Factuality of the Bible - Guestpost

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On what grounds have secularist historians concluded Pentateuch, Ruth, Daniel, Esther, and Acts are not factual?
https://www.quora.com/On-what-grounds-have-secularist-historians-concluded-Pentateuch-Ruth-Daniel-Esther-and-Acts-are-not-factual

A

Henry Zecher

Former Retired Fed Gov and Published Author. at Federal Government of the United States (1976–2006)

Wed 23.XI.2022

It’s simply what they prefer to believe.

There is absolutely no historical, scientific, or factual reason to NOT believe in them.

Jesus Christ Himself said 2,000 years ago that unbelief would increase dramatically toward the end, and He was correct.

The validity of the Bible can be checked through archaeology and other ancient writings, although the most telling evidence is the Bible’s record for correct predictions of future events, a few of which were centuries away in being fulfilled, particularly the resurrection of the nation of Israel in 1948, which a few Old Testament prophets prophesied more than 2,000 years before it happened.

Here are five scholars, four of them definitely NOT believers of any kind, who actually took up the challenge of researching the historicity of the Bible.

In the early 19th century, Judge Simon Greenleaf, an expert on evidence, published his three-volume Rules of Evidence, and then used it to evaluate the Gospels. In The Testimony of the Evangelists, he demonstrated from the testimony of evidence that the Gospels are authentic history.

Not long after, a spiritually neutral Lew Wallace did seven years of hard historical research into the authenticity of the Gospel accounts before publishing Ben-Hur, A Tale of the Christ. Ben-Hur itself is not about proving the Bible true, but Wallace’s research material was, and he became a true Christian in the process.

More recently, cold case detective J. Warner Wallace – a rather scornful unbeliever – treated the crucifixion as a cold case, did a thorough examination of the biblical evidence, and came away declaring in Cold-Case Christianity that the Gospel is thoroughly true, and became a Christian in the process. He is now active in ministry.

By far the most hateful anti-religion blowhard of them all, Josh McDowell, was challenged to research the truth of Jesus Christ. He set out with gleeful scorn, determined to do just that, but found the evidence to be so overwhelming for the Gospel accounts that he became a believer and turned his anti-Christ research into the greatest collection of evidence ever known – his Evidence That Demands a Verdict series.

Finally Lee Strobel, an investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune and an atheist, saw his wife become a Christian and began investigating the biblical claims for Christ. As with Lew Wallace, J. Warner Wallace and Josh McDowell, Stroble became a Christian, and published his The Case for... series in which, as a journalist, he investigated The Case for Christ (1998), The Case for Faith (2000), The Case for a Creator (2004), and then on to cases for Easter (2004), Christmas (2005), the Real Jesus (2007), Hope (2015), Grace (2015), Miracles (2018), and Heaven (2021), along with three books on Faith, Christ and a Creator for children.

Evidence is not the problem. The Bible itself is evidence, just as the writings of and by Julius Caesar are evidence of Caesar. And, as McDowell in particular demonstrated, there is more than abundant proof. The books that contain history ARE history, not made-up myths. We accept written evidence for Caesar, Cleopatra, and other ancient figures.

Why not Jesus Christ?

Mind you, there is a gap between the fullest evidence and the reality of God that can only be bridged by faith. Otherwise, if faith was as hard and true as the multiplication tables, it wouldn’t be faith. But, the true seeker of truth about God will find more than enough justification for faith in Greenleaf, Lew Wallace, J Warner Wallace, McDowell and Strobel, and inspiration in the story of Lew Wallace.

And, to claim it was all myth and that there is no evidence is, itself, the true myth.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Lord's Day 27.XI.2022

First of Advent

Apart from you using the modern misuse of the word “myth” - I would say you gave the right answer.

Would you mind me posting your answer as a guest post?

By the way, the guest post draft also includes RMG’s answer.

Henry Zecher

Lord's Day 27.XI.2022

First of Advent

I would be interested in how I misused the word “myth,” but by all means, share it.

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Hans-Georg Lundahl

28.XI.2022

Myth is the Greek word for story. Aristotle and presumably people setting up dramas, use “myth” for synopsis. The drama “The Persians” has as “myth” the fact that a King (Xerxes?) is forced to hear about the defeat of his troops who were in fact defeated.

Greek myths fall into two categories. Some concern only gods and can obviously be written down as fables. Quite a few concern men, and in these cases, I think the human and observable part can often be historically correct. E. g. Iliad and Odyssey (with a reservation on whether Achilles-Hector conflict happened or was Homer’s trick to give unity to a panorama of scenes from that war, and another reservation on what Ulysses was alone speaking on to Nausicaa really happened or was his lies).

So, using “myth” in human affairs for “non-factual” is in my opinion wrong.

When St. Paul uses the word disparageingly, he is probably comparing to myths about gods.

Henry Zecher

28.XI.2022

Wow. Thank you. I never heard it explained that way.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

28.XI.2022

No problem.

I was in the teens a big myth buff, and I read Greek tragedy.

II

Hans-Georg Lundahl

28.XI.2022

Shared: [+ link to this post]

B

RMG

Retired. Veteran. (2013–present)

Wed 23.XI.2022

They’re secularists. It’s mandatory. You answered your own question.

On what grounds have secularist historians concluded Pentateuch, Ruth, Daniel, Esther, and Acts are not factual?

I

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Lord's Day 27.XI.2022

First of Advent

May I include this in a guestpost also featuring Henry Zecher on my blog?

RMG

28.XI.2022

If you’re talking to me, yes.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

28.XI.2022

Wonderful.

Yes. Done.

II

Hans-Georg Lundahl

28.XI.2022

Hope you don’t mind I shared directly after his yes?

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