The Gospels Are Reliable

  

from http://www.centralpres.com/whoweare/whybelieve.htm

1. Memorization was essential to ancient education.

In antiquity, education relied heavily on memorization. People developed skill in memorization. Jewish scribes in training were expected to memorize and reproduce every word and expression of their teachers. In local schools and in the temple, teachers repeated their teachings again and again until students had memorized and mastered them. The ancients had skills in memorization that exceed ours. In detail:

• High regard for tradition in NT era provides additional motive for memory.
• Eyewitnesses could point out errors when (or before) the tradition was fixed.
• Responsible center of leadership in Jerusalem could correct any errors.

The synoptic gospels bears signs of memorization. For example, the wording of Matthew, Mark, and Luke is often have nearly identical when they record Jesus' teaching. The disciples, like scribes, probably memorized Jesus' oft-repeated teachings long before the gospels were written. (See Scribes, by Twelftree, Teacher by Riesner, 810, DJG, JVG).

Further, when people told stories that had foundational significance for their society, leaders controlled the telling of those stories. Storytellers had limited freedom of expression, but the framework of a story was unchangeable. Kenneth Bailey, "Informal Controlled Oral Tradition and the Synoptic Gospels," Asia Journal of Theology 5 (1) 34-54. 1991.

2. The ancients had recognized standards for historiography.

This included the right to select highlights and to epitomize a speech, but not the right to alter its substance. Early Christians were aware that people fabricated stories of Jesus and the apostles. They tried to prevent it and punished it when it occurred, even if the intent was to edify.

For example, Tertullian, a great teacher of early church, once addressed the question: Can women baptize children in an emergency, that is, if an unbaptized child appears to be dying. "On Baptism" (ANF 3:677). Tertullian knows that some people argue that they can and cite, as evidence, a book called "The Acts of Paul" which is an orthodox, "edifying" early Christian novel. In it a fictitious "woman of pertness" takes up certain powers to teach and lead.

Tertullian replies this way, "But if the writings which wrongly go under Paul's name, claim Thecla's example as a license for women's teaching and baptizing, let them know that, in Asia, the presbyter who composed that writing, as if he were augmenting Paul's fame from his store, after being convicted and confessing that he had done it from love of Paul, was removed from his office." If this is what happened to orthodox (if slightly flawed) fabrications of Paul's life, how then would church have viewed fabrications concerning Jesus' life? The church did not tolerate fabrication of any kind.

3. People kept written records.

Rabbis and their students often wrote teachings down. See Blomberg, Historical Reliability, IVP; E.E. Ellis, Prophecy and Hermeneutic (GR, Eerdmans, 1979, 242-7). "If your rabbi is teaching, and you have no paper, write it on your sleeve" (Ellis). This in a day when average person had 5-8 articles of clothing, counting sandals.

4. Poetry is memorable.

Jesus' teaching leant itself to memorization through poetic elements (parallelism, rhythm), pithy proverbs, graphic stories (parables), plays on words, overstatement. 90% of Jesus' teaching in the gospels has poetic elements that make Jesus' words almost impossible to forget. When Jesus says "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Won't they both fall into a pit" do we have to work to memorize it? (Blomberg, Reliability, 294).

5. Some events cannot be forgotten.

Memorable events emblazon themselves on the minds of witnesses for life. I was taken into police custody for murder in 1972 (I didn't do it). I still remember scores of details, without trying. I will never forget the hair, the face, the size, of the policeman who found me. The fear as he drew his gun. The sinking feeling when he asked for ID which I did not have on my person. I could not forget the story if I tried, even though it has no enduring significance.

Think then of those who saw Jesus calm the storm at sea. Of those who saw Lazarus emerge from his tomb, four days after his death, at the thundering command of the Lord? Who could forget or confuse such events? They were etched on the memory of every witnesses, as long as they lived.

Further, the disciples often recounted Jesus' history in each other's presence. If any detail should slip, they could easily correct or remind each other. (Wenham)

6. Living witnesses had a role.

Preventing the spread of any error that arose. What if a gospel story reached the town where the gospel said it occurred - a demoniac healed, a dead man raised. If the text names names - and it often does name people such as Bartimaeus and Jairus and Lazarus, naming the time and the place of the event. If the story were a fabrication, the whole gospel would be discredited at once. But there are no records of towns or regions that rejected the gospels for such reasons. And let us remember that the apostles remained in Jerusalem where they also could correct any errors before they spread (Stein).

7. The witnesses sealed their testimony with their lives.

The disciples staked their lives to Jesus and his words. They believed Jesus' words were God's words, that his deeds were God's redemption. Therefore they had the highest motivation for faithfully recording them. People do die for a lie, which someone else persuaded them to believe. But they will not die for a lie they know they invented, especially when that lie brings them no benefit, but caused them nothing, in this world, but danger, pain, and loss.

by Dr. Daniel Doriani