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The following material is a condensed version of Josh McDowell's book EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT- Volume I.
INTRODUCTION
Webster's dictionary defines the word "unique" as follows:
- One and only; single; sole.
- Different from others; having no like or equal. This definition certainly applies to the Bible. All religions or belief systems are built upon a foundation. There is however no foundation so stable or secure as the Bible. Certainly any person who is sincerely seeking to know the truth should most certainly consider the Bible! The following facts will show that there has never been a book written that is it's equal!
THE BIBLE IS "UNIQUE"
Unique in its continuity-(state of being continued)
Written over 1,500 year time span.
Written over 40 generations.
Written by over 40 authors from every walk of life
Moses, a political leader trained in the universities of Egypt
Joshua, a military general Matthew, a tax collector
Solomon, a king Peter, a fisherman
Amos, a herdsman Luke, a doctor
Daniel, a prime minister Paul, a rabbi
Written in different places
a) in the wilderness c) in a palace
b) in a dungeon d) during military campaigns
Written in time of both war and peace
Written during the heights of joy and the depths of despair
Written on 3 different continents
a) Asia b) Africa c) Europe
Written in 3 different languages
a) Hebrew b) Aramaic c) Greek
Addresses hundreds of subjects yet is uniform in its beliefs! This is absolutely amazing due to the fact if you were to take 10 authors from one walk of life, on one continent, one generation, one place, one time, one mood, one language, and just a “handful" of controversial subjects you would find that they would not agree on everything as the authors of the Bible did!
UNIQUE IN ITS CIRCULATION
The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages then any other book. No other book in history has ever even come close to being sold or distributed as much as the Bible!
UNIQUE IN ITS TRANSLATION
Encyclopedia Britannica says that "by 1966 the whole Bible had appeared…in 240 languages and dialects…one or more whole books of the Bible in 739 additional ones, a total publication of 1,280 languages." No other book even comes close!
UNIQUE IN ITS SURVIVAL
- Through time…being written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness, nor existence. John Warwick Montgomery says that "to be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament."
- Through persecution...the Bible has withstood vicious attacks of its enemies as no other book. Many have tried to burn it, ban it, and outlaw it from the days of the Roman emperors to present day Communist dominated countries."
- Through criticism...responding to the critics that have doubted and questioned the Bible's historical accuracy, Nelson Glueck (a Jewish theologian and archaeologist) said that "in all of my archaeological investigation I have never found an artifact of antiquity that contradicts one statement of the Word of God."
UNIQUE IN ITS CONTENT
- Prophecy...Wilber Smith says the Bible "is the only volume ever produced by man, or a group of men, in which is to be found a large body of prophecies relating to individual nations, to all the peoples of the earth, to certain cities, and to the coming of one who was to be the Messiah…Mohammedanism cannot point to any prophecies of the coming of Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth. Neither can the founders of any cult in this country rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling their appearances."
- History...The Cambridge Ancient history, (vol. 1 p. 222) "The Israelites certainly manifest genius for historical construction, and the Old Testament embodies the oldest history writing extant (existent)."
- Personalities...The Bible deals very frankly with the sins of its characters. Read the biographies today and see how they try to cover up, overlook, or ignore the shady side of people...The Bible does not do it in any way. It simply tells it like it is.
UNIQUE IN ITS INFLUENCE ON SURROUNDINGS LITERATURE
Cleland B. McAfee writes "if every Bible in any considerable city were destroyed, the book could be restored in all its essential parts from the quotations on the shelves of the city public library." Philip Schaff writes, "Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon. Without science and learning he shed more light on things human and divine than all other philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of an orator or a poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."
THE CONCLUSION IS OBVIOUS
A Professor once remarked to Josh "If you are an intelligent person, you will read the one book that has drawn more attention than any other, if you are searching for the truth." The above doesn't prove the Bible is the Word of God, but it most certainly proves that it is the most "unique" book ever written!
THE CANON
- Meaning of the Word "Canon"
The word canon comes from the root word "reed" (English word cane; Hebrew from Ganeh and creed Kanon). The reed was a measuring rod and eventually meant "standard". Canon is just another term for Bible. - Test of books inclusion in the Canon
a) Authoritative - did it come from the hand of God (through those who were hand picked by
Jesus and the Holy Spirit)
b) Prophetic - written by Jesus' disciples
c) Authentic - "already" knowm and attested to by the church as written by Jesus' disciples
d) Dynamic - has the life-transforming power to God!
e) Received, collected, read, and used by all of Jesus' followers - Why the individual books were compiled into collection
a) A heretic, Marcion (cal 40 AD) developed his own canon and began to propagate it. The
church needed to offset his influence by determining what was the real canon of New
Testament scripture.
b) Many Eastern churches were using books for services that were definitely spurious.
c) Edict of Diocletian (AD 303) declared the destruction of the sacred books of the Christians.
Who wanted to die for just a religious book? They need to know!
THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE
For any document to be considered reliable (meaning that what we have today is that which was originally written) it must pass three tests:
- Bibliographical Test - Examines how texts were transmitted from the originals to the present day copies.
a) Manuscript evidence - the Bible has more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the
New Testament in existence today. Of all ancient literature, Homer's Iliad is in 2nd place
with "only" 643 manuscripts still in survival today!
b) Time span –
Work When Written Earliest Copy Time Span # Of Copies
New Testament 40-100 AD 152 AD 25 Years Over 24,000
Homer (Iliad) 900 BC 400 BC 500 Years 643
c) No other writings of antiquity (including Shakespeare) come close! - Internal Evidence - The Bible was written not on hearsay but eyewitness testimony. Also significant is the New Testament was written within the lifetime of both friend and foe. Therefore, if the accounts of Jesus' life and words were falsified, the "lies" would most certainly have been exposed. Jesus' adversaries did not claim that the facts given in the Bible were not true; they simply disagreed as to one's interpretation of the facts. There's a big difference.
- External Evidence - Of most significant importance are the writings of Flavius Josephus. He acknowledges time, places, people, and events recorded in the Bible and never once disagrees with the historical facts, just the spiritual aspects. Josephus was a Jewish historian who of all people would have sought to discredit the historicity of the Bible if he could have found errors!
- Archaeologist Evidence - Nelson Glueck (a Jewish archaeologist) wrote: "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever introverted (or contradicted) a biblical reference." NOTE: Many question whether or not the Bible has been tampered with after all these years. This is impossible due to the fact that the Bible has over 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament and was translated into over 15 languages within one century. For a person to tamper with the Bible would mean that they would have to find all 24,000 manuscripts and know all the languages in which they were translated into in order to do so. Not a chance!
PROPHECY
- JESUS FULFILLED OVER 300 0. T .PROPHECIES - here are just a few.
a) Born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2> Matt 2:1; Luke 2:4-7; John 7:42
b) Shall be a prophet: Deuteronomy 18:18> Matt 21:11; Luke 7:16; John 4:19
c) Preceded by a messenger: Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1> Matt 3:1-3; Luke 1:17; John 1:23
d) Betrayed by a friend: Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14> Matt 10:4; John 13:21
e) Sold for 30 pieces of silver: Zechariah 11:12> Matt 26:15; 27:3
f) Wounded and bruised: Isaiah 53:5> Matt 27:26
g) Smitten and spit upon: Isaiah 50:6>Matt 26:67
h) Hand and feet pierced: Psalm 22:16>Luke 23:33
i) Crucified with thieves: Isaiah 53:12>Matt 27:38
j) Garments divided & lots cast: Psalm 22:18>John 19:23,24
k) Side pierced: Zechariah 12:10>John I9:34
l) Buried with the rich: Isaiah 53:9>Matt.27:57-60 - Were The Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled Self Fulfilled? No! The following are just a few examples of prophecy Jesus fulfilled and could not have planned:
a) His birth - Micah 5:2
b) Manner of death - Psalm 22:16
c) Burial - Matt. 27:57-60
CONCLUSION
- Christianity is a factual religion - So many people put their faith in what they've heard from another or that which seems reasonable. Jesus Christ and the biblical events are factual, not man made mythology!
- Blind Faith?..No Way!
a) The historical facts along with the theological and philosophical arguments are more than adequate to allow for a "rational" faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is not irrational but supra-rational!
b) Also, Christianity is so much more than a "religious belief system". It is above all a "personal relationship" with God Himself! The apostle Paul said it best when he said, "I know WHOM I have believed" (2 Tim 1:12). Notice that he did not say I know "what" I believe! - The Bible is God’s word and can be trusted as the foundation upon which to build our lives! 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is God-breathed [the Greek for God breathed is inspired by God] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. John 6:63 - The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. John 6:66-69 - From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
- How does the foundation of your belief sytem compare to the Bible's foundation?
