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Does the Bible Contain an Accurate Record of Jesus’ Life?Bible Questions Answered
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Does the Bible Contain an Accurate Record of Jesus’ Life?
The Bible’s answer
The Bible writer Luke said regarding his account of Jesus’ life: “I have traced all things from the start with accuracy.”—Luke 1:3.
Some claim that accounts of Jesus’ life as recorded in the Gospels—the writings of his contemporaries Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were altered sometime in the fourth century.
However, a valuable fragment of John’s Gospel was found in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century. It is now known as the Papyrus Rylands 457 (P52) and is preserved at the John Rylands Library, Manchester, England. It contains what is John 18:31-33, 37, 38 in modern Bibles.
This is the oldest known manuscript fragment of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Many scholars believe that it was written about 125 C.E., a mere quarter of a century or so after the original was written. The text of the fragment agrees nearly exactly with that in later manuscripts.
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When Were the Accounts About Jesus Written?Bible Questions Answered
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When Were the Accounts About Jesus Written?
The Bible’s answer
Regarding his record of the events in Jesus’ life, the apostle John wrote: “He that has seen it has borne witness, and his witness is true, and that man knows he tells true things, in order that you also may believe.”—John 19:35.
One reason to trust the Gospel accounts recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is that they were written while many eyewitnesses to the events they describe were still alive. According to some sources, the Gospel of Matthew was written as early as the eighth year after Christ’s death, that is, about 41 C.E. Many scholars favor a somewhat later date, but there is general agreement that all the books of the Christian Greek Scriptures were written during the first century C.E.
People who saw Jesus while he was alive on earth, witnessed his death, and observed his resurrection could verify the Gospel accounts. They could also easily expose any inaccuracies if there had been such. Professor F. F. Bruce observes: “One of the strong points in the original apostolic preaching is the confident appeal to the knowledge of the hearers; they not only said, ‘We are witnesses of these things,’ but also, ‘As you yourselves also know’ (Acts 2:22).”
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