Dear Faculty,
Is the Old Testamenttrustworthy or accurate to the original?
Sincerely,
Theophilus
Dear Theophilus,
These are two very important questions. To address whether the Old Testament is trustworthy, we need to determine who wrote the Bible and whether we have trustworthy copies of what they wrote.
The Bible’s Authors
The apostles were very clear that what was written was what God wanted written. For example, Exodus 33:11 says that God spoke to Moses “face to face” as a man speaks to his friend. Moses wrote down many things that God told him personally (Exodus 24:4, Deuteronomy 31:9). All of the prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit to write down their messages. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Some people might ask why the books show the distinctive personalities of their writers. One way to think about this is to use the analogy of a master musician, who can play a piano, a violin, a guitar, a flute, etc. Each instrument has its own distinct sound, but it is the same musician who is playing. Similarly, the prophets can be likened to different instruments. God spoke through individual prophets. Their messages have unique characteristics, but it is the same Master Writer speaking through them all.
The Bible’s Text
The second question is about whether the Bible we have today is an accurate reflection of what was originally written. First, we need address the process of copying manuscripts. We have evidence from comparing newer and older copies of the Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic, that the copying was extremely accurate. Scribes counted not only words, but characters in the documents they were copying, and if the numbers did not match, they would go back and recheck their work.
For a long time, the earliest copies of the Old Testament we had were from the 10th century AD, but the Dead Sea Scrolls allowed us to see manuscripts of some Old Testament books from over 1,000 years before. And the level of agreement between the manuscripts is astounding. This is evidence of how accurate the copying process was. Using the science of textual criticism, we know for certain about 99.5 percent of the original contents of the Bible in the original languages, and in the other 0.5 percent we know what the all the options are. Most of this remaining 0.5 percent deals with issues such as spelling of names (for example, Hannah versus Hanna). Most importantly, no substantive issues affecting the Christian faith are affected.
The Bible’s Translations
The second issue in determining whether we have an accurate reflection of the original Old Testament involves the translation process. After all, not everyone can be a Hebrew or Greek scholar. How do we know that our current translations are faithful to what the original authors wrote? The most important reason for confidence in the translations is that we know the contents of the original Hebrew (and in a few instances Aramaic) manuscripts. Any modern translation can be compared against the originals for accuracy. A second reason for confidence is the remarkable consistency among the modern translations. Occasionally, translations will differ in a particular place, but this is relatively rare, and this does not affect primary teachings. Today, we have a number of good English translations that allow us to get an accurate idea of what the original writers were saying.
This brings up the related question of what the best English translations are, but that is a subject for another day. In summary, the Old Testament is trustworthy and the translations we have today are an accurate reflection of the original (as is true of the New Testament for similar reasons). We can read our Bibles and be confident that we have the message God intended for us.
Have your own theology questions? Get your questions answered by emailing cotblog@gcu.edu using the subject line “Dear Theophilus.” To learn more about GCU’s College of Theology visit our website or use the request more information button at the top of the page. If you feel called to a life of ministry, visit our Theology and Ministry degree page.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do notnecessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited wereaccurate as of the publish date.
FAQs
In summary, the Old Testament is trustworthy and the translations we have today are an accurate reflection of the original (as is true of the New Testament for similar reasons).
How credible is the Old Testament? ›
The careful examination of the evidence demonstrates that the historical accuracy of the first part of the Old Testament is greatest during the reign of Josiah. Some feel that the accuracy diminishes the further backwards one proceeds from this date.
Did the New Testament writers have access to the Old Testament? ›
The texts of the Old Testament were the primary Scriptures for the writers of the New Testament, who used and interpreted them in a variety of creative ways.
What is the evidence that the Bible is trustworthy? ›
Compared to other ancient writings, this is a virtual avalanche of documentation. Most ancient works have only a handful of documents. The accuracy of Scripture is also supported by ancient secular historians, Roman military correspondence and early church fathers who quote and verify the New Testament scriptures.
Does Jesus accept the Old Testament? ›
Jesus did not reject the law of Moses—the Torah—as found in the Old Testament. Rather, He used it to affirm its own truthfulness and give a more complete meaning.
Do Christians have to follow the Old Testament? ›
In the view of the Westminster Divines, only the moral laws of the Mosaic Law, which include the Ten Commandments and the commands repeated in the New Testament, directly apply to Christians today.
How historically accurate is the Old Testament? ›
Is the Bible Historically Accurate? While some events in the Bible can be verified, historians do not consider the Bible as a historical reference text. Instead, they look for primary documents and archaeological evidence as better sources of historical events than the Bible.
How much of the Bible is true? ›
The bits of the Bible most likely to be true are those which were written contemporaneously and with corroborative evidence from other, objective sources. Anything else is a matter of whether you choose to believe it. Faith and fact are mutually exclusive.
Do Christians value the Old Testament? ›
Jesus affirms that Old Testament laws never disappear, but as Christians, we view them differently. For Jews, the Old Testament is an unfulfilled book. The moral laws still apply to us, but the ceremonial rituals are now fulfilled through Christ. We study and love it because it speaks of Christ.
Who actually wrote the Old Testament? ›
Most Jews and Christians believed Mosaic authorship until the 17th century. Today, the majority of scholars agree that the Pentateuch does not have a single author, and that its composition took place over centuries.
Paul recognizes that this "veil" of hardness still resides over unbelieving Israel in their reading of the old covenant, since only the Christ can remove the veil of a "hard- ened mind" (3:14c).
What is the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament? ›
This psalm is a cornerstone in Christian theology, as it is cited as proof of the plurality of the Godhead and Jesus' supremacy as king, priest, and Messiah. For this reason, Psalm 110 is "the most frequently quoted or referenced psalm in the New Testament".
How can we prove the Bible is true? ›
[2] We know that the bulk of the Bible was written by people who were eyewitnesses of the events they recorded; eyewitness testimony is key to determining truth.
How accurate is the Bible to the original? ›
Virtually unchanged (99.5% accuracy rate) over the centuries, the New Testament can be deemed reliable and accurate.
What are the two arguments against the reliability of the Bible? ›
These include The Scientific Argument: the Bible contradicts modern science; The Historical Argument: the Bible is historically inaccurate; and The Moral Argument: the Bible violates contemporary moral standards.
Is the Bible 99% accurate? ›
In fact, according to Biblical scholars Norman Geisler and William Nix, the New Testament has a 99.5% purity rate in terms of accuracy -- a better accuracy rate than any other well-known book 2 . When compared to other works of antiquity, the Bible has multitudes of manuscripts.
What is the criticism of the Old Testament? ›
biblical criticism, discipline that studies textual, compositional, and historical questions surrounding the Old and New Testaments. Biblical criticism lays the groundwork for meaningful interpretation of the Bible.
How trustworthy is the New Testament? ›
A quantitative study on the stability of the New Testament compared early manuscripts to later manuscripts, up to the Middle Ages, with the Byzantine manuscripts, and concluded that the text had more than 90% stability over this time period.
Is it good to read the Old Testament? ›
The best way to energize our explorations of what God revealed to His people before Christ's first coming is to recognize how deeply the Old Testament Scriptures are about Christ. The covenant of grace is God's one plan to bring all His people to salvation, describing how God distributes His grace to believers.
