Today begins a short new series.

Before I committed my life to Christ I wanted to be sure that what I believed was true. So, I collected evidence for the for the validity of the Bible and belief in Jesus Christ.

This is divided into six categories (historical, prophetic, archeological, philosophical, scientific and experiential)

Today’s entry will be on the historical evidence.

Historical Evidence, briefly.

The Bible is a book of history and gives many points where its descriptions can be checked with secular history to see if they are correct. Here are two clear examples of this.

1. The author of book of Luke in the New Testament was a historian, and gave many references to events and rulers in the land of Israel, all of which can be checked. For instance, in Luke 2:1-2 it says, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.” There are three points of reference (the reign of Caesar Augustus, the registration, and Quirinius being governor of Syria) which all can be checked out and prove to be true.

2. Luke 3:1 gives another example of “checkable facts,” mentioning six prominent leaders by name. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the Baptist.” All of these are confirmable from secular history, even the improbable fact of two men sharing the office of high priest!

Many secular historians, including Josephus who lived at the time of Christ, also confirm these and other facts of biblical history,.

3. As the Bible is so accurate in the details, checkable, provable details, that leads us to see how all of it is accurate and trustable.