Where is scripture found

The Gospel writers Matthew and John were some of Jesus' closest followers. Mark and Luke were companions of the apostles, having access to the apostles' account of Jesus' life.

The other New Testament writers had immediate access to Jesus as well: James and Jude were half-brothers of Jesus who initially did not believe in him. Peter was one of the 12 apostles. Paul started out as a violent opponent of Christianity and a member of the religious ruling class, but he became an ardent follower of Jesus, convinced that Jesus rose from the dead.

The reports in the New Testament books lined up with what thousands of eyewitnesses had seen for themselves. When other books were written hundreds of years later, it wasn't difficult for the church to spot them as forgeries. For example, the Gospel of Judas was written by the Gnostic sect, around A. The Gospel of Thomas, written around A. These and other Gnostic gospels conflicted with the known teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament, and often contained numerous historical and geographical errors.

Soon after, Jerome and Augustine circulated this same list. These lists, however, were not necessary for the majority of Christians. By and large the whole church had recognized and used the same list of books since the first century after Christ.

As the church grew beyond the Greek-speaking lands and needed to translate the Scriptures, and as splinter sects continued to pop up with their own competing holy books, it became more important to have a definitive list.

Not only do we have well-preserved copies of the original manuscripts, we also have testimony from both Jewish and Roman historians. The gospels report that Jesus of Nazareth performed many miracles, was executed by the Romans, and rose from the dead. Numerous ancient historians back the Bible's account of the life of Jesus and his followers:.

Cornelius Tacitus A. Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian A. From Josephus, "we learn that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected.

Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, and Thallus also wrote about Christian worship and persecution that is consistent with New Testament accounts. Even the Jewish Talmud, certainly not biased toward Jesus, concurs about the major events of his life. From the Talmud, "we learn that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock, gathered disciples, made blasphemous claims about himself, and worked miracles, but these miracles are attributed to sorcery and not to God.

This is remarkable information considering that most ancient historians focused on political and military leaders, not on obscure rabbis from distant provinces of the Roman Empire. Yet ancient historians Jews, Greeks and Romans confirm the major events that are presented in the New Testament, even though they were not believers themselves. For faith to really be of any value, it must be based on facts, on reality. Here is why. If you were taking a flight to London, you would probably have faith that the jet is fueled and mechanically reliable, the pilot trained, and no terrorists on board.

Your faith, however, is not what gets you to London. Your faith is useful in that it got you on the plane. But what actually gets you to London is the integrity of the plane, pilot, etc. You could rely on your positive experience of past flights. But your positive experience would not be enough to get that plane to London. What matters is the object of your faith -- is it reliable?

Is the New Testament an accurate, reliable presentation of Jesus? We can trust the New Testament because there is enormous factual support for it. This article touched on the following points: historians concur, archaeology concurs, the four Gospel biographies are in agreement, the preservation of document copies is remarkable, there is superior accuracy in the translations.

All of this gives a solid foundation for believing that what we read today is what the original writers wrote and experienced in real life, in real places.

John, one of the writers sums it up well, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

You are welcome to sign up for a free study of the Gospel of John, which comes to you by email. Click here: Gospel of John free email series. Footnotes: 1 Strobel, Lee. Evidence That Demands a Verdict , p. Revell Co. Spiritual Adventure Pack. Chart listing some of the major archaeological finds Ebla Tablets Over 20, tablets, many containing law similar to the Deuteronomy law code. The previously thought fictitious five cities of the plain in Genesis 14 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar are identified.

Nuzi Tablets They detail customs of the 14th and 15th century parallel to the patriarchal accounts such as maids producing children for barren wives. Black Stele Proved that writing and written laws existed three centuries before the Mosaic laws. Laws of Eshnunna ca. Ras Shamra Tablets Provide information on Hebrew poetry. Lachish Letters Describe Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah and give insight into the time of Jeremiah.

Gedaliah Seal References Gedaliah is spoken of in 2 Kings Cyrus Cylinder Authenticates the Biblical description of Cyrus' decree to allow the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem see 2 Chronicles ; Ezra Moabite Stone Gives information about Omri, the sixth king of Israel.

Writing existed many centuries before Moses. Abraham's home city of Ur does not exist. Ur was discovered. One of the columns had the inscription "Abram. Petra was discovered. The story of the fall of Jericho is myth. The city never existed. Read More Jeremiah - Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Hebrews - Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Isaiah - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Romans - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Antiquities Authority Director Israel Hasson, who launched the operation, urged the Israeli government to do more to protect other undiscovered treasures. Resources must be allocated for the completion of this historically important operation," he said. Some things are beyond value. ET : A previous version of this article misstated when the Cave of Horror was discovered.

It was first excavated in the s, not in ET : An earlier version of this article misstated the location of the cave where the new Dead Sea scrolls were found. The cave is in Israel, not the West Bank. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Southlake Podcast U. Share this —.