Last September my wife and I went to Israel and Jordan. The leader of that trip, Paul Barnett, has just posted an entry in his blog detailing a number of “aha” moments he has had in his life regarding the evidence for the historicity of the New Testament documents. It’s worth reading. That he is addressing a group of North American Anglicans is incidental. He also compares the documentation we have for Jesus to that of Muhammad.
His “eureka” moments include:
- Realising the quality, quantity of the sources for Jesus, and their closeness to him.
- The early, oral formulation of words embedded in 1 Cor. 15:3-7 about Christ’s death for sin, his burial, his resurrection on the 3rd day, and his multiple appearances.
- The linkages from Luke-Acts into world history, pointing to Luke’s integrity.
- Based on numerous visits to Israel the amazing coherence of geography, topography, and history, supported by archaeological finds and discoveries.
- Analysis of the New Testament documents using the standard methods of the historian, made him conclude that the historical reliability of the New Testament cannot be rejected.