Bible Canon Archives - Page 2 of 2

Bible Authenticity – Is the Bible Reliable?

March 24, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 1 comment

Is the Bible reliable? Does it contain myths, or are the stories true? Did the writers simply write down stories they had heard from other people, or did they experience the things firsthand that they wrote about?

The Bible is not made up of cleverly devised fables or myths. “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:16 NAB). Many of the Bible writers were actually eyewitnesses of their written accounts. “But we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16 NAB; see also 1 Peter 5:1) Eyewitnesses also handed down their accounts to others who carefully researched these things. (Luke 1:1-3) Still others studied and pondered. (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10) But none came from human will. (2 Peter 1:21) read more

Jesus Believed the Old Testament to be The Infallible Word of God

January 26, 2016 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Some modern Christians, and virtually all non-Christians, believe the Old Testament (OT) was simply the word of man and is fallible. However, Jesus Christ Himself believed the OT to be the infallible word of God. Below, we will use scriptural quotations followed by comments to show why this is true:

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:45-47) read more

Paul’s View of the Old Testament and Luke’s writings

December 30, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Some modern Christians believe the Old Testament (OT) was simply the word of man and is fallible. However, the Apostle Paul viewed the OT as the infallible word of God. Below, we will use scriptural quotations followed by comments to show why this is true:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Paul affirms God’s active involvement in the writing of Scripture, an involvement so powerful and pervasive that what is written is the infallible and authoritative word of God. read more

The Origin, Transmission, and Canonization of the Old Testament Books

May 11, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

The term canon is used to describe the list of books approved for inclusion in the Bible. It stems from a Greek word meaning “rod,” as in a straight stick that serves as a standard for measuring. Hence, to speak of the biblical canon is to speak of authoritative books, given by God, the teachings of which define correct belief and practice. Obviously, only books inspired by God should be received as canonical. The Bible before you includes 39 books in the Old Testament (OT). Are these the right books? Who wrote them? What were their sources of information? These questions are asked by friends and foes of biblical faith. ThIs article touches on such issues with an aim to bolster confidence in the OT as the “inspired” “word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT; 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT). read more

How Did the Bible Come To Us?

April 10, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work”—2 Timothy 3:16,17 NAB

God wants us to feel confident that the Scriptures are as valid and trustworthy today as they were when they were first written (2 Peter 1:21). He also gives some information on the process he used to get His Word written down in a permanent form. read more

When Was the Book of Daniel Written?

March 9, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 6 comments

Revised April 23, 2023

Note: To best read the entire article, click on “PDF Version.”

“In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, as Daniel lay in bed he had a dream, visions in his head. Then he wrote down the dream: the account began: In the vision I saw during the night . . . “—Daniel 7:1,2 NAB

“After this first vision, I, Daniel, had another, in the third year of King Belshazzar . . .”—Daniel 8:1 NAB

“It was the third year that Darius, son of Ahasuerus, of the race of the Medes, reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years . . .”—-Daniel 9:1,2 NAB read more

What Is The Apocrypha?

March 5, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

“Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms”—Luke 24:44 NIV

Jesus referred to the Hebrew scripture Bible canon, by referring to the three sections that the Jews divided it into. These sections comprise the 39 book Old Testament, from Genesis through Malachi.

As the early church developed, Gentile believers needed to be taught “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Although Jesus, Paul and the apostles exclusively used the Old Testament (referred to in Luke 24:44) as their canonical Bible, Gentiles also encountered many other Jewish religious texts among the Greek scrolls of the Scriptures. Over time some Gentile believers began to embrace these books as authoritative, and debate over their place in the churches has raged ever since. read more

Is John’s Gospel Historical and Trustworthy?

February 18, 2015 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

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