1. Evidence for the Canon Are the documents reliable?
Are there variant readings?
Do these variants make the Bible less reliable?

2. Introduction We have studied how the canon was assembled.
We have studied how the original documents were written
Now the focus is on the reliability of the Bible.

3. Introduction Some questions that need to be answered:
Are the books we have reliable?
Are they accurate to the original work?
Would Peter, Luke or Paul recognize the books that claim their authorship?
What about the variant readings?
What about number of documents and fragments discovered?

4. New Testament Scholars testify
Philip Schaff – Fewer than 400 out of 150,000 documents have any problem.
None of these variants include an “article of faith or precept of duty which is not abundantly sustained by other and undoubted passages.”

5. New Testament Scholars testify
Geisler and Nix – “If one word is misspelled in 3,000 different manuscripts, this is counted as 3,000 variants or readings.”
F. F. Bruce – “The wealth of attestation is such that the true reading is almost invariably bound to be preserved by at least one of the thousands of witnesses.”

6. New Testament Scholars testify
Sir Fredric Kenyon – “No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rest on a disputed reading.”
“It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain.”

7. New Testament Scholars testify
Sir Fredric Kenyon – “Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the NT, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities.”

8. New Testament Scholars testify
Howard Vos – “From the standpoint of literary evidence the only logical conclusion is that the case for the reliability of the New Testament is infinitely stronger than for any other record of antiquity.”

9. Manuscripts of Antiquity

10. Manuscripts of NT

11. Manuscript Evidence
A. T. Robertson – There are more than 13,000 copies of complete works of the NT.
This does not include the 10’s of thousands of fragments and partials
This does not include the quotations by early church fathers
This does not count the 76 complete papyri of the entire NT.

12. Manuscript Evidence
Sir Fredric Kenyon – “The interval then between the dates of the 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 NT may be regarded as finally established.”

13. Dating of NT Documents Dating procedures for these documents include:
Materials used
Letter size and form
Punctuation
Text divisions
Ornamentation
Color of ink
Texture and color of the parchment

14. Famous Early Documents
John Ryland – a 2.5 X 3.5 inches – contains John 18:31-33 – from AD
Chester Beatty Papyri – A book of more than 220 pages, 10 X 8 inches – 200 AD
Bodmer Papyrus – Earliest known copy of Luke and John – printed in uncials – AD

15. Famous Early Documents
Codex Sinaiticus – 350
Codex Vaticanus – 325 – 250 AD
Many others – too numerous to list all

16. Supported by Church Fathers
Tertullian – 160 – 220
Origen – 185 – 253 – more than 6,000 writings
Ignatius – 70 – 110
Polycarp – 65 – 155 – Student of John
Iraneaus – 180 – Student of Polycarp
Josephus – – Jewish historian

17. Early Church Fathers
Eusebius – 130 – “Mark, having been the interpreter of Peter wrote down accurately all that he (Peter) mentioned, whether saying or doings of Christ, not, however, in order. For he was neither a hearer nor a companion of the Lord; but afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who adapted his teachings as necessity required, not as though he were making a compilation of the sayings of the Lord.”

18. Early Church Fathers
Iraneaus – (180) – He was a student of Polycarp, who was a student of John. Iraneaus became the bishop of Lyons (now part of France). He converted almost the entire population of Lyons and sent other missionaries to other parts of pagan Europe.
Polycarp – (70-156) – He was a disciple of John. He was burned at the stake at 86 years of age.

19. NT Evidence Luke 1:1-3 – Some who followed Christ wrote of his life
2 Peter 1:16 – “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty”
1 John 1:3 – “That which we have seen and heard”
Acts 2:22 – “Miracles God did in your midst”

20. NT Evidence
John 20:30-31 – Signs done in the presence of his disciples
Luke 3:1-2 – All the current leaders are listed by name and title
Acts 26:24-26 – Apostles did not do things hidden, “in a corner”

21. F. F. Bruce
“Indeed, the evidence is that the early Christians were careful to distinguish between the saying of Jesus and their own inferences or judgments. Paul, for example, when discussing the vexed questions of marriage and divorce in 1 Corinthians 7, is careful to make this distinction between his own advice on the subject and the Lord’s decisive ruling: ‘I, not the Lord’’ and again, ‘Not I, but the Lord.’”

22. OT Reliability Not as many manuscripts as the NT
The Talmudists – ( AD)
Jews who spent time cataloging civil and religious law
They had an intricate system for transcribing scrolls for the synagogues

23. Talmudist Rules Only written on skins of clean animals
Fastened together with strings from clean animals
Prepared for the use in synagogues only
Every skin must contain a certain number of columns, equal throughout the codex
Ink should be black – not red, green or other colors

24. Talmudist Rules Each column must be at least 48 letters
Each column should not be more then 60 lines
The original must be an authentic copy
Space between every consonant – a hairs breadth
Name of God must be written with a new pen, newly dipped in ink

25. Talmudist Rules
Never allow an interruption during the writing of a name of God
Even if the king speaks to you
Write the name of God with washed hands
If any rules are broken – the scroll must be burned, destroyed or just used in a school for practice

26. Massoretic Period (500-990) Massorites – Word means “tradition”
They sought to hold on to the tradition of using Hebrew – as it became a dead language
They added vowel markings to insure proper pronunciation

27. Massoretic Period ( )
They also added the calculations to insure accuracy
They counted letters per line
They counted words per line
They counted lines per page
The counted words per page
All the totals were checked against the authentic document being copied

28. Archaeology for OT
Walls of Jericho – Garstand – “As to the main fact, the, there remains no doubt; the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber over their ruins into the city.”

29. Archaeology for OT
Sodom and Gomorrah – W. F. Albright, M. G. Kyle – They found at the southeast corner of the Dead Sea five oases made fresh water streams, and centrally located “high place” for religious festivals. The pottery found in that area dated between 2500 and 2000 BC.
Thousands of other examples could be cited.

30. OT Reliability
Robert Dick Wilson – “In 144 cases of transliteration from Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Moabite into Hebrew and in 40 cases of the opposite, or 184 cases in all, the evidence shows that for the 2300 to 3900 years the text of the proper names in the Hebrew Bible has been transmitted with the most minute accuracy.”

31. The Hebrew Text
Cairo Codex – 895 AD – This book is a Massoretic text of the Old Testament. It is kept in the British Museum.
Codex Babylonicus – Earliest complete OT – 1008 AD – This codex is at a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia
Aleppo Codex – 900 AD – It was discovered in 1958
British Museum Codex – 950 AD – This book contains Genesis through Deuteronomy

32. Dead Sea Scrolls 40,000 fragments located here 500 complete books
Every book in the OT was found here except Esther
There are commentaries on almost every OT book
Discovered in 1947

33. Dead Sea Scrolls City of Qumran
Occupied by Essenes – strict sect seeking to preserve the Jewish religion
Leather scrolls preserved in clay jars, sealed tops
Value of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Isaiah scroll from around 150 BC
1,000 years older than previously known
No significant changes in the text

34. Conclusions: New Testament Old Testament We have the Word of God.
The evidence is overwhelming.
The books of the NT are reliable.
Old Testament
The documents are reliable
Archaeology supports the OT
We have the Word of God.