Can we trust the Bible?

Who decided which books should be included in the Bible, how was that decided and can we even be sure that today’s texts are a reliable copies of the originals?

INTRODUCTION

Many ​in our day have made claims about the Bible which shed doubt on its trustworthiness. One argument goes that the Catholic church decided which books should be included in the Bible at the Council of Nicea in 325AD. Others argue that books that should have been included were left out and some which were included should not have been. And then there are those who say the text was penned a generation or two after the disciples died and therefore corruption could have been present in the first writing already. All these arguments will be tested here.

STRUCTURE OF OUR DISCUSSION ​

We begin our discussion by looking at the question of authority – who had the God-given right to write the Bible? Next we will plot when and how loose letters found acceptance and became a closed collection of scripture we now call the Bible. Finally we will look at how recent archaeological findings support the handed down text. Our discussion has the following sections:

• Section One: The Authority of the God-Breathed Word

• Section Two: Apostolic Authorship of the New Testament

• Section Three: How Apostolic letters were gradually grouped

• Section Four: A Closed cannon of scripture

• Section Five: Can we trust the Bible?

Section One: THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOD-BREATHED WORD ​

In this section we will discuss who gave the Biblical authors the authority to write portions of the eventual Bible. ​

GOD IS THE TRUE AUTHOR OF THE BIBLE

If the Bible truly is – as it claims to be – "the Word of God," then we can expect there to be some evidence that it was handed down by a higher power. We do find that evidence in many ways, one of them being its singular ability to predict future events repeatedly, accurately, sometimes millennia ahead of time. There is no other text in existence that can make the same claim. Yet the Bible has more than 2000 fulfilled prophecies! Not vague predictions, but calling out specific names, dates, nations and details that can be measured and tested. No other text shows such absolute knowledge of future events. This trait alone proves that the Bible is inspired by a God who exists outside the limitation of time, a God who tells us what will happen, and nothing and no one can prevent it – a God like no other. When this God offers us His Word, it is He alone who has the authority to choose what is written in His book and who He will use to write it. He both establishes it and preserves it through history. It is God's book – not man's. ​

SACRED TEXTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT ​

When we look at the Old Testament, we find that every one of its writers was chosen and set apart by God. Not as a private or secret act, but with the evidence of the supernatural power of the Almighty upon their lives. Whether He used them to foretell future events, or correct His people, these men were singled out as God's men, in public view of the entire nation of Israel and the world around them. We think of Jeremiah, to whom God said:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I sanctified you, I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 ​​

Take Moses as another example: A poor, stuttering outcast. After one encounter with God, he was brave enough to walk into the great Pharos' halls demanding (with no army or weapons, only the supporting authority of his God), that the Israelite slaves be set free. We know how God made a public spectacle of His power to Egypt and Israel through him. ​ In Daniel we have another form of God's power on display. He was offered numerous visions and dreams of events in his own time and some hundreds and even thousands of years later. He accurately predicted the rise and fall of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and the Roman Empire. He even foretold the exact year when Jesus Christ would begin His earthly ministry (600 years before it came to pass). And so this man was marked out as God's own. We could go on listing all the prophets, kings and men of God who's acts were done in full view of the world's great nations and kings, so that even secular history and archaeology confirm Biblical history. It was these men who demonstrated the foreknowledge and power of God on their lives, who were used to write the Old Testament text. Their writings were preserved, first by the people who witnessed God in them, then by their children, and their children after them. For centuries the texts were carefully re-written, using an extremely rigorous process of checks and balances, to ensure that no error crept in over time. The Jewish means of preserving what we now call the Old Testament is unrivalled in all of human history for their almost fanatical – or should we say God-fearing – care. ​

The Coming Messiah

But of all the evidences of God's hand throughout the Old Testament text, none is more impressive or important than the nearly 300 prophecies of the coming Messiah, woven like a scarlet thread from the first book to the last. We are told He would come from the tribe of Judah, be born in Bethlehem, travel to and back from Egypt and bring light to Galilee. We are told He would speak in parables, open blind eyes, be rejected by His people and hated without a cause. We are told He would ride into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey and be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, which would be used to buy a potter's field. He would be forsaken by His friends, falsely accused, spat upon, struck and mocked. They would pierce His hands, feet and side and cast lots for His clothes. He would die with sinners, be buried with the rich and rise from the dead and so much more. A mathematics professor, Peter Stoner (founder of the American Scientific Affiliation) calculated the statistical likelihood of any man fulfilling just 8 of the prophecies about the coming Messiah. He came to a figure of one in 100 000 000 000 000 000. And that is for only 8 of the actual 300 which all came to pass. Without any question then, everything Jesus would do, be and endure was foreknown by God, and told to His prophets, and captured in His word more than 400 years before any one of them ever came to pass! ​ Surely this evidences that these texts were not the work of men, but written by the guiding hand of an all-knowing God. And another crucial point should be made. When this Messiah finally came, He did not make any correction to the then already well-established collection of writings we now call the Old Testament scriptures. He did not tell His disciples to add a missing book or remove one, nor edit any text of the Old Testament text. Instead He quoted from them repeatedly – even when rebuking Satan. That alone confirms how the Old Testament was approved by God.

​SACRED TEXTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

​When it comes to the New Testament, we find that God-given authority to write the scriptures rests on exactly the same principal as the Old Testament. The only difference being that in the New Testament, it is through Jesus Christ that we trace that authority. This is because Jesus Christ walked the earth as God manifest as a man.

"God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). ​ "For in Him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." – Colossians 2:9

It was Jesus Christ then, who called out and chose the men He would use as vessels to write the New Testament scriptures. He called these men apostles. ​

"...[Jesus Christ} called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles" – Luke 6:13 ​

To those apostles He gave the authority to teach men His gospel: ​

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18b-20 ​ "...the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering" – Acts 1:2-3a ​

Apostles then were the ones with the God-given authority to lay down the foundations of the Christian faith and write it's scriptures. ​

"Now, therefore, you are... fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" – Ephesians 2:20 ​ "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God... According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it." – 1 Corinthians 1:1, 3:10 ​ "Let a man so consider us [Apostles], as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." – 1 Corinthians 4:1 ​

So then we need to know who these apostles were, so that we can check that against the writings of the New Testament. ​

THE CHOSEN APOSTLES ​

Jesus began His ministry by selecting 12 apostles, but by the time of His resurrection Judas fell away (and died) and others had been added to their ranks. These men were identified by certain characteristics, let's briefly go through them: ​

Criterion 1: They had witnessed the resurrected Lord before His ascension.

Only a very limited number of men fell into this group. Paul goes through the list of just over 500 men who witnessed the Lord after His resurrection (before His ascension), in his letter to the church at Corinth. ​

"He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once... After that He was seen by James [Jesus’ half-brother], then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." – 1 Corinthians 15:4-8 ​

In calling himself, "one born out of due time," Paul is referring to the fact that he was the only apostle in that list who witnessed the Lord after His ascension – essentially, after the window of opportunity for being named an apostle had closed. But Jesus made a remarkable exception to appear to Paul personally. Though he entered their ranks last and in a peculiar way, the three main apostles, (Peter, John and James) all confirmed that he was called of God and chosen as one of their rank. Besides that, all the other Biblical evidence shows that he was not an inferior apostles in any way – possibly he was the most powerfully used of them all. ​

Criterion 2: Each one was personally chosen as an apostle by Jesus Christ

(just as the Old Testament prophets were chosen by God). ​

We have already shown how Jesus chose the first of the apostles. This pattern continued in the others and last of all in Paul. ​

"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." – Acts 13:2 "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father...." – Galatians 1:1a ​

Criterion 3: The supernatural power of God rested on their lives to publicly confirm them before men

(just as with the Old Testament prophets). ​

And finally, there was the witness of God, approving them as His chosen men. He did this by performing exceptional signs and wonders through them. Peter, for example, had such an extraordinary healing ministry that: ​

"they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them." – Acts 5:15 ​

Paul exhibited the same traits, raising a man from the dead, being unharmed by a venomous snake bite and more. ​

"(for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me [Paul] toward the Gentiles). – Galatians 2:8​ ​ "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds." – 2 Corinthians 12:12 ​ "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance..." – 1 Thessalonians 1:5a ​ "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." – 1 Corinthians 2:4 ​

So we conclude then that these men were given their authority by Jesus Christ. That is why they had the God-given right to write the scriptures and establish the church, who: ​

"continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." – Acts 2:42 ​

Now let's have a look at how apostolic authority relates to the collection of letters we find in the New Testament. ​

Section Two: APOSTOLIC AUTHORSHIP OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ​

In this section we will show how the apostles' authority rested on those texts which eventually found their way into the New Testament. And that every text with such authority was included. ​

WE KNOW PETER, JOHN, JAMES, MATTHEW & PAUL BUT WHO WERE THE OTHERS? ​

It should come as no surprise at this point, that all the writings preserved and known to be written by approved apostles, finally found their way into the Bible. This includes the writings of Peter (2 letters), John (5 letters), James (1 letter) and Matthew (1 letter) along with all the letters of Paul (14 letters). So we know thus far that all these were included in the New Testament because of their apostolic authorship. That leaves 3 writers which we need to discuss now, namely: Mark, Luke and Jude. Who were these men, and how did their writings get into the New Testament? ​

Mark wrote a gospel

(Peter's interpreter and scribe) ​

Mark was converted as a young man when Peter preached at his mother's house. He then went on one of Paul's mission trips, and later became the travelling companion of Barnabas, but most of his time was spent following Peter. Mark was very well acquainted with Peter's testimony of the years he walked with Jesus Christ. Mark was also Peter's interpreter and scribe, and so his gospel account was written under Peter's apostolic eye and possibly on his behalf. ​ Papias, a follower of the Apostle John, (whom they called "the Elder"), gives us historical details about this gospel.

“The Elder [John] used to say this also: ‘Mark, having been the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately all that he (Peter) mentioned, whether sayings or doings of Christ, not, however, in order. For he was neither a hearer nor a companion of the Lord; but afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who adapted his teachings as necessity required, not as though he were making a compilation of the sayings of the Lord. So then Mark made no mistake, writing down in this way some things as he (Peter) mentioned them; for he paid attention to this one thing, not to omit anything that he had heard, not to include any false statement among them.’" – McDowell, Josh. Evidence that Demands a Verdict. ​

Mark's gospel can be dated as one of the first New Testament books, with surviving fragments of copies from 50AD. This means it began circulating while all the apostles (except for James), were still alive. His gospel is considered worthy of inclusion into the New Testament because of Peter's apostolic oversight, and the approval of the apostle John. Also, it gained acceptance among the churches in an era when any of the apostles could easily have withstood it, but none did. ​

Luke wrote a gospel and Acts

(Paul's travelling companion and historian) ​

Luke, similarly, was Paul's travelling companion. He was the one who stood faithfully by the apostle's side when all others abandoned him at the end of his life. Luke witnessed Paul's missionary trips first hand, and wrote the accounts in the book of Acts. Before that, Luke also wrote a gospel, probably compiling the story from multiple apostle's accounts along with those of Jesus's brother, James. He was a very careful historian, recording meticulous details in his text. Paul's apostolic oversight of Luke would have played a big role in the church accepting the authority of his writings. We might add that his texts were historical in nature (not revelatory). In other words, Luke was not establishing any doctrine, simply recording the words and deeds of those who were anointed to establish doctrine. Our earliest surviving fragment of a copy of Luke's letters is from the book of Acts. It has been dated to just after Paul's martyrdom which means that both his books would have been written while at Paul's side. Only a generation later, in 100AD, Justin Martyr made multiple references to how the four “gospels of the apostles,” were being read in the churches every week for as long as time allowed. So we know that all four gospels were accepted by the church from the beginning as having apostolic approval. ​

Jude wrote an apostolic epistle

(An apostle and the half-brother of Jesus) ​

That leaves us finally with the book of Jude, which is placed as the last apostolic letter and is very nearly the shortest book in the New Testament. Jude opens with a clue as to who he is, calling himself the brother of James.

"Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" – Jude 1:1

James lead the church in Jerusalem alongside Peter. This James, with Peter and John, were the ones who gave Paul the right hand of apostolic fellowship (Galatians 2:9). But this is not the James we know from the gospels (John's brother), who was martyred some years earlier by King Herod (see Acts 12:2). The James in question here, was the half-brother of Jesus. Paul called him an apostle (Galatians 1:19), and Acts shows him to be a key leader in Jerusalem. But Acts 1:14 tells us that Jesus' brothers (plural) were apostles, which means that at lease two of His brothers were. We also know the names of His half-brothers. One was called James and another, Jude or Judas (they are spelled the same in Greek). ​

“Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?" – Mark 6:3 ​

The early church therefore adopted this letter as New Testament scripture because this Jude was a known apostle and half-brother to Jesus. ​

THE NEW TESTAMENT APOSTOLIC TEXT ​

Therefore we conclude that the entire New Testament was either written by chosen apostles themselves or by their scribes. No text that was written outside of apostolic authority was considered inspired by God in the same way. This is where the line was drawn between what belonged in the collection of inspired scripture and what did not. All the known writings of approved apostles were included, no matter how minor they seemed to be. And any writings by later Christians were considered to have less authority and therefore could not be added to the eventual Bible. ​ This clearly explains why it is false to argue that books were left out or included in the New Testament incorrectly. To say that is to deny the authority of God to select what He deemed fit for His Word. Only those text which bore the marks of God's authority had any right to find their way into the Bible.

Exclusion of known forgeries ​

Some may argue, well then what of the Gospel of Judas or the Revelation of Peter? Why were they excluded? The reason these letters were rejected is because they were known forgeries. From around 100AD, when all the apostles had died so that they could no longer stand against false doctrines and lies, a number of new letters appeared claiming to be lost letters, written by the apostles. It was a know fact that the Gnostics used a tick they learned from an older group called the Kabbalists. While the Kabbalists wrote texts relating to the Old Testament and falsely claimed that they were penned by God's men, the Gnostics did the same with the New Testament. These men knew that Christians only followed the apostles and therefore, in an attempt to infiltrate the church with their own distorted doctrines, they falsely claimed apostolic authorship for their texts. But three things exposed their attempts:

• Their letters all appeared after the deaths of the apostles, since while they were still alive they would easily have exposed the lie.

• They all contained doctrine which contradicted the writings of the apostles and so exposed their devious nature.

• In the case of a great many of them, the early church actually knew who had penned the text, therefore they also knew they were not apostolic.

Now let's take a look at the following quote from roughly 170AD: ​

"There is also in circulation a letter to the Laodecians and another to the Alexandrians, forged in Paul’s name for the dissenting group of Marconion, as well as several others that cannot be accepted by the whole church everywhere, for it will not do to mix gall with honey. Certainly the letter of Jude and two bearing the name of John are accepted by the whole church... The Shepherd was written very recently in our times (140-155AD) by Hermas of Rome when his brother Pius occupied the chair of the church at Rome... yet to the end of time, it cannot be read aloud to the people in the church either with the prophets, who’s number is complete, or with the apostles.” – Muratorian Canon

Notice two things here, firstly that because the Shepherd of Hermes was written after the apostolic age (100AD), it could not be considered of equal value as the apostolic writings. And also how certain letters were known forgeries. Exposing the "gall" of these false texts became a key reason behind the eventual declaration of an official Christian canon of scripture. We will come back to this point in a moment, but for now, let's move on to how Christians began to make their own collections of the apostolic letters right at the beginning of church history.

Section Three: HOW APOSTOLIC LETTERS WERE GRADUALLY GROUPED ​

In this section we will go through the first three generations of the early church, showing how the apostles letters were circulated. Christians then began to collect these letters until we find nearly complete New Testaments being bound together as one book with the Old Testament. By 200AD Christians had access to basically all of the 27 letters which now form our New Testaments. ​

THE ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BIBLE ​

To track how the Bible gradually developed into its finished form, we need to look at the many surviving writings from the very earliest days of Christianity. These give us a wonderful picture of the church after the Biblical era closed. It is from these sources that we discover how quickly the letters of the apostles began to circulate. John, Paul, James and Peter all encouraged that their letters should be shared amongst the churches, and the evidence shows that they were. ​

"I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren." – 1 Thessilonians 5:27 ​

It might be helpful to start by establishing a timeline of the Apostolic Era to fit our information into:

Apostolic Age Time-line

30AD – Jesus was crucified.

33AD – Stephen was the first martyr.

34AD – Paul was converted.

30-40AD – The gospel of Matthew (the disciple of Jesus) was written.

45AD – James (apostle and brother of John) was martyred.

Peter was in prison set to be martyred as well but angels let him escape from prison.

45-50AD – The gospel of Mark (the traveling companion of Peter) was written.

45-65AD – The gospel and letters of John (the disciple of Jesus) were written.

50AD – The gospel of Luke (the traveling companion of Paul) was written.

50-65AD – All Paul’s letters were written.

54AD – Philip was martyred.

60AD – Matthew was martyred.

60-62AD – The letter of James (the half-brother of Jesus) was written.

60-65AD – The letters of Peter (the disciple of Jesus) were written.

64AD – The book of Hebrews was written and initially attributed to Paul.

65AD – Nero’s persecution of the church during which Peter and Paul were martyred.

68AD – James the Just (Jesus’ half-brother) and Mark were martyred.

70AD – The book of Jude (the brother of Jesus and James) was written.

70AD – The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

70-90AD – The letters of John (the last remaining disciple of Jesus) were written.

72 AD – Jude and Thomas were martyred.

73AD – Barnabas (traveling companion of Paul) was martyred.

81AD – Domitian’s persecution of the church. John was put in boiling oil but was unharmed.

90-100AD – The book of the Revelation of John (the disciple of Jesus) was written.

100-105AD – The death of John (the disciple of Jesus).

THE APOSTOLIC ERA (30-100AD) ​

Evidence of a collection of apostolic letters made by Clement between 70-99AD ​

Even before the last apostle died in 100AD, we find a letter by Clement who was the leader of the church in Rome. It is dated somewhere after 70AD and before he died in 99AD. His letter has 95 quotes from 10 different New Testament apostolic letters (or books as they are now known). He refers to them as "scriptures" (which means sacred or inspired writings), which shows that he believed them to be God-breathed Word. This letter takes quotes from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, I Corinthians, I Peter, Hebrews, Titus and at least two others. And if we look further into Clement's whole collection of writings, we find that he quoted from an astounding 22 of the eventual 27 letters which formed the New Testament! That makes him familiar with 80% of New Testament – even during the Apostolic age.

This is even more impressive when you consider that the churches were spread out and transportation was slow, difficult and sometimes perilous. And Clement lived in Rome, which was a long way from where most of Paul's letters originated and even further from Jerusalem.

Evidence of churches being familiar with multiple apostolic letters even before 65AD

But let's go back to before Clement's era, to a quote from the Bible. In Peter's second letter he writes to the many churches in Asia Minor which the apostle Paul established. Notice in this quote how Peter expects these churches to be familiar with – not one or two – but all of Paul's letters.

"...as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures." – 2 Peter 3:15b-1

Peter assumes that Paul's letters have already been well copied and circulated before the year 65AD, since that was the date of Roman Emperor Nero's persecution, during which both Peter and Paul were martyred.

​

Further evidence of circulated letters dated before 68AD

The discovery made in cave 7 of the Dead Sea Scrolls was of New Testament fragments dating back to no later than 68AD. The caves were sealed in that year to protect them from a Roman invasion which swept through the area. They have now become definitive proof of the early origins of New Testament writings.

New Testament Dead Sea Scroll fragments:

• Mark 4:28 (7Q6)

• Mark 6:52,53 (7Q5)

• Mark 12:17 (7Q7)

• Acts 27:38 (7Q6)

• Rom. 55:11,12 (7Q9)

• 1 Timothy 3:16, 4:1-3 (7Q4)

• 2 Peter 1:15 (7Q10)

• James 1:23,24 (7Q8)

Amongst them were found fragments of 4 separate copies of the Gospel of Mark, dated to 50AD. A fragment from the book of Acts and one from James. Also found was a fragment from the book of Romans, along with what appears to be a commentary on Romans. This shows that not only was the letter of Romans in circulation but it was so widely known that there was a need for a commentary on it already.

Think about that for a moment: Paul was killed only three years before this cave was sealed. By gleaning information from the Biblical text, it is deduced that the book of Romans was written from Corinth in 56AD. That means that Paul wrote the letter from Greece, then sent it to Rome with Poebe, where copies were made and circulated back to Asia Minor and Jerusalem. There, pos