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-[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2017_07_21|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]]
+[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/jn_de_2017_08_15|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]]
 [[topics_collection_ix|| Topics Collection ix ]]
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 ====== Arguments on the Bible ... ======
-Tuesday, August 15, 2017.
+Tuesday, August 15, 2017.  The bible is a fantastic book. Do we know it? What do we know about it and
+what is our idea on how it was written. When you explore the history of the biblical texts, it is highly
+amazing! The texts go back thousands of years ...
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-** ...**
+** Fantastic Sources ...**
+The biblical sources are far better preserved than anything we know from the ancient world! When you
+explore these things, it is really fantastic. There are so many more manuscripts on the New Testament
+than on any other source of that time - by far more, factor 5, or 8, or 10 more. And the oldest pieces
+of evidence we have are much closer to the New Testament than any other source we have. We have even
+evidence of the Old Testmaent coming from the time of Christ itself. It is nearly unbelievable!
+Today, in particular with a critical and scientific mind, we can say that what we have in our hands with the
+bibles you can buy in many bookstores around the world is with very good precision what was written
+nearly 2000 years ago. The spirit, which we find for example in the first letter of John, captures
+the facts quite well:
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-** ...**
+** Realiable Tradition ...**
+There ist 1) the argument, that the biblical manuscripts have been preserved very well from the early
+beginnings. That means what we have today is what was written down when it was written down.
+) Second, when we search into the time when the biblical books have been written, we find that the
+New Testament must have been written between AD 50 and AD 100. The letters seem to come from a very
+early period. Parts of the gospels must have been fixed in writing at that time as well. Then,
+the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have been composed some time between 60 and 95. That
+was between 30 and 60 years after the crucifiction, with many people still eye witnesses of these
+events.
+We know that the biblical texts have been passed down well, and that they have been written by
+eye witnesses and their friends within their life-time. But is it reliable what they wrote? So 3) we
+need to discuss the reliability of the testimony. We can at least say that most if not all of these
+witnesses were willing to die for their witness, that they believed in the truth of what they
+said and that they were willing to be put to death keeping their testimony. That is a quite strong
+observation.
+Finally, still this does not say that they were right. They could have been drawn into some
+kind of philosophy - just the faith of some people does not proof that the content of their faith is
+reality. So we need to look into the facts themselves. We need to look into the message. 4) And
+when the message is plausible, when the message describes reality, we can gain more confidence into
+what it tells us. Does it fit? Is it true in its description of reality. And yes, the more you
+study the biblical statements about mankind, about man and God, about ethics, about life, about
+freedom ... the more you learn about your own life and about others around you. The message
+itself is fantastic and breathtaking in its wisdom, depth and truthfulness.
 (Roland Potthast)
 [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_ix|... more texts]]
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