I. Seven Reasons—Why do we know that the Bible is true?

II. The Canon—Why do we know that the right books make up the Bible?

III. Evidence—What do we know that supports the accuracy of the Bible?

IV. Gathering Evidence: Three General Kinds of Evidence

V.  Conclusion — How does the evidence for the Bible affect our faith?

Part II. The Canon—Why do we know that the right books make up the Bible?

Canon means a reed, measuring rod, later a standard, a rule of faith, a list or index. When used in theology it refers to the list of the books of the Bible.

1. The basis for accepting a writing as canonical: The Hebrew people knowingly formed their canon of sacred writings in obedience to God and according to spiritual common sense (Deuteronomy 17:18,19; 31.9; Joshua 24:25,26; 1 Samuel 10:25; 2 Kings 22-23; Ezra 7:6; Ezra 7:10: Ezra 7:23-26; Psalm 1:2; 119; Malachi 1:1).

1. What actually happened:
   1. God used certain men to write His Word:
      (Jeremiah 36:10: Jeremiah 36:27-28: Jeremiah 36:32; Malachi 1:1; 2 Peter 1:20-21, and many others). The individual books of Scripture were placed together so they could be preserved, read, copied, and used in life (Deuteronomy 31:9; Ezra 7:6; Ezra 7:8; Ezra 7:10; Nehemiah 8:1: Nehemiah 8:8; Matthew 5:17-18; 2 Timothy 3:14-16).
   2. The Hebrew people recognized the Scripture to be God’s written Word at the time it was written and not because of a council decision. Daniel 9:2 with Jeremiah 25:11-14, 2 Timothy 3:14-16, and 2 Peter 3:15-16 clearly state this.
   3. The Hebrew Old Testament as we have it now has three divisions: Law, hrt Torah; Prophets, Myxybn Nebiim; and Writings, Mybtk Kethubim. They were reckoned as 22 books (Josephus) or 24 books, while the English version has four divisions with 39 books—Law, History, Poetry, Prophecy. The Hebrew combines some books that the English separates. For example, Ezra and Nehemiah, Ruth and Judges, and Lamentations and Jeremiah. Both the Hebrew and English have the exact same contents. Jesus, in Luke 24:44, referred to the threefold organization of the Scriptures when he spoke of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. (Gleason Archer, “The Canon of the Old Testament” in A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Moody Press, 1979.
      66-72).
   4. But Jesus also spoke of a twofold organization—Law, hrt Torah and Prophets, Myxybn Nebiim—in Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 11:13; Matthew 22:40; and in Luke 16:16; Luke 16:29; Matthew 16:31; and 24:27. This organization was likely earlier than the threefold division and more common: “The twofold division of Moses and the other books was early and natural. It was found in the second century BC at Qumran and persisted through the NT and LXX into Christian circles.” (R. Laird Harris. “Chronicles And The Canon In New Testament Times.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Volume 33, Number 1. March 1990. 83).
   5. We know that the law contained the five books of Moses. Psalms may have been the only book in the writings (Luke 24:44). Josephus considered the writings to consist of Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes; the remaining non-Moses books were in The Prophets.
   6. The Masoretic Text is the best Hebrew Text. This text is likely that which came back from the Babylonian captivity with Ezra and Nehemiah and others (Ezra 7:6-10; Nehemiah 8:1-2: Nehemiah 8:8). The Masoretes were Old Testament scholars who, between AD 500 and 950, took the consonantal text of the Scribes and preserved it for us by placing vowel points, brief marginal comments, and accents in the text. They did not change the consonantal text.
2. Christ accepted the Hebrew canon (Luke 24:44; Luke 11:51; and possibly Matthew 23:35 with Genesis 4:8 and 2 Chronicles 24:21).
3. Paul accepted the Hebrew canon (Romans 1:2; Romans 3:2; Romans 4:3; 1 Timothy 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:14-16).
4. Peter accepted the Hebrew canon (2 Peter 1:20-21).
5. The New Testament calls the Old Testament Scripture (Matthew 21:42; John 5:39; Acts 17:2; 1 Timothy 5:18;
   2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3:15-16).
6. Extra-Biblical testimony to the Old Testament canon:
   1. Ecclesiasticus (about 130 BC) recognized “The Law, and the Prophets and the other books of the fathers” (The Prologue to Ecclesiasticus, in The Apocrypha).
   2. Josephus lived earlier than the Masoretes (AD 37-95). He was aware of the same books and the threefold division of the Hebrew canon, though the arrangement of the Prophets and Writings varied from the later arrangement by the Masoretes. He wrote in Contra Apion 1.8 that no other books were added after the time of Artaxerxes, King of Persia (464-424 BC). “For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another, [as the Greeks have,] but only twenty-two books, (8) which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books [Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes] contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life. It is true, our history hath been written since Artaxerxes very particularly, but hath not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because there hath not been an exact succession of prophets since that time; and how firmly we have given credit to these books of our own nation is evident by what we do; for during so many ages as have already passed, no one has been so bold as either to add any thing to them, to take any thing from them, or to make any change in them; but it is become natural to all Jews immediately, and from their very birth, to esteem these books to contain Divine doctrines, and to persist in them, and, if occasion be willingly to die for them.”
      (F. Josephus, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, electronic ed. of the new updated ed. Garland, TX: Galaxie Software, 1999)
   3. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are documents written about 250 BC to AD 50 and were found near the Dead Sea between 1947-1956, “in general confirm the accuracy of the existing Hebrew text” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, LaSore 1.403). From cave four alone, manuscript portions from every Old Testament book except Esther were found (The Expositor’s, Fisher 1.396).

4. Rabbis held biblical discussions over many years (at least AD 70-135) at Jamnia, a town west of Jerusalem. They simply worked with what was already known as Scripture and discussed questions about the content of the Scripture. This council did not choose the books of the Old Testament (Robert C. Newman. “The Council of Jamnia and the Old Testament Canon.” Westminster Theological Journal. Volume 38, Number 3. Spring 1976. 320-34).

5. Bishop Melito of Sardis prepared a catalog of the canon about AD 170. He included all the books except Esther.

8. Conclusion: Psalm 119; Titus 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; and Psalm 130:5, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.” We know that the Old Testament Scriptures, as we have them today, are God’s revealed and inspired Word. That knowledge gives us confidence. We ought to believe and apply God’s Word.

New Testament Canon

1. The basis for accepting a writing as canonical: the church at large accepted a writing as authoritative when it was written and circulated. A council did not choose. Each book had to
   1. Be written by an apostle or one closely associated with an apostle.
   2. Show evidence of inspiration by God—genuine spiritual value and no false doctrine.
   3. Be widely read by the church.
2. What actually happened: An apostle or one associated with an apostle wrote God’s message exactly as God directed. The book (epistle or gospel) was then read, copied, circulated, and read by more and more churches and individuals. Before very long the particular writings had wide familiarity and acceptance as Scripture by the churches.
3. The need to think more clearly about the canon was probably encouraged by challenges to writings that were accepted as Scripture.
   1. Marcion (c AD 140), who rejected the Old Testament and Jewish parts of the New Testament. He included ten Pauline epistles and part of Luke.
   2. Which books to read in church.
   3. Persecution (Edict of Diocletian in AD 303 which ordered the destruction of Scripture).
4. Early lists of the canon and references to it include Polycarp (AD 115) referred to Old Testament and New Testament as Scripture, the Muratorian Fragment (AD 180) named 22 of the New Testament books, Marcion (AD 180) named eleven, Irenaeus (AD 180) names the fourfold gospel, Eusebius (ca 265-340) says all 27 were generally recognized with James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2-3 John disputed by some, Athanasius of Alexandria listed the exact 27 (AD 367), Jerome and Augustine (AD 383, 387) listed the 27.
5. The New Testament writers recognized both the Old Testament and New Testament as Scripture
   (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18; 2 Peter 3:15-16).
6. The so-called official recognition of the New Testament canon as we have it was made at the Council of Hippo in AD 393 and the Council of Carthage in 397. They only recognized that which was already the general practice of the church.