There are other religious books in the world, why is this site based on the teachings of the Bible? Or, why should anyone look to the Bible for guidance? There are very compelling reasons to accept the Bible, not only as accurate history, but also as the only book ever authored by God, and we'll look at a few of them here.
Josh and Sean McDowell, in their helpful book More Than a Carpenter, take up the question of the reliability of the Bible and describe three tests by which any document can be evaluated. They are as follows:
- The Biographical Test
Here, we analyze the historical transmission of the text - how have the original documents made their way to us? How many copies do we have, from what time period, and how well do they agree? The McDowells write (pg 74), "Sir Frederic Kenyon, former director and principal librarian at the British Museum and whose authority on ancient manuscripts is second to none, concludes:
The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established. (Sir Frederic Kenyon, The Bible and Archaeology (New York: Harper & Row, 1940), 288-289)."
- The Test of Internal Evidence
Now we turn to what the document in question actually has to say. The Bible was written over a period of about 1600 years and penned by about 40 different men. This provides a tremendous opportunity to investigate the accuracy of the book as a whole - is there internal consistency, or is there not?
We find that the Bible is indeed internally consistent. Not only does a simple reading of the book from beginning to end demonstrate this, but careful study of the Bible reveals the systematic and progressive unfolding of truth through different men and different circumstances so that the books of the Bible become part of a carefully woven fabric that the human writers themselves could not have conceived. This can be seen, for example, in the illustrations of Jesus Christ, known as "types", found in the Old Testament.
- The Test of External Evidence
It is possible, however, for a document to be internally consistent, but blatantly false or fictional - large sections of your local library are devoted to such literature! And we are quite adept and distinguishing non-fiction literature from fiction literature through the use of external evidence.
Interestingly, the Bible seems to go out of its way in noting historical particulars - names, dates, titles, etc. And when these are compared with extra-Biblical sources they always turn out to be accurate. Archaeology has corroborated many historical incidents found in the Bible, and ancient literature has confirmed many more.
The Bible is unlike other religious books in that it was not authored by a single individual as others were. The Bible speaks of amazing things, but not of the absurd. When we read of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are amazed, but the event occurs at such a place in history, under such circumstances, and with such thorough documentation as to be absolutely inescapable. And it is intended to be that way. Something less might be attributed merely to extraordinary cicrumstances, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, when carefully considered, reveals that He had to be exactly who He claimed to be - the Son of God.
Resources
More Than a Carpenter - Josh McDowell & Sean McDowellThe New Evidence that Demands a Verdict - Josh McDowell
The Bible: Myth or Divine Truth - Warren Henderson
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable - F. F. Bruce