these extra ordinary documents opt

THESE EXTRA-ORDINARY DOCUMENTS

by W. J. BEASLEY, F.R.G.S.,

and J. A. THOMPSON, B.A., B.Ed., M.Sc, B.D.

The Australian Institute of Archaeology 174 Collins Street,

MELBOURNE.

COPYRIGHT BY THE AUTHORS

Registered at the G.P.O., Sydney, for transmission by post as a book, 1948.

Published by The Australian Institute of Archaeology

174 Collins Street, Melbourne and

239 Elizabeth Street, Sydney Australia.

Wholly set up and printed in Australia by Jno. Evans & Son Printing Co.,

486 - 488 Kent Street, Sydney.

INTRODUCTION

This brochure sets out to provide for the reader, in a readily available form, certain material which will show how remarkably the authenticity and

general intregrity of the Books of the New Testament have been established in recent years.

We will first show how there is a continuous stream of writers bearing testimony to the existence of these writings. These writers overlap in age and there are no gaps between them. We then add a rather long list of quotations from these early writers or "Fa the r s " to show the reader the sort of evidence we have to go on. The list carries us on to about 300 A.D., which is sufficient for the present purpose.

But, it is not only Christian writers who refer to the existence of Christ and of His Church: a number of important secular writers contribute their own evidence. Extracts from such Roman writers and historians as Pliny, Suetonius and Tacitus are given.

. . . An additional fact to be reckoned with is that actual

manuscripts of Gospel portions have been found from as early as 130 A.D. By comparison the Greek and Roman writings show gaps of hundreds of years between the writer and the earliest piece of manuscript we have today.

Reference is made to some of the Early Translations, and the Pedigree of the New Testament is added to show how these writings have been transmitted to us.

Our final section draws the various lines of evidence to a conclusion by noting the united testimony of our Lord, the Disciples and the Early Writers to the Importance and Inspiration of these Scriptures.

CONTENTS

1. The Continuous Overlap of Christian Writers.

2. The Testimony of the Fathers to the Existence and Authority of the Scriptures.

3. The Witness of Roman Writers to the Beginnings of Christianity.

4. The Providential Preservation of the New Testament

Manuscripts.

5. Early Translations of the New Testament.

6. The Pedigree of the New Testament Text.

7. The United Testimony of our Lord, the Disciples and Early Writers to the Inspiration of the Scriptures.

Questions for Discussion.

1. THE CONTINUOUS OVERLAP OP CHRISTIAN WRITERS

IT is sometimes said that, because a number of years elapsed after the death of Jesus Christ before our New Testament documents were written down, the chance

of wrongly reporting His words and work was great, and therefore we have no guarantee that our New Testament rightly records these great facts. This pamphlet shows, by means of a chart, how the writers of the New Testament so far overlapped the life of our Lord, and of one another, as to provide careful checks on mistakes. After their deaths there is a succession of men whose Writings we have today, and whose lives overlap, so that the chance of error is reduced to something negligible. These early writers are called "The Fathers ." They quote freely from the New Testament, so much so that even were our early documents lost, we could rewrite practically the whole New Testament from their writings.

Further, we know that John the Apostle knew the Lord. "We read from early writings that Polycarp was a disciple of John. Later on we read of those Who knew Polycarp. Thus the links which connected later writers with the Apostles were well-known and provided abundant opportunity of checking the stories of the Gospels.

According to a prominent New Testament scholar, Professor A. M. Hunter (Oxford), the approximate dates of the New Testament writings are:

Death of our Lord 30 A.D. Paul's Epistles 50-60 A.D. 1 Peter 67 A.D. Synoptic Gospels 65-85 A.D. Hebrews , 80 A.D. John's Gospel and Epistles . . . . . . 90-100 A.D.

(Professor A. M. Hunter) Note: The Synoptic Gospels are those of Matthew, Mark and

Luke. More conservative scholars would give earlier dates than

these for the Synoptic Gospels and for Hebrews.

6 THESE EXTRA-ORDINARY DOCUMENTS

It will be seen by the above dating that by the end of the First Century A.D., i.e., by the year 100 A.D., all the New Testament books were complete. This is within 70 years of the death of our Lord. Three of the Gospels were written within 40 or 50 years of the death of Christ, with plenty of witnesses to contradict the details, if these chanced to be inaccurate. It is significant that history provides us with no such protests.

Chart showing overlap of Christian Writers.

Two quotations from Bishop Westcott give the position at the end of the Second Century:

"Al l the Fathers at the close of the Second Century (200 A.D.) agree in appealing to the testimony of antiquity as proving the authenticity of the books which they used as Christian Scriptures. And the appeal was made at a time when it was easy to t ry its worth. The links which connected them with the apostolic age were few and known, and, if they had not been continuous, it would have been easy to

THESE EXTRA-ORDINARY DOCUMENTS 7

expose the break. But their appeal was never gainsaid. ' ' (Bishop Westcott)

"From the close of the Second Century, with the single exception of the Apocalypse, the books acknowledged were always received without doubt, until subjective criticism ventured to set aside the evidence of antiquity." (Bishop Westcott) A word at this point about rolls and codices may be

of value. The manuscripts of the New Testament have been preserved chiefly in two forms—the roll and the codex (i.e., the book form with leaves). The papyrus roll or scroll was made by glueing together, side by side, separate strips of papyrus and then winding the long strip round a stick. The length of such a roll was many feet. The roll, however, was relatively inconvenient in use. The reader had to use both hands, unrolling with one hand and rolling up with the other. It was difficult also to find a certain passage quickly. Early in the Second Century, i.e., shortly after 100 A.D., the codex or leaf form of book was used. This form had some obvious advantages. Both sides could be written on, proof texts could be turned up quickly, and so on. Soon after 300 A.D. vellum (leather) replaced papyrus in these codices.

It seems almost certain that the Christians were the first to adopt this codex form,. The earliest manuscript we have is a piece of John's Gospel, and it is dated between 100 and 150 A.D. This is written on papyrus codex.

By the year 200 A.D. our New Testament books had not only been written, copied, and recopied on papyrus rolls and codices, but they had also been translated into other languages. Within the next 1000 years we find the rolls being abandoned in place of the codex, though they were still made of papyrus. By about 400 A.D. the books were written always on vellum or skin, and from then on until the days of the printing press we find that our New Testament writings were carefully handed down and preserved in the vellum codices. Thus we may be con-


fident that the story we read in our New Testament is a true and faithful record of the events concerning the Life and Death of Jesus Christ and of the Early Church.

Synagogue Roll. Book of Esther, hand-written on leather.


The following pages give some details about early Christian writers who had copies of the New Testament writings before them. In certain cases quotations from these writings are given. An examination of these facts and a comparison with the chart will show how little chance there was for serious errors to creep into the actual text of the New Testament Scriptures.

2. THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS TO THE EXISTENCE AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE

SCRIPTURES

Polycarp (59-155 A.D.) Bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor.

Polycarp lived from, 59 A.D. to 155 A.D. and did most of his writing in the years round 120 A.D. He was renowned as a disciple of John the Apostle. In one of his letters to the Philippians he speaks of:

"Jesus Christ, Who endured to come so far as to death for our sins, Whom God raised, ' Having loosed the pains of death' (Acts 2:24) in 'Whom, not having seen, ye ' trust 'with joy unspeakable and full of glory' (1 Peter 1:8). Into this joy many long to enter, knowing that 'by grace ye are saved,' 'not of works' (Ephes. 2:5, 8, 9) but by God's will through Jesus Christ. Therefore, 'gird up ' your 'loins' (1 Pet. 1:13) and 'serve' God 'in fear' (Ps. 2:11) and t ru th ; leave the vain talking and the error of the many; ' trust in God Who raised' our Lord Jesus Christ 'from the dead, and gave Him glory' (1 Peter 1:21) and a throne on His right hand; to Whom were subjected all things in heaven and on earth; Whom ' everything that hath breath' (Ps. 150:6) serves; Who is coming as 'Judge of quick and dead' (Acts 10:42); whose blood God will require of them that disobey Him. But He that raised Him from the dead will raise us also, if we do His will and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, holding off from unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, backbiting, false witness,


'not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing' (1 Peter 3:9) or cuff for cuff, or curse for curse, remembering what the Lord said, teaching 'judge not, that ye be not judged' (Matt. 7:1) ; forgive and it shall be forgiven unto you; be ye merciful, that ye be shewn mercy; 'with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again' (Matt. 7:2) ; and 'blessed are the poor' (Matt. 5:3) and they that are being 'persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.' (Matt. 5 :10)"

An inspection of this extract from Polycarp's letter to the Philippians will show how freely he used the Scriptures. These quotations are identical with what we find in our New Testament today. It will be evident also, that from such a letter; as this we can recapture a good deal of the New Testament writings.

Altogether Polycarp quotes from the following New Testament books:

Matthew Mark Acts 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians

Ephesians Colossians Galatians Romans Philippians

1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Hebrews 1 John 1 Peter

Clement of Rome: Died 102 A.D. Wrote 95 A.D.

In his writings he uses phrases from,: Matthew-Mark Luke

Romans 1 Corinthians Ephesians

1 Timothy Titus Hebrews James

For example:— " W e are not justified by ourselves nor by works

which we have wrought in holiness of heart, but by our faith, by which Almighty God justified all from the beginning of the world." (Ephesians 2:8).

"Let us then work from our whole heart the work of righteousness." (James)

THESE EXTRA-ORDINARY DOCUMENTS 1 I

In addition he has modes of thought characteristic of John:—

"The blood of Christ gained for the whole world the offer of the grace of repentance."

"Through Him we look steadfastly on the heights of heaven; through Him we view as in a glass His spotless and most excellent visage; through Him the eyes of our heart were opened; through Him our dull and darkened understanding is quickened with new vigour on turning to His marvellous l ight."

Justyn Martyr (100-167 A.D.) Lived in Syria, and wrote about 150 A.D.

The Oxford "Helps to the Study of the Bible" says of him:—

"He is so well acquainted with the writings of the first three evangelists that it would be almost possible to rewrite from his works a considerable portion of the records of the life of Christ."

Here are some quotations from his writings:— " F o r Christ called not the just nor the chaste to

repentance, but the ungodly, and the licentious,' and the unjust, His words being, ' I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. '" (Matthew 9:13)

"And that we should communicate to the needy, and do nothing for glory, He said, 'Give to him that asketh, and from him that would borrow turn not away; for if ye lend to them to whom ye hope to receive, what new thing do ye? Even the publicans do this. Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where robbers break through, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for it? Lay up treasure, therefore, in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth •corrupt.' "


An inspection of these words of Justyn Martyr will recall to our minds the familiar, words of Luke 6:30, 34 and Matthew 6:19; 16 :26; 6 :20.

The Epistle of Barnabas. Written soon after 100 A.D., in Alexandria, Egypt. Uses phrases from—

Matthew Ephesians 1 and 2 Timothy

Ignatius. Wrote 110-117 A.D., from somewhere in Asia Minor. He uses phrases from—

1 Corinthians 1 Thessalonians Matthew Ephesians Philemon John Philippians

Typical quotations are:— "The true meat of the Christian is the bread of

God, the bread of heaven, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, and his drink is Christ's blood, which is love incorruptible.' '

" L a y aside then the evil leaven which has become stale and bitter, and turn to the new leaven which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in Him that no one among you wax corrupt, for by your savour ye shall be proved."

Irenaeus (130-200 A.D.). Bishop of Lyons, France.

Quoted widely from those who had borne witness to New Testament Scriptures. He referred to his friend Polycarp, and of how he spoke of Christ's teaching and mighty works from the words of those who followed Him " in all things harmoniously with the Scriptures." He quotes almost every book in the New Testament, and often names the writers. Tertullian (160-240 AD. ) .

Bishop of North Africa. Tertullian quotes nearly every book in the New Testa

ment and names many writers.


Evangelists (98-117 A.D.). They preached between 98-117 A.D., in widely scat

tered places in the Roman Empire, and are quoted by Eusebius, who speaks of them in these words:—

"Evangelists zealously striving to preach Christ to those who were still wholly ignorant of Christianity, and to deliver to them the Scriptures of the divine Gospels."

Letter to Diognetus. Written about 120 A.D.

This letter uses words and phrases from— Romans Acts 1 Timothy Corinthians Ephesians Titus Galatians Philippians 1 Peter

Quadratus. Wrote about 130 A.D.

Quadratus was a Christian Apologist who wrote about 130 A.D. He addressed to Emperor Hadrian an "apology." Eusebius quotes from this "apology" as follows:—

"The works of our Saviour were ever present,' for they were real, being the men who were healed, the men who were raised from the dead, who were not only seen at the moment when the miracles were wrought, but also being ever present, and that not only while the Saviour sojourned on earth, but also after His departure . . . . "

Hegesippus. This witness wrote about 155 A.D.

Hegesippus visited churches from Jerusalem to Rome and "found everywhere the same doctrine." At Corinth he found " r ight principles"—one rule of faith preserved in unbroken succession from the first age.

"The law was preached, and the Prophets, and the Lord ."


A Latin List of New Testament Books (The Muratorian (Fragment)

A most interesting witness to the widespread and very early use of these Christian documents is a Latin list of New Testament Books, written about 170 A.D. A fragment, discovered by Muratori in 1740, has since been called the Muratorian Canon. It refers to Luke as the third Gospel, then it mentions John, Acts, Paul's nine letters to churches and four to individuals (Philemon, Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy), Jude, two epistles of John, the Apocalypse of John and that of Peter.

Clement of Alexandria (165-220 A.D.) Clement quotes nearly every book in the New Testa

ment and the names of many writers: "Him! that confesses me in the face of men will

I confess in the face of My Father. For what is the profit if a man shall gain the whole world and lose his soul? Let us not, therefore, only call Him lord, for this Will not save us ; for He says, 'Not every one who saith to Me Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doeth righteousness.' "

"Should you be gathered with Me in My bosom, and not do My commandments, I will cast you away, and will say to you, ' Get you from Me: I know you not whence ye are, workers of lawlessness.' "

Elders. The Early Church had a group of men known as

Elders. They are quoted by Irenaeus about 180 A.D. Irenaeus heard "from an Elder who had heard those

who had seen the Apostles and had learnt from them." These Elders refer to Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians,

1 Peter, Matthew and John. Papias.

Wrote 115 A.D. Quoted 260-340 A.D. Lived in Phrygia, Asia Minor.

Here is an important early witness who wrote about 115 A.D. We know something of his writings because he


is quoted by Eusebius, the friend of Polycarp, Bishop of Phrygia, who lived 260-340 A.D. Papias said:—

"I must tell you that I shall not scruple to place side by side with my interpretations all that I ever rightly learnt from the Elders and rightly remembered, solemnly affirming that it is t rue ."

Conclusions From the Fathers. We have referred only to the Fathers who wrote in

the Second and Third Centuries, but it is noteworthy that our witnesses are widely scattered at this time. Irenaeus writes from France, Clement from Rome, the Muratorian List from Rome, Tertullian from North Africa, Ignatius from Asia Minor, Papias from Phrygia, Polycarp from Smyrna in Asia Minor, Justyn Martyr from Syria, Evangelists and Elders from Palestine, Clement and Barnabas from Alexandria. In all these places the New Testament is known and writers quote from it freely.

From the writings of these Early Fathers we gather a number of impressions:—

1. The New Testament Scriptures, as we have them today, were in the hands of the Fathers of, the Church at a very early date. '

2. Much of the New Testament can be rewritten from their quotations alone. They quote from nearly every New Testament book.

3. They regarded the Scriptures as authoritative and inspired.

4. Quite early, the New Testament was used in places as widely scattered as France, Italy, Asia Minor,

Syria, Palestine and Egypt.

3. THE WITNESS OF ROMAN WRITERS TO THE BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY

The Man Christ Jesus is an indisputable fact in history. The records of this fact are by no means secret or obscure; they are from distinct, trustworthy, unimpeachable sources.


Chart showing a comparison between the Classical and Sacred Manuscripts at present in existence.


These are not confined only to sacred writers. The testimony that we have from the pens of the profane writers is, therefore, all the more trustworthy because of the medium through which it has been conveyed to us. While the sacred writers were friends and disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, the profane writers, whose witness is so valuable, were amongst the active or distinterested opposition forces ranged in the First Century against the zealous disciples of a risen Christ.

The Letters of Pliny the Younger, because of their eloquence, purity and beauty, are classics found in our public schools.

The Biographies of Suetonius, and the Annals of Tacitus, although not so prominent, are nevertheless found in all libraries of any importance. That part of the evidence of the profane writers most useful to our purpose is presented here. For the sake of thoroughness, the reader is asked to take the first opportunity of reading these extracts in the settings from which they have been taken, so that the added weight of the surroundings may show their witness to greater advantage.

Letters of the Younger Pliny. ' (Book 10—Letter XCVIII—To the Emperor

Trajan).

Note.—Pliny was appointed Governor of Bithynia about 106 or 107 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Trajan.

Pliny Has a Doubt: " I t is my custom, sire, to refer to you in all cases

where I do not feel sure, for who ican better direct my doubts or inform my ignorance? I have never been present at any legal examination of the Christians, and I do not know, therefore, what are the usual penalties passed upon them, or the limit of those penalties, or how searching an enquiry should be made. I have hesitated a great deal in considering whether any distinctions should be made according to the ages


of the accused; whether, if they renounce the faith, they should be pardoned or whether the man who has once been a Christian should gain nothing by recanting, whether the name itself, even though otherwise innocent of crime, should be punished, or only the crimes that gather around it ." His Usual Method:

" I n the meantime, this is the plan which I have adopted in the case of those Christians who have been brought before me. I ask them whether they are Christians; if they say yes, then I repeat the question a second and a third time, warning them of the penalties it entails, and if they still persist, I order them J to be taken away to prison. For I do not doubt that, whatever the character of the crime may be which they confess, their pertinacity and inflexible obstinacy certainly ought to be punished."

False Accusations Against Christians: "There were others who showed similar mad folly

whom I reserved to be sent to Rome, as they were Roman citizens. Subsequently, as is usually the way, the very fact of my taking up this question led to a great increase of accusations, and a variety of cases were brought before me. A pamphlet was issued anonymously, containing the names of a number of people. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians and called upon the gods in the usual formula, reciting the words after me; those who offered incense and wine before your image, which J had given orders to be brought forward for this purpose, together with the statues of the deities—all such I considered should be discharged, especially as they cursed the Name of Christ, which, it is said, those who are really Christians cannot be induced to do." The Christians' Worship Service:

"Others whose names were given me by an informer, first said that they were Christians and afterwards denied it, declaring that they had been but


were no longer, some of them having recanted many years before, and more than one so long as twenty years back. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the deities, and cursed the Name of Christ. But they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though He were a god, and that so far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, their oath was to abstain from theft, robbery, adultery, and from breach of faith, and not to deny trust money placed in their keeping when called upon to deliver i t ."

A Debased Superstition: "When this ceremony was concluded, it had been

their custom to depart and meet again to take food, but it was of no special character and quite harmless, and they had ceased their practice after the edict in which, in accordance with your orders, I had forbidden all secret societies. I thought it the more necessary, therefore, to find out what truth there was in these statements by submitting two women, who were called deaconesses, to the torture, but I found nothing but a debased superstition carried to great lengths. So I postponed my examination, and immediately consulted you. The matter seemed to me worthy of your consideration, especially as there are so many people involved in the danger. Many persons of all ages, and of both sexes alike, are being brought into peril of their lives by their accusers, and the process will go on, for the contagion of this superstition has spread not only through the free cities, but into the villages and the rural districts, and yet it seems to me that it can be checked and set r ight ."

A Return to Pagan Sacrifices: " I t is beyond doubt that the temples, which have

been almost deserted, are beginning again to be


thronged with worshippers, that the sacred rites which have for a long time been allowed to lapse are now being renewed, and that the food for the sacrificial victims is once more finding a sale, whereas, up to recently, a buyer was hardly to be found. From this it is easy to infer that vast numbers of people might be reclaimed, if only they were given an opportunity of repentance.' '

Summary of the Evidence of Pliny Showing the Agreement with the Sacred Writers.

1. Roman citizens were tried at Rome. (Acts 25:10-11)

2. Christianity was regarded as mad folly. (Acts" 26: 24-25)

3. Those who were really Christians could not be induced to curse the Name of Christ.

(Acts 7:54-60; Acts 4:19-22). 4. The Christians met for worship on a stated day.

(Acts 20:7) 5. In 106 A.D. the Christians worshipped Christ as

God. Acts 4:10-12). 6. They abstained from unrighteous acts and

cherished righteous ones. (Acts 15:20-29). 7. They partook of food in a harmless way at a

special meeting for the purpose. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

8. The heathen temples had been deserted through the acceptance of Christianity.

9. Food offered to the heathen deities could not find a ready sale. (Acts 15:20-29).

Letter XCIX—The Emperor's Reply to Pliny: "You have adopted the proper course, my dear

Pliny, in examining the cases of those who have been denounced to you as Christians, for no hard and fast rule can be laid down to meet a question of such wide extent. The Christians are not to be hunted out. If they are brought before you and the offence is proved, they are to be punished, but with this reservation—


that if anyone denies that he is a Christian and makes it clear that he is not, by offering prayers to our deities, then he is to be pardoned because of his recantation, however suspicious his past conduct may have been. But pamphlets published anonymously must not carry any weight whatever, no matter what the charge may be, for they are not only a precedent of the very worst type, but they are not in consonance with the spirit of our age."

The Testimony of Tacitus: The Roman historian, Tacitus, was born 61 A.D., and

died 117 A.D. He was regarded as a very conscientious and accurate writer. His annals begin with events 14 A.D. and end with the Emperor Nero, 68 A.D. The following is culled from his article, "Nero ," Book 15, chapter 44:—

Nero Blames Christians: After giving a description of the terrible fire at

Rome in the Tenth Year of Nero, in which a large part of the city was consumed, Tacitus says,

" B u t neither all human help, nor the liberality of the Emperor, nor all the atonements presented to the gods availed to avert the infamy the Emperor lay under, of having ordered the city to be set on fire. To suppress, therefore, this common rumour, Nero procured others to be accused, and afflicted exquisite punishment upon these people who were hated for their crimes, and were commonly known by the name of Christians. They had their name from Christus, who was put to death as a criminal by the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, in the reign of Tiberius.''

Christians Sought Out: "This pernicious superstition, though checked for

a while, broke out again and spread not only over Judaea, the source of this evil, but reached the city also, whither flow from all quarters all things vile and shameful, and where they find shelter and encouragement. At first they only were apprehended who con-


fessed themselves of the sect; afterwards a vast multitude discovered by them; all were condemned, not so much for the crime of burning the city but for their enmity to mankind."

The Dreadful Death of Imprisoned Christians: "Their death was turned into a diversion. They

were clothed in the skins of wild beasts, and torn to pieces by dogs. They were fastened to crosses or set up to be burned, so as to serve the purpose of lamps when daylight failed. Nero gave his own garden up for this spectacle. He provided also Circensian games, during which he mingled with the populace or took his stand upon a chariot in the garb of a charioteer. But, guilty as these men were, and worthy of direst punishment, the fact that they were being sacrificed for no public good but only to glut the cruelty of one man, aroused a feeling of pity on their behalf."

Extracts from "The Lives of the Caesars" by Suetonius. Article "Nero," Par. 16:

"Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition."

Article "Vespasian,'' Book 8, Par. 4: "There had been spread all over the Orient an

old and established belief that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judaea to rule the world."

Article "' Claudius/' Par. 25: " H e banished from Rome all Jews who were

continually making disturbances at the instigation of one Chrestus."

Summary of the Evidence. (Showing also the Agreement with the Sacred Writers).

From Tacitus: 1. Christians received their name from Christ.

(Acts 11:26).


2. Christ was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. (Luke 23:3b).

3. The story had its rise in Judaea. (Acts 1:8; Luke 1:5-39; Luke 2: 4).

4. From Judaea it spread throughout the Roman Empire. (Acts 1:8).

5. Persecution of the worst kind could not stop the spread of Christianity. (Acts 4:19-21).

Prom Suetonius: 1. There was a strong tradition that it was fated

that men from Judaea should rule the world. (Luke 1:31-33).

2. Jews in Rome were stirring up trouble because of Christ.

Conclusion: The agreement between the sacred writers and dif

ferent heathen historians demonstrates to us the trustworthiness of the Scripture records. The New Testament contains authentic history. It reveals to us the fact, attested so perfectly by heathen and Christian sources, that the beginnings of Christianity were by no means obscure or secret. On the contrary, the enthusiastic followers of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ upset the religious traditions of the Roman world to such an extent that official governing forces, according to the records of their own writers, were compelled to give the matter very serious consideration.

4. PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION OP NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS

One further line of argument shows how remarkably our New Testament documents have been safeguarded. This lies in the direction of a comparison of the manner in which our New Testament documents have been preserved and the manner in which classical documents have been preserved.


We may well ask, How well preserved are our New Testament Manuscripts? It is often said that we cannot be sure that we have a faithful record of the events of the New Testament, because the records have been copied and recopied so often that mistakes, alterations, additions, etc., may have seriously affected the original record.

As a matter of fact, a piece of John's Gospel was discovered which dates as early as 130 B.C., only 30 or 40 years after the death of the writer. "We now possess a nearly complete New Testament which is dated only 200 years after the death of our Lord, and there are several complete New Testaments dated from 300 years and upwards after His death. By comparison with the records of Greece and Rome the New Testament is superb.

Our knowledge of the events of Greece and Rome is based on the writings of Livy, Caesar, Tacitus, Pliny, Horace and Virgil among the Romans, and Thucydides, Heroditus, Xenothon, Aristophanes and Euripides among the Greeks, for all of Whom there are considerable gaps between their; writings and the manuscripts in our possession.

The testimony of Sir Frederick Kenyon in "The Story of the Bible" is magnificent. Sir Frederick is, of course, an authority on manuscripts, and is closely connected with the British Museum. He writes:—•

"For all works of classical antiquity we have to depend upon manuscripts written long after their original composition. The author who is the best case in this respect is Virgil; yet the earliest manuscript of Virgil that we now possess was written some 350 years after his death. For all other classical writers, the interval between the date of the author and the earliest extant manuscripts of his work is much greater. For Livy it is about 500 years, for Horace 900, for most of Pliny 1,300, for Euripides 1,600. On the other hand, the great vellum uncials of the New Testament were written, perhaps some 250 years after the date when the Gospels were actually composed,


Ryland's Papyrus in Greek. Portion of John, Cp. 18, Verses 31 to 33.


while we have papyrus manuscripts which reduce the interval by a hundred years. And while the manuscripts of any classical author, amount at most to a few score, and in some cases only to a few units, the manuscripts of the Bible are reckoned by thousands."

(Sir Frederick Kenyon). Again, he writes:

"The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt, that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written, has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.''

(Sir Frederick Kenyon),

The testimony of two other living writers can be added: F. F. Bruce, of the University of Leeds, says,

"The evidence of our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence of many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning." (F. F. Bruce).

And J. Finegan, an American scholar, writes: "The certainty with which the text of the New

Testament is established exceeds that of any other ancient book." (J. Finegan).

The chart printed below shows the contrast between the Classical and the Christian Authoritative Manuscripts. A glance will indicate the vast gaps in the record for classical knowledge as compared with the practically negligible gap in Christian Manuscripts. When this is coupled with the fact that there are abundant references in early Christian writers to these New Testament documents, which themselves give a great proportion of the New Testament, we can see that for all practical purposes there is no gap between the writings and the manuscripts.


We may well accept our New Testament records as a true and faithful reproduction of the original documents.

5. EARLY TRANSLATIONS OP THE NEW TESTAMENT

It must be further noted that each age had its own form of writing. The form of writing changed from age to age. Fragments of the various types of writing have been preserved and collected, enabling us to date the fragments fairly accurately. In addition to this, each age translated the Sacred Word into other languages. Many manuscripts in languages other than Greek are preserved for us. Thus there arose the Peshitto or simple Syriac version, the Old Latin version, various Egyptian versions written in different dialects—the Thebaic in Sahidic and the Memphitic in Coptic. These various translations assist in safeguarding the original documents, for we are enabled to draw comparisons between the various old translations and thus arrive at a consistent story.

A close comparison of these many types of writing and manuscripts in Greek and in other languages enables the modern scholar to arrive at a Standard Text which by general agreement is pract ical ly identical with the original writings. Our modern Revised versions make use of all this vast quantity of manuscript evidence, dating from very early times.

6. THE PEDIGREE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXT

In view of the facts presented above, it is of interest to Christian folk to know just how our New Testament was transmitted to us. The general line of transmission was as follows: After the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, oral traditions, the reports of eye witnesses and the words of Evangelists preserved the facts of His Life and Teaching. Between the years 50 A.D. and 100 A.D. the Gospel story was compiled and the various New Testament documents were written, probably on papyrus rolls. We have

Part of the Codex Sinaiticus. End of Luke's Gospel and beginning of John's Gospel. By courtesy—British Museum.


an in teres t ing New Tes tament reference to the general use of parchments and documents . As P a u l was in prison, wai t ing his death, he w r o t e the words recorded in 2 Timothy 4:11-13, " O n l y Luke is wi th me. Take Mark and b r ing him wi th thee. . . . W h e n thou comest, b r ing wi th thee the cloke t h a t I left at Troas wi th Carpus , and the books, b u t especially the pa rchmen t s . ' ' "What an assembly of wr i te rs we have here—Paul , Mark and L u k e ! A n d they are evidently engaged in wr i t i ng of some kind, since books and pa rchments of value even to a man unde r sentence are mentioned. W h a t precious documents were these? In any case the New Tes tament documents were wr i t t en down at first on papy rus rolls. Later , these were copied and recopied, and then collected into groups. There arose, in widely sca t te red places, var ious local collections of texts , some in the west, some in Egyp t , some in Palest ine, and elsewhere. About 300 A.D. these records were wr i t t en on vellum, and the papy rus mater ia l was largely abandoned. A fu r the r change had a l ready t a k e n place by this t i m e : the roll form was exchanged for the codex form, so tha t papy rus codices were made in the var ious local centres. Be tween 400 A.D. and 1000 A.D. the vellum codices were used and the wr i t ing was in uncia l or capi tal le t ters . About 1000 A.D. t he cursive le t ters came into use, and m a n y minuscule manuscr ip t s were made. Final ly , wi th the discovery of p r in t ing , jus t pr ior to 1600 A.D., the Bible was pr in ted . The char t below shows in graphic form the Pedigree of the New Tes tament Text .

30- 33 A.D. Our Lord's Life. 33- 100 A.D. Oral Traditions and Words of

Evangelists. 50- 200 A.D. Papyrus Rolls of Separate Books.

100- 300 A.D. Papyrus Codices of Groups of Books and Local Types of Text. (Western, Caesarean, Alexandrian, Syrian, etc.).

300- 400 A.D. Vellum Codices and Versions. 400-1000 A.D. Uncial (or Capital) Manuscripts.

1000-1600 A.D. Minuscule (or Cursive) Manuscripts. 1600 A.D. Printed Bible.


7. THE UNITED TESTIMONY OP OUR LORD, THE DISCIPLES AND EARLY WRITERS TO THE

INSPIRATION OP THE SCRIPTURES In the words of Sir Frederick Kenyon we may agree

that " t h e authenticity and the general integrity of the Books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."

We may well urge, however, that while authenticity and integrity are important facts, they are not the supreme facts in the minds of the New Testament writers themselves, nor in the minds of the Early Church Fathers. The important fact to them was that these Scriptures were inspired by God to convey to men some "good news" which was essential to their eternal welfare.

Of course, our Lord and His disciples, and the New Testament writers, insisted on the Inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures. Of these Jesus said, "The Scripture cannot be broken." (John 10:34.ff). He said also, "Not one jot or one tittle shall pass away till all be fulfilled." (Matt. 5:17). The Apostles solemnly justified the Gospel which they preached, detail after detail, by appeal to the Scriptures. What Scripture said, God said. " I t is written," "Thus saith the Lord," were final for them. An additional fact which impressed the Apostles and early Christians was that our Lord had said on one occasion, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all t ruth." (John 16:12, 13).

The Apostles spent forty days with Him after His resurrection. During those days He must have told them many things. One conversation is recorded for us in Luke's Gospel (Chap. 22). In this he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself, beginning at Moses and the Prophets. Thus, both in life and after His resurrection, He set His seal upon the Old Testament Scriptures and impressed upon men the prophetic content of these writings, with special reference


to the picture they gave of Himself centuries before He came.

In a similar way the Early Church Fathers, and indeed the Christians in the Early Church, recognised the same authoritative Voice speaking in the documents which later on came to comprise the New Testament. (2 Tim. 3:16). Thus, Irenaeus, the pupil of Poly-carp, claims for Christians a clear knowledge that " the Scriptures are perfect, seeing that they are spoken by God's Word and His Spiri t ." Polycarp, the pupil of John, considers the Scriptures to be the very voice of the Most High and pronounces him the first-born of Satan "whosoever perverts these oracles of the Lord.' ' Later writers follow the same belief. Augustine, for example, refers to the Canonical Scriptures with such reverence and honour that he most "firmly believes that no one of their authors has erred in anything in writ ing."

Christians today do well to consider again some of these remarkable statements about the Inspiration of these Scriptures. This small brochure will show the reader that secular and sacred writers alike testify to the historic truth of those things recorded in our New Testament. The providential preservation of our manuscripts, reckoned by the thousands, shows a marked contrast to the poorly preserved classical writings. The general impression must surely result, that God had a special interest in these particular writings. He has seen to it that they are preserved for us and that their authenticity and integrity are guaranteed. Thus we may come to them confidently, and, reading them, find the message because of which they were originally given:

"These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name." (John 20: 31).


QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION: 1. Does the fact of a series of writers overlapping

in time necessarily guarantee the integrity of their material ?

2. "Why was it that, although all the New Testament books were complete by 100 A.D., some were rejected in certain quarters?

3. What value do you consider attaches to various spurious writings from early times ?

4. From the quotations of the Fathers, what do you gather were the books most generally accepted by the Early Church?

5. What was it that caused a book to be included in the Canon?

6. Do you consider the witness of pagan writers to Christianity to be of any special value?

7. Can people honestly say today, "There never was a Jesus Christ"? How would you meet this in debate?

8. Is there any special significance in the fact that our New Testament writings are better preserved than those of the Greeks and Romans?

9. On what documents are the modern revisions of the New Testament based?

10. What particular value for establishing authenticity are the early translations of the New Testament?

11. How would you refute the statement, " Jesus accepted the ideas of His day in regard to the Bible but we have no need to do the same'' ?

12. What other means would you use to establish the authority of the New Testament over the lives of people to-day?

13. Consider the import of John 16 :12, 13. 14. Admitting the historical facts outlined in this

booklet, what are your personal reactions? (John 20:31).

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