This question has been asked to me by several people I have come in contact with discussing the ideas contained within the bible.  My typical answer has always been, “By faith we must accept these words as inspired.”  Is it only by “blind faith” that we can believe what is written or is there significant evidence supporting the basis these men were truly inspired?  This study was based off the book Letters from a Skeptic by Dr. Gregory Boyd.

Historian's Criteria for Determining Historical Value of Letters:

1. Internal Criteria Questions
1. Was the author in a position to know what he or she is writing about?  Does the text claim to be an eyewitness account, or based on an eyewitness account?  Or is it based on hearsay?
2. Does the document in question contain specific, and especially irrelevant, material?
3. Does the document contain self-damaging material?
4. Is the document reasonably self-consistent?
5. Is there evidence of legendary accretion in the document (exaggeration through time)?
2. External Criteria Questions
1. Would the authors of the document have a motive for fabricating what they wrote?
2. Are there any other sources which confirm material in the document and/or which substantiate the genuineness of the document?
3. Does archeology support or go against material in the document?
Could contemporaries of the document falsify the document's account, and would they have a motive for doing so?

1. Internal Criteria of the New Testament
1. Authorship Credentials
1. Peter was the friend of Jesus himself and followed him for 3 years of his life till Jesus was resurrected.  Luke was told by eyewitnesses and was inspired.
2. 2 Peter 1:16, Luke-Luke 1:2
2. Irrelevant Information
1. The naked boy-Mark 14:51-52-why would the writer include this if it weren't true?
2. Resurrection morning-John 20:1-8-John reaches tomb before Peter, stooping down, burial clothes folded, didn't know the scripture
3. Self-Damaging
1. Peter's embarrassment-Galatians 2:11-13-self-damaging to Peter's character
2. Corinth's condition-idols, fornication, disrespecting Lord's Supper, divorce, without love.
3. Jesus' outrage-Matthew 21:12
4. Saul-the killer of Christians, Matthew-the tax collector, Peter and Andrew-ignorant fishermen
4. Self-Consistency
1. Peter on the mountain-2 Peter 1:17-18, Matt. 17:4-5
2. Paul at Stephen's death-Acts 7:58, Acts 22:20
3. Unbelievable harmony of the gospels!-Feeding 5,000 (all 4 gospels), parable of sower (3 gospels), death, burial, & resurrection (all 4 gospels)
5. Exaggeration Over Time
1. The Christ-lowly man, rode into town on donkey, born not of royalty in manger, etc.
2. 5,366 original Greek manuscripts of New Testament-remarkably consistent between all.

2. External Criteria of the New Testament
1. Motive
1. The disciples claimed to believe in Jesus because of His miracles and His resurrection, combined with the kind of life He lived and teachings He gave. Because of this, they suffered great persecutions and many were killed for their belief.  Why would they lie?
2. Outside Sources That Confirm Authenticity
1. The Works of Josephus (37-97 A.D.)-Book 18-“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”
2. Tacitus-The Annals-(14-66 A.D.)- BOOK XV: A.D. 62—65-XLIV. “Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.”
3. Archaeology Support
1. Dead Sea Scrolls-the discovery of about 800 scrolls in the caves at Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in Israel.  Scrolls written from about 250 B.C. to about 65 A.D. and were discovered by accident in 1947.  The scrolls, which were copies of prophecies (ie. Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), were themselves written decades, even centuries before Jesus.  Hence we know the prophecies were not written “after the fact.”
2. Archaeological Sites of Jesus' Crucifixion, The Site of Jesus' Birth, House of Peter, etc.
4. The Opposition for Christians
1. There were many contemporaries who would have loved to falsify the existence of Jesus and the New Testament writings.  There were many opportunities to expose a lie (if it was in fact a lie).  For example, just bringing forth the body of the slain Jesus would have been sufficient to extinguish Christianity once and for all.  Even those who remained opposed to Christianity did not deny that Jesus did miracles, and did not deny that His tomb was empty.  The opponents claimed that Jesus did what He did either through trickery, or the power of Satan, and that the disciples stole the body of Jesus.

Conclusions:

The simple messages the 27 letters contain are obviously not for profit, self-glory, or even “in tune” with common sense (Matt. 5:44-“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”).  How would common men come up with these principles themselves?  It can be proven that Jesus did exist, and that He taught these principles.  He has demonstrated His origin was not of man, but of God, through miracles that cannot be refuted.  The remarkable “surge” of believers/martyrs after His crucifixion and resurrection are undoubtedly proof that He was truly “a perfect being” and one who brought forgiveness to the entire world.  We now have the freedom to decide whether or not we believe in this Jesus fellow.  And if so, accept the forgiveness He wants for everyone who believes in Him.  For we better not try to stand alone on the day of judgment when we are introduced to His Father.

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”-John 20:31

“Man will believe anything, as long as it's not in the Bible.”-Napoleon