Biblical critics often claim that the New Testament has been changed over its 2000 year history. Some argue that these changes have been dramatic. Numerous popular books allege that these modifications have been done to perpetrate a variety hoaxes on a gullible humanity, ranging from the claim that Jesus never existed to claims that he was married and had children. No one has yet claimed that this material also conceals the fact that Jesus couldn’t get a date and surfed badly; however, my study of these claims is not exhaustive.

Over the years the assertion that the Bible has been altered over time has become increasingly difficult to maintain as researchers have located and authenticated older and older manuscripts and Biblical fragments. The oldest Biblical manuscript fragments now date to at least 125 AD and possibly as early as 65 AD. So the window of opportunity for Scriptural alteration has shrunken steadily. In reality even this truncated period of time when Scripture could have been altered is no longer tenable because copies of the Bible are not the only source of Scripture. As it turns out there are approximately 100,000 surviving letters and manuscripts from the first and second centuries which quote Scriptural passages and many of these surviving documents contain lengthy quotations.

A survey of these extra Biblical sources reveals that a staggering 98% of the passages in the New Testament can be found repeated in these documents by the second century AD. A good part of these sections of Scripture come to us from the first century. For example, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch and Clement, the Bishop of Rome (whom Paul probably mentioned in Philippians 4:3), quoted passages in their writings. Some of these letters can be dated as early as the 70’s AD.

Given this mountain of evidence, the claim that the Scripture we have today is different from the original is not credible. Persons making such claims simply are not aware of the mountain of evidence supporting the continuity of the Bible.

Sources:

“The Signature of God”, by Grant Jeffery, Frontier Research, Ontario, Canada, 2002.

“Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism”, by J. Harold Greenlee, Ehrdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1964.

Christian doctrine holds that human consciousness is not a purely physical phenomenon.  It is generally believe to be an aspect of Soul or Spirit. The Bible tells us that our Spirit can leave the body and survive death. There are hundreds of references that could be cited, perhaps 1 Corinthians 15: 35-44 gives the best summery.  Out of Body Experiences (OBE) are often referenced as evidence for the existence of a Soul or Spirit. However critics counter that  OBE’s are nothing more then the physiochemical reactions of an oxygen starved brain.  This criticism has been hard to strongly refute, until now.

In 1991 thirty-five year old Pam Reynolds was diagnosed with a deep brain aneurisms.  The only way this aneurisms could be repaired was with the use of “Stand Still Surgery.”  In this technique the body temperature is lowered to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The heart is stopped and all the blood is drained out of the brain. The patient is at this point clinically dead. Because of a fear of inducing a brain seizure, the surgeons wanted to be sure that she had absolutely no brain activity. Consequently, Pam’s brain was thoroughly monitored by EEG, even including her brain stem.   To eliminate any possibility of outside stimulus her ears plugged. She had to be totally brain dead.

After the surgery her doctors were shocked to learn that she experienced a continuous OBE during the surgery because the EEG monitor showed no evidence of brain activity.  Her EEG was completely flat. She went on to inform the doctors of some of their dialogue and was able to describe the surgical procedure.  This included a description of some very unusual surgical instruments and holding cases for the instruments.

Survival of death is central to Christian Faith.  A life with God in Heaven is the ultimate fulfillment of our aspirations and Faith.  This strong evidence for the survival of Soul should be of great interest to us all.

Source:  “Light and Death” Dr. Michael Sobom, 2005.

Matt 5:39 instructs us to turn the other cheek and Matt 5:43 instructs us to love our enemies.  Matt 19:26 also tells us “with God all things are possible.” On May 13, 1981 Ali Agca an Islamic radical shot Pope John Paul II three times in an assassination attempt. After his recovery the Pope visited Ali Agca in his prison cell, forgave, witnessed and prayed for him in a display of obedience to Matt 5:39-43. 

Now just as Matthew told us following God’s instructions in love and forgiveness, what most thought impossible has happened. In a statement that has stunned many, especially in the Islamic world, Ali Agca has announced his conversion to Christianity.  He has also expressed his desire to be baptized and to bear witness. He hopes to some day visit and pray at John Paul II’s grave. 

Source: “The World Over” EWTN TV 5/23/09.

Romans 8:6 tells us that “mind controlled by the Spirit” is a “mind of peace”, as do many other Biblical passages. These Scriptural statements have been verified by numerous scientific investigations. At least 120 different research studies conducted between 1951 and 1996 showed that religious people experience less mental illness and less mental stress than nonreligious people. Religious people also are more adaptable to change.

It has recently become fashionable to claim that Christians are mentally ill. Richard Dawkins has been a leader in this trend. In his book “The God Delusion,” he claimed that Christians are “mentally ill.”  This research clearly refutes Dawkins unsubstantiated assertions.

Source: Theodore Chamberlin and Christopher Hall, “Realized Religion”, 2001 pp 87-88.

Luke 23:45, Mathew 27:45 and Mark 15:33 recounts that “the sun stopped shining” in mid-day at Jesus Crucifixion. Mathew 27:51 also reports that “the Earth shook and the rocks split.” Many have doubted these claims, arguing that such shocking phenomena would have been recorded in sources beside the Bible. As it turns out, record of it did survive in the works of Thallus a First Century, non-Christian, Roman historian in one of his few surviving writing fragments. In his account Thallus also relates that the darkness was not limited to Judea but was seen “all over the world.” Thallus was writing in the middle of the First Century, consequently the people who it was written for would have been alive at the time of the “darkness”, meaning that they themselves would have actually witnessed the event, eliminating the possibility of it being a false report.

Tallus attributed the “darkness” to what he thought was a solar eclipse. However today it is known from Computer Generated Reverse Solar Eclipse Paths that no solar eclipse occurred during the Crucifixion. Therefore the “darkness seen all over the world” does not have a known natural explanation.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus are central to Christian Faith. These verifications of the Biblical account in Tallus are important to Christians and skeptics alike because they provide further support to the reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as historical facts.

Source: F. Jacoby, “Fragments of Greek Historians” pp 1156-1158.