The Holy Scriptures

Boyle’s Argument: The Bible is the divinely inspired word of God.

Premise 1: The Holy Scriptures were written thousands of years ago. All books from the Old Testament, and the New Testament were written before approximately 100 A.D. There were sixty six books agreed upon as the canon of scripture by the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. This council represented hundreds of ancient Biblical scholars and religious leaders that decided which scriptures would qualify as the canon of Christian Scripture. The following qualifications were needed to be initiated into the canon. 1. The scriptures in question couldn’t contradict teachings of the Old Testament. 2. The scriptures in question had to be authoritative, or life changing. 3. The scriptures in question had to be written by the original writer most likely an apostil of Christ, or a close disciple. The scripture in question had to be written before 100 A.D.

Premise 2: The Bible was written by many different authors, over approximately 1600 years. It would be illogical, and irrational to make the assumption that the authors some how got together and collaborated their stories.

Premise 3: Historical references and archaeological evidence comply exactly too the scriptural accounts. There has never been any contradictions to the scriptures. Skeptics, and atheists will always point out some alleged scriptures that seem to conflict with each other, although when the scriptures are investigated by scholars there is usually a sufficient answer. Some questions cannot be answered, although in most cases there is a sufficient answer. There have been some minor scribal errors throughout the centuries, but scholars have concluded that the Bible has maintained a level of 99% accuracy. This can be demonstrated by the monumental discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Premise 4: The Dead Sea Scrolls that were recently found are ancient unaltered manuscripts unearthed at the Dead Sea that were carbon dated approximately two thousand years old. These manuscripts are virtually identical to our current Bible testifying to the consistency, and unaltered precision accuracy the Bible has maintained for over three thousand years.

Premise 5: The Bible is not a science book, but fully coincides with all scientific initiatives, when science is being interpreted correctly. The Bible has never violated any natural laws. It also gives a logical and rational explanation for the creation of the universe, complexity and design of structures, and the origins of man.

Premise 6: The Bible has proven to be the only ancient religious text to announce God's word through hundreds of precise prophecies that were fulfilled throughout the centuries.

Premise 7: The Bible claims to be the word of God. Moreover, Jesus Christ claims that the Bible is the word of God.

Conclusion: Based on this evidence we hold to the truth that the Bible was written by men, but is the divinely inspired word of God.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless."

(Psalm 18:30)

Most specific questions you have on the Bible could be addressed here.

Veritas.org. MP3 Audio: The Reliability of the Bible - Part 1 Grant Osborne. University of North Carolina, 1998.

Veritas.org. MP3 Audio: The Reliability of the Bible - Part 2 Grant Osborne. University of North Carolina, 1998.

Veritas.org. MP3 Audio: The Reliability of the Bible - Part 3 Grant Osborne. University of North Carolina, 1998.

Here’s some information on the Bible if you want to read more then click on the Holy Scriptures essay at the bottom of the page.

· “The New Testament has over 5000 supporting Greek manuscripts existing today with another 20,000 manuscripts in other languages. Some of the manuscript evidence dates to within 100 years of the original writings. There is less than a 1% textual variation in the New Testament manuscripts.” (Slick)

· “By comparison, he estimated the New Testament is about 99.5 percent accurate. Again, the 0.5 percent in question does not affect a single doctrine of Christian faith." (Geisler 229)

· Finally, out of all the holy books in the world the Bible is the only book with fulfilled prophecies. Fulfilled prophecies are a verifiable way to test the holy scriptures as divinely inspired with the stamp of Almighty God. “The Bible records predictions of events that couldn’t be known or predicted by chance or common sense. For example, the book of Daniel was written before 530 B.C. This book accurately predicts the progression of kingdoms from Babylon through the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and then the Roman Empire, ending with the persecution and suffering of the Jews under Antiochus IV epiphanies with his desecration of the temple, his untimely death, and freedom for the Jews under Judas Maccabeus 165 B.C. It is statistically ridiculous that any or all of the Bible’s specific, detailed prophecies could have been fulfilled through chance, good guessing, or deliberate deceit.” (Hanegraaff)

· "Premise one: God cannot err.
Premise two: The Bible is the word of God.
Conclusion: Therefore, the Bible cannot err." (Geisler 370)

Work Cited

Geisler, Norman L, Turek, Frank. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Wheaton: Good News, 2004.

Hanegraaff, Hank. The Bible Answer Book. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc, 2007.

Slick, Matthew J, 1996-2007, CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY, 25 Sep 2007, <http://www.carm.org>.

This wonderful online website Bible Gateway.com offers a free download to listen to scripture on your computer. Also, you can look up any specific passage. Type in any key word or phrase, for example "Destruction of Babylon," and all the passages that pertain to the destruction of Babylon will come up in the entire Bible. Browse the topical index by alphabetical order, buy a Bible, and many other resources.

If you are interested in being able to listen to the Bible on your computer then follow these directions. First, go to www.biblegateway.com, and click on Additional Resources on the navigational bar. Second, under Audio Bible click on frequently asked questions. Third, follow the instructions to complete the download.

Bible Online

The Holy Scriptures by Boyle

"Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:7,8)

Jesus said, "The scriptures cannot be broken." (John 10:35)

(Music: Frédéric Chopin, Fantaisie- Impromptu Op 66; 4, 1810-1849)