The Truthfulness of the Eyewitness Accounts as Presented in the Bible


By W. R. Miller


In Chinese


 


A religion that claims to be true must be based upon truth.  Christianity not only claims to be true, it claims to be based upon actual historical events.  For Christianity to be true, it must be based upon actual historical events.


These events are chronicled in the Bible, a collection of over 60 documents spanning over 1,500 years, written by over 40 authors including shepherds and kings, fishermen and doctors, soldiers and lawyers.  They all testified of their experiences with the supreme Creator of the universe, and how, even today, one can have a relationship with the Creator.


For those willing to investigate their testimonies, the following questions arise:  Did the Prophets and the Apostles report their experiences accurately, or were they mistaken, or did they want to mislead their readers?  How can we accept their testimony as true?  Why should we trust them?


Skeptics contend, “You can’t quote the Bible to prove the Bible.  That’s circular reasoning!”

Which is like saying, “You can’t quote an encyclopedia to prove an encyclopedia.  That’s circular reasoning!”


Webster’s College Dictionary
defines “encyclopedia” as “n. a book or set of books containing articles on various topics, usually in alphabetical arrangement, covering all branches of knowledge or all aspects of one subject.”  Encyclopedias contain articles written by multiple authors, purporting information that can be verified.


Webster’s College Dictionary
defines “Bible” as “n. 1. The collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments.”


That’s right.  Just like an encyclopedia, the Bible is a set of books, of accounts written by multiple authors, purporting information that could be verified.  How so?  That is what this essay will demonstrate.


The books of the Bible were written by over 40 independent sources, which could be verified, or disqualified, by contemporaries with the means, motive, and opportunity to do so.   When we study the books of the Bible, we should apply the same standards as we would any historical document.

“All Christianity asks of men on this subject, is that they would be consistent with themselves; that they would treat the evidence of other things; and that they would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals,” writes Simon Greenleaf, one of the founders of Harvard Law School.  “Let the witnesses be compared with themselves, with each other, and with surrounding facts and circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if were given in a court of justice, on the side of the adverse party, the witness being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination.” [1]


The writers of the Biblical accounts invited critical analysis, as revealed in 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; and Revelation 2:2.  They wanted people to believe their testimony was true.  It was imperative they provided accurate, objective and truthful information, because lives were at stake.  Not just their lives, but the lives of those who received their message.


This essay isn’t a philosophical discussion.  This is an examination of the historical record and whether or not it’s valid.  Keep in mind that, while the evangelists professed the truth, they also reported historical facts.  So while the Bible addresses philosophical issues, it also reports facts which, by definition, are synonymous with truth.


Webster’s College Dictionary
:

True: “adj. 1. Being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact: a true story. 2. Real; genuine; authentic: true gold. 3. Sincere: not deceitful: a true interest in others. 4. Loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend. 5. Being or reflecting the essential or genuine character: the true meaning of his statement. 6. Conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, etc.: a true copy. 7. Exact; precise; accurate, correct: a true balance. 8. Such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order. 9. Properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship. 10. Legitimate or rightful: the true heir. 11. Reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign. 12. Exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface or instrument. 13. Honest; honorable; upright. 14. Conforming to the type, structural standards, or norm of a particular group: The lion is a true cat.

Truth: “n. 1. The true or actual state of a matter: to tell the truth. 2. Conformity with fact or reality;  verity: to check the truth of a statement. 3. A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths. 4. The state or character of being true. 5. Actuality or actual existence. 6. An obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude. 7. Honesty; integrity; truthfulness. 8. (often cap.) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience. 9. Agreement with a standard or original. 10. Accuracy, as of position or adjustment.”

 

Fact: “n. 1. Something that actually exists; reality; truth: Your fears have no basis in fact. 2. Something known to exist or to have happened. 3. A truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true: scientific facts about plant growth. 4. Something said to be true or supposed to have happened. 5. An actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect or consequence.”  (Bold emphasis mine.)


This essay assumes the Scriptures we have are reliable copies of the originals.  For those who wish to explore why the copies we have are reliable, check out the articles at the following links:

Are the Biblical Documents Reliable? by Jimmy Williams

http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/bib-docu.html

 

The Historical Reliability of the New Testament Text--Part One

http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/editors-choice/EC0802W2.htm

 

The Historical Reliability of the New Testament Text--Part Two

http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/editors-choice/EC0902W2.htm

 

The Historical Reliability of the New Testament Text--Part Three

http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/editors-choice/EC1002W2.htm

 

The Historical Reliability of the New Testament Text--Part Four

http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/editors-choice/EC1102W2.htm

 

Textual Trysts: The Textual Reliability of the New Testament

http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nttextcrit.html

Professor Greenleaf states,  “In examining the evidence of the Christian religion, it is essential to the discovery of truth that we bring to the investigation a mind freed, as far as  possible, from existing prejudice, and open to conviction.  There should be a readiness, on our part, to investigate with candor to follow the truth wherever it may lead us, and to submit, without reserve or objection, to all the teachings of this religion, if it be found to be of divine origin.” [2]

So, what proof is there that the writers of the Bible were trustworthy, and what they reported is accurate and true?  Following the outline, each heading will be demonstrated by a list of Scriptures.  In this manner we let the eyewitnesses of the events speak for themselves.

Outline

 

Introduction: The Prophets and the Apostles.

 

I. The Moral Imperative.

A. The prophets and the apostles knew the law regarding false witness.

B. The prophets and the apostles knew the consequences for disobeying the law.

C. The prophets and the apostles knew the rewards for obeying the law.

D. The prophets and the apostles knew God Himself was a witness to their actions.

E. The prophets and the apostles appealed to reason.

F. The prophets and the apostles appealed to the truth.

G. The prophets and the apostles appealed to the truthfulness of their testimony as eyewitness accounts.

H. The prophets and the apostles risked their lives proclaiming the truth.

 

II. Divine Confirmation.

            A.  God ordained the authority of the prophets and the apostles.

            B.  Jesus confirmed authority to the prophets and the apostles.

            C.  The Holy Spirit confirmed authority to the prophets and the apostles.

 

III. Confirmation by Miracles.

A. The truthfulness of the prophets and the apostles were confirmed by supernatural miracles.

B. The prophets and apostles warned of counterfeits, and encouraged testing.

 

IV. Legal Confirmation.

A.  The testimony of the prophets and the apostles was confirmed by other prophets and apostles.

B.  Prophets confirmed Mosaic authorship of the Law.

C.  Apostles confirmed Law and the Prophets.

D.  The Rulers of the People and the Synagogue confirmed the Law and the Prophets.

E.  The People confirmed the Law and the Prophets.

F.  Jesus confirmed the Law and the Prophets.

1.  Jesus believed all the Hebrew Scriptures to be authoritative.

2.  Jesus denounced those who were unfamiliar with the Hebrew Scriptures.

3.  Jesus believed the Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

4.  Jesus believed the Hebrew Scriptures were prophetic.

5.  Jesus referred to the Hebrew Scriptures as the Word of God.

6.  Jesus quoted from each of the divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures.

a.  The Law.

b.  The Prophets.

c.  The Writings.

7.  Jesus acknowledged the Passover seder, and the covenant God made with Israel.

G.  Jude confirmed 2 Peter as authoritative.

H.  Peter denounced false prophets and equated Paul’s epistles with Scripture.

I.   Paul confirmed Luke’s testimony as Scripture.

J.     Paul acknowledged Luke as an Eyewitness.

K.  Paul acknowledged other apostles and prophets.

L.     Paul acknowledged as an apostle.

            1.  Acknowledgement by the other apostles.

            2.  Acknowledgement by God in the use of miracles.

M.  As an Apostle, Paul had authority.

N.   Paul claimed all Scripture is God-breathed.

O.   The prophets and the apostles regarded Scripture as the Word of God.

P. What God says, the Bible says.  What the Bible says, God says.

 

V.  Historical Confirmation.

A.  Prophets confirmed specific historical events and persons in the Hebrew Scriptures.

1.  The Creation of Man.

2.  Eden.

3.  Adam’s sin acknowledged.

4.  Noah.

5.  God grants the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham.

6.  Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7.  The sin and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

8.  Jacob wrestles with God.

9.  Hosea refers to Jacob and Rachel and Moses.

10.  Jacob buys land for 100 pieces of silver.

11.  The bones of Joseph.

12.  Dividing the Red Sea.

13.  Daniel refers to Moses.

14.  Micah refers to Moses, Aaron, Miriam.

15.  Micah refers to Balaam, Balak.

16.  Observance of the Passover.

17.  Mosaic legislation on carrying the Ark of the Covenant with poles.

18.  Independent references to manna.

19.  Samuel recalls the Amakite treachery.

20.  Amos refers to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness and the Amorites.

21.  The Bronze Serpent.

22.  Jephthah, a Hebrew judge, recalls the Exodus and the conflict of Ammon.

23.  Rahab the harlot.

24.  Joshua refers to the Torah / Pentateuch.

25.  Nehemiah quotes from Deuteronomy.

26.  Israel’s faithfulness to the Lord in the days of Joshua.

27.  Fulfillment of 1 Kings 13:31.

28.  Jeroboam’s Golden Calves.

29.  Elijah is acknowledged.

30.  Prophecy of the Exile from the books of Moses.

31.  Jonah the Prophet.

32.  Historical records from Adam to David acknowledged.

33.  The genealogy of Ruth acknowledged.

34.  God’s judgment upon Moab.

35.  Independent references to the Canaanite god Baal.

36.  Daniel refers to Jeremiah the Prophet.

37.  Daniel endorses Scripture.

38.  Ezekiel refers to Noah, Daniel and Job.

39.  The prophecy of Micah.

B.  Jesus confirmed specific historical events and persons in the Hebrew Scriptures.

1.  The creation of Adam and Eve.

2.  Jesus acknowledged the concept of marriage.

3.  Noah and the Genesis Flood.

4.  The Patriarchs.

5.  Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

6.  Moses and the burning bush.

7.  David eating the showbread.

8.  The Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon.

9.  The Exodus.

10.  Tyre and Sidon.

11.  Elijah, Elisha, the widow of Sidon.

12.  Jonah the Prophet, The great fish, Nineveh.

13.  The murders of Abel and Zechariah.

14.  Daniel the Prophet.

15.  Jesus accepted prophecy from the Hebrew Scriptures.

C.  Matthew confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

D.  Luke confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

E.  John confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

F.  Stephen confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

G.  Peter confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

H.  Paul confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

I.  The writer of Hebrews confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

J.  James confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

K.  Jude confirmed historical events and people from the Hebrew Scriptures.

L.  Jesus, Matthew, Mark,  Luke, Peter, James, John confirmed afterlife appearances of Moses and Elijah.

M.  Paul confirmed the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

1.  Paul confirmed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2.  Paul confirmed the Lord’s Supper.

3.  Paul referred to Jesus’ prohibition of divorce and remarriage.

4.  Paul proclaimed the resurrected Jesus Christ.

5.  Paul acknowledged the power of Jesus Christ.

6.  Paul confirmed Jesus’ prophecy regarding His return.

7.  Paul acknowledged the gospel of Jesus Christ.

8.  Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

9.  Paul preached the same doctrine of salvation as Jesus and the other Apostles.

a.  Jesus.

b.  Other Apostles.

c.  Paul.

d.  Results.

10.  Paul urged his readers to follow the example of Christ.

a.  Paul affirmed the beatitudes.

b.  Service to others.

c.  Other examples.

 

VI.  Prophetic Confirmation.

A.  The Jewish Authorities, and the people, anticipated the Messiah from prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.

B.  Jesus confirmed prophecies concerning Himself.

C.  Matthew confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

D.  Mark confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

E.  Luke confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

F.  John confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

G.  Philip confirmed prophecies about Jesus.

H.  Apollos confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

I.   Paul confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

J.  Paul confirmed prophecies of the Holy Spirit.

K. Writer of Hebrews confirmed prophecies of Jesus.

L.  Peter confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

M.  James confirmed prophecies concerning Jesus.

N.  Other eyewitness accounts concerning Jesus and prophecy.

 

VII.  Confirmation by Nonbelievers and Hostile Eyewitnesses.

A.  Satan cited Scripture as authoritative.

B.  Many people witnessed the miracles and acts of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the prophets and apostles.

1.  The population of the children of Israel during the Exodus.

2.  Miraculous feeding of over 100 people.

3.  Miraculous feeding of over 5,000 people, plus healings.

4.  Followed by the miraculous feeding of over 4000 people, plus healings.

5.  Regional healings involving great multitudes.

6.  Jesus exorcises a man with an unclean demon, spreading fame.

7.  A great multitude witnesses the healing of the epileptic.

8.  Acknowledgement of Lazarus’ resurrection; a great multitude praises Jesus when He enters Jerusalem.

9.  Approximately 120 disciples, post-Resurrection.

10.  Approximately 3000 people become Christians, post-Resurrection.

11.  Over 5000 people become Christians, post-Resurrection.

12.  The ministry of Paul and Barnabas adds multitudes of believers.

13.  Over 500 witnesses to the resurrected Christ.

C.  The truthfulness of the testimony of the prophets and the apostles were confirmed by adversaries with the means, motive, and opportunity to refute them.

1.   Pharoah Siamon (Unnamed in 1 Kings) and Queen Tahpenes. Contemporary of King Solomon.

2.   Pharoah Shesonk I/Shishak.  Contemporary of King Rehoboam.

3.  Pharoah Shabaka (Unnamed in 2 Kings).  Contemporary of King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah and the prophet Isaiah.

4.  Tirhakah, King of EthiopiaContemporary of King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah.

5.  Pharoah So.  Contemporary of Ahaz king of Judah and Hoshea, son of Elah and king of Israel in Samaria.

6.  Pharoah Necho II.  Contemporary of Josiah, king of Judah, Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and the prophet Jeremiah.

7.  Pharoah Apries/Hophra.  Contemporary of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and the prophet Jeremiah.

8.  Naaman, Syrian commander.

9.  Nebuchadnezzar, King of Neo-Babylonian Empire (605 – 562 B.C.)  Contemporary of King Zedekiah, Pharaoh Necho, Jehoiachin, and the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel.

10. Herod Antipas the tetrarch, ruler of Galilee and Perea.  (4 B.C. – A.D. 39)

11.  The Jewish Authorities.

12.  Nicodemus.

13.  Annas, the High Priest.

14.  Gamaliel I.

15.  Caiaphas, the High Priest.

16.  Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea.

17.  Saul/Paul of Tarsus.

18.  Proconsul Sergius Paulus.

19.  Porcius Festus.

20.  King Herod Agrippa II.

 

VIII. Confirmation of Objective Testimony.

A.  The prophets and the apostles included testimony that indicated their own sinfulness and skepticism.

1.  Adam.

2.  Abram.

3.    Moses.

4.    Samson.

5.    David, King of Israel.

6.    Solomon, King of Israel.

7.    Disobedient prophets.

8.   Elisha, the prophet.

9.    Jeremiah, the prophet.

10.   John the baptizer.

11.   The disciples of Jesus Christ.

a.   The disciples testify of their own lack of knowledge and understanding.

b.   Fear, lack of faith.

c.   Lack of faith.

d.   Pettiness.

e.    Judgmental.

f.    Fallible.

g.   Weak.

h.  Disloyal.

(I.  Judas betrayed Jesus Christ.

(II.  The disciples abandoned Jesus Christ.

(III.  Peter denied Jesus Christ.

i.   The disciples were skeptical of Christ’s resurrection.

B.  The prophets and the apostles testified of those who disbelieved in spite of the miracles.

C.  The prophets and the apostles testified of those who disbelieved in spite of the message.

 

Conclusion:  Therefore, the testimony of the prophets and the apostles is true.

 

Appendix 1

Acceptable in a Court of Law: The Eyewitness Testimony of the Evangelists

Appendix 2

            A. Are the testimonies biased evidence?

            B. Were the Scriptures deliberately altered to fit prophecies?

Appendix 3

Objections to Truth

            A.  Was there intent to deceive?

            B.  Was the Gospel incomplete or not fully revealed?

Appendix 4

Affirmation of the Apostles

            A.  Jesus gave them understanding in matters of doctrine and fulfillment of prophecy.

            B.    The Holy Spirit gave them understanding in matters of doctrine and prophecy.


Conclusion:

Therefore, the testimony of the prophets and the apostles is true.

The Bible is a reliable and trustworthy account of historical events, of God’s interaction with mankind, of mankind’s depravity apart from God, and how God’s love can reconcile the individual through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Because we can trust The Bible, we can trust what The Bible says about God.  Through its collective accounts, The Bible declares itself to be the Word of God.  As the Word of God, it is authoritative.

Because we can trust The Bible, we can trust what The Bible says about Jesus Christ.  From the testimony of the eyewitnesses, Jesus Christ declared Himself to be the Son of God.  As the Son of God, He is authoritative.

Because we can trust The Bible, we can trust what The Bible says about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  From the testimony of the eyewitnesses, Jesus conquered death and proved he was the Son of God.  As the Son of God, we can trust Him.

Because we can trust Jesus Christ, we can trust the gift of salvation the Jesus offers.

For whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16.)

You can trust Jesus Christ, and you can trust that He loves you very much.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  (John 15:13.)

Romans 5:6-8

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

All Have Sinned

Romans 3:9-26

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10As it is written:
        “There is none righteous, no, not one;
        11There is none who understands;
        There is none who seeks after God.
        12They have all turned aside;
        They have together become unprofitable;
        There is none who does good, no, not one.” [Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20]
        13”Their throat is an open tomb;
        With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; [Psalm 5:9]
        “The poison of asps is under their lips”; [Psalm 5:9]
        14”Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” [Psalm 10:7]
        15”Their feet are swift to shed blood;
        16Destruction and misery are in their ways;
        17And the way of peace they have not known.” [Isaiah 59:7, 8]
        18”There is no fear of God before their eyes.” [Psalm 36:1]

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all [NU-Text omits and on all] who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

 

Romans 5:1-21

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have [Another ancient reading is, let us have peace] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Cf. Genesis 3:1-19.

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

 

Appendix 1

Acceptable in a Court of Law: The Eyewitness Testimony of the Evangelists


Are the New Testament documents acceptable as evidence in a modern court of law?  This was a question examined by Simon Greenleaf  (1783-1853), one of the greatest authorities on common-law evidence in Western history.


Greenleaf  authored the three-volume text, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence (1842), which, according to Dr. Wilbur Smith “is still considered the greatest single authority on evidence in the entire literature on legal procedure.” (In Wilbur M. Smith, Therefore Stand: Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1972), p. 423)

 

The London Law Journal wrote of Greenleaf in 1874, “It is no mean honor to America that her schools of jurisprudence have produced two of the finest writers and best esteemed legal authorities in this century-the great and good man, Judge Story, and his eminent and worthy associate Professor Greenleaf. Upon the existing law of evidence (by Greenleaf) more light has shown from the New World than from all the lawyers who adorn the courts of Europe.” (Irwin H. Linton, A Lawyer Examines the Bible: A Defense of the Christian Faith (San Diego: Creation Life Publishers, 1977), p. 36.)

 

Further, “Dr. Simon Greenleaf was one of the greatest legal minds we have had in this country. He was the famous Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, and succeeded Justice Joseph Story as the Dane Professor of Law in the same university. H. W. H. Knott in the Dictionary of American Biography says of him: “To the efforts of Story and Greenleaf is ascribed the rise of the Harvard Law School to its eminent position among the legal schools of the United States.”

 

Greenleaf wrote The Testimony of the Evangelists Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, a volume in which he examined the legal value of the apostles’ testimony to the resurrection of Christ. He observed that it was impossible that the apostles “could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact.”

 

Greenleaf concluded that the resurrection of Christ was one of the best supported events in history, according to the laws of legal evidence administered in courts of justice.

 

His treatise is available online – though without the footnotes – at http://www.bibleteacher.org/sgtestimony.htm, http://www.myfortress.org/simongreenleaf.html, or http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/jesus/greenleaf.html


The Testimony of the Evangelists Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice
was recently published in its entirety by Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995.  The volume also included “An Account of the Trial of Jesus,” by Greenleaf; “The Jewish Account of the Trial of Jesus,” by Joseph Salvador, a skeptic; “The Trial of Jesus Before Caiaphas and Pilate,” a refutation of the previous essay by M. Dupin; and “The Various Versions of the Bible” by Constantine Tischendorf.


What do other legal authorities think of the Resurrection? Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon discovered the following:

Lord Darling, a former Lord Chief Justice in England, asserts: “We as Christians are asked to take a very great deal on trust; the teachings, for example, and the miracles of Jesus. If we had to take all on trust, I for one should be skeptical. The crux of the problem of whether Jesus was or was not what he proclaimed himself to be must surely depend upon the truth or otherwise of the resurrection. On that greatest point we are not merely asked to have faith. In its favor as a living truth there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true. (In Michael Green, Man Alive! (Chicago, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 1969), p. 54.)

 

John Singleton Copley (Lord Lyndhurst, 1772-1863) is recognized as one of the greatest legal minds in British history. He was Solicitor General of the British government, Attorney General of Great Britain, three times the High Chancellor of England and elected High Steward of the University of Cambridge. He challenges, “I know pretty well what evidence is; and I tell you, such evidence as that for the Resurrection has never broken down yet.” (In Wilbur M. Smith, Therefore Stand: Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1972), p. 425, cf., p. 584.)

 

Hugo Grotius was a noted “jurist and scholar whose works are of fundamental importance in international law,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. He wrote Latin elegies at the age of eight and entered Leiden University at eleven. (q.v., “Hugo Grotius,” Encyclopedia Britannica Micropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 753 and references.)  Considered “the father of international law,” he wrote The Truth of the Christian Religion (1627) in which he legally defended the historical fact of the Resurrection.


J. N. D. Anderson, in the words of Armand Nicholi of the Harvard Medical School (Christianity Today, March 29, 1968), is a scholar of international repute, eminently qualified to deal with the subject of evidence. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on Muslim law, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of London, Chairman of the Department of Oriental Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London.7 (In Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, rev. ed. 1979), pp. 201-202) In Anderson’s text, Christianity: The Witness of History, he supplies the standard evidences for the Resurrection and asks, “How, then, can the fact of the resurrection be denied?”8 . (J. N. D. Anderson, Christianity: The Witness of History, (London: Tyndale Press, 1970), p. 90.)

Anderson further emphasizes, “Lastly, it can be asserted with confidence that men and women disbelieve the Easter story not because of the evidence but in spite of it.” (J. N. D. Anderson, Christianity: The Witness of History, (London: Tyndale Press, 1970), p. 105.)


Sir Edward Clark, K.C., observes: “As a lawyer, I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the events of the first Easter day. To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. Inference follows on evidence, and a truthful witness is always artless and disdains effect. The gospel evidence for the resurrection is of this class, and as a lawyer I accept it unreservedly as a testimony of truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate.” (In John Stott, Basic Christianity (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1969), p. 47.)

 

Irwin H. Linton was a Washington, D.C. lawyer who argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In A Lawyer

Examines the Bible, he challenges his fellow lawyers “by every acid test known to the law…to examine the case for the Bible just as they would any important matter submitted to their professional attention by a client….” (Irwin H. Linton, A Lawyer Examines the Bible: A Defense of the Christian Faith (San Diego: Creation Life Publishers, 1977), pp. 13, 196.)

 

He believes that the evidence for Christianity is “overwhelming” and that at least “three independent and converging lines of proof,” each of which “is conclusive in itself,” establish the truth of the Christian faith. (ibid., p. 192.)

 

Linton observed that “the logical, historical…proofs of…Christianity are so indisputable that I have found them to arrest the surprised attention of just about every man to whom I have presented them….” (ibid., p. 120.)  He further argues the Resurrection “is not only so established that the greatest lawyers have declared it to be the best proved fact of all history, but it is so supported that it is difficult to conceive of any method or line of proof that it lacks which would make [it] more certain.” (ibid., p. 50.)

 

And that, even among lawyers, “he who does not accept wholeheartedly the evangelical, conservative belief in

Christ and the Scriptures has never read, has forgotten, or never been able to weigh--and certainly is utterly

unable to refute--the irresistible force of the cumulative evidence upon which such faith rests….” (ibid., p.

45, cf., pp. 16-17.)

 

He concluded the claims of Christian faith are so well established by such a variety of independent and converging proofs that “it has been said again and again by great lawyers that they cannot but be regarded as proved under the strictest rules of evidence used in the highest American and English courts.” (ibid., p. 16.)

 

From “The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Part 2:  Could the Evidence Stand Cross-Examination in a Modern Court of Law?” by Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon, available online at:

http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/apologetics/AP0302W3.htm

 

See also

 

Chuck D. “Holy Hearsay! A Pushback to Skeptics Who Use the ‘Hearsay’ Argument”

http://www.tektonics.org/gk/hearsay.html

 

Glenn Miller.  “Question...How does the memory research of Elizabeth Loftus on eyewitness testimony affect the credibility of NT documents?”

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/loftus.html

 

The Historical Resurrection of Jesus Christ,

http://hometown.aol.com/Summersmr/Resurrection.html

 

Donald L Hudgel.  “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:  Is it a Fact?”

http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/resurct1.html

 

 

Appendix 2

 

A.  Are the testimonies biased evidence?

 

Glenn Miller.  “New Testament Bias,”

http://www.Christian-thinktank.com/nuhbias.html

 

Glenn Miller.  “On Alleged ‘Creativity’ in the Early Church,”

http://www.Christian-thinktank.com/stil21.html

 

Glenn Miller.  “Did the NT Writers Just “Rip Off” OT Stories?”

http://www.Christian-thinktank.com/qotripoff.html

 

Glenn Miller.  “Did the Christians just OUTLIVE those who ‘knew better and were silent’?”

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/qconspr.html

 

 

B.  Were the Scriptures deliberately altered to fit prophecies?

 

Glenn Miller.  Micah 5.2: The Bethlehem Issue

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/fabprof3.html

 

Glenn Miller.  Does Micah 5 speak about the birth-place of the Messiah, or only His birth-family? http://www.christian-thinktank.com/micah5.html

 

The Bethlehem Prediction of Micah 5

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q1208/point1.html

 

Bethlehem - Messiah’s birthplace

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/bethlehem.htm

 

Was Matthew wrong when he thought that Micah meant the town of Bethlehem, rather than the person  named Bethlehem?

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/q35.htm

 

The Messiah Pages: Everything you wanted to know about the Messiah but felt too embarrassed to ask.

http://www.shalom.org.uk/Messiah/Messiah_pages.htm

 

“Did the Messianic Jewish Believers use the OT deceitfully or ignorantly in the New Testament?”

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/baduseot.html

 

“Tis the Season to be Grouchy,”

http://www.tektonics.org/qt/singert01.html

 

 

Appendix 3:  Objections to Truth


A.  Was there intent to deceive?

Skeptics point to the following verses in an attempt to indicate the Apostle Paul’s lack of integrity.  The questions then arise:  Why would he knowingly violate the law (The Ninth Commandment), knowing the punishment for disobedience, and the judgement of God and his fellow apostles?  The answer, of course, is that when presenting the gospel message, Paul told the truth.


Responses by J. P. Holding follow each verse cited in contention:


1.   
1 Corinthians 9:20-22

20and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, [NU-Text adds though not being myself under the law] that I might win those who are under the law; 21to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, [NU-Text reads God's law] but under law toward Christ [NU-Text reads Christ's law]), that I might win those who are without law; 22to the weak I became as [NU-Text omits as] weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.


J. P. Holding:   “Is Paul being a chameleon and a charlatan? No more so than the teacher who learns the dialect of a student in order to be more effective teachers to them. Is it being a “chameleon” and being “opportunistic” to absorb local customs and behaviors for the sake of viable communication? Not at all. This was especially so in the ancient world. As Malina and Neyrey note in Portraits of Paul, it was natural and expected for persons to submit themselves to and for the good of the group by meeting their expectations for behavior . The “chameleon” insult is a product of anachronism by a  Western mindset and in no way reflects any idea that Paul would lie or make up stories.

2.    Romans 3:7

7For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?


J. P. Holding:   “Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?”“ This is a verse I have seen skeptics quote time and time again and argue as Smith has, that it means that “Paul’s  contempt for reason is further illustrated by his willingness to deceive if it will hasten the spread of Christianity.” Okay, Skeptics, I give up. How do you folks get this out of this verse? Paul is in the middle of an extended “diatribe” with an imagined opponent, and is here presenting an argument he supposes might be made in light of his previous ones. I don’t see any contempt for reason, or  willingness to deceive. One of you fellows out there want to provide a detailed exegesis, please? (No takers yet, and it’s been years.)”

3.    Philippians 1:18

18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.


J. P. Holding:  “A Jewish anti-missionary site saw some alleged significance here thinking that they could prove Paul a liar, but the word “pretence” here is prophasis, which means an outward showing. It does not reflect lies in content, but lies in motive, and that is what Paul accuses opponents of his of doing, not himself--just as you may get a true Gospel  message unwittingly from a charlatan. Is eternal life not more of a concern than the bad habits of the preacher?”

4.  Jeremiah 8:8

8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.


J. P. Holding:  “This verse is often abused by Muslims (and others) to suggest that the OT text was tampered with. See answers off-site here, here, and here.”

5.  Jeremiah 14:14

14And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.


W. R. Miller:  How do we know when a prophet is telling a lie?  When the lie is exposed by other prophets or apostles, or by the Scriptures, or by God Himself.  See
I. The Moral Imperative, II. Divine Confirmation, III. Confirmation by Miracles,  and IV. Legal Confirmation.


6.  Jeremiah  23:31

31”Behold, I am against the prophets,” says the LORD, “who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’

and


7.  Jeremiah 23:36

36And the oracle of the LORD you shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.


W. R. Miller:  Here the Lord is speaking of false prophets, as one can see from reading the whole of Jeremiah 23, in the context of the entire chapter: http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=JER+23&language=english&version=NKJV&showfn=on&showxref=on


Did the prophets and the apostles distort the Hebrew Scriptures to create a semblance of fulfillment?  Did they wantonly violate the Ninth Commandment?  The following online essays address the specific charges:

“The New Testament twists and mistranslates the Hebrew Bible.”

Did the Messianic Jewish Believers Use the Old Testament Deceitfully or Ignorantly in the New Testament?

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/baduseot.html

 

Three “Weird” Fulfillments in Matthew

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/fabrach.html

 

The Infancy Events of Matthew 2

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q1208/point4.html

 

“The so-called messianic prophecies are in the past tense; they are not about the future Messiah at all.”

Are the Messianic Prophecies in the Past Tense?

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/answers/qa/HebrewTenses.htm

 

“The genealogies of Jesus show that he can’t be the Messiah”

The Genealogy of the Messiah

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/library/issues/05-06/genealogy.htm

 

The Problem of the Curse on Jeconiah

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/answers/qa/jeconiah.htm

 

Problems in the Genealogies of Jesus

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/fabprof4.html



B.  Was the Gospel incomplete or not fully revealed?


Skeptics point to the following verses that, to them, indicate the Holy Scriptures are incomplete and/or cannot be trusted.  Upon closer examination, the skeptics are looking at these verses out of context.  To wit:


1.  John 16:12

12”I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”


W. R. Miller:  A critic claims this verse indicates “
Jesus states that his message is incomplete,” presumptuously assuming the “many things” is the Gospel.  The critic ignores the fact that, later, Jesus and the Holy Spirit would fully reveal the Gospel to the apostles.  All the critic had to do was continue reading the verses that followed:

John 16:13-15

13However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. [NU-Text and M-Text read He takes of Mine and will declare it to you]


Luke 10:21
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

1 Corinthians 2:10
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Galatians 3:23
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed
.

Ephesians 1:9
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

 

Ephesians 3:1-7

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- 2if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

 

Colossians 1:26
the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

1 Peter 1:12
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us [NU-Text and M-Text read you] they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into.

See also Appendix 4.


2.  Ephesians 6:19

19and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,


W. R. Miller:  A Muslin apologist believes this verse demonstrates “Paul even states the Gospel is unclear and incomplete.”  The gospel is no mystery to Paul, as stated in the verses listed above.  Paul is asking for the saints to pray for him regarding the delivery of the Gospel message, not in the message itself.  Read the surrounding verses in context:

 

Ephesians 6:18-20

18