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Month: February 2015

The Superior Integrity of the New Testament Text

The Superior Integrity of the New Testament Text

No other ancient text is substantiated by such a wealth of ancient textual witnesses as is the New Testament, about 5,800 separate manuscripts are available, variously con­taining anything from the entire New Testament corpus to a slight fragment of a single verse. There are also hundreds of copies of ancient translations (or versions) in languages other than Koine’ Greek of the New Testa­ment that reveal the form of the text known to their translators, as well as numerous New Testament quotations in the writings of the early church “fathers” that disclose the form of the particular texts known to them. read more

The New Testament Canon

The New Testament Canon

The process of determining which texts would comprise the Biblical canon (the standard of authoritative and normative teaching for the church) took place over several cen­turies. Beginning in the first century A.D., Christian communities recognized the authority of texts that they gathered into collec­tions for circulation and use in public worship. Second Peter already suggests a familiarity with multiple letters of Paul and goes so far as to place them on par with the Hebrew Scriptures (3:16). Evidence reveals that during public worship Christians in the earliest centuries read from the texts that would become the New Testament, just as they did from the Hebrew Scriptures. read more

Is John’s Gospel Historical and Trustworthy?

Is John’s Gospel Historical and Trustworthy?

Revised May 3, 2023

“Since the 19th century, scholars have almost unanimously accepted that the Johannine discourses are less likely to be historical than the synoptic parables and were likely written for theological purposes”—Wikipedia

There are obvious and striking differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). These include:

  • John contains no narrative parables, no account of the trans­figuration, no record of the Lord’s Supper, no mention of Jesus’ temptation and no report of Jesus casting out demons.
  • John includes a vast amount of material not found in the syn­optic tradition, such as the records of extended conversations with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman and the disciples, as well as of significant miracles (e.g., the turning of water into wine and the resurrection of Lazarus).
  • John recounts an extensive Judean ministry for Jesus, including several visits to Jerusalem, whereas the Synoptic Gospels focus on his Galilean ministry.
  • Certain features of John’s presentation also raise seeming chronological difficulties for understanding Jesus’ action in the temple (John 2:13-22) and the precise sequence of events during the week of his death and resurrection.
  • Perhaps most significant, notable stylistic differences emerge between Jesus in John, who discourses poetically on themes of light, life, witness and truth, and the synoptic Jesus, who argues forcefully and consistently on the theme of the kingdom of God.

The accumulation of these differences has generated speculation regarding the historical reliability of this document as a testimony concerning Jesus (John 20:31). There are, however, significant reasons for believing John to be historically accurate: read more

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