2. Is the Bible worth reading?
Yes – and I read it.
Yes – but I still don’t read it
(I’m too busy; I’d rather do something else; I don’t understand it; I don’t know where to start, etc.)

3. Is the Bible worth reading?
Yes – and I read it.
Yes – but I still don’t read it
No – and I don’t read it
(It’s not trustworthy; it has errors and contradictions; it’s irrelevant)

4. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching,
for rebuking,
for correcting,
for training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

5. No prophecy of Scripture…ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21

6. Something you need to know….
There are no original copies of any “ancient” document.

7. It would be easier to trust the accuracy of the COPY if:
there was a shorter time span between the original and the earliest copy.

8. Author,
Book
Date written
Earliest copy
Herodotus:
The Histories
425 BC
900 AD
(1325 yrs. later)
Plato:
The Republic
380 BC
(1280 yrs. later)
Aristotle:
Poetics
330 BC
1100 AD
(1430 yrs. later)
Julius Caesar:
Gallic Wars
50 BC
(950 yrs. later)

9. Author, Book Date written Earliest copy Old Testament New Testament
The Histories
425 BC
(1325 years later)
The Republic
380 BC
(1280 years later)
Poetics
330 BC
(1430 years later)
Gallic Wars
50 BC
(950 years later)
Old Testament BC
250-1,250
years later
New Testament AD
less than 100 years later

10. It would be easier to trust the accuracy of the COPY of the original text if:
there was a shorter time span between the original and the copy.
there were a high number of old manuscripts in existence.

11. Book
Number of (old) copies
The Histories 8
The Republic 2
Poetics 5
Gallic Wars 10
Old Testament
750
New Testament
5,600

12. It would be easier to trust the accuracy of the COPY of the original text if:
there was a shorter time span between the original and the copy.
there were a high number of old manuscripts in existence.
the “copying process” had high integrity and intentionality.

13. Scribes
Employed as “guardians of the text”
Literally: “to record, count”

14. Scribes
Scribes had to read the word out loud as they copied it
The number of letters, words, and paragraphs had to match the original (previous copy)
The middle sentence, word, and letter of each book had to match the original (previous copy)