the Bible – God’s Word
II. OTHER EVIDENCE
I. Indestructibility
Although the Bible was first recorded on perishable materials such as papyrus, and was dependent on being copied by hand for three thousand years, it has against all odds arrived in the hands of modern man as the best attested document of antiquity. There is more manuscript evidence for the text of the Bible than any other work of ancient literature. The Bible then in the providence of God has withstood the forces of nature and time surviving to this day as the most resilient book of all time!
POLITICAL ENEMIES
Time and nature are not the only forces that have been at work to threaten the survival of the scriptures. From the early persecutions of the Roman Empire on the Christian church to the assaults of modern godless communist dictatorships, the Bible has been the focal point of many attempts to suppress and destroy it.
The first major political state sponsored attacks on Christianity came from the Roman Emperors. While there was a number of harsh persecutions of the Christian community in early history of the church by Rome the most severe came at the hands of Diocletian emperor of Rome who in 303 AD issued an edict calling for the destruction of the Christian churches and scriptures along with death for those who would not renounce their faith. Even though great harm was done during this time, not long after this persecution in 313 AD the edict of Milan was issued under Constantine the new Roman Emperor which granted religious freedom to all in the Empire. At this same time Constantine commissioned Eusebius a contemporary Christian leader to have 50 copies of the Christian scriptures prepared at the expense of the state to be used in the Churches. After these persecutions, the Roman Empire continued to decline until it’s death, while the church flourished and the scriptures lived on!
Paralleling these events not long ago the communist government of Russia severely restricted and persecuted the Christian church and the scriptures. Like the Roman Empire, the communists of Russia have collapsed but the church and the scriptures have survived. Furthermore, Bibles are freely distributed in the public schools and Christian catechism is a part of the curriculum in Russia. In an online article some time ago the L.A. Times reported on the public schools in Moscow saying,
“….every student is learning Christian catechism along with reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s an unlikely scene, not least because this is a public school in a country that, just a few decades back, prided itself on institutional atheism.” (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-23-fg-orthodox23-story.html )
PHILOSOPHICAL ENEMIES
Many throughout history have found the truth of the scriptures to be in direct conflict with their philosophical worldview. Voltaire noted skeptic of the 18th century predicted that Christianity and the scriptures would pass into obsolescence within 100 years of his death. Fifty years later the Geneva Bible society was using his printing press and house to produce Bibles. In more recent times those rejecting any notion of the supernatural have promoted evolution as the key to understanding the true nature of man. These theories, once so boldly asserted, contradicted the biblical teaching of creation and seemed to undermine and threaten the credibility of scripture. Like all other past challenges, evolution is now beginning to lose its grip as many in the scientific community admit that the tenants of this theory are not withstanding the test of time and new advances in biology. Those who have placed their trust in the scriptures do well to patiently weather the temporary storms of skepticism knowing that in due time the truth will once again shine brightly and live on.
Perhaps the situation might be best summed up in the words of H. L. Hastings as cited in Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict:
” Infidels for eighteen hundred years have been refuting and overthrowing this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock. It’s circulation increases, and it is more loved and cherished and read today than ever before. Infidels, with all their assaults, make about as much impression on this book as a man with a tack hammer would on the Pyramids of Egypt. When the French monarch proposed the persecution of the Christians in his dominion, an old statesman and warrior said to him, ‘Sire, the church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.’ so the hammers of infidels have been pecking away at this book for ages, but the hammers are worn out, and the anvil still endures. If this book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago. Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers have tried their hand at it; they die and the book still lives.” (p. 23)
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
