If you want to trust the Bible, four tests guarantee its reliability. Historians evaluate the trustworthiness of all ancient manuscripts with specific criteria. If you wonder if you can trust the Bible, these four tests are your answer. The first three look at the manuscripts. They are the bibliographical, internal, and external tests. A fourth test proves the reliability of the authors. The bibliographical test reveals many more manuscripts, with copies written closer to their originals than any other ancient text. The New Testament’s transmission accuracy virtually guarantees we have the original text.
The internal test refutes claims of “errors” and contradictions. The external test proves the New Testament’s reliability through archeology and contemporary non-Christian writings. Lastly, the New Testament authors’ credibility is beyond reproach.
The Bible is the most well-attested ancient document and that changes everything. But what are you going to do with that information?
Stay to the end for a simple next step: read John or Luke for 10 minutes a day and let God speak.
What you’ll learn
- How historians test ancient documents (4 key tests)
- Why the New Testament outperforms other ancient works
- Variants vs. “contradictions” (what the numbers really mean)
- Archaeology & non-Christian sources that corroborate details
- Why eyewitness authorship and early dating matter for trust
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0:00 - INTRO
1:22 - OVERVIEW: 4 TESTS FOR RELIABILITY
1:59 - BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST: MANUSCRIPT COUNT
2:42 - BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST: TIME GAP TO EARLIEST COPIES
3:17 - BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST: TRANSMISSION ACCURACY
3:51 - INTERNAL TEST: VARIANTS VS. CONTRADICTIONS
4:40 - EXTERNAL TEST: ARCHEOLOGY VS. NON-CHRTISTIAN SOURCES
5:13 - EYEWITESS/AUTHOR TEST: CREDIBILITY & MARTYRDOM
5:50 - BOTTOM LINE AND YOUR NEXT STEP
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