The Bible fact or fiction?

Question

Now I didn't say whether I believe or not I do believe in a God like force that put us here what it is only time may tell me . What I am asking is not theoretical we can all spout theory " God is omnippitent beware the none believer " and all that all I asked is one fact FROM THE BIBLE religious people I am not attacking your beliefs that you are entitled to . I am trying to find out something thats all ? so no theorys just facts please . The tree now that was agood one lol

Answer 1

There are three good reasons to believe the bibles authenticity: Archeology, Manuscripts and fulfilled Prophecy.

Archeology:

The bible has never been contradicted by any archeological finding. In many cases archeology lags behind what we already know of history from the bible. For example the archeological world discredited the bible for a very long time over the Hittites. Over many years of archeological research there had never been found any reference, outside of the bible, of a people called the Hittites. Then in 1884 a monument was uncovered by Archeologist William Wright referencing the Hittite people.

Another biblical reference long doubted by archeologists was a king of Babylon named Belshazzar. Eventually in the remains of the city of Ur, carvings were found referencing Belshazzar, the son of the last king of Babylon, who was regent for his father and later was found to have signed many Babylonian documents and treaties. These are just a couple of examples of Archeological accuracy in the bible. There are many more.

Manuscripts:

Manuscripts are used by scholars to determine the accuracy of a modern translation of an ancient text. If a modern translation and its ancient manuscript are in agreement then it is considered a reliable translation.

The oldest surviving manuscript of the Old Testament of the bible (OT) is the Septuagint. It was written somewhere between 250 – 200BC. It is a Greek translation of the Hebrew and was the ‘scripture’ referred to in the New Testament (NT) by Jesus and his Apostles. The Dead Sea Scrolls are another important OT manuscript dating from approximately 200 BC to 68 AD. These scrolls are fragments of the OT text and were found to differ from the Septuagint and modern translations in only very minor ways, i.e. spelling and punctuation. A third important manuscript of the OT was written around 900 AD; it is the Massoretic text. The Massoretic text is written in Hebrew and again only differs from these older manuscripts and modern text in very minor ways; i.e. spelling and punctuation.

The New Testament (NT) was completed by AD 100. This means the NT was written out within 100 years of Christ’s death. In all there are 5300 copies and fragments of original NT manuscripts available today.

The bible has more than 24,000 manuscripts, either partial or whole, that can be compared to the modern texts. In all of the worlds ancient writing the next nearest contender is the Iliad by Homer. The Iliad has only 643 surviving manuscripts.

I also think it is very compelling that a book written over a 1600 year period, by 40 authors, in 3 languages over 3 continents, displays such continuity of message.


Prophecy:

The bible is the only religious text that has specific and detailed prophecy that can be shown to have come off exactly as foretold. The bible itself sets the standard for whether or not prophecy is acceptable. The bible standard for prophecy is 100% accuracy – no less. The OT is full of fulfilled prophecy. For instance there were 60 prophecies foretelling the life and ministry of the messiah. Jesus fulfilled all 60 messianic prophecies foretold centuries earlier in the Old Testament scriptures. The chances that one person might accidentally fulfill just 8 of these prophecies is 1 x 1,000,000,000,000,000.

The City of Tyre
In the OT Ezekiel predicted that the city of Tyre would be destroyed by the Babylonians. Then Ezekiel adds that a future invader would tear down the city and throw it into the sea until its bedrock was exposed and used to dry nets. This prediction took place around 586 BC; secular history records that the Babylonians attacked the city of Tyre from 585 - 573 BC. When the Babylonians broke through the gates of Tyre the city was empty. The people had escaped to an island city just off the coast.
Then in 332 BC Alexander the Great attacked the island city that the people of Tyre had escaped to. Alexander’s army needed to create a bridge to the island, so they tore down the remains of Tyre and scraped them into the sea to create a causeway. To this day the site of the old city of Tyre is barren rock used by fishermen to dry their nets.

This is just a small sampling

Answer 2

Absolutely, the Bible is filled with factual accounts of things that did happen as the historical records and evidence from antiquity will show. The Bible also has many stories in it that were passed down from verbal testimonies over time which may not have happened exactly as we read them now in another language. Do not forget that there are differences in the meanings of certain words from Greek to Hebrew to English, etc., and those can be very significant when you are trying to apply a strict, literal interpretation of just exactly what did happen. And then there are passages in the Bible which were told as STORIES meant to teach a lesson. For example, Jesus spoke in parables as a way for teaching people in a way that they would understand. Did the parables actually happen exactly as spoken? Maybe they did or didn't. But there is no hiding the fact that they were a story told which made sense in teaching a lesson, for example, the parable of building your house on a rock versus the sand. The one on the rock will stand the test of time and weather while the one on sand will crumble and fall away. So too should one build their faith on that which is solid like a rock that passes the test of time versus something inconstant that shifts and can easily fade away. The story has merit to teach a lesson. Did it actually happen? Probably somewhere it did at some time. But that's not the point. It is the LESSON behind the story that gives purpose to the story being written. Even the account of creation in Genesis is widely recognized by theologians as a story which was borrowed from the ancient Babylonians before the rise of the Jews and a Hebrew nation. The Babylonians had a multi-God theocracy which the Hebrews rejected. But for the Hebrews to completely revolutionize the people's widely accepted understanding of how the world came to be would have been too much. So they BORROWED this account of creation and instead of a multi-God theocracy, they instituted their god -- YAHWEH -- as the One True God. This is not an explanation that is widely taught in churches throughout the land, but for those who study history and how the Bible came to be, they know this is how it happened. But even if every single world of the Bible cannot be validated as something that happened, most of it did. And inside of it you will find great value and wisdom which has been tested through the ages. So do not throw the entire document out should you find one item that did not happen. It is a COLLECTION of writings over time. And because so many of the books have teachings and wisdoms in common, look into your own heart and see if you believe these teachings to be valid and true in their purpose for helping you in your own journey through this life. And THAT is what the Bible was written for.

Answer 3

In the past, many people have tried to debunk the stories of the Bible. They have come up with wild theories about how things could have happened, for example, there are those who say that Jesus wasn't really dead after his execution, but sheesh, he had been crucified, speared, embalmed and put in a tomb. You'd think someone would have noticed by now that he was still alive. And even if somehow he was he had to push a huge stone off his grave and overcome several guards. Pretty impossible.
Also, archaeological digs have looked at sites from the Old Testament, and what they uncover supports the Bible strongly. Some say that the story of the Resurrection is completely made up, but if you read the different authors' stories they disagree on many accounts, and I don't know about you, but if I was going to try to convince someone about something I had made up, I would try my hardest to make the story smooth and believable. So, in conclusion, I would say the Bible is definitely fact.

Answer 4

Be careful not to be a mere mocker...a bad end awaits if he doesn't change his ways and take God seriously. If you read the bible you will take it seriously because God will engage with your mind. You may be lucky and see some staggering miracles that make the reality of God undeniable, but most just hear the message of the bible from an anointed believer, and take it seriously, and God leads them on into faith.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1.

Oh yes. There all sorts of evidence, but simplest is to compare Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and compare with the passion, crucifxion and resurrection accounts in the 4 gospels, and ask yourself, could Jesus have deliberately behaved to fulfil those prophecies - too many variables to be orchestrated without God I think. And the promise of the Holy Spirit of Joel 2, came in Acts 2 and the Holy Spirit has acted in church history which you can investigate.

Answer 5

Well when I started reading the question I thought. Oh great a really sensitive question that will encourage people to be open and honest . I was thinking about some historical fact that might encourage you to think about it. And then wham!!! just at the end came the crux of the whole question. The lol. I was disappointed more than anything, and the flower which had been opened by the sunshine of discussion suddenly went cold and beautiful petals were enveloped by the darkness of ridicule and the flower closed tight.

Answer 6

An entirety is known by the parts that make up its total sum.The bible is merely a workshop manual of life on this planet,it describes our beginnings and what must be done to survive our own existence.It is not a religious treasure that only the chosen may see and understand.
We all play a important role in bringing together something that will inevitably be the total sum of its parts, but first we must learn to be human.
An ark of gopher wood or An arch of go forward ?

Answer 7

Don't waste your time my friend.

Everyone with a brain knows that the bible is just pure garbage and fantasy. A bit like the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Unfortunately, we live in a world with many simple, uneducated people and these people do not understand the truth shown to us by science. They can only understand the world in terms of primitive superstitious nonsense.

All I can say to these individuals is to try reading Richard Dawkin's excellent book The God Delusion. It is to the 21st century what the bible was to the dark ages.

However, be warned. It may be a bit to intellectually demanding for you simple religious folk.

Answer 8

Fundamentalist Christians, such as myself, believe that the bible is God's Word and that it is the only truth. We believe that it historically factual. the more and more that science and archeology try to prove the Bible wrong, the more they prove it to be correct. The Bible does not tell us all that we want to know, but it does tell us all that God feels we should know. the knowledge of God is far beyond our ability to comprehend. We cannot handle what little he has given us in the Bible. We pastors do not reject science, but see science as a footnote to the Bible. I do not doubt the physicals laws of the universe because I am directly affected by them. I do doubt craziness, however, such as that I evolved from a bubbling puddle of mud and that the universe began with a BIG BANG (where did all that stuff come from that caused the BIG BANG?). God's word has proven itself over time---time is the great tester of truth, and God's truth has survived in tact and unchanged over time. If men do not obey God's word and blaspheme God's word through deliberate misinterpretations, then that is on them and not God. God allows us to make mistakes, so that we can come to the realization that we cannot live without him.

Answer 9

some history, slanted to make political figures look more honorable than they really were, justify cruelty among the rich, same as now.

lots of fiction, but meant to be read as such, with deeper meanings, lessons to be found within each story. like kahil gibran's the prophet. or charlotte's web.

my theory on what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is meant to represent- i think when eve ate the apple she "cheated" the natural food chain, and along with the knowledge of how to do that, it opened a "pandora's box" of emotional and spiritual repercussions, including the fact that we would constantly be in search of ways to re-connect with g-d, instead of just feeling like part of "him" like the other living creatures.

Answer 10

Didn't I just answer this question? Gracious let me go get my answer....

Pool of Bethesda recently found, Pool of Siloam recently found, Hezekiah's tunnel has been unearthed, Jerico and its walls were discovered, Absalom's pillar is found, landmarks of Luke in the book of Acts all match up, even his knowledge of sailing is proven to be accurate, Egyptian records unearthed that verify that the Mesopotamian Kings in the Bible were real, etc etc etc....

Try subscribing to a magazine called B.A.R. (Biblical Archaeological Review) each issue is about the truth of the Bible in archaeological digs and finds.