Is the Bible True?

Question

Without actually using the contents of the Bible or any other sources based on the Bible, prove to me that the Bible is true.

I don't want anyone answering who will say that they can't, that's not what I asked. If you do, I'll simply delete this question and re-post it.

Answer 1

There are ways we know what happened in history. For example, we know by manuscript evidence that the New Testament we have today is accurate. By archeological evidence, we know that people, places and events referred to within the New or Old Testaments are also real.

C. Sanders, in his book Introduction to Research in English Literary History, lists three criteria that scholars use to determine whether or not an ancient document is genuine:

Test #1: Bibliographical Test

Test #2: Internal Evidence Test

Test #3: External Evidence Test

Let’s focus on the bibliographic test. This is the process whereby a scholar evaluates all the current copies of a document to test them for consistency. If you have one copy that is 500 years old, and also have a newer copy that is only 100 years old, you would compare the newer document to the older one to see if there were any changes. Historians always consider the oldest copy as the most reliable source because it was written or copied closer to the original texts.

The other part of the bibliographical test has to do with the number of copies made. This is another place where the New Testament is unique to all other ancient literature. There are a number of ancient writings that scholars regard as part of history with basically “no questions asked.”

One of these writings is The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar. These writings speak of Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul (modern-day France) during the first century. You will find this documented in every history book of Ancient Rome…nobody refutes this. However, we only have 10 copies of these original writings and these were written over 1,000 years after Caesar. But even though these were written 1,000 years after Caesar, nobody disputes their credibility.

Another commonly accepted work of early Rome is The History of Rome by Livy. Currently there is only a portion of a copy made 400 years after the original. The earliest complete copy was found dated at 1,000 years after Livy. Just like The Gallic Wars, historians accept these ancient documents as accurate and historical.

Others include writings by Tacitus and Homer. Tacitus wrote his Annals of Roman History around 100 A.D. Twenty copies remain dated 1,000 years after his death. Scholars have discovered 643 manuscripts of Homer’s Iliad, but the oldest dates from the 13th century.

Why is all of this important? Because historians give credibility to these other ancient documents even though most were written 1,000 years after the actual events and the number of copies found to compare are very limited. Yet nobody disputes the contents of these ancient documents.

In the “The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?”, F.F. Bruce says “The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than …many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning….And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.”

The New Testament doesn’t have 643 copies. There are close to 25,000. And these 25,000 copies and portions of New Testament manuscripts are all consistent with the actual New Testament we hold in our hands today.

There are many examples where people have claimed that some person, place or event in the Bible did not exist or did not occur, only to be proven wrong as a result of an archeological find.

For example, people claimed that Nineveh was not a real city and denied that Assyrians were a real people. That was until Austen Henry Layard excavated Nineveh circa 1840.

Similarly, people denied the existence of both Caiphas, the High Priest who ordered Jesus’ arrest, and Pontius Pilate. That was until 1961 when archaeologists in Caesarea uncovered a limestone block inscribed, “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” In 1990, archeologists discovered the ossuary belonging to Caiphas.

The more they dig up, the more the Bible is shown to be true!

Answer 2

This is a VERY good question..I'm agnostic (i don't DOUBT God..i just need Proof) that's basically what it means.."prove it." i believe SOME things in the Bible..however, i highly doubt that an old man got 2 of EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL on a WOODEN BOAT..and mind you it was sooo long ago.. the materials that we have today didn't exist back then. I also don't really believe that an entire sea(red sea) divided and a load of people walked through without hurt..or that a snake spoke. There are many things I doubt..and I would love to read any other answer people have "come up with". They say that 'archaeologists this...researchers that'..but how do we know that nobody just made up a story so that people wouldn't be reckless and go on killing sprees etc..without some fear of an ultimate "person" being out there? Good question!

Answer 3

Let me rephrase your question, "Is the Bible the Word of God?" Yes. Because the Scripture's content is testified as accurate and true if you compare it with the works of extrabiblical historians and writers like Flavius Josephus and Pliny the Younger. In addition, there are thousands of manuscripts discovered in relation to the NT Scripture (5,366) compared to that of Homer's Iliad (643), Caesar's Gallic Wars (10), Tacitus' Annals (20), and Livy's History of Rome (1 partial, 19 copies).

Albert Einstein stated, "As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene... No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

I suggest you buy the books: The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Dr. Gleason Archer, and Dr. Harold Sala's new book "God Said That So What?"

Answer 4

In my opinion, the Bible is a history of humanity's search for God. I also think that the stories which are told have been tweaked to follow the religious and cultural beliefs of the Jewish people. The stories are very similar to stories from other religions--they are based on ancient beliefs and events. So much time passed; people went their own ways and changed the stories to suit their beliefs. But it all goes back to the same beginning: Humanity's search for God, beginning with a nature of curiosity and longing for knowledge of "The Truth". So, to answer your question: yes and no....yes, the Bible truly explains the history of a culture's search for God, and is based on real events; and no, because the events that the stories are based on did not suit the culture; therefore new stories were told that were more agreeable to their religious beliefs.

Answer 5

I believe that the bible contains nuggets of truth. Can anyone deny that the message from Jesus to try and love one another (while altruistic) wouldn't be such a bad thing? Or that he taught about tolerance and forgiveness. These are good things to be learned. Most people get caught up in the mythologies that were built up around him after his death. His miracles, his lineage, etc. I think that there are some good messages in there. There rest...well you can decide what to do with it.

Answer 6

Only the page numbers.

Answer 7

The Bible contains a great deal of "Truth".
The "Truth" is there for the individuals that have the "Wisdom" to interpret it properly.

This "Wisdom" takes a great deal of time to acquire!!

Answer 8

prophecy. the Old Testament has over 350 prophecies accurately describing Christ's life. The Bible is unique. It was written by over 40 men, in 3 languages, in 3 continents, took 1500 years to write, yet it tells a single harmonious salvation history. God bless you!

Answer 9

hello,i hope this will answer your question,have you ever seen a rainbow, in the sky, that rainbow means GOD promise to noah he will never flood the earth again,and to this day you still see a rainbow in the sky,now what is that telling you.

Answer 10

Theres no proof. Just faith and belief. Some people don't need proof to stop them believing in something that is so strong to them and their lives.