In considering the physical reality of passing a text from one generation to the next there are certain expected norms in order to ascertain the accuracy of later copies to the original. The NT exceeds these in every way. Most importantly is the number of copies available to do textual criticism on. This process compares variation and develops a preferred reading based on various criteria standard to the science. Using these techniques many ancient documents are reconstructed with only a handful of copies. A trusted example of an ancient, reconstructed text is Homer's Iliad, which has one of the largest caches of manuscript evidence, around 600 copies. The NT is astonishingly ahead of every other piece of writing from that era with respect to the volume of its copies. Existing today are more than 5700 Greek (original language) copies of the NT. Another important element to add confidence to the accuracy of the text of the NT is the age of the copies. Complete copies exist within 200 years of its writing and a least one fragment dates to within 25 years. This is incomparable to any other writing of similar age. In addition to the copies there exists lists of the NT writings from less than 100 years after its composition. If the manuscript evidence is not enough to provide confidence, there is extensive record provided by early scholars of the Christian faith. These theologians from the second and third century were citing and commenting on the NT to the degree that the entire text, save eleven verses, can be reassembled. With so many copies in existence any minor variances are easily corrected.
The historical record of the NT is outstandingly confirmed by a variety of sources including the textual realities contained within it. The style and nature of its writing follow a normal pattern of historical recording. All of the NT writers were eye-witnesses or associates of eye-witnesses. The NT often references geographical, political and other independently verifiable information. Many of the assertations of the NT writers appeal to witnesses who were alive and could verify detail during the time of writing and distribution. Also, most of the apostles, who were eye-witnesses to the events of the NT were martyred for their unwillingness to forsake their claims to these facts. Additionally, no part of the NT events were done in secret. All major occurences of the life of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles happened in the public realm. Such as, the feeding of the 5000, the feeding of the 4000, crowds who gathered for the triumphal entry, Jesus' trial, Peter preaching to crowds and 3000 converted in one day etc. Interestingly the NT also records details which if a forgery or exagerated truth would not have been recorded. Some of these are, Jesus' sayings that caused people to turn away, disciples behaviour revealing incompetence and character flaws, and important facts witnessed to by women, who did not have a legal voice or witness. The historical record of the NT is also confirmed by those outside of the text. Josephus, a Jewish historian, who was not a Christian confirms many historical details of the NT and the Christian faith.
Almost no other religious book offers the kind of information that the NT does. It names people and places referencing them to world history, encouraging the examination by various fields of study including archeology. Numerous scholars have set out to verify some details from the NT via archeological discovery and excavation. That being said, no discovery has ever been made which denies the truthfulness of the NT. Some of these experts who expected to reveal the NT to be fanciful myth have found so much real evidence that they have converted to the Christian faith. Over the past few generations, Luke's details, as recorded in the book of Acts, have proven to be flawless and meticulous in citing names and titles of the complex and varying levels of governors in the Roman empire. One such example is the title of the government officer in Thessalonica. This governing position had never been recorded elsewhere and many critics claimed this sort of information should cause us to doubt the reliability of the NT witness. However, in the early 1960s an aging section of modern day Thessoloniki was demolished and an archeological work occurred before new development continued. This excavation uncovered a carved capstone from the entrance to a Hellenistic building which included the very same title of office recored only by Luke, the NT writer. This is the normative reality when archeological investigation encounters Biblical facts.
Now, given the consideration of the historical, archeological and manuscript testing of the NT careful observers find that the NT is beyond reasonable doubt a truthful, historical record. The events, persons and teachings described in the NT can be confidently believed to be accurate beyond 99 percent the original writers words. Certainly this knowledge will present serious consideration of a response that is fitting of the story told and will quite literally change the world.
Although I composed this article much of the preceding data was gleaned from a class at Southern Evangelical Seminary (www.ses.edu) taught by Prof. Doug Beaumont (www.dougbeaumont.org)
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