Can We Trust the Gospels?

Last night our apologetics group met and went over the attached outline regarding the trustworthiness of the gospels. Since this is just an outline, feel free to contact me if you'd like clarification in any area.


Can We Trust the Gospels?

A. Standards to judge old documents: how do the Gospels match up?

1. How close to original – gospels only a few years after events

2. How many copies – over 5,000

B. Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, John really write the Gospels?

1. External evidence -- by 100-200 A.D. all four were identified [Irenaeus]
2. Internal evidence -- if fake, why name two after inconsequential people?

C. When were they written?

1. External evidence -- we have papyrus manuscripts 100-200 A.D.
2. Internal evidence -- fall of Jerusalem/destruction of Temple 70 A.D.,
Luke/Acts/Paul timeline

[key—these are closest to time of Jesus, unlike other “gospels”]

D. What sources did the Gospel writers use?

1. Luke 1:1-2
2. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

E. Is oral tradition reliable?

1. Gossip/telephone game [terrible analogy]

Oral tradition important then—memorizing a lot

2. Jesus spoke in ways that made it easy to remember
3. Strong motivation to remember
4. Not made up later by church -- Jesus doesn't say much about church issues
5. Jesus spoke in public, not secretly (like telephone game)

F. Why don’t the Gospels look as accurate as modern historical writings??

1. Not interested in the exact wording -- Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11 slide
2. Events are not in the same order -- temptation of Jesus

G. Why do we have four Gospels?

1. Matthew, Mark, Luke--synoptic
1. Good for various viewpoints – Matthew/Jews, Luke/Gentiles;

[compare to portrait painting—not photograph]

H. Does anything outside the Gospels validate the story of Jesus?

1. Romans –Pliny, Suetonius, Tacitus
2. Jewish sources –Talmud [rabbinical writings], Josephus
3. The Pilate inscription
4. The Dead Sea Scrolls
5. Various references to places unknown after the destruction of Jerusalem

I. Did the Gospels get put together by the church later in a power grab?

1. No -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John all show Jesus very human
2. No -- the four Gospels show the disciples in a bad light
3. No -- by late 100s A.D. a list of accepted texts existed w/four Gospels
4. Standards for inclusion -- old, wide-spread usage, connected to apostle

J. Key question--are the Gospels unreliable since they include miracles?

1. No problem if there is a God
2. The Resurrection of Jesus—are there reasons to believe it?
a. his death [swoon? Crucifixion, spear in side—p. 203 Strobel]

b. the empty tomb [no other burial story; theft? Jews said empty]

c. appearances after death/ burial [1 Cor. 15:8; hallucin.?]

d. change in the lives of the disciples [willing to die]

e. conversion of skeptics [James, Paul]

f. changes in Jewish beliefs/practices
[anim. sacrif.,laws, Sabbath, monotheism, Messiah polit. leader]

g. new religious practices [communion, baptism]

L. For further information

1.Books—
The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)
Can We Trust the Gospels? (Mark D. Roberts)—basis for this presentation
Jesus Under Fire (J.P. Moreland, editor)

2. Web sites
answers.org [many articles in all areas of the Christian faith]
str.org [Greg Koukl’s site with a lot of resources on many topics]
evidenceofgod.com