How Reliable is the New Testament? 11/2/2014

Summary so far We’ve looked at the abundance and early dating of New Testament manuscripts as compared to the original documents We then looked at the authors of the New Testament As eyewitnesses to the events, they are historically reliable sources Last week we talked about early Christian and non-Christian sources that support the biblical accounts as real events

What else is there? Today we will examine some archaeological evidence that has been uncovered that supports the historical accuracy of The Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles. “The Acts of the Apostles is now generally agreed to be the work of Luke, to belong to the first century and to involve the labors of a careful historian who was substantially accurate in his use of sources.” Merrill Unger, Archaeology and the New Testament, 24

“Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy…this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.” Sir William Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament The Gospel of Luke and Acts comprise about one-quarter of the New Testament.

Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Colossians 4:14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. A physician in that day, as it also is today, is someone who goes through many years of schooling and training and is very well educated. He would also have been highly respected. Most people in the first century were illiterate (could not read and write).

Luke, a companion of Paul While Luke was not a direct eyewitness of Jesus, he did accompany Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke was in close contact with eyewitnesses. 11 Luke alone is with me. 2 Timothy 4:11 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. Philemon 23-24

What archaeology does and does not do Archaeological discoveries regarding the New Testament do not prove Christianity is true. Archaeology does provide confirming evidence that what was written is historically accurate. Finding physical evidence does not prove a spiritual truth And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Reading through Luke and Acts, you will notice that there are many references to governmental leaders and also many geographic locations mentioned. Was Luke accurate in this?

Luke 2:1-3 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

Critics of the Bible would say that there was no census at that time Also that Quirinius was not governor And that people did not have to return to their homes Archaeology has uncovered that censuses were held every 14 years and were started with Augustus in BC. It was also discovered that Quirinius was governor of Syria around 7 BC. Finally, a papyrus was found stating that any residing away from their homes should return to their own governments to be registered

According to Acts 14:6, Paul and Barnabas left Iconium and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of the district of Lycaonia. Critics thought Iconium was also a city of Lycaonia as well and that Luke was incorrect Archaeology discovered that Iconium was actually a city in Phrygia, not Lycaonia Therefore Luke is accurate in stating that Iconium was not in Lycaonia

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, Luke 3:1 (beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry in A.D. 27) The only known Lysanias in history was killed in 36 B.C. long before the mention of this Lysanias Archaeology uncovered an inscription near Damascas that stated “Freedman of Lysanias the Tetrarch.” This was dated between A.D. 14 and 29

Scholars believed Luke’s usage of political titles such as “proconsul” (Acts 18:12) and “politarch” (Acts 17:6) were thought to be inaccurate. The discovery of the Delphi inscription (A.D. 52) uses the exact phrase “Proconsul of Achaia” just as Acts 18:12 does. Archaeology has uncovered Roman inscriptions that use the word “Politarch”

“In all, Luke names thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities and nine islands without an error.” Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics, 47 Thanks to the work of Luke, we can also trace Paul’s missionary journeys in great detail

While these might seem like minor details in the Bible, we have to be confident that what God has preserved for us is accurate. If there are errors or mistakes in these details, how can we expect to trust the rest of the Bible? Archaeology has found that Luke is incredibly accurate in his account of the life of Jesus (Luke) and the early years of the church (Acts)