Can I Trust the Bible?
This is a fair and deeply important question — because if the Bible was written centuries after the events, it would lose credibility as a historical record. Imagine someone today claiming to give eyewitness details of Julius Caesar’s private conversations — we’d rightly be skeptical.
So: Was the Bible written too late to be trusted?
Let’s take this head-on.
📜 1. The Old Testament Was Not Written “Late”
The Old Testament (OT) was written across many centuries, from about 1400 BC to 400 BC.
- The first five books (Genesis–Deuteronomy) are traditionally attributed to Moses (~1400–1200 BC).
- The historical books (Joshua, Judges, Kings, etc.) were written closer to the events they describe, sometimes during or just after the events.
- The prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) were written during the lifetimes of the prophets, many of whom addressed kings and nations in real time.
- The Psalms and Proverbs reflect the cultural and spiritual life of Israel during the reigns of kings like David and Solomon (1000–900 BC).
🧠 The idea that the OT was “written centuries later” is an outdated theory.
Why it was once believed: In the 19th century, many European scholars — influenced by skepticism and lacking archaeological evidence — believed the Hebrew people couldn’t write during Moses’ time.
Why that idea is wrong now: Archaeological discoveries (like the Tel Zayit abecedary and Ugaritic tablets) have shown that alphabetic writing was common before 1000 BC, even among rural peoples. The Bible’s timeline is entirely plausible.
✍️ 2. The New Testament Was Written Within Living Memory
Here’s where critics push hardest. They say: “The Gospels were written decades after Jesus — how can they be trusted?”
Let’s break it down.
✅ Jesus died around 30–33 AD.
The New Testament documents were written between 48–95 AD, with the Gospels likely written:
- Mark — c. 60–65 AD
- Matthew — c. 60–70 AD
- Luke — c. 60–70 AD
- John — c. 80–90 AD
That’s 20 to 60 years after Jesus — not centuries.
For comparison: Most of what we know about Alexander the Great comes from Plutarch — written 400 years after Alexander lived.
Yet historians trust Plutarch. So why dismiss the Gospels, written within living memory, when eyewitnesses were still alive to confirm or deny the accounts?
📬 3. Paul’s Letters Prove Early Core Beliefs
Even earlier than the Gospels, we have Paul’s letters. These are undisputedly dated (even by secular scholars) to the 40s and 50s AD.
Paul writes about:
- Jesus’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
- Eyewitnesses (naming specific people)
- Christian creeds already circulating
In 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, Paul quotes a creed about Jesus’s death and resurrection that most scholars date to within 5 years of the crucifixion.
That’s not myth-development — that’s contemporaneous testimony.
🧱 4. What About the Argument That “Legends Take Time”?
Skeptics often claim that the miracles of Jesus were added later as myths. But this doesn’t line up with how legends actually form:
- Legends take centuries to build — especially about historical figures.
- In the Gospels, Jesus’s miracles, death, resurrection, and identity as Son of God are front and center — not gradually layered.
- If the Gospel writers were inventing these things late, contemporaries could have refuted them.
Yet no ancient text denies that Jesus did miracles — not even hostile ones like Josephus or the Talmud. They attribute them to sorcery or trickery — not denial.
That tells us something: The supernatural element was present from the start.
🧠 5. Eyewitness Culture and Oral Precision
People today assume ancient cultures were sloppy with memory. But oral cultures were extremely careful.
- Rabbinic tradition involved verbatim memorization.
- Disciples followed their teachers closely and transmitted teachings word-for-word.
- Jesus’s short, vivid, repeatable sayings (parables, beatitudes, etc.) were designed to be easily remembered.
Also, the Gospels include embarrassing and difficult details:
- Peter denying Jesus
- Disciples not understanding Him
- Women being the first witnesses to the resurrection (in a culture where women’s testimony was dismissed)
If the Gospels were fabricated late, why include things that make the disciples look bad?
Because they were preserving real memory, not making PR.
📦 6. Archaeology and Manuscript Evidence
We now have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, many dating to within 100–150 years of the originals — far earlier than any other ancient text.
For example:
- Earliest fragment of John’s Gospel (P52): ~125 AD
- Codex Sinaiticus: full NT, ~350 AD
Compared to:
- Caesar’s Gallic Wars: earliest copy is 900 years after
- Plato’s writings: 1,200 years after
And yet, no one doubts those authors existed.
🧭 Conclusion: The Timeline Is Not a Threat. It’s a Strength.
The Bible — especially the New Testament — was written much closer to the events than most ancient texts.
Its content was preserved in an eyewitness culture, passed along through communal recitation, and confirmed through archaeology and manuscript discovery.
The question is no longer “Was it written too late?”
But rather: “Am I willing to deal with how early and consistent it actually is?”
The Bible is not legend. It is anchored history, telling a story that continues to reshape the world — and every heart that truly listens.
