The New Testament records different aspects of the crucifixion and resurrection in all four gospels. But is there any proof that something so unusual really happened? Can we trust the Bible?

Skeptics sometimes suggest that the story of Jesus' resurrection is a legend, embellished over time. But how can it be legend when there are manuscripts which have been dated AD 70, just a few decades from the actual events? This is proof of authenticity because there were plenty of people still alive that could have contested the events as recorded. No ancient first century documents exist that contest anything written in those manuscripts. Additionally, there are more than 5,000 ancient New Testament Greek manuscripts that have been cataloged and another 19,000 copies in other languages. No other literary work comes close to that number. The closest is Homer's "Iliad" which has over 600 manuscripts that were penned 500 years after the original. Many other ancient documents have fewer than 50 copies and are over a century removed from the original. The more texts that are available, the more reliable the writings, because they can be cross-checked for accuracy. If the New Testament is regarded as unreliable, then so must all the other ancient writings, as there are far fewer of them in existence.

Other theories proposed by skeptics are that Jesus didn't really die or that His disciples stole the body after it was placed in the tomb and made up the story about His resurrection to keep Christianity alive. But that doesn't explain the account that the guards, obviously not followers of Jesus, confirmed he had died and took him down from the cross and allowed the women to prepare his body for burial; or that many of the followers of Jesus eventually gave up their own lives when presented with the opportunity to deny Jesus or die. Why would they do that for a lie they had supposedly made up?

It's not simply a matter of faith. There is much evidence that the Bible is authentic and reliable.

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