Controversial Faith: Why Can We Trust the Bible? - Suzy Silk
Apr 15, 2024
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Pastor Suzy Silk discusses why we can trust the Bible, citing its global influence and unique characteristics. Topics include historical and archeological evidence supporting biblical events, the process of canonicity, and the transformative power of scripture for personal growth and understanding.
The Bible's ancient preservation methods showcase meticulous transcribing by priests and the importance of accuracy in early texts.
The Bible's unity and interconnectedness across narrative and themes highlight divine inspiration and consistent messaging through diverse human authors.
Fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, such as the exile of Jewish people and predictions of Jesus, reinforce its trustworthiness and historical accuracy.
Ancient manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls and Aleppo Codex provide valuable insights into the meticulous preservation and textual tradition of biblical texts.
Deep dives
Preservation of Texts in Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East stored texts in temples and royal courts, with priests meticulously transcribing and preserving important writings. A notable example is the silver amulet from 586 BCE found in Jerusalem, containing priestly blessings.
Manuscript Preservation and Accuracy
Manuscripts of the Old Testament, like the Silver Scrolls from 2nd-1st century BCE and the Samaritan Pentateuch from 3rd century BCE, provide evidence of early text accuracy. The Masoretic text tradition, meticulously copied by the Masoretes, ensured precise preservation, where mistakes led to entire scrolls being destroyed.
Unity and Interconnectivity of Biblical Texts
The Bible showcases remarkable unity and interconnectivity across its narrative, themes, and references. Graphic visualizations of cross-references illustrate the complex relationships within the text, emphasizing its divine inspiration and consistent message through diverse human authors.
Fulfillment of Prophecies and Historical Events
The Bible contains numerous prophecies and historical events that were fulfilled with accuracy, such as the exile of Jewish people in 586 BCE, prophecies about the Messiah, and predictions of Jesus regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. These fulfilled prophecies reinforce the trustworthiness of the biblical text.
Preservation of Ancient Texts: Aleppo and Leningrad Codices
The Aleppo and Leningrad Codices, dating back to 925 AD and 1008 AD respectively, provide significant insights into the meticulous preservation of ancient texts. Despite a fire in 1940 affecting the Aleppo Codex, these codices from the 10th and 11th centuries have been crucial in maintaining a consistent textual tradition. They offer valuable insights into the care and precision with which scribes copied manuscripts.
Discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls and Manuscript Evidence
In 1947, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating back to 250 BCE to AD 68, revolutionized textual understanding. These scrolls, including the Isaiah Scroll from 100 BCE, offered sections from every Old Testament book except Esther, confirming the accuracy of the Masoretic text and Septuagint. The scrolls' alignment with other biblical versions provides foundational insights into biblical scholarship.
Evidence for New Testament Manuscripts and Canonization Process
The New Testament's manuscripts, such as the John Rylands Papyrus from AD 130, are crucial in understanding its authenticity. With over 5,800 Greek manuscripts and translations in various languages, the New Testament stands as the most attested ancient work. The canonization process, spanning from the 1st to 4th centuries, points to meticulous acceptance and recognition of inspired texts by early communities and councils.
This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our series on Controversial Faith with a teaching on why we can trust the Bible. Translated into 698 languages, the Bible is the best-selling and most influential book in world history, and is worth reading based on these merits alone. Pastor Suzy then provided context on why the Bible is different from all other books through analyzing the genre and style, the authorship and preservation, and how we should respond to reading the text as followers of Jesus.
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