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The historical nature of the bible
The historical nature of the bible
The historical nature of the bible
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The historicity of the Bible is a key argument for the reliability of the Bible. Walter C. Kaiser stated that:
The evidence for the truthfulness and historicity of the Bible continues to mount up as never before. Just when skepticism seems to be making the most noise, we are being flooded with an overwhelming amount of real, hard evidences that demand a verdict opposite to what sceptics… are clamouring for in their current worldviews and life views.
This statement is accurate, and this is exemplified through the discovery of archaeological locations, numerous historical artifacts, and the unearthing of Biblical figures who were once thought of as myths. These items of evidence all demonstrate the historical reliability of the Bible.
The Bible frequently mentioned cities, towns, and other locations that would immensely damage its
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Adversely, there is a substantial amount of evidence for many locations in the Bible, including Ur of the Chaldees and Hazor. Ur of the Chaldees was first excavated from 1922-1934, but its ziggurat was often spotted by travelers as early as the 17th century (Ur of the Chaldees). This location was described as the birthplace of Abraham in approximately 2000 BC, but was assumed to be a myth before its excavation. This is good evidence for the reliability of the Bible because it identifies the same religion and customs as noted in the Bible, as well as the inscription of the name “Abram” on the wall of the Ziggurat, which shows that it was a name that was used in that place and time. This evidence means that this location wasn’t just fictionalized for a name in a story, but rather it was an actual location, whether Abraham was born there or not. Another location that was discovered was the city of Hazor. This city was central to diplomacy, international trade, and power in Canaan
William C. Plachers’ article, “Is the Bible True?” explores deeper into the subject of the Bible and if it content it contains is credible information. Through Plachers’ statement, “We need to understand the genre to understand a text. Reading a text literally is not always reading it faithfully,” we are able to reach the idea that the Bible is in fact true, but it all depends on how the individual interprets the text.
Chapter 3, The Bible, Creation, and Science by Robert Branson, PhD presented some interesting aspects of biblical interpretations relative to science. “With the rapid changes and developments that all areas of modern science produce, it is a general belief that if an informed person is made to choose between science or the Bible, science will be chosen.” (loc 647 Kindle, Branson) Dr. Branson tries and explain the three positions people take with biblical studies. The three positions examined by Dr. Branson are 1. Concordance, 2. Young-Earth Creati...
Metanarrative Essay The Biblical metanarrative can be explained by a Christian as the true and triumphant story from the beginning in Genesis until the future is prophesied in Revelation. Others who may not be a Christian do not understand the true power and love God has over us and for us and may just simply see it as a story or a rule book that they don’t want to follow. They see the Bible and all the things and plans God has for us and our lives and just think they don’t want any part of it and instead they live in sin. It is important that these people not only learn the true story but understand it as well.
To began this section Placher summarizes the Bible’s vision of the world, “…This is the real world…So if you buy into this picture… then anything real has to fit into this framework. Your life…thus will make sense only if [it has a] place within this grand story” (928). After this statement Placher recognizes that the biggest element in trusting the Bible is that the reader first comes to trust God. Once a person comes to trust the Lord they are caught in a cycle of trusting the Bible because God inspired the Bible, Placher explains.
The topic we learned that was similar to this was the discovery of ancient copies of bibles. There has been over twenty four thousand copies of bibles found by the archeological digs, and these facts support our reliability for the historical accuracy of the bible. The copies of the bible were found in forms of papyrus, stone carvings, and etc. This discovery supported not only the historical reliability, but the accuracy of the bible itself. There was more than twenty four thousand copies found, but the errors found all together was under one percent. I thought this was a pretty good evidence to use in apologetics because there was many authors and scribes writing the bible, but what they wrote was all the same thing. There can`t be a coincidence where everyone made up something random, and it all turned out to be the same idea.
“Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete and classic as the works of museums.”-Salvador Dali. Museums have served as cultural center, where people of all walks come and learn the magnificent artifacts that helped shaped the world we live in today. These Museums safeguard these precious items while making it accessible for the public to reconnect with one’s history. With this the museum fulfills two of its purposes; preserve the artifacts, and make it available for all to enjoy learning the fragments of the past that contributed in making of the world today. Recently, my I had the opportunity to visit the Dunham Bible Museum, in Houston, Texas. Though small in size, this particular Museum offers us the sight of the lineage of Bibles that has been passed down and made through time in many different forms and literature, and the methods of how such great books were copied and printed. Not to forget the underlying history of many great men and women who contributed their lives in the creation of such historic pieces. Some examples of the artifacts that can be found in this museum are:-The Gutenberg’s printing press, Gutenberg Bible, Algonquin Bible, Esther Manuscript, and the Luther’s German Bible.
The story of the great flood has been debated many times as far as its historical accuracy. Many experts seem to think that such an event would be unnatural while others believe that this great worldwide flood actually did occur. In today’s society, more people are beginning to question catastrophic events that occur in nature. This great flood seems to be a very common example of this. This research paper will investigate the Holy Bible’s reliability as scientific and historical literature by focusing on its recording of the great flood. Many people are interested in these world phenomena’s; this paper will aim to end some of the controversy about this particular phenomenon.
Millard, Allen. "How Reliable Is Exodus." Editorial. Biblical Archaeology Review July-Aug. 2000: n. pag. How Reliable Is Exodus. Biblical Archaeology Review. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
The contents of the Bible have dealt with controversy in regards to its inerrancy since publication, and will surely continue to. Historians progress to learn more about biblical stories in order to provide evidence for the reliability of information. Many believers today understand that not everything in the Bible has been factually proven. An outstanding topic many scholars pay attention to lies within the four gospels. The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, replay essentially the same story with minor inconsistencies, while John portrays Jesus in an entirely different way. The differences in each gospel are due to how each gospel entertains different portrayals of the life and understanding of Jesus himself, in order to persuade
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
The historical reliability of the Bible is the first matter that needs to be discussed. There are three criteria that the military historian C. Sanders lists as principles for documentary historical proof: the bibliographical test, internal evidence test, and the external evidence test (McDowell 43). The bibliographical test is the examination of text from the documents that have reached us. The reliability of the copies of the New Testament is tested by the number of manuscripts (MSS) and the time intervals between the time in which the piece of literature was written and our earliest copy. There are more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and 10,000 Latin vulgate manuscripts, not to mention the other various translations.
are not reliable sources for truth because time shows we all die, and that we are
We cannot over simplify human behavior and the power of belief. Belief being the structure humans have created to understand one’s existence. Equally important, beliefs reassure a sense of balance and control in a world where we may feel powerless or helpless despite scientific developments. Nevertheless, science is the reality tested. Bultmann, points out blind acceptance of the New Testament’s written word would be irrational, and “a sacrifice of the intellect which could have only one result – a curious form of schizophrenia and insincerity” . Nevertheless, there remains a confusion that pervades modern ideas of the universe and our existence. Bultmann did acknowledge the truths a shallow enlightenment had failed to perceive are later rediscovered in ancient myths. Therefore, the task of dissecting the written words and structure of the New Testament is important for clarification and
Theopedia, an Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity." Theopedia, an Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. (Theopedia) (Theopedia)
Imagine reading a book and soaking in new information only to find out that all the information is wrong. Before the start of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown writes that, “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate” (Brown 1). Dan Brown claims that the historical facts presented in The Da Vinci Code are true and accurate; however, while it is tempting to believe that these “facts” are true, it is unlikely that they are because Brown’s historical references are either false or nonexistent.