One noted text scholar states, “In addition to the Greek documents…there are thousands of other ancient New Testament manuscripts in other languages.  In all there are about 24,000 manuscripts in existence.”  “Even if we had no Greek manuscripts today, by piecing together the information from these translations (other languages) from a relatively early date, we could actually reproduce the contents of the New Testament. In addition to that, even if we lost all the Greek manuscripts and the early translations, we could still reproduce the contents of the New Testament from the multiplicity of quotations in commentaries, sermons, letters, and so forth of the early church fathers.”

In total, nearly 25,000 manuscript copies exist today of all or parts of the New Testament. Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, former director and principal librarian of the British Museum, a world-renowned authority on ancient manuscripts, has said, “The [time] between the dates of original composition and the earliest [available] evidence becomes so small as to be [unimportant] . . . the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written . . . Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.” [The Bible and Archaeology, p. 288.]

​

New Testament documents were written before 70 AD

​

We have good reason to believe that all four Gospels were written before 70 AD.

   (a) Matthew, Mark and John present themselves as eyewitnesses; their character as followers of Jesus attests to their credibility. Luke was not an eyewitness but had interviewed eyewitnesses in preparing Luke.

   (b) Mark– There is common agreement among scholars that it was written pre-70 AD.

   (c) There are manuscript fragments from copies of each of the Gospels dated from the 1st century. In each case, some reputable scholars date them to the specific period of 60-70 AD.

   (d) Quotes from these writings by others: Over 36,000 quotes by 2nd and 3rd century writers in various languages over a wide geographical area suggest such an early original writing.

   (e) The Dead Sea scrolls which were found in caves near the Dead Sea in 1947 show that John’s writings were very “Jewish”, and reflect a 1st century setting.

   (f) A Jewish parody of Matthew written by the famous Jewish leader Gamaliel and found in the Talmud (a collection of Jewish writings) has been dated to 73 AD or earlier, thus attesting to the earlier existence of Matthew.

   (g) The “Mount of Olives Discourse” teachings by Jesus in Matt. 24, Luke 12, 17 & 21, and Mark 13 predict the future destruction of the Temple and other related events. None of the New Testament writings refer to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD as being already in the past, which would have been a powerful arguing point for early Christians in talking to the Jews, but which was not used. Likewise, the use of the present tense for the Temple activities in the book of Hebrews shows it was written before 70 AD.

  (h) Some details in the Gospel accounts could only have been known by someone who lived there prior to the destruction at that time.

   (i) Some internal data within the Gospels also points to a pre-70 AD date:

Luke 20:27 (“say”…the Sadducees disappear as a group after 70 AD)

John 5:2  (“there is in Jerusalem”…this pool was destroyed in 70 AD.)

The famous expert on ancient Rome Sir William Ramsay concluded regarding Luke (the author of the Biblical books of Luke and Acts) as an historian (“I take the view that Luke’s history is unsurpassed in regard to his trustworthiness. You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian’s and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment.”). Oxford University historian A.N. Sherwin-White says the evidence confirming details in the Book of Acts alone is so staggering that “any attempt to reject its basic historicity must now appear absurd.”

​

Historical Details of the New Testament

​

Evidence has been found for many details such as:

-a Roman census requirement to go to one’s ancestral home at the time of Jesus’ birth,

– the unique movements of planets and stars at the time of Jesus’ birth,

– the remains of ancient harbors on the Sea of Galilee,

– part of an actual crucified body, attesting to that method of execution,

– the ossuary (a limestone bone box for a dead person’s bones, used by Jews only from 30 BC to 70AD) engraved with “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”, and one also for the son of Caiaphas the High Priest (leader of the Jewish trial of Jesus),

– numerous historically-accurate names, borders, titles, and local customs,

– three languages (Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew) being widely known in Galilee and Judea,

– King Herod’s order to kill young boys as consistent with his evil character,

– the revolt of Judas the Galilean (mentioned in Acts 5:37),

– the Great Famine (Acts 11:28),

– Claudius’ expulsion of the Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2)

– Claudius’ ‘Nazareth Decree’ not to disturb tombs,

– an Egyptian false prophet (Acts 21:38),

– the exact location of the Jewish Temple,

– the architectural style of houses then,

– the pool of Bethesda with 5 colonnades (John 5:2),

– the accurate portrayals of the seven cities of Revelation. 2-3,

– a crown of thorns such as the one pressed onto Jesus’ head,

– inscriptions mentioning Herod the Great, Pilate, Caiaphas, and the Roman governor of Cyprus, and references to Jesus in early Roman writers Pliny, Tacitus and Suetonius, the Jewish historian Josephus, and 2 other early Jewish writings.

​

Text of the Old Testament

Until 1947, the date of the oldest copy of the Old Testament was estimated to be about 900 AD. This means that from the time the first part of the Old Testament was written to the oldest existing copy was over 2,500 years! However, in 1947, the most important discovery in archaeology in the 20th Century occurred. It was the Dead Sea Scrolls, some 800 volumes of Jewish writings dating from just before Christ (250 BC to 68 AD). They included at least parts of every Old Testament book except Esther. These scrolls proved to be more than 95% in agreement with the Old Testament we have today. The small differences they found are mostly variations in spelling, and none affect what the Bible teaches. In other words, the Old Testament we have today has been completely preserved for at least 2,000 years!

 

Historical Details of the Old Testament

Dr. Nelson Glueck, one of the greatest modern authorities on Israeli archeology (and not a Christian), has said, “No archeological discovery has ever controverted (overturned) 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.”

 

Genesis Accounts of the Patriarchs:

• The content and type of the Genesis narratives, when compared to Egyptian, Ugaritic, Sumerian, and Hittite literature from the same period, have all the literary characteristics of their historical narratives, rather than of their legends or fictional stories.

• The coalition of kings in Gen.14 fits the known geopolitical context of that time period.

• The tablets from Ebla in Syria have revealed an entire empire and dynasty not previously known, with many points of culture in agreement with the Biblical record.

• Examples of evidences of historical accuracy: the discovery of the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, the

early domestication of camels, laws of inheritance, treaty forms, blessings and birthrights, a handmaid as proxy to provide a male heir, the patriarchal names, the 20 shekel price for slaves, the importance given to dreams, Semite slaves employed in the households of Egyptian officials; and Semites rising to high positions.

​

Probably the biggest question of ancient history at the beginning of the 20th century was an ancient group known in the Bible as the Hittites. This name Hittites appears 46 times, in 4 books of the Bible, as an empire that was quite powerful in their time. For many years archaeologists could find absolutely no other record of the Hittites. Some people laughed at those who believed the Bible and said, “How can you believe the Bible? What about the Hittites?!”. Then in the 1920’s archaeologists discovered an enormous city and 10,000 clay documents of an ancient civilization – the Hittites!

​

The Exodus from Egypt:

The form of the Covenant God gave to Israel through Moses, and the structure of the Tabernacle to represent God’s presence, are both typical of that period of time from nearby cultures. There is evidence for the use of foreign slaves in Egypt. The date of the Exodus, the route taken, the location of Mt. Sinai/Horeb, and the number of people involved are matters still in dispute, though no evidence has been found that would refute the Biblical accounts.

 

The Period of the Conquest:

Some scholars reject the Conquest as an historical event. However, their judgment is based upon a wrong conclusion about the date of the Exodus and Conquest, and a wrong location for the small city of Ai. If a date of c.1450 BC is accepted for the Exodus and c.1410 for the start of the Conquest, then the evidence at Jericho, a corrected site for Ai, and evidences from other archaeological sites in “the Promised Land” all attest to the historicity of these accounts (see below). Other evidence: the Amarna Letters about “Habiru”, records of earthquakes and mudslides that have periodically blocked the Jordan River for many hours, the Merneptah Stele of 1210 BC commemorating an Egyptian military campaign against the nation of Israel, the sudden explosion of hill country settlements, and ancient Egyptian maps matching some of the sites on the Exodus route.

 

The Period of the Monarchy:

Various inscriptions and other archaeological finds have generally confirmed the Biblical accounts. Examples include Ugaritic comparisons to Solomon’s Kingdom, the ‘House of David’ mentioned in 3 different inscriptions, Jerusalem’s water-supply system, seal impressions for kings and various officials, and the geopolitical vacuum in the region filled by the kingdoms of David and Solomon.

----------------------

​

Special “Problem” Focus: The Exodus and Conquest: Did it happen?! When did it happen? (The Exodus and Conquest has been a primary point of scholarly attack on the historical credibility of the Biblical narrative.)

 

Date of the Exodus

​

According to the Bible in 1 Kings 6:1, the Exodus occurred in c.1446 BC. Many modern scholars have assumed a date of c.1290 BC, based upon the reference in Ex.1:11 to Rameses. (However, the mention of Rameses is an example of a place name being used retrospectively so present readers can understand the place to which it refers, as in Gen.47:11.) This has led them to erroneously conclude that the Exodus didn’t happen, and that the account of the Conquest is wrong since the archaeological evidence doesn’t fit with this later date. But there is some significant evidence that would fit with the earlier dates for the Exodus and Conquest. 

 Case Studies: Jericho and Ai

a.  Evidence for the destruction of Jericho c.1400 BC: it was strongly fortified, with houses built into the walls, massive burning, conquered in the Spring just after flax harvest and Passover; siege was short; walls fell outward making an invasion path, large grain supplies were not taken by the conquerers. Note: Jericho was later partially rebuilt; in New Testament times there were 2 Jerichos, as reflected by Jesus entering and leaving in Mt.20:29 and Lk.18:35!

b. Location of Bethel and Ai- there is a repeated Bethel/Ai connection, so the location of Ai depends on the location identified for Bethel; the location of Bethel was misidentified in the1830s, due to measuring its distance of 12 Roman miles from Jerusalem by the estimated length of time for a horse to travel that distance! Now we have found the 5th Roman milestone, and others to the south, and thus can calculate Roman miles more accurately, resulting in different locations for Bethel and Ai. Evidence at the new site of Ai fits the Biblical account very well.

c. Only three cities were burned by Joshua’s army, according to Joshua 6, 8 and 11: Jericho, Ai, and Hazor- there is evidence of this burning in all 3 places, not at other places.

​

​