What are some good resources on the historical accuracy, or that support the validity, of the Bible?

Question: While I've been raised a Christian, I am still relatively young in my faith. As a senior in college, I am currently facing some scholarly arguments against Christianity. What are some good resources on the historical accuracy, or that support the validity, of the Bible?

It is not new, though it is surprising, that professors at reputable universities seem unaware of current scholarship on the historicity of the Bible. In my view, it undermines their credibility. It is as though they are operating in an echo chamber with other skeptical professors. The proliferation of theories and books claiming the Bible is not historically accurate has kept evangelical scholars busy, even when they have little more than opinion to stand on. Frankly, it has been a bit of a blessing, since we have had to sharpen our own skills and resources and to delve into the rich history of the time of the Bible – it gives new cultural understanding and context to those who study and proclaim the Bible. Be assured, that there is exhaustive research in response to the revisionists’ theories of the past century and the scholarship is both broad and deep. I can point you in a number of directions that might help you in responding, if you want to invest the time (see the book list below).
 
However, it is important to understand that the hinge on which rejection or belief of the Bible turns is not information, but revelation. God has given us a revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ – for which the Bible serves as the prime testimony. We know and trust God because He has revealed Himself to us, not because someone gave us a carefully crafted syllogism. We know and trust God because in the simple story of the Gospel our hearts responded with faith (1Cor 1-2). Our hearts became tuned to the reality of God’s love and promises – a relational reality for which logic has never had an answer (the rubric from which the naturalist determines his beliefs has never been able to deal with non-Cartesian evidence). We testify of God not because we are history scholars, but because God is a supreme communicator who has revealed Himself to us in our lives. Let God continue to speak to your heart in this matter.

As far as the Bible is concerned, Jesus Christ affirmed the Old Testament, so the question of the historicity of the Old Testament rests on Jesus’ credibility. We now have copies of the Old Testament from the 2nd century prior to the birth of Jesus, so we have the very word that Jesus affirmed, not a revision. As for the New Testament, it is a collection of writings that had to undergo the test of eyewitnesses. They were not written centuries later by a one-to-one transmission, each person picking up something new and passing along a mix of understanding and confusion. They were written within the time of living witnesses. And these living witnesses continued to affirm it. Before the close of the 1st century, Clement of Rome (1Clement) was quoting from the Gospels. Throughout the 2nd century, there were writers who continued to hold these Gospels to the test by asking living relatives whether they were trustworthy accounts. The early church had prolific writers, which alone is a worthy study (many of these can be found in text form on the Internet).
 
Rejection of the Bible as historically reliable is not based on a careful study of the facts, but an a priori conviction that it cannot have been inspired by God. For the naturalist, or for the skeptic, or for the person who does not want to consider the implications of God’s word, the Bible is rejected before it is even considered carefully. The best current book that gets to the heart of the witnesses is the book below by Richard Bauckham. It pretty much puts the nail in the coffin to those revisionists who claim the Bible is without historical basis. If you are ready for some heavy reading, I recommend it.

I hope this helps. Feel free to write with more questions. We could even meet me at church when you are there for a discussion. I am praying for your triumph in a spiritual battle that Jesus Christ has already won.

Here are some books that might help you…
• Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, by *Richard Bauckham – a tremendous work – recently released – that answers the major critics claims by careful weighing of the evidence.
• Jesus was a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell – a simple and easy read – some things that critics have not been able to respond to effectively.

• The Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by Simon Greenleaf – an agnostic professor (Jewish by birth), this is a work of legal apologetics. He wrote it after being prompted by his students at Harvard into examining the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Gospels (after which he became a Christian).
• Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell – the body of work behind Jesus was a Carpenter. A scholarly examination of the facts surrounding the life and testimony of Jesus Christ in the Bible and the early Church.

Early Church Authors and Writings…

• Didache
• Clement of Rome
• 2 Clement (not authored by Clement of Rome)
• The Shepherd of Hermas
• Ignatius of Antioch
• Polycarp
• The Martyrdom of Polycarp
• Epistle to Diognetus
• Fragments of Papias
• Quadratus of Athens
• Aristides
• Justin Martyr
• Claudius Apollinaris
• Minucius Felix
• Melito of Sardis
• Hegesippus
• Dionysius of Corinth
• Athenagoras of Athens
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Rhodon
• Theophilus of Caesarea
• Theophilus of Antioch
• Maximus of Jerusalem
• Polycrates of Ephesus
• Pantaenus
• Clement of Alexandria
• Tertullian
• Serapion of Antioch
• Apollonius
• Caius