Is the Bible Reliable?
The question of the Bible’s reliability has been a topic of interest for believers and sceptics alike for centuries. While many people approach the Bible with the assumption that it is the inspired word of God, others seek proof from a historical and textual standpoint. This article aims to explore whether the Bible is credible, considering both the Old and New Testaments through the lens of historical manuscript evidence, the process of determining the canon of Scripture, and the rigorous methods used to preserve the text over time.
Canon of Scripture: How Were the Books Chosen?
The Bible as we know it didn’t simply appear overnight; it is a collection of books that were carefully selected over time through a process known as canonization. The term “canon” refers to the official list of books considered inspired and authoritative by a religious community. For both the Old and New Testaments, strict tests were applied to decide which books should be included in the biblical canon.
The primary question was whether a book was authoritative, meaning that it claimed to be inspired by God. This was essential because numerous religious writings existed in the ancient world, but not all claimed divine inspiration. The second test was whether a book was prophetic. A prophetic book was not necessarily one that predicted the future but one that conveyed God’s will, often written by an acknowledged man of God.
The book also needed to be authentic. This included verifying the accuracy of the content and confirming the authorship. The fourth criterion was whether the book was dynamic—that is, did it have the transformative power of God’s word? If a book, while technically true, lacked spiritual impact, it might not have been included. Lastly, the book had to be accepted by the community of believers, widely recognized as legitimate by those who were faithful.
The Old Testament canon was largely established before the time of Jesus, with the final formalization occurring around AD 100 at the Council of Jamnia. By this time, the Jewish community had already been using the books of the Old Testament in the form we have them today. Jesus himself acknowledged the division of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44), affirming the Old Testament canon of his time.
The Rigorous Tests Applied to the New Testament
The process of canonization was just as rigorous for the New Testament. The early church applied similar tests to the books of the New Testament. Apostolic authorship was a key factor, as the early church wanted to ensure the teachings came directly from those who had witnessed the life and ministry of Jesus or were closely associated with the apostles. Letters and books that didn’t meet these criteria were not included in the New Testament canon.
Interestingly, even some writings by known apostles or faithful figures were excluded if they didn’t meet the strict standards. For example, Paul likely wrote more letters to the Corinthians than we have in the Bible today. In 1 Corinthians 5:9, he references an earlier letter that has not survived. This shows that while Paul’s letters were revered, not all of them were considered divinely inspired.
Why Don’t We Have Many Old Testament Manuscripts?
One common critique is that we lack a significant number of ancient Old Testament manuscripts. This is true compared to the New Testament, but there’s a historical explanation for this. Jewish scribes followed highly stringent rules for copying biblical texts, and these regulations ensured near-perfect accuracy in the copying process. According to Talmudic law, any worn-out or damaged manuscripts were either stored in a special area of the synagogue or buried, which explains why few early manuscripts have survived.
However, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 provided manuscripts dating as far back as 200 BC. Among these, the complete Isaiah Scroll showed a remarkable consistency with the Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew text of the Old Testament used today. This consistency over 2,000 years underscores the accuracy with which the Hebrew Scriptures have been preserved.
Meticulous Preservation of the Text
The scribes who copied the biblical manuscripts were not just cautious; they were obsessively meticulous. Their rules dictated that even the smallest letter (like the yod in Hebrew) had to be copied with extreme care. No word, letter, or even part of a letter could be written from memory. Each scribe had to look back at the source text after writing every single character.
The scribes counted every verse, word, and letter in each book. They knew, for example, that the middle letter of the book of Exodus was a specific Hebrew letter, and after completing the copying process, they would count the letters to ensure it was in the correct place. If any mistakes were found, the entire scroll was discarded. This extraordinary level of precision ensured that the Hebrew Scriptures were transmitted with incredible accuracy over the centuries.
New Testament Manuscripts: A Wealth of Evidence
While the Old Testament manuscript tradition is impressive, the New Testament is even more remarkable in terms of the volume of manuscripts that have survived. Currently, there are over 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, and more than 9,000 copies in various other languages, such as Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian.
The earliest fragments of the New Testament, such as the Rylands Papyrus, date to around AD 130, only a few decades after the original texts were written. Compared to other ancient documents, the New Testament is unique in how closely these manuscripts date to the time of their composition. For example, the earliest copy of Herodotus’ Histories comes from 1,300 years after the original, while the New Testament has manuscripts dating within 30 years of its original composition.
Moreover, the number of manuscripts available allows scholars to cross-check them for variations. This helps ensure that the text we read today is as close as possible to the original writings. The sheer volume of New Testament manuscripts also surpasses that of any other ancient text. For comparison, we have only eight copies of Herodotus’ works and fewer than 50 copies of Aristotle’s Poetics.
The Role of the Early Church Fathers
Even if we were to lose all New Testament manuscripts, it would still be possible to reconstruct almost the entire New Testament from the writings of the early church fathers. These early Christian leaders quoted the New Testament extensively in their own writings, sometimes citing entire chapters. For instance, the church father Irenaeus quoted the New Testament over 1,800 times.
Conclusion: A Reliable and Trustworthy Text
When we consider the reliability of the Bible, the evidence is overwhelmingly in its favour. From the rigorous process of determining the canon to the careful preservation of manuscripts, both the Old and New Testaments have been transmitted with exceptional accuracy. The wealth of manuscript evidence for the New Testament, in particular, far exceeds that of any other ancient text, making it one of the best-attested documents from antiquity.
For believers, this evidence only strengthens the conviction that God has indeed preserved His word through the centuries. For sceptics, the forensic evidence offers compelling reasons to trust that the Bible we have today is a faithful representation of the original texts, whether one approaches it from a faith perspective or simply as a historical document. The Bible, both inspired and reliably preserved, continues to stand as a remarkable testament to human history and divine revelation.