Is there evidence for the Bible? The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, written over a span of approximately 1,500 years, forming the literary basis of the Christian faith. Its pages contain a panorama of colorful characters, miraculous events, moral teachings, and prophecies. Is the Bible a book of myths and fairy tales? Or is the Bible an accurate record of ancient history, or at least parts of ancient history?
Did Noah build an ark to escape a "Great Flood?" Did Abraham father Isaac and Ishmael? Did Moses liberate the Israelites from Egyptian bondage? Did Gideon defeat the Midianites? Did David rule Israel? Did Mary give birth to Jesus? Did Jesus rise from the dead? Are the stories and people of the Bible real and authentic? Is it even possible to know the answers to these questions?
Faith and Facts in the Bible
Discussion of the Bible is typically quite emotional and contentious, since any evaluation of the Bible's credibility impacts the thoughts, beliefs, values, and traditions of billions of people. It is helpful therefore to set some "ground rules."
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul offers a fair standard for how one should evaluate religious claims. Many of the early Christian churches, including the congregation at Thessalonica, were falling victim to internal strife and confusion, brought on by (among other things) false prophecies (erroneous claims of divine revelation). Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christians to not simply "despise prophecies," but rather to "test all things" and "hold fast [to] that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:20-21).
The Bible, taken as a whole, does not encourage God's followers to believe, without reservation, everything they hear. On the contrary, God's followers are encouraged to study (II Timothy 2:15) and pursue wisdom (see the entire book of Proverbs.)
The faith that God's people are called to in the Bible is never a "blind faith," but rather a reasoned faith, one that begins with a solid foothold of knowledge. Paul's encouragement for people to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, for example, wasn't simply an assertion that a dead man came back to life. Rather, Paul offers a summary statement of eyewitness testimony. It was based on this eyewitness testimony that people were asked to take a step of faith and conclude that the empty tomb meant Jesus had risen
Those being asked to consider the possibility that the Bible is "the Word of God" may first wish to take Paul's advice and "test" the Bible. That begins by first examining the Bible as merely a collection of ancient texts. Are these ancient texts reliable? Is there any evidence for at least some of the claims (incidental or major) made within the pages of the Bible?
Is Ancient History Knowable?
Of course, an examination of the Bible as history raises another question. Before one can evaluate the historical credibility of the biblical record, one must address the question of whether history itself is even knowable. Postmodernism has increased society's cynicism and distrust of recorded history, and the recovery of ancient history has been one of the casualties of this trend.
While postmodernists are correct to raise concerns about agendas and limited perspectives, some suggest that they over-state their case by claiming that history itself is "verbal fiction." Scholars can discover truths about the past, if they exercise the appropriate discipline and utilize the proper tools of their craft.
Historian Keith Windschuttle, author of The Killing of History: How Literary Critics and Social Theorists Are Murdering Our Past, explains, "It is not difficult to show that there are a great many facts or propositions about history that are not subject to any doubt or uncertainty at all. That such facts exist is itself quite enough to dispel any attempt to impose a blanket scepticism on the whole of the field." (Windschuttle, Keith. "History, Truth, and Postmodernism," a lecture at the University of New South Wales, July 2002).
What About Bias?
The Bible is biased, isn't it? For example, the authors of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were all biased. They all wanted their readers to believe in Jesus. Thus, their respective books on the life of Jesus should be thrown out, right? Not so fast, says scholar Amy Orr-Ewing.
European scholar Amy Orr-Ewing, in a lecture titled "We Cannot Know What Happened in History," decisively refutes this skepticism surrounding the study of history. She argues that history is knowable via a critical analysis of the following:
- Written evidence
- Eye witness testimony
- Photographs/cartoons/paintings/etching
- Archaeological remains
- Inferential evidence
Bias can be largely corrected and compensated for, provided historical study adheres to the above ground rules. Bias should never, in and of itself, disqualify a document from study. Julius Caesar's account of the Gallic Wars was obviously self-serving, yet historians have garnered much of value from his writings nonetheless. Bias is not an automatic disqualification.
Is the Bible Credible?
Too often, people asked to believe in the Bible have a difficult time separating that issue from bad experiences they've had with religion or strong feelings they have regarding various issues. The Bible must be evaluated on its own merits.
Those wishing to honestly explore the credibility of the Bible should start with Paul's encouragement to "test all things." If the Bible cannot withstand objective, honest scrutiny, then it certainly cannot lay credible claim to being the "Word of God." However, no honest examination of the Bible is possible, unless one sets aside cynicism as well as any "axe" he or she may wish to grind.
In the end, the question of Bible credibility is one that the individual is left to answer following his/her own analysis of the available information.
Recommended Reading
Those who found this article interesting should also read "Is the Bible the Word of God?" and "Is There Proof That God Exists?"
 |
