1. The Bible is the Most Preserved Book In History

We don’t currently have what we’d know to be the original texts, but we do have a lot of copies from them. Focusing on the New Testament alone we have about 5,800 manuscripts in the original Greek language. Factoring in all the other translated languages, we have over 24,000 manuscripts. With the earliest found thus far (John’s gospel) being dated to ~125 AD. About 60 years from the known time of writing of Matthew’s gospel, around 90 years removed from Jesus and within years or decades of the lives of eye witnesses to the events described. Comparatively, one of the most well-known books, Homer’s Iliad, has 1,757 known copies found, with its earliest known manuscript some 400 years removed from the known time of writing (~800 BC).

Chart comparing known manuscript quantities of the New Testament to other writings of antiquity

What’s really interesting about having so many copies of the books of the Bible, is they act like the first example of a block chain. For those of you who aren’t familiar with crypto-currencies and how they work, there is a ledger called Blockchain. Each transaction is recorded by multiple computers into this chain so that there is a redundant trace of each transaction. This prevents fraudulent alterations to single records because all the other records will state the original transaction data. In the same way all these copies of the New Testament and Old Testament books can be used. If a copy of the gospel of John says something different than the other 99.9%, then we know it should say what those other copies say. Because of this we can see that the Bible we read today is the same as when those copies were made. Amazingly the Bible has less than 1% difference among the manuscripts, most of which are typos and spelling, nothing that affects any core doctrine or teaching.

2. Literary Consistency

The writings which make up the Bible, complete in its 66 books, Genesis to Revelation was written over almost 1,600 years by 40 different writers, starting with Moses between 1500 and 1300 BC. The Old Testament books were written over the course of most of that time span. While the New Testament books were written all within the second half of the 1st century AD. Yet there is a clear and consistent underlying theme amongst all that was written. Which is the fall of mankind and God’s plan for salvation which culminated in Jesus Christ. The Bible never truly contradicts itself, regardless of the countless false claims over the centuries. When the Bible was written is not as important as what is written. God’s Spirit filled the writers, allowing them to write what God wanted them to, when He wanted them to, regardless of time or location. It’s very hard to believe that all of these men, over 1.5 millennia, would spend large portions of their lives writing these things to continue a story that was make believe. Especially when you consider just how consistent it is.

3. Early Disciples Killed For Their Faith

Nobody knew Jesus better than His closest disciples, those who walked and talked with Him. The Twelve, and later on Apostle Paul, plus hundreds more would all see the risen Jesus, therefore establishing their faith. We have enough evidence to know that several of them were killed for that unwavering faith in Him years and decades after. They would’ve had firsthand knowledge and could’ve simply moved on with their lives if this was all a lie. More early Christians (and possible witnesses to His death and resurrection) died at the order of Emperor Nero from 54 to 68 AD, just 20 to 35 years after Jesus' ascension, often torn apart by wild animals for the entertainment of the Romans inside the colosseum. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not die for something that I thought was a partial or complete lie, especially when I witnessed it firsthand, as many early Christians did.

Here is a short list of apostles whom we have good evidence for their martyrdom:

  • Paul: was beheaded under the orders of Nero around 64 to 67 AD.
  • James: brother of Jesus was stoned and then beaten to death at the orders of Ananias around 62 AD.
  • Peter: was crucified, possibly upside-down most likely between 64 to 67 AD.
  • James: son of Zebedee was killed by sword at the order of King Herod Agrippa I of Judea between 41 to 44 AD.

4. Confirming Archeological Discoveries

Over the last century and a half there have been many major archeological finds which have only helped back up the Bible in its accounts and many important people who are written about in it. Some of the finds, such as the Assyrian Inscriptions, confirms the names of Hebrew kings who are in the Old Testament and gives us exact dates of their reign. Other finds, such as the P52 papyrus, gives us our earliest known fragments of the gospel of John (c. 125 AD), and was found in Egypt, which indicates the Gospel had spread very quickly in the decades since Jesus. Here are just a few top examples pertaining to the Old and New Testaments:

Old Testament Finds

  • Dead Sea Scrolls: Containing 980 manuscripts dating from 300 BC to 1st century AD. 230 of them being Biblical in nature, which among them is the Great Isaiah Scroll. The oldest know complete copy of the book of Isaiah dated to between 356 to 103 BC. Putting it well before the birth of Jesus, whom Isaiah prophesied about in Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 53.
  • Babylonian Chronicle (Jerusalem Chronicle): A set of clay tablets, translated in 1956 and housed at the British Museum, records events which include the fall of Jerusalem under King Nebuchadnezzar. The same events are recorded in the Bible, in 2 Kings 24. The tablets include the capture date of Jerusalem, March 16, 597 BC. Which aligns with the Biblical time frame in 2 Kings and also aligns with the timing of events written in Daniel 1 which is widely believed to have been written by the prophet Daniel in the late 6th century BC.
  • Tel Dan Stele: This 9th century BC stone inscription was found in 1993 and commemorates the victory of an Aramean king over two southern neighbors, one of them being listed as the “king of the house of David”. This was the first archeological find that pointed to King David as a historical figure, rather than the previously held common belief that he was a made up figure in the Bible.
  • Ketef Hinnom: A scroll which has the priestly benediction found in Numbers 6. Dated to the 7th century BC, this predates even the Dead Sea Scrolls.

New Testament Finds

  • Nazareth Inscription: A decree of Caesar (Emperor Claudius, AD 41–54) which communicated to the people that the penalty for stealing bodies from Israeli tombs was death. This edict matches up with the actions of the Romans in Matthew 28:13. Jesus had risen and their goal was to create a cover story that made people think Jesus’ body was stolen instead. Which should’ve been extremely difficult to impossible according to the measures the Romans took which are described in Matthew 27:64-66.
  • Gallo Inscription from Delphi: This stone inscription found near Delphi, Greece, was written in 52 AD by Roman emperor Claudius. He wrote about receiving advice from a proconsul named Gallio, the Roman senator who dismissed the charge brought by the Jews against Paul in the book of Acts. This is a great archeological find which helps us reconstruct the chronology of Apostle Paul’s life.
  • Pilot Stone: Discovered in 1961, this stone was a dedication to Tiberius Caesar. Not only was it the first known artifact to contain the name Pontius Pilot but also confirms his title as governor of Judea (Praefectus Judaeae), as recorded in the Gospels. Another great example which displays the historicity of an important Biblical figure.
  • Caiaphas Ossuary: An ossuary discovered in 1990 with the bones of 2 babies, children and an adult woman and adult man around 60 years of age. It contains an Aramaic inscription which reads: “Joseph son of Caiaphas”. He was a high priest in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion who ruled over the Sanhedrin in 18-36 AD and was second in power to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilot. The 1st century historian Flavius Josephus even wrote about him, referring to him as Joseph Caiaphas. He was a rival to Jesus and played a key role in His crucifixion.

5. The Fulfilled Prophecies of Jesus’ First Coming

Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the roughly 300 Old Testament prophecies written about Him hundreds of years before He walked this earth. In fact the first Bible prophecy pertaining to Him is found in Genesis 3:15.

This verse foretold the coming Messiah who would eventually defeat the serpent (Satan). In Isaiah 53 we can find a pretty detailed description of what Jesus’ purpose would be on earth. He would take our punishment and die for our iniquities. The book of Isaiah was found complete in the Dead Sea Scrolls, is dated to between 356 to 103 BC, and is without a doubt written before Jesus walked the earth. Some might say Jesus is a fictional character and the New Testament writers made this up to match the writings in the Old Testament. However that argument falls flat when you see the extra-Biblical writings of antiquity such as those of Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, and Lucian of Samosata, and others, which speak of Jesus, His followers and in some of the writings, His crucifixion. Jesus would’ve had to have been the world’s most mentally ill person to endure such punishment and pain for no reason. Or He is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God and the expressed image of the Father, who came and died on the cross for our sin.

6. The Unique Message of Grace

The Bible’s message of grace is so unique. The other religions of the world require you to do something to earn your way to heaven or reward. But the Bible tells us that salvation is by God’s grace, through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). This concept of grace takes all the power out of our hands, something that goes against the grain of human behavior. As humans we strive for control and power in our lives. All throughout history we can plainly see the effects of mankind’s struggle for power and control. We all want to feel like we’re better than someone else in some way. We want to say “hey I worked harder so therefore I deserve this reward”. People have used various forms of religion to hold other’s down, even distorted forms of what they call Christianity. However, the Bible tells us we’re not better than anyone, we’re all the same, sinners who have failed to reach the glorious standard of God. And that He alone has the power to grant us salvation in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do outside of repenting and trusting Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I find it very hard to believe that anyone would want to make up a religion like this, which says that nobody can do anything to earn or bribe their way into Heaven. It simply goes against core human behavior.

7. Changed Lives

The impact the Bible has on lives is undeniable. No other book so completely reveals the wicked condition of the human soul yet also offers a perfect and absolute solution to it. Throughout history and everyday we see lives changed beyond expectation. People who were lost in the depths of despair, hatred, abuse, gender dysphoria, homosexuality, addiction and the like — open their hearts to Jesus and experience a restoration no medicine or counseling could ever fully achieve. The Bible is how God communicates most with us, His words are true and can quench that unquenchable thirst each one of us has deep down inside. I can honestly say that if you read and study the Bible, keeping your heart and mind open to its words — it will change your life forever.

Final Thoughts

This article only reveals a small portion of the evidences we have for the truth of the Bible. The evidences that can be found are so overwhelming and undeniable, I encourage you to do your own research to see for yourself. All of this certainly confirms what I already believe in faith. Making it clear that faith in Jesus is not blind, but built upon a very solid foundation indeed. One thing to make clear is that simply believing all this evidence in itself will not bring you to salvation. This evidence helps support faith, giving it visibility. The Bible says even the demons know who Jesus is and cower to Him. Yet they are not saved. So how can we find true salvation? It’s simple, so simple a child can understand it. First, admit that you are a sinner and repent, meaning to have a change of heart, to turn away from your unbelief and love of sin, and turn to God and His mercy. Because we’re all sinners, who all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23), and for that we earn death (Romans 6:23). Believe that Jesus died on the cross for all sin and God raised Him on the third day, defeating death. Call upon the name of Jesus, put your full faith and trust in Him alone and you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10).