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The Bible is not an ordinary book in circulation. In fact, because of its ordinary features, the Bible has been in question and had been greatly criticized for many years. It was not only the atheists and the liberals who were the greatest of its critics but the list also includes the religious non-Christian community. It is not however the responsibility of the Christian community to defend the Bible against its critics. This is because the Bible itself can prove its integrity and reliability. It is for this reason that the Bible is held extraordinary, inspired and reliable book. The Christians’ responsibility is to believe.

In this paper, this writer aims to provide several but essential points that will prove the integrity of the Bible. This writer also explored several writings by respected and reliable theologians, archeologists and writers who worked on finding the answers to the questions and criticisms which aimed to disprove the truth of the Bible’s reliability.

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ON THE BIBLE

Critics have been consistently claiming that there is a great possibility that the Bible passages have been copied and transmitted from generation to generation (C. Blomberg). Critics therefore point to the question whether the Bible has been accurately translated and transmitted. Craig Blomberg referred to this as the Bible’s textual question. The textual questions include the occurrence of textual variations and the claims that the Bible has lost some truths.

There are several evidences available to us that prove these claims wrong. First, there are evidences that the Bible can be reconstructed from the original texts. Rabbi Glenn Harris, in his article entitled, Why the Bible is the Word of God: Can I Trust the Bible?” made a good comparison of Homer’s “Iliad” and the Bible’s New Testament in order to stress the textual integrity of the Bible. Of the 20,000 lines content of the New Testament, only 40 lines are said to be in question and that is about just a half percent. As with Iliad, which is said to be the second ancient Greek/Latin literature having the most number of manuscript testimony, have 764 lines in question out of its 15,600 lines. IN comparison, the lines in question account for five percent. It is still to be noted that the textual criticisms of the New Testament will sum up to a matter of missing letters and misspellings that are too insignificant to alter the essence of the texts involved. Another point of comparison is on the number of manuscript evidences relative to the two ancient writings. Relative to the New Testament, there are more than 24,000 manuscript copies existing to date, 10,000 of which were in Latin versions and the rest were in other early versions. The Iliad had only 643 surviving manuscripts (F. Kenyon).

HISTORICAL QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is full of stories- narratives that place the Bible in question. However there are archeological evidences that prove these events, places and Bible characters to have been actually taken place and existed. Of the long list provided by archeologists and Bible scholars, Bryant Wood has provided some of them. King Solomon, for example, who was made famous for his great wealth have been proven to have actually existed. Archeological records have proven his wealth exactly as the Bible described. The land of Canaan was also in question as to its existence but writings on clay tablets recovered in Syria in 1970s in the Ebla archive proved it to be true. The Assyrian king “Sargon” mentioned by the prophet Isaiah was proven to have actually lived when the king’s palace was discovered in Khorsabah in Iraq. In the same discovery also the proved the occurrence of the capture of Ashdod by its records in the walls of the palace exactly as how Isaiah had recorded. Upon the discovery of the Hittite’s records and their capital at Bogazkoy in Turkey that proved the Bible’s records of their existence.

By dating the manuscripts, the Bible can prove itself historically reliable. A well-known archeologist said that “the average gap between an original composition and the earliest available copy is over 1,000 years for other works of manuscript” (N. Geisler). The New Testament autographs, according to Harris dated 40 to 100 A.D. while its earliest copy was printed about 125 A.D. The gap of 250-300 years between the said dates therefore corroborates with the average gap. AS with the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 must be sufficient enough to prove its integrity. Including a copy of Isaiah’s scroll, the Dead Sea Scrolls also revealed a 95 percent similarity to the said texts of our Modern Hebrew Bible. The remaining five percent of the text, according to Gleason Archer “accounts for the obvious slips of the pen and variations of spellings” (G. Archer, 1974). It is thus fair to conclude that “archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament Tradition” (F. Albright).

THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE

The Bible is not merely a historical book that records the events relative to the foundation of Christianity. The Bible, more importantly, is a book that contains moral guidelines and ethical religious standards set for all mankind. Simple analysis will therefore answer the question why the Bible has been theologically criticized. Since the Bible by itself is authoritative, in the sense that there were not few rules and regulations contained therein, there are people who will be made morally guilty, and if not, uncomfortable. It is but a natural reaction of the concerned ones to object to the Biblical doctrines and by all means, to have it rendered as a myth. The Bible is therefore held in the situation where it has to prove itself true and reliable.

Having the Bible in an acid test, let us first look into the reliability of the prophecies contained therein. The Bible has so far fulfilled 2,000 of its 2,500 prophecies to date (H. Ross). It is true that it is the fulfillment of his prophecies that distinguishes a genuine prophet with that of a mere fortuneteller. The Bible has been proven to have the genuine prophets as by the fulfillment of their prophecies with 100 percent accuracy. Hugh Ross in his article entitled “Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible” presented thirteen independent prophecies and their fulfillment. This writer, for the purpose of discussion, would like to have five of the well-known prophecies and the fulfillments.

The Prophet Daniel’s prophesied of the coming Messiah and the account of his death. After the restoration of Jerusalem in 458 B.C, Jesus Christ’s ministry began 483 years later, exactly as had been prophesied. His death, according to the prophecy, will occur before the destruction of the Jerusalem, which had actually happened in 70 A.D. The birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem is a historical fact which happened exactly how prophet Micah foretold. The Land of Edom, now part of Jordan, has been foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, to become a barren and uninhabited wasteland. Examining the area in our time, the prophet had it accurately described. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus will destroy the mighty Babylon, including Egypt, and will make the Jews free without ransom. After 150 years, Cyrus was born, had conquered Babylon and won over Egypt after 30 years. The Jewish exile also occurred according to what the prophet predicted. Another prophecy that has been historically proven to have been fulfilled was the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. As had been prophesied by Zechariah, Jesus was betrayed in exchanged for 30 pieces of silver, the sum of which were used to purchase a piece of land as place of burial for poor aliens.

THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE

The evidences and proofs of the Bible’s integrity and historical authenticity as have been explained and mentioned in the above sections. These evidences are enough to prove itself worth as infallible and divinely inspired. However, there are still doubts that the Bible is just a compilation of the writings of ordinary human beings who lived before and after the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This claim can be disputed by mere presentation of the obvious facts about the Bible. The authors of the forty authors of the different books of the Bible were persons of different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Those authors came from the different continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and who wrote in different languages-Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. The said authors were kings like Solomon, political and religious leaders like Paul, ordinary fishermen like Peter, physician like Luke and many others. The fact that their works were written in different styles and forms and were actually written with a thousand years time span, it is but hard to question how the views and events they have recorded came in harmony even if they have not personally met. If the Bible is not divinely inspired, it would be hard to imagine how the different books will come together in harmony, relative to its content. Here is one formidable foundation of establishing the reliability of the Bible:

“Jews preserved it as no other manuscript has ever been preserved. With their massora, they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph. They had special classes of men within their culture whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity” (R. Bernard, 1949).

J.C. Ryle, in his “The Inspiration of the Bible” has carefully explained few of the many reasons why one should have faith on the fact that the Bible has been divinely inspired. This writer adapted the five listed facts on the said article as follows:

The extraordinary depth, fullness and richness on the Bible’s contents- Ryle had specially mentioned the intangible spiritual things that were importantly discussed in the Bible. Since the Bible is not just a record book, it has special accounts of the soul, eternity, the Holy Spirit, the Heaven and the Hell, eternity and many more. These things are beyond man’s imagination and man’s capacity to explain and yet these things are true and existing. If the Bible has been man’s own ideas and feelings, it would have been a compilation of the things that he can comprehend. If the Bible is just a mere religious writing, then it should have included man’s own criticisms on the other religions that contradict to what it fosters as Christian doctrines. The Bible has also a complete account of the world’s beginning and end including its inhabitants and the other creatures and things in the universe. It has accounts of both good and bad conditions and the means of getting along with it. To sum it up, the Bible is complete in the sense that it has treated all the aspects of human existence and the things and events that affect the whole world.

The Bible has the extraordinary unity and harmony in its contents. This is despite the fact that the Bible has different authors in different walks of life, who lived in different periods and eras, who spoke different languages and written in different forms and styles. “They all write as if they were under one dictation” (C. Ryle). In whatever way they have expressed the ideas, they all unified to one central thought: the relationship of man and God.

There is extraordinary wisdom and majesty in the style of the Bible that makes it unique among all writings that existed and still existing. The Bible cannot be compared to other readings in any aspect because it stands on its own: unique and proven reliable and true. The Bible speaks of wisdom and not just mere knowledge. Without using internal evidences, that is, by using its own words, the Bible has been proven its unquestionable integrity. As Ryle said, “there are no weak points, and motes, and flaws, and blemishes.” If we are to look into the laws, the rules and regulations it had set forth for man, we can clearly draw the fact that the Bible speaks with authority. It has truth and the Bible is determined to foster the truth and to reveal what God wants of the human race. The Bible speaks without doubt and sort of uncertainty as to its stand and views on every little thing. The Bible has the element of accuracy and preciseness in its presentation of facts. With God as the central figure in the Old Testament and His Son, Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the Bible had established and made shine the Majesty of God. What the Bible teaches cannot be bought and acquired anywhere and with any other means other than reading the Bible and with faith in God.

The Bible contains spiritual things that suit the need of mankind. Man is not a mere creature that can be compared to robots. Man is a moral creature, unique to other creatures for its feelings, reasoning ability, the spirit and his relationship with God. It is therefore vital for man to have his spiritual needs to be satisfied and that these cannot be given by even the writings of the most intelligent human being on earth. What I am trying to point out is that the Bible has the purpose of guiding man towards building and taking care of his personal relationship with God. The Bible distinguishes the food of the body from the food of the soul.

There is also the extraordinary fact of the Bible’s effect on the nations where it was written, taught and read. As has been said earlier, the Bible does not only aim to educate and to inform. It has also the vital purpose of satisfying the spiritual needs of every human being that no other book can provide. The Bible is the only book that speaks accurately of the facts of the future, the present and the future of the world the human race.

By: Roda Joanna Abaya

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Knowledge empowers a person. Absent oppressive power, I can not think of an example where a person of lesser knowledge can take advantage of one possessing greater knowledge. One of my goals is to spiritually empower my audience. Accurate knowledge is critical to this endeavor. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pet 3:18). Knowledge is foundational even to grace. How can you grow in grace if you do not … know … what it is?

For some of you, the forthcoming information will be quite threatening. Your first impulse will be to return to a simpler, more secure position. Well, there are two problems with such a retreat. First, our God is the God of truth. Where truth is – God is. As His children, truth strengthens us. This applies to science, math, history … or textual criticism. Second, I believe you can handle the truth. At least that is how I intend on interacting with you. Otherwise, I would be babying you. While we all start out as babies (born again), it is not God’s design we stay babies. Physically, a baby is cute, but at four, eight, or twelve years old – if still a baby – cuteness is now tragedy.

The only food Christians grow by … is truth.

So, let’s talk about the Bible. If you have one handy, pick it up. As you look at it, you already know you do not possess the original writings of Moses, Isaiah, Paul, etc. You have some sort of copy. Actually, all the original documents disintegrated long ago. Theologically speaking, there are no extant (original) texts. Today, we possess copies … of copies. Did you know the oldest existing New Testament papyri fragments date at about 200 AD? And substantial manuscripts start around 325 AD! One can only guess how many times removed all these are from the original writings. But, your Bible has another complicating factor. Unless it is written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic or Koine Greek, you have … a translation … of one of these copies. I discuss this translation complication in, “Translations and the Bible.” So, … the book in your hand is quite far removed from original Biblical documents.

The Original Texts

Every physical thing in this present environment decays – including the Bible. Papyri, leather, and paper all decay. Fortunately, over the centuries, various groups have been very interested in these documents. As old copies wore out, new ones were made. These groups, or “schools,” were separated by culture, distance, geopolitical realities … and time. In the last 150 years or so, technologies have made the world “smaller.” Bible text investigators have been able to compare copies from various locales in great detail. The study of these copies is called Textual Criticism (or Lower Criticism). I am very grateful for copies. Because of them, I have a Bible.

Don’t Panic

But, copies have presented … some complications. For now, let’s just address the New Testament materials. As copies have been compared against each other, differences have surfaced. For example, seven verses into Matthew, some copies read, “Asaph” – but others, “Asa.” Both are not correct. The letter, “phi,” was either in the original … or it wasn’t. These differences are called “variants” – thus creating “variant readings.” Sometimes, like the example above, only one letter is different. But, sometimes a whole word is different … or a whole phrase … or an entire passage (i.e., Mk 16:9-20, Jn 7:53 – 8:11, or 1Jn 5:8). At the time of this writing there are at least 2,086 fairly significant variations between Greek texts (copies) for the New Testament alone. As other copies are discovered … that number can only increase.

I Repeat … Do Not Panic

Textual Critics believe “all scripture is God-breathed” (2Tim 3:16). I am also of this persuasion. But, the Bible does not say, “All copies of scripture are God-breathed …”. When Matthew finished his account, that document was absolutely flawless. The same is true of Mark’s work, and Luke’s and John’s. The ink dried on God-breathed, perfect documents. So also Paul’s letters, and Peter’s and James’ and Moses’ and … well, you get the picture. Textual criticism’s sole goal is to determine what the original documents said.

General Procedures

When examining variant readings, Textual Critics begin with simple observation – and, if needed, move to the more complex. Sometimes, copyists obviously just made a simple error – i.e., their eye skipped a line. But, other variants are clearly intentional. This has caused Textual Critics to develop several “rules of thumb.” For example, it is of first importance to know from which “school” a copy has come. Why is that? Well, as critics have studied all the texts, it has become apparent that some “schools” were meticulous copiers … while others wanted to “smooth out” problematic texts. These copyists added words, phrases … and even changed words to an easier vocabulary. Quite often, these alterations also better supported some pet doctrine or practice … to no one’s surprise. So, … a single copy from a meticulous school carries more weight than a hundred copies from a “liberal” school. And this holds true even if the hundred copies are older! Age (and superior numbers) does not outweigh location.

Another rule of thumb: Textual Critics often defer to shorter readings, and also the more difficult of readings (whether in vocabulary or syntax). The reasons behind deliberate text changes is a sub-study in itself. In that exercise, each variant must be studied in its own individual circumstance.

Textual Criticism is a science … and an art. Once these critics have examined and debated the pros and cons of each variant, they forward what they believe to be the original text. Sometimes they feel quite certain of their deductions and analysis – and sometimes they just give it their best guess. One group (affiliated with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research) uses a rating system from “A” (feel sure), to “D” (best guess). Textual Criticism is an extremely important, and interesting, field of study. As I write this, I almost wish I had been able to devote my life to it. But, by the grace of God, I am who I am – and I am where I am.

And Consider This

The original New Testament letters were written … to be used! They were not stashed in a glass case in a museum. My personal Bible has had one user for 20+ years and it’s falling apart. But, if in the hands of an entire congregation, it probably wouldn’t last 5 years. And when Paul’s letters were delivered to the carnal Corinthians … do you think they knew what was in their hands? I wonder how those original letters were treated? Some of those Corinthians surely wanted to crumple them up and throw them away! My point? By the time someone may have realized a next generation copy needed to be made, the present document may have had tears, smudges, partially illegible parts – or even some missing chunks. As we speak, I just reexamined my personal Bible. The first two pages of Genesis are missing some text in the bottom left corner. To recopy this, I would need to do so from memory if no other copy was around.

Speaking of Genesis, do you think copies of it … might contain some textual variants? What about the rest of the Old Testament? Malachi is 500 years older than any of the New Testament writings.

The Bottom Line

So, how has the study of Textual Criticism affected me? Well, I could say, “The closer I scrutinize the Word of God, and study these variant readings, the stronger my faith becomes.” I could then add, “My confidence in God’s Word has not been shaken at any time – in any way – by this study. Textural Criticism has even strengthened my faith and witness in innumerable ways.” Yes, … I could make such claims. But, how would you know if such claims were true? Maybe my confidence in the Bible has been shaken to the core. Maybe I am trying to convince myself, “everything is okay” – yet, behind a brave front … chaos, confusion, skepticism, and spiritual shipwreck is lurking. Well, this latter situation could be the reality … except for one thing. Earlier I said, “Our God is the God of truth. Where truth is – God is.” (actually the Bible declares this – Ps 31:5). Well, the truth is … there are no original Bible documents … and there are variants in existing copies. And, … guess what? Sure enough, God is there. He is always where the truth is. He has indeed used the study of Textual Criticism as a catalyst – steeling my faith and confidence in His Word. I love the study of Textual Criticism. For me, it has made the Bible … even more rock solid. Truth always ends that way.

By: Robin Calamaio

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