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11/04/2015

My Thoughts

Is the Bible accurate?

I believe that the Bible is a very accurate text of ancient history.

There are lots of reasons why we can believe this. Simple logic, looking at one author of the New Testament, Luke records specifics that only a person doing what he said he was doing could know and record the facts as he did. All of the historical figures mentioned by Luke have been verified by extra-Biblical archaeological evidence or by historians records. Meaning the Bible and archaeology align very well. (And that includes nuance of accents and spellings that are unique in that they are non-conforming to the Greek language.)

Some people believe that the lack of evidence, in sources external to the Bible, is evidence that events or peoples lives isn't true. I always thought, just because something isn't recorded doesn't mean it isn't true. But that's giving credit for the absence of something and not having the evidence of it. That's why this article caught my attention 22 Ancient Shipwrecks.

Here is some of the text of the article:
Though Fourni didn't have major cities, it was notable in the ancient world for its location along Aegean crossing routes, both east-west and north-south. Early Imperial Roman sources say that Fourni was very prosperous, had a robust population and had marble mines in full operation, Koutsouflakis said. But mentions of the archipelago in late Roman texts are scant, which is why the divers were surprised that about half of the wrecks found in the survey date to this period.

'By the late Roman period, we don't really know anything about the island,' Koutsouflakis said. 'Fourni is hardly mentioned in the sources of that time. You see that the shipwrecks tell us a more nuanced story. The island must have maintained importance as a harbor site.'

Notice how the absence, in historical texts, of the very busy and robust region of Fourni, doesn't mean that it had diminished. On the contrary (contrary to the people that assumed events didn't take place because they weren't mentioned by a historian) Fourni was as busy during the periods where nothing is said about them.

So do not let the fact that there is not more evidence outside the Bible tarnish its veracity. On the contrary the Bible is the most well preserved and reliable ancient document in the world today. The number of copies, even in the second century, is astronomical compared to other ancient writings and also reveals accuracy and truth because if someone wanted to change scripture they would have had to change every copy and not just the single original version.

Think about it.

Love,
Dad