Christian Bible History Revealing the Wonderful Evidence For the Divine Inspiration, Faithful Preservation, And Competent Translation Of the Christian Bible Ralph D. Koehler Jesus Loves You CHRISTIAN BIBLE HISTORY Copyright © 2004 by Ralph Denny Koehler All rights reserved. Updated 2016 No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author. For a quality paper copy of this book, please contact: Ralph D. Koehler PO Box 201 Collingswood, NJ 08108 Please send email to: [email protected] To access an electronic copy, please visit our Web Site: http://www.Jesus7777.com *** Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible, unless otherwise noted. 2 Christian Bible History Dedication To my father, Paul Frederick Koehler, Whom I saw sitting on the side porch reading the Bible; Who looked up at me and said, quoting the Scriptures, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) 3 Jesus Loves You Acknowledgments We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to those who reviewed this manuscript and provided comments. The Lord Jesus Christ promised, “And whosoever shall give unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). “Wonderful… presents thorough scholarship… very edifying to the LORD Jesus Christ... May it spread throughout the world!” (Dr. Val Greenfield, Mt. Laurel, NJ)! “Excellent presentation… would make excellent material for a seminary course” (Rev. Dr. L. Owen Johnson, Loris, SC). “A great blessing to read… very informative” (Mr. David L. Glasgow, BA in World Missions, Phoenixville, PA). “It answers questions… very logical and without pretension… very helpful” (Mr. Broderick Koehler, BA in Education, Penns Grove, NJ). “Amen! Outstanding research... God bless you. A labor of Love” (Mrs. Doris A. Koehler, BA in Letters, Pennsville, NJ)! ******* 4 Christian Bible History “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things, which thou hast seen, And of those things in which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (ACTS 26:15-18) 5 Jesus Loves You Table of Contents DEDICATION ............................................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................... 6 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................... 11 PREFACE .................................................................................................. 14 A Pilgrim’s Way ..................................................................................................... 16 AN INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................... 25 INSPIRATION OF THE ETERNAL WORD ................................................ 25 Soul, Spirit, and Inspiration .................................................................................... 25 God's Communications with People ...................................................................... 30 God Spoke Directly to People ................................................................................ 31 God Wrote the Ten Commandments ..................................................................... 32 God Spoke Through Prophets ............................................................................... 34 God’s Commandment to Write .............................................................................. 35 God Spoke Through Angelic Messengers ............................................................. 37 The Lord Jesus Christ Spoke the Words of God ................................................... 37 The Lord Jesus Christ Validated the Word ............................................................ 38 The Holy Spirit Reminded & Guided the Authors ................................................... 41 Biblical Truth .......................................................................................................... 42 Alleged Discrepancies ........................................................................................... 45 The Word is Pure ................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................... 65 PROPHECIES FULFILLED ....................................................................... 65 Urim and Thummin ................................................................................................ 77 Old Testament Prophets ........................................................................................ 79 When Messiah Comes........................................................................................... 80 6 Christian Bible History Prophecies Concerning Jesus Christ .................................................................... 87 Prophecies about Pentecost ................................................................................. 94 Old Testament Prophecies Cited in the NT ........................................................... 95 Prophecies by the Lord Jesus Christ .................................................................. 106 Prophecies by the Disciples ................................................................................ 112 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................. 116 EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY ................................................................... 116 Two or Three Witnesses ..................................................................................... 118 The Gospels - Valid Eyewitness Testimonies ..................................................... 139 Importance of the Spoken Word ......................................................................... 140 Eyewitness Testimonies ...................................................................................... 141 Apostles’ Attestations concerning the Scriptures ................................................ 142 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................. 145 THE CHRISTIAN MARTYRS .................................................................. 145 Tribulation ........................................................................................................... 145 Persecution by Imperial Rome ............................................................................ 146 Martyrdom of the Apostles and Disciples ............................................................ 152 Destruction of Manuscripts .................................................................................. 161 Counting the Cost ............................................................................................... 162 Could we…? ........................................................................................................ 163 CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................. 164 PRESERVING THE SCRIPTURES ......................................................... 164 History of Writing Materials ................................................................................. 164 A Review of Ancient Writings .............................................................................. 167 Biblical Languages .............................................................................................. 172 Biblical Manuscript Information ........................................................................... 176 Old Testament Preservation ............................................................................... 179 New Testament (NT) Preservation ...................................................................... 195 NT Preservation - Manuscript Antiquity ............................................................... 196 NT Preservation - Manuscripts’ Time Phasing .................................................... 198 NT Preservation - Biblical Manuscript Review .................................................... 200 NT Preservation - Fragmentary Manuscripts ...................................................... 213 NT Preservation - Affordability and Printing ........................................................ 214 7 Jesus Loves You Textual Variations ................................................................................................ 216 The Traditional Text ............................................................................................. 217 The True Word of God ......................................................................................... 221 CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................. 223 THE CHRISTIAN CANON........................................................................ 223 Old Testament Canon .......................................................................................... 224 New Testament Canon ........................................................................................ 237 Divine Inspiration ................................................................................................. 237 Some Complications ............................................................................................ 240 Recognizing the Canon ....................................................................................... 242 Review of Christian Canons ................................................................................. 243 Canonical Clarification ......................................................................................... 248 Summary ............................................................................................................. 252 CHAPTER 7 ............................................................................................. 253 APOCRYPHA AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHA ............................................... 253 The Old Testament Apocrypha ............................................................................ 253 Pseudepigrapha (or False Writings) .................................................................... 267 Rabbinical Literature ............................................................................................ 270 New Testament Apocrypha .................................................................................. 273 Lost and Fragmentary Apocrypha........................................................................ 274 The Agrapha (or sayings of Jesus) ...................................................................... 275 Categories of the NT Apocrypha .......................................................................... 276 Birth and Childhood Stories ................................................................................. 276 Apocryphal Gospels ............................................................................................. 278 The Pilate Cycle ................................................................................................... 279 Apocryphal ACTS ................................................................................................ 279 Minor Apocryphal ACTS ...................................................................................... 280 Apocryphal Epistles ............................................................................................. 281 Apocryphal Apocalypse ....................................................................................... 281 CHAPTER 8 ............................................................................................. 283 BIBLICAL TRANSLATION ...................................................................... 283 Translation into English ....................................................................................... 288 Translation - King James Version (KJV) .............................................................. 299 8 Christian Bible History Editions of the King James Bible ........................................................................ 308 Modern English Translations ............................................................................... 312 Modern English Translations - A Review ............................................................ 313 Version Comparison - An Example ..................................................................... 319 One Definite Text ................................................................................................ 321 CHAPTER 9 ............................................................................................. 324 EARLY QUOTATIONS ............................................................................ 324 People Knew the Truth about Jesus Christ ......................................................... 324 Early Christians Quoted the NT Manuscripts ...................................................... 326 Background of Early Christians ........................................................................... 328 Confessions on Biblical Inspiration ..................................................................... 339 Articles of Affirmation and Denial ........................................................................ 345 CHAPTER 10 ........................................................................................... 350 JESUS CITED IN HISTORY .................................................................... 350 Jewish and Pagan References to Christ ............................................................. 350 Regional Darkness – An Apologetic.................................................................... 353 CHAPTER 11 ........................................................................................... 354 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY ................................................................... 354 Biblical Topics Confirmed.................................................................................... 355 The Dead Sea Scrolls ......................................................................................... 367 Khirbet Qumran ................................................................................................... 368 Hiding the Scrolls ................................................................................................ 370 Discovery of the Scrolls ....................................................................................... 372 Reconstruction and Publication .......................................................................... 373 Details on Dating the Scrolls ............................................................................... 376 Precious Biblical Scrolls ...................................................................................... 379 Professional Testimonies on Biblical Archaeology.............................................. 380 TOPICAL SYNOPSIS .............................................................................. 383 Inspiration and Truth ........................................................................................... 385 Prophecies Fulfilled ............................................................................................. 387 Eyewitness Testimony ........................................................................................ 390 The Christian Martyrs .......................................................................................... 392 Preservation of the Scriptures ............................................................................. 394 9 Jesus Loves You The Christian Canon ............................................................................................ 396 Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha ......................................................................... 398 Biblical Translation ............................................................................................... 401 Patristic Quotations .............................................................................................. 403 Jesus Cited in History .......................................................................................... 405 Biblical Archaeology ............................................................................................ 407 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 411 EPILOGUE ............................................................................................... 413 THE GOSPEL MESSAGE ....................................................................... 413 The Quintessential Salvation Message ................................................................ 415 Profession of Faith ............................................................................................... 417 Growing in Christian Maturity ............................................................................... 418 TOPICAL REFERENCES ........................................................................ 421 Apologetics .......................................................................................................... 421 Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha ......................................................................... 422 Archaeology ......................................................................................................... 422 Biblical History etc. .............................................................................................. 423 Christian Martyrs .................................................................................................. 428 Prophecy .............................................................................................................. 428 General References and Resources ................................................................... 429 Defending the Traditional Text ............................................................................. 430 Modern Language Bibles ..................................................................................... 431 Supplemental References ................................................................................... 432 INDEX ...................................................................................................... 435 10