Internal Evidence Test
Like good detectives, historians also verify reliability by looking at internal clues. Such clues reveal motives of the authors and their willingness to disclose details and other features that could be verified. The internal clues textual critics use to test a document’s reliability are the following:12
- Consistency of eyewitness reports
- Details of names, places, and events
- Letters to individuals or small groups
- Features embarrassing to the authors
- Irrelevant or counterproductive material
- Lack of relevant material
Consistency
Eyewitnesses to a crime or an accident generally get the big events right but see it from different perspectives. Likewise, the four Gospels describe the events of Jesus’ life from different perspectives. Yet, critical scholars are amazed at the consistency of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ teaching, miracles, death and resurrection. Despite the different perspectives of the writers, all New Testament manuscripts present Jesus consistently in these key areas.
Details
Historians also verify the authenticity of a document by the accuracy of its details. Classical historian Colin Hemer “identifies 84 facts in the last 16 chapters of Acts that have been confirmed by Archaeological research.”13 From the Gospel accounts to Paul’s letters, the New Testament authors openly described details, even citing the names of at least thirty individuals who were alive at the time.
New Testament scholar Gary Habermas writes,
Overall, at least seventeen non-Christian writings record more than fifty details concerning the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus, plus details concerning the early church.14
Jesus is mentioned by more sources than the conquests of Caesar during this same period. It is even more astounding since these confirmations of New Testament details date from 20 to 150 years after Christ, “quite early by the standards of ancient historiography.”
Letters To Small Groups
Historical expert Louis Gottschalk notes that personal letters intended for small audiences have a high probability of being reliable. Since large portions of the New Testament consist of personal letters written to small groups and individuals, scholars deem them to be highly reliable.
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