How do I know that the Bible is true?
Hello there! To all those returning, I am honored to have you back again. And to first-time readers, you are most welcome! I post weekly content on topics that I believe matter and that the Holy Spirit enables me to speak on.
The post for this week will continue on the topic of the Bible that we began a few weeks ago. This time I will be sharing some research I found very interesting and that has honestly left me stunned. I will try to keep the information as reader friendly as possible, because I too struggle to read bodies of work based solely on research.
From all the research I’ve conducted, it appears the the bible’s accuracy and reliability can be strengthen with 4 main proofs. 1) Secular History, 2)Archeology, 3)Dead Sea Scrolls, 4)Consistency of the bible’s internal evidence and Prophecy. I choose to say these proofs strengthen the case for the Bible because I believe that the divinity of the holy scriptures is great proof in itself. Personal experiences of the word of God piercing into my life and heart in a way that no other person’s words can, assures me of this. I hope to tell the stories in future, but for now we will look at these 4 proofs.
Secular History.
I choose to start with this proof because it’s one I find very interesting. I will look to research published by Life Hope and Truth under a series call ‘Is the Bible true?’, author Jim Franks, to explain the proofs in this post. To help better understand this idea, I recommend an article published by Carolina Messenger, author Micheal Grooms, titled Secular History vs. Biblical History. I will only be sharing to most basic ideas of each proof.
The Bible is not a collection of historical books but it does contain a lot of history. There are more than 100 biblical characters(Old Testament and New Testament) that can be identified in secular history. The most easily identified Old Testament charcters, are two Egyptian Pharaohs, Shishak and Hophra. The Pharoah of Egypt Shishak (mentioned in 1Kings 11v40 and 14v25) has inscriptions and records that conform to the biblical account. These include inscription on the walls of temples, recording his campaign against Palestine (dated 924 B.C.). The Pharoah of Egypt Hophra (mentioned in Jeremiah 44v30) is recorded in Babylonian records, as the one who was defeated by Nebuchadneza of Babylon(572 B.C.), during the time of Jeremiah the prophet.
Some New Testament characters are Tiberius Ceasar, Pontius Pilate, Herod and his brother Philip, as well as Annas and Caiaphas and are all mentioned in Luke 3v1-2. Tiberius Ceasar is found on multiple Roman coins. The Pilate stone in the Israel Museum shows record of Pontius Pilate: “Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea.” Famous Jewish historian of the 1st century A.D., Josephus mentions Herod as tetrarch of Galilee and Philip as tetrarch of Ituraea. He also mentions Annas and Caiaphas in a list of Jewish high priests in the 1st century A.D.
But this aren’t the most significant characters. Naturally we would want to know about whether Jesus is found in secular history. He is! A history teacher back in high school once said: “whether you believe that Jesus is the Son of God or not, He lived and walked on this earth.”
There are two Roman historians born within 50 years of Christ’s death [and resurrection] that mention Christ in their writing. Publius Cornelius Tacitus [most importantly] confirms Christ as the founder of Christianity in his work Annals, published 115/ 116 A.D. He places Pontius Pilate as governor who convicted Jesus and allowed the crucifixion. He also stated that all this happens during the reign of Tiberius Ceasar. The second historian, Gaius Plinius Ceacilius Secundus, was a senator and wrote in a letter to an Emperor. In it, he mentions Christians were being questioned, imprisoned and even killed. It’s worth saying that both these historians were no fans of Christianity, yet within their writing is found historical proof of Jesus and the Bible.
Archeology.
From all that I’ve read and material I’ve consumed on the archeological finds relating to the Bible, there hasn’t been a consensus on every discovery. With a combination of research from Life Hope and Truth as well as an article from Crossway titled 10 Crucial Archeological Discoveries Related to the Bible, I have found the most interesting amongst many that I will share.
Hezekiah’s tunnel and broad wall. 2 Kings 18-19 and 20v20 as well as 2 Chronicles 32v1-5 and 30 records the story if the righteous king of the souther kingdom of Isreal(Judah), Hezekiah. The Assyrian king at the time, Sennacherib, had been conquered many neighboring nations including the northern kingdom of Isreal(Isreal). Judah’s fortified cities were invaded by the Assyrian king, apart from Jerusalem(only being besieged) because Hezekiah pleased God.
The fresh water supply to the Jerusalem was outside the city wall which left the city vulnerable to a water supply cut by their enemy. In order to protect this supply Hezekiah built a tunnel that diverted the water from Gihon spring to Siloam pool within the city of David. He also built a second wall to protect the reservoir.
Archeologists discovered the tunnels in 1838 and the broad wall was unearthed in the 1970’s. Both being dated back to the 8th century B.C. which is aligned with the reign of king Hezekiah of the southern Kingdom.
Additionally 3 clay artifacts discovered by Colonel R. Taylor record the campaign of Sennacherib. They list victories over 46 fortified cities, among which Jesuralem doesn’t not appear and even names king Hezekiah as a ‘prisoner in Jesuralem’ reference to the siege. This corroborates the recorded events we find in the Bible.
Concluding this section is a quote by Jewish archeologist Nelson Glueck:
It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.
The Dead Sea Scrolls.
This proof is both historical and very much archeological but is just so pivotal, that it deserves its own section. The first of the scrolls were accidently discovered by a Bedouin shepherd boy in the Qamran area, near the dead sea in 1947 and more were decocered in 10 surrounding caves. These scrolls are divided into two general types: biblical and non-biblical texts. The biblical group of the texts include either partial or near-complete copies of all the books of the Old Testament apart from Ester. The non-biblical group includes letters, prayers, hymns and legal documents.
These scrolls rocked the archeological scene of the 20th century and sparked the interest of zealous biblical scholars. Here’s why.
Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest manuscript of the Old Testament were dated to the 10th century and are known as the Masoretic Text. This name comes from a group of Jewish scholars called Masoretes, who were tasked with preserving, through transcription, the Old Testament(Romans 3v2). The process used by these scholars was meticulous and once a text was copied and assured, the old one was destroyed. This practice continued untill around the year 1000 (the end of the 10th century). The Masoretic Text is what out modern day Old Testament is translated from.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are [generally] dated from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 68! About 1000 years before the Masoretic Text.
These scrolls out of caves near the Dead Sea support the accurate preservation of the Bible as there is a close similarity between them and the Masoretic Text. In fact there is a 95% word-for-word identity found in comparative studies of the Isaiah scroll.
In my opinion, the preservation of the scriptures throughout a span of a known 1000 years with little alteration, speaks to the divinity and wonder of the One whose words they claim to be.
Consistency of the Bible’s internal evidence and prophecy.
We’ve been looking for proofs and evidence outside the Bible but this proof looks within the Bible. The Bible was written by 40 authors but it’s ultimate Author is God(2 Timothy 3v16-17). When we look within its pages we find noteworthy consistency, considering that it was written over 1500 years. We cannot deny that the Bible has challenging passages, but to go as far as to claim it contradicts itself, would be an injustice.
Most alleged contradictions of the Bible can be easily resolved or have more than one logical explanation. According to Life Hope and Truth, there can be 5 reasons why claims of contradiction may be made; copying errors, translation errors (different words chosen by different translators, numerical issues, the context of the passage, the use of literary devices in the passage.
I am not informed about all the alleged contradictions of the Bible but I am certain that there are too many to discuss. I do have a certainty that the reading and the understanding of the word of God that leads to a true knowledge of God, is empowered by Him through His Spirit. In John 14v26, Jesus says “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
It remains a fact, however, that Jesus Christ fulfilled more than 300 prophecies made about Him hundreds of years before our Lord’s time on the earth. The fulfillment of prophecy alone requires for many factors to be met, quite an extraordinary phenomenon. The probability of a man fulfilling only 48 prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 157th power². Apart from prophecies of Jesus there are many others fulfilled in the bible. E.g. Jeremiah’s 70 year prophecy(Jeremiah 25v11-12), the prophecy about Bethlehem (Micah 5v2) and the prophecy of Cyrus before he was even born(Isaiah 45v1).
That is the end of that post. I hope you enjoyed the reading and I pray that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and discernment in how you take in and use the information in this post. Up untill we interact again, let us keep on running to good race, being sober-minded and keeping our gaze on Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Love you all dearly!
Links to Life Hope and Truth articles sourced in this blog post:
Secular history, Archeology, Dead Sea Scrolls, Fulfilled prophecy, the Bible’s consistency.