Good News for All

How trustworthy is the Bible ?

This is far from being a simple question. For background you should be aware that the Bible is not one book, but a collection of smaller books into one binding. These books were written in a variety of ancient languages over a time period spanning about 1500 years by a wide assortment of people. Present day printed Bibles are translated from texts derived from much older hand copied documents that were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. A translation is necessary for most people to read and understand it. So, let's break this question down a bit.

• Where did the Bible come from ?
• Are the texts used as a basis for translation reliable ?
• Is what the Bible says historically accurate ?
• Is the message of the Bible dependably true ?
• Is the Bible we have today a good translation ?

Before going further, please check out the KCF video on the Bibile which may clarify some of these points and help answer some of the questions. Every one of these topics involves a considerable amount of content to provide a proper response, far too much to fit properly on a single web page. The remainder of this page will therefore provide summary responses on each of the topics above. Links will be included to material addressing each subject in more depth.

Where did the Bible come from ?

The Bible is a library of those ancient works of literature which are valued by Jews and Christians for their spiritual content, history and authority. They were originally written by many authors over a period of about 1,500 years. They have been edited and curated by bureaucrats, historians and copyists to arrive in their present form. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew with some Aramaic for which we also have a Greek translation. The New Testament documents are all in Greek with later translations into numerous other ancient languages. Owing to the fact that all of these documents were hand copied, many small differences exist between them. Scholars conversant with the original languages have done their best to reconcile these differences in an effort to determine what was originally written. These source texts have been translated by experts in the original languages to produce our modern Bibles.
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Are the texts used as a basis for translation reliable ?

There are a great many manuscript source texts, incomparably more than for any other work of antiquity. Though the actual original works no longer exist, and the oldest of the copies available to us is very much closer to the originals than for any other ancient text. Owing to the fact that all of these documents were hand copied, many small differences exist between them. Scholars conversant with the original languages have done their best to reconcile these differences in an effort to determine what was originally written. Owing to the vast number of sources available combined with careful study of how information is transmitted in oral and written form, they have been able to assemble an exceptionally accurate approximation of the originally authored works. There are differences in approach to the reconstruction of the original text, and some points remain on which there is not complete agreement. However, these are mostly very minor, and no important doctrinal or theological matter is affected.
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Is what the Bible says historically accurate ?

The Bible contains a great deal of history. Though much of that history has been questioned the historical accuracy of the Bible has been substantially verified by archaeological excavation. This is so much the case that the Bible can be usefully employed as a guide for where to conduct field studies and digs. Numerous skeptical views of the Bible narrative have been disproven, and the Bible confirmed as true, through physical evidence discovered by archaeologists.

The Bible also has content that is poetic, allegorical, prophetic, and stories of an explanatory or moralistic nature. These passages should probably not be taken as historical in nature. Though distinctions are sometimes obvious, it is not necessarily always apparent what is literal history and what is only literature. Though it is advisable to keep an open mind to the opinions of others, we should bear in mind that the Bible has so far proven highly accurate as regards historical veracity. It should be safe to believe what the Bible says, though not necessarily what other people say the Bible says, and perhaps not always what we think it says.
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Is the message of the Bible dependably true ?

There is the enormous library of source materials that help provide us with a reliable copy of the Bible. There are also the numerous archaeological confirmations of the historicity of the Bible. Historical accounts tend to summarise the actual events from a simplified perspective. We even edit and idealise our own memories with the passage of time. Studies of the societies, cultures and history of the Southern Levant suggest the biblical accounts may be simplified and idealised to some degree, yet they retain astonishing quality and accuracy compared with contemporaneous literature.

The Bible is unique in the prophetic predictions it contains which have been fulfilled. There are over 1,800 prophecies in the Bible, more than two thirds of them in the Old Testament. Hundreds have already been fulfilled, and many of them concern the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The probability of all these prophecies being fulfilled in the life of one person is staggeringly unlikely.

Many people consider the message of the Bible to be inspired by God, with the fulfilled prophecies confirming a supernatural element to its contents. There are differing views on the extent and degree of that inspiration, and on the application of the Bible to civilisation of today. It should be safe to believe what the Bible says, though not necessarily what other people say the Bible says, and perhaps not always what we think it says. It should also be practical and worthwhile to implement the teaching of the Bible to our own personal lives within the context and limits set by our society. However, the Bible suggests that attempting to impose our own interpretation, or even that of any religious organisation on others would be wrong.
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Is the Bible we have today a good translation ?

New translations are produced for a variety of reasons. New manuscript material may become available, scholarly opinion can change on matters of text or translation, archaeological or historical studies can turn up new evidence to change our understanding, and our own society and language can alter in ways that make changes appropriate. Translators then feel justified in making another version of the Bible available.

Each new translation employs one of five basic approaches to translation, each of which has its merits and problems. It is probably best to choose a version you like and stick with it. If you have a problem understanding something then it may help to consult other translations for insight. Different translations tend to serve different purposes. A more literal translation such as the NASB is good for study. A hybrid translation such as the NIV is particularly useful for poetic material and prophecy. A liberal translation or paraphrase can be helpful for lighter devotional reading.
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In short ...

A great deal of scholarly work and dedication has gone into providing us with a reliable rendering of the Bible. The God who inspired the original material can help us understand what we need to know, and speak into our hearts and lives through whatever translation of the Bible we choose to read. Many generations were denied access to the Bible through ignorance, cost, persecution, or simple non-availability ‐ a problem even today for some language groups. It is a privilege to have a Bible, irrespective of the version, and the key thing is to read it.