God vs. Science

[Maniac1]

Me i don't relie on a pastor i relie on the bible the word of god,cause if u would do some reading in it it will tell u things to come to pass and sure enough alot of things it talks about or coming to pass this day and time my bro it don't get no realer than that a book that was ridden yr's ago saying things that would come to pass yr's later and it coming true now that is something u can believe in.

So if I make a book, today. About weird storys, and than store it. And for some reason it gets found 1000 years from now, will I be considered god? I mean, the book will be old, written years ago, right? I mean, thats kinda what you're trying to say... explain.

[Craigers2k]

So if I make a book, today. About weird storys, and than store it. And for some reason it gets found 1000 years from now, will I be considered god? I mean, the book will be old, written years ago, right? I mean, thats kinda what you're trying to say... explain.

Lets take a look at what the Bible claims:
In II Timothy 3:16 Paul explains that ALL scripture is "God-breathed," or coming from God.

The Bible also explains in Jeremiah 28:9 that fulfilled prophecy is one of the evidences of the supernatural origin of the word of its prophets. The Bible has many prophecies of Christ prophesied in the OT that were fulfilled in the NT. There are also many prophecies of other various things, fates of cities, countries, areas, etc.

Here's just a few of the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus' life:

Event in Jesus' life----------------------------Old Testament---------Fulfilled Prophecy

Born in Bethlehem....................................Micah 5:2.....................Luke 2:4-7
Sold for thirty pieces of silver...................Zechariah 1:13.............Matthew 26:15
silver used to buy a potter's field.............Zechariah 11:13...........Matthew 27:6
silent when accused.................................Isaiah 53:7...................Matthew 27:12-14
condemned with criminals........................Isaiah 53:12.................Luke 23:32-33
raging thirst when dying..........................Psalm 22:15.................John 19:28
Crucified [hands and feet pierced]...........Psalm 22:16.................John 19:18
pierced after death..................................Isaiah 53:5...................Luke 23:46
buried by a rich man................................Isaiah 53:9..................Matthew 27:57-60
suffering not the end...............................Isaiah 53:11................Luke 24:1-8

Again, this is just a few of them.


The Bible states that it is the Word of God, and has fulfilled prophecies to back up these claims, now how reliable are the documents that we have today?

Lets look at that:

-the bibliographical test, which i have found as an examination of the "textual transmission by which documents reach us. in other words, since we do not have the original documents, how reliable are the copies we have in regard to the number of manuscripts(MSS) and the time interval between the original and the extant copy(1)."

number of surviving MSS of the New Testament: 24633

the Iliad (for comparison) by Homer is second with 643 MSS

Breakdown of the New Testament MSS:

Greek:
Uncials: 267
Minuscules: 2764
Lectionaries: 2143
Papyri: 88
recent finds: 47
total: 5309 extant greek MSS

Latin Vulgate: 10000 plus
Ethiopic: 2000 plus
slavic: 4101
Armenian: 2587
Syriac Pashetta: 350 plus
Bohairic: 100
Arabic: 75
Old Latin: 50
Anglo Saxon: 7
Gothic: 6
Sogdian: 3
Old Syriac: 2
Persian: 2
Frankish: 1

Also:

Work_________when written________earliest copy
Iliad_____________900 B.C.__________400 B.C.
New Testament___40-100 A.D.________125 A.D.


________________time span_______No. of copies
Iliad_____________500 yrs____________643
New Testament____25 years_________over 24000 (1)

Having so many copies allows us to cross examine the copies for any discrepancies between them.

The discrepancies found are so rare and minor that scholars Norman Geisler and William Nix concluded that 'The New Testament, then, has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in a purer form than any other great book - a form that is 99.5 percent pure (2).'

'The textual evidence decisively shows that the Gospels were written and circulated during the lifetime of those who witnessed the events. Since there are so many specific names and places mentioned, eyewitnesses could have easily discredited the writings. The New Testament would have never survived had the facts been inaccurate (3).'

'The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt (4).'

References:
1: McDowell, Josh. Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
2: Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1998.
3: Zukeran, Pat. 'The Resurrection: Fact or Fiction?' Probe Online Ministries. 1997. 29 Apr. 2003
4: Bruce, F.F., Ph.D.. 'The New Testament Documents: Their Date And Attestation.' World