The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Paperback)

by Frederick Fyvie Bruce (Author) "Does it matter whether the New Testament documents are reliable or not?..." (more)
Key Phrases: imperial legate, fourth gospel, apostolic preaching, New Testament, Old Testament, John the Baptist (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Because Christianity claims to be a historical revelation, says Bruce, the quesion of the reliability of the documents on which it was founded is a crucial one. Here he presents the most convincing evidence for the historical trustworthiness of the canon of the New Testament. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 135 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802822193
• ISBN-13: 978-0802822192
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,388 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Argument for the NT's Historicity, January 1, 2001

By	"guy-72" (Souther California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Testament Documents : Are They Reliable? (Paperback)

This book is a fantastic guide for any person, Christian or otherwise, who would like to understand the level of historical accuracy that can be found in the New Testament documents. In that Christianity is a religion whose truth claims are allegedly rooted in historical fact, it is key that the works through which we read of those "facts" be considered reliable. Bruce does a great job of doing just that. No historical account, regardless of reliability, can prove miraculous events. However, Bruce argues, if a work can be proven to be historically and culturally accurate with respect to most of its content, that document then becomes-on the whole-more compelling. Any historian would then need to take more seriously the author's questionable claims such as the miracles, and Christ as God and savior of humanity. For if an author can be shown to be reliable in all other aspects of his work, why should he lie with respect to the documentation of miracles? This line of reasoning, and many other arguments, make Bruce's short book a compelling read for anybody interested in this topic.

Several sections of this book stand out. Bruce provides an introductory discussion regarding how historians have arrived at different dates for the original writing of the NT books. That particular chapter thus demonstrates how soon after the actual events of the NT that those events were actually captured in written form. Also, he briefly explains how the different NT books came to be "canonized" during the first three centuries the Christian Church. Throughout the rest of this book, Bruce provides internal and external evidence that point to the historical reliability of the NT. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Bruce does not try to convince his readers that Christianity is true; that is not his goal. It is only his aim to demonstrate that the NT documents, which themselves assert Christianity's truth claims, are as historically reliable as any documents of antiquity. In fact, based on the guidelines that historians use to determine historicity, the NT books can be considered much more reliable than ALL other documents of antiquity. That being the case, it then is up to the reader of the NT to determine if they will choose to believe or disbelieve the truth claims that the authors of the NT assert.

The objectivity with which Bruce approaches this book makes it a must read for Christians who want to better understand the historical roots of their faith, and non-Christians who believe that the Bible is mere religious myth. Both groups of readers stand to have their minds opened by Bruce's careful scholarship.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the One, March 25, 2003

By	Jack Turner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Testament Documents : Are They Reliable? (Paperback)

F.F. Bruce is probably one of the finest New Testament scholars there ever was and possible there ever will be. Why? Because my New Testament Studies professor in college said so, despite disagreeing with every single conclusion Bruce ever made about authorship, dating, or importance of the various books of the New Testament, not because of a lack of scholarship or invalid arguments or data, but simply because he did not wish to have the same conclusions as Bruce. That says a lot for a scholar. In addition, the research he has done is superb and the writing style is sublime. You will see other New Testament authors go into lengthy discussions on dating alone, but Bruce somehow manages to condense his entire argument into something that will fit in your shirt pocket. That also says a lot, both for the man and the work. The fact that it is still so widely regarded among not only NT studies folks but laymen only further proves its staying power. However, despite its refreshing brevity, I do wish Bruce had taken the time to go into greater depth on the books themselves, tackling some of the more complex problems of authorship of more of the NT books. Still, it's quite good and worth your time to read no matter which side of the fence you're on.

55 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much information in a book this small..., June 29, 2000

By	Timotheus Josephus - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Paperback)

At about 120 pages, this book accomplishes its objective more than adequately. Dr. Bruce demonstrates the fact that the New Testament as we know it today is a very accurate replica of the original first-century writings.

Who should read this book? A Christian struggling with doubts about the truth of their faith. Or if you are someone who isn't experienced at defending your faith against arguments from your skeptical friends or relatives. If you've never been sure how to respond to statements like, "The gospels were written so far after the life of Jesus that they are totally inaccurate" or "Since we don't have the original copies of the New Testament books there is no way we could possibly know how much they've been tampered with", then you need to read this book.

Your faith and intellect will be strengthened after reading this great little book. It's concise and you don't have to be a Greek scholar to understand it.