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The Bible: Human or Divine?
Hank Hanegraaff
To defend the faith we must be equipped to demonstrate that the Bible is
divine rather than human in origin. If we can successfully accomplish
this, we can answer a host of other objections simply by appealing to
Scripture. To chart our course I will use the acronym M-A-P-S. Since
most Bibles have maps in the back, this should prove to be a memorable
association.
M = Manuscripts. Since we don't have the original biblical manuscripts,
the question is, "How good are the copies?" The answer is that the Bible
has stronger manuscript support than any other work of classical
literature-including Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, and Tacitus. The
reliability of Scripture is also confirmed through the eyewitness
credentials of the authors. Moses, for example, participated in and was
an eyewitness to the remarkable events of the Egyptian captivity, the
Exodus, the 40 years in the desert, and Israel's final encampment before
entering the Promised Land, all of which are accurately chronicled in
the Old Testament.
The New Testament has the same kind of eyewitness authenticity. Luke
says that he gathered the eyewitness testimony and "carefully
investigated everything" (Luke 1:1-3). Peter reminded his readers that
the disciples "did not follow cleverly invented stories" but "were
eyewitnesses of [Jesus'] majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).
Secular historians--including Josephus (before A.D. 100), the Roman
Tacitus (around A.D. 120), the Roman Suetonius ( A.D. 110), and the
Roman governor Pliny the Younger ( A.D. 110)--confirm the many events,
people, places, and customs chronicled in the New Testament. Early
church leaders such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Julius Africanus, and
Clement of Rome-all writing before A.D. 250-also shed light on New
Testament historical accuracy. Even skeptical historians agree that the
New Testament is a remarkable historical document.
A = Archaeology. Over and over again, comprehensive field work
(archaeology) and careful biblical interpretation affirms the
reliability of the Bible. It is telling when a secular scholar must
revise his biblical criticism in light of solid archaeological evidence.
For years, critics dismissed the book of Daniel, partly because there
was no evidence that a king named Belshazzar ruled in Babylon during
that period. Later archaeological research, however, confirmed that the
reigning monarch, Nabonidus, appointed Belshazzar as his coregent while
he was waging war away from Babylon.
One of the most well-known New Testament examples concerns the books of
Luke and Acts. A biblical skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, was trained as an
archaeologist and then set out to disprove the historical reliability of
this portion of the New Testament. But through his painstaking
Mediterranean archaeological trips, he became converted as, one after
another, the historical allusions of Luke were proved accurate. Truly,
with every turn of the archaeologist's spade we continue to see evidence
for the trustworthiness of Scripture.
P = Prophecy. The Bible records predictions of events that could not be
known or predicted by chance or common sense. Surprisingly, the
predictive nature of many Bible passages was once a popular argument (by
liberals) against the reliability of the Bible. Critics argued that
various passages were written later than the biblical texts indicated,
because they recounted events that happened sometimes hundreds of years
later than when they supposedly were written. They concluded that,
subsequent to the events, literary editors went back and "doctored" the
original, non-predictive texts.
But this is simply wrong. Careful research affirms the predictive
accuracy of the Bible. For example, the book of Daniel (written before
530 B.C.) accurately predicts the progression of kingdoms from Babylon
through the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and then the Roman
Empire, culminating in the persecution and suffering of the Jews under
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, his desecration of the temple, his untimely
death, and freedom for the Jews under Judas Maccabeus (165 B.C.).
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Phoenician city of Tyre were
fulfilled in ancient times, including prophecies that the city would be
opposed by many nations (Ezekiel 26:3); its walls would be destroyed and
towers broken down (26:4); and its stones, timbers, and debris would be
thrown into the water (26:12). Similar prophecies were fulfilled
concerning Sidon (Ezekiel 28:23; Isaiah 23; Jeremiah 27:3-6; 47:4) and
Babylon (Jeremiah 50:13,39; 51:26,42,43,58; Isaiah 13:20,21).
Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the
Living Word of the New Testament, it should not surprise us that
prophecies regarding Him outnumber all others. Many of these prophecies
would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to
fulfill-such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3
17:19); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His crucifixion with
criminals (Isaiah 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet on the
cross (Psalm 22:16); the soldiers' gambling for His clothes (Psalm
22:18); the piercing of His side and the fact that His bones were not
broken at His death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 34:20); and His burial among
the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus also predicted His own death and
resurrection (John 2:19-22). Predictive prophecy is a principle of Bible
reliability that often reaches even the hard-boiled skeptic!
S = Statistics. It is statistically preposterous that any or all of the
Bible's specific, detailed prophecies could have been fulfilled through
chance, good guessing, or deliberate deceit. When you look at some of
the improbable prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, it seems
incredible that skeptics-knowing the authenticity and historicity of the
texts-could reject the statistical verdict: The Bible is the Word of
God, and Jesus Christ is the Son of God, just as Scripture predicted
many times and in many ways.
The Bible was written over a span of 1600 years by 40 authors in three
languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), on hundreds of subjects. And yet
there is one consistent, non-contradictory theme that runs through it
all: God's redemption of humankind. Clearly, statistical probability
concerning biblical prophecy is a powerful indicator of the
trustworthiness of Scripture.
The next time someone denies the reliability of Scripture, just remember
the acronym M-A-P-S, and you will be equipped to give an answer and a
reason for the hope that lies within you. Manuscripts, Archaeology,
Prophecy, and Statistics not only chart a secure course through the
turnpikes of skepticism but also demonstrate conclusively that the Bible
is indeed divine rather than human in origin.
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