On the Authenticity of the Bible

 

A Compilation

Of the Divine character of the Bible, I think, no man who deals honestly with his own mind and heart can entertain a reasonable doubt. For myself, I must say, that having for many years made the evidences of Christianity the subject of close study, the results has been a firm and increasing conviction of the authenticity and plenory inspiration of the Bible. It is indeed the Word of God. – Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853), A Treatice on the Law of Evidence, Founder of Harvard’s Law School

If we compare the recent state of the New Testament text with that of any other ancient writing, we must…declare it to be marvelously correct. Such has been the case with which the New Testament has been copied – a care which has doubtless grown out of true reverence for its holy words – such as been the providence of God in preserving for His Church in each and every age a competently exact text of the Scriptures, that not only is the New Testament unrivaled among ancient writings in the purities of its text as actually transmitted and kept in use, but also in the abundance of testimony which has come down to us for castigating its comparatively infrequent blemishes. – Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921), Princeton Theological Seminary

The Isaiah copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95% of the text. The 5% of variations consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling. – Gleason Archer (1916-2004), Bible Scholar

It is a matter of wonder that through something like a thousand years the text underwent so little alteration. – Millar Burrows (1898-1980), Yale Divinity School,  The Dead Sea Scrolls of St. Mark’s Monastery

The impact of this discovery (of the Dead Sea Scrolls) is in the exactness of the Isaiah scroll (125 BC) with the Massoretic text of Isaiah (916 AD) 1,000 years later. This demonstrates the unusual accuracy of the copyists of the Scripture over a 1,000 year period. – Josh and Sean  McDowell, The Evidence Deserves a Verdict (2017)

Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only 17 letters in question. Ten of these are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense. Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as, conjunctions. The remaining 3 letters compose the word “light,” which is added in verse 11, and does not affect the meaning greatly. Futhermore, the word is supported by the Septuagint Isaiah. Thus, in one chapter of 166 words, there is only one word (of three letters) in question after 1,000 years of transcription and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage. – Josh McDowell, The Evidence Deserves a Verdict (2017)

It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain. Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of the manuscripts of the New Testament, of the early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world. Scholars are satisfied that they possess substantially the true text of the principal Greek and Roman writers whose works have come down to us of Sophocles, of Thyaydides, of Cicero, of Virgil; yet our knowledge of their writings depend on a mere handful of manuscripts, whereas the manuscripts of the New Testament are counted by hundred, and even thousands. – Sir Frederick Kenyon (1863-1952), Director of the British Museum from 1917-1921 and member of British Parliment from 1918-1952

It is reassuring at the end to find that the general result of all these discoveries (of ancient manuscripts) and all this study is to strengthen the proof of the authenticity of the Scriptures, and our conviction that we have in our hands, in substantial integrety, the veritable Word of God. – Sir Ferderick Kenyon, The Story of the Bible

More and more the older view that the Biblical data were suspect and even likely to befalse, unless corroberated by extra-Biblical facts, is giving way to one which holds that, by and large, the Biblical accounts are more likely to be true than false. – H.M. Orlinsky (1908-1992) editor-in-chief- of the New Jewish Publication Society,  Ancient Israel (1954)

After more than two centuries of facing the heaviest scientific guns that could be brought to bear, the Bible has survived, and is perhaps the better for the seige. Even on the critics’ own terms, historical fact, the Scriptures seem more acceptable now than they did when the rationalists began the attack. – Time Magazine: How True is the Bible? (December 30, 1974)

It 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 Israel, to all the peoples of the earth, to certain cities, and to the coming of One who was to be the Messiah. The ancient world had many different devices for determining the future, known as divination, but not in the entire gamut of Greek and Latin literature, even though they use words prophet and prophecy, can we find any real specific prophecy of great historic event to come in the distant future, nor any prophecies of a Savior to arise in the human race. – Wilbur M. Smith (1894-1976), Theologian

As a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legends and I am quite clear that they (the Gospels) are not the same sort of thing. – C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), What Are We to Make of Jesus?

If someone tells me that something in the Gospels is legend or romance, I want to know how many legends and romances he has read, how well his palate is trained in detecting them by the flavour…Turn to (the Gospel of) John. Read the dialogues: that with the Samaritan woman at the well, or that which follows the healing of the man born blind. Look at the pictures: Jesus, if I may use the word, doodling with his finger in the dust…I have been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that not one of them is like this. – C.S. Lewis, Westcott House (1959)

I was now too experienced in literary criticism to regard the Gospels as myths. They had not the mythical taste…If ever a myth had become fact, had been incarnated, it would be just like this. And nothing else in all literature was just like this. Myths were like it in one way. Histories were like it in another. But nothing was simply like it. And no person was like the Person it depicted; as real, as recognisable through all the depths of time, as Plato’s Socrates or Boswell’s Johnson…yet also numinous, lit by a fire from beyond the world, a god. But if a god - we are no longer polytheists - then not a god, but God. – C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (1955)

It is evidence of his importance, if the effect that he has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of his being, that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of lieterature among so many peoples and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount. – Kenneth Scott Latourette (1884-1968),  Yale Historian

This Jesus of Narazeth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Ceasar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning. He shed more light on things human and divine than all 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 orator or poet; without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion, and 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. – Philip Schaff (1819-1893),  The Person of Christ

The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world, because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature, who tries to be truthful and faithful to duty, can possibly be guided. – Charles Dickens (1812-1870), British Novelist

In regards to this great book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Saviour gave the world was communicated through this book. But for it, we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here, and hereafter, are found portrayed within it. – Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President USA

The Bible, and it alone, with nothing added to it nor taken away from it by men, is the sole and sufficient guide for each individual, at all times and in all circumstances. – Michael Faraday (1791-1867), British Scientist

Within this awful volume lies the mystery of mysteries. Happiest they of human race, to whom their God has given grace, to read, to fear, to hope, to pray, to lift the latch, to force the way. But better had they ne’er been born, who read to doubt or read to scorn. -  Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian.

The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hands and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation, throughout the centuries. – Sir Frederick Kenyon

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. - Psalm 12:6-7 KJV

Heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. –  Jesus Christ, as quoted in Matthew 24:35