Evidence for the Bible
Consider Christianity Series, Volume 1
by
Elgin Hushbeck, Jr.
Revised and Expanded
Energion Publications
http://www.energionpubs.com
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Scriptures marked NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Copyright © 1993, 2005
Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher, except for brief quotations in books and critical reviews.
This edition is a reprint of ISBN 1-893729-29-X, Consider Christianity, Volume I: Evidence for the Bible with a small number of corrections to the text. It is compatible with that volume in terms of content and pagination and copies of both editions can be used together in the same class or study group.
Cover Layout by Baxter’s Elite Productions
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Aer.io Edition ISBN: 978-1-63199-594-1
Print ISBN: 1-893729-51-6
Energion Publications
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
http://www.energionpubs.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As has been said many times before, no book, especially one such as this, is really the work of a single person. This book is the result of many years of research and countless discussions with many people. First and foremost I want to thank my wife and family for putting up with me as I researched and wrote this book. I can say without hesitation that had it not been for their love, support, understanding, and encouragement this book would not have been written. I want to also thank Inge Johnson for the time she has spent reading and correcting the several early drafts of this work and for the comments she has given me. My special thanks go to my readers Starlett Ichsan Johnson, Tim Munson, David C. Rimoldi and Steven B. Sherman who gave me invaluable help on the final versions of this manuscript. Others who deserve to be singled out for their comments and inputs, both formal and informal, are Courtney Duncan, Brooks Thomas, Jeff Srinivasan, Tom Meehan, Rob Kursinski, Don Spitizmesser, and Joe Grahle. Much of what is good in this book is a result of their input and criticisms. Any mistakes or errors, however, are mine. In addition, I want to give a special thanks to one of my professors at Simon Greenleaf University, Dallas Willard, who at a crucial time encouraged me to continue and to publish. I also want to thank Roger Schmidt, one of my early professors in Religious Studies, and Sidney Allen for helping me to see things logically.
I would also like to thank all of the many people who so kindly (and even those who sometimes not so kindly) gave me feedback and comments on the first edition of this book. I would also like to thank the many people, in particular Larry and Diane Nixon, and especially my editor Henry Neufeld, and of course my wife, friend and companion, Hanna, for pushing me to get this new edition finished and published.
Preface to the 2nd Edition
While God does not change, the defense of Christianity does. Critics are constantly coming up with new arguments. Actually they are normally just dusting off old arguments long since refuted and discarded, but the net effect is the same. What was not an issue yesterday suddenly becomes the latest reason why Christianity is false.
On the other side of the spectrum, new evidence is constantly being found. New manuscripts are discovered and new archaeological discoveries continue to broaden our understanding of the ancient world and support the Biblical account. I have revised this second edition and taken into account some of these developments, such as the recent claims that there are New Testament manuscripts dating back to the first century.
Since the publication of the first edition of Consider Christianity several new books have been published attacking the Christian faith. Most have constructed a straw man which they then proceed to knock down. Because of this, they are hard to take seriously. One notable exception to this is Michael Martin’s The Case Against Christianity. While Martin still fails to make his case, he has at least taken seriously some of the defenders of Christianity. In addition, science has not stood still. In the first addition I addressed some theories and speculations that had been put forth that might avoid the need for God. Some of these have since fallen by the wayside, only to be replaced by new theories and speculations.
One other development has been the publication of the results of the Jesus Seminar, whose work I referred to in the first edition while it was still a work in process. The major impact of the seminar’s work has been a renewed interest in the Gospel of Thomas, which they have included along with the other four Gospels. Because of this, I have added a brief discussion of the Gospel of Thomas in the section on the canon.
Elgin L Hushbeck, Jr
Redlands, Ca
March, 2005
How To Read This Book
The aim of the Consider Christianity Series is to present a systematic defense of the Christian Faith, with this volume focusing on the evidence for the Bible. Because of this step by step approach, different people will want to read this book in different ways. This book was written with non-Christians in mind and as such it tries to address a vast range of questions and objections. Since not everyone will start this book with the same beliefs, not everyone will want to start with Chapter 1 or even read the chapters in order. For example, Chapter 1 deals with the text of Bible and the Canon of Scripture (why some books were included and others left out). If this is not an issue for you, you may want to skip this chapter. In short, while this book is a step by step argument for the Christian faith, you might only want to read the areas where you have questions.
Below is a brief description of each chapter of the book. This will give you an idea of some of the questions addressed in each chapter so you can easily find the issues that are of interest to you.
Volume I - Evidence for the Bible
| ONE | How Did We Get the Bible? |
What were the origins of the Bible? Was the Bible changed by the early church councils? Who chose the books?
