maintaining that it was written long after Jesus’ death and not by eyewitnesses to the events described.  They have no defense when a work associate claims that the original writings have been altered through errors in copying over the centuries,” (Surprised by Faith Study and Discussion Guide, pg.2).

Is the Bible an historical record, or is it merely an anthology of religious stories? One of the first places to look is the Bible itself, and to see exactly what the Bible says about itself. If the Bible never intended to be anything more than Aesop’s Fables, we already have our answer. But, if you take time to read the claims in passages like 2 Peter 1:16 and Luke 1:1-14, you will quickly discover that the Bible aims to be much more than a book of stories.

Where does that leave us? The four Gospels have been presented to us as historical documents and histories of the life of Jesus Christ. Is the historical veracity of the Gospel accounts testable?

The answer is “yes”, and we can examine the Gospels in the same way that any document in ancient literature is examined. When any manuscript (handwritten copy) is discovered, it’s integrity is tested. To test a manuscript’s integrity is to test its genuineness and accuracy as compared to the original. Sadly, no original documents (or autographs) of any ancient document have been discovered, but we’ll cover that later.

“There are three main questions used to determine the integrity of ancient writings like the New Testament. The first question is: How many handwritten manuscripts have been found? The second question used to determine the integrity of ancient writings is: How early are these handwritten manuscripts? The third question used to determine the integrity of ancient writings is: How accurate are these handwritten copies?” (ppg.23-26).