Although none of the original manuscripts writ-
Lord’s supper) as practiced by the early church
ten by Moses or Paul or the other biblical writers
prior to the circulation and collection of the New
have been preserved (no doubt providentially; oth-
Testament books, with their initiation as described
erwise they might have become objects of worship),
therein, can only be explained if the documents
we can have full confidence in the integrity and can-
onicity of the text as transmitted to us. Some of the
considerations supporting this confidence are sum-
Authenticity of the Old Testament Authenticity of the New Testament New Testament Attestation
• Traditional authorship accepted by Christ (Luke
Logical Basis of Confidence in the Text
24:27; John 5:46–47; Matthew 24:15–21; etc.).
• Over 20,000 hand-copied manuscripts of the
• Included 320 direct quotations from the Old Tes-
Greek text are in existence, far more than for any
other documents of comparable [age].
• Confirmation in the New Testament of supernat-
• Some papyrus fragments, especially of John, are
ural events recorded in the Old Testament (Mat-
preserved from the middle of the second century.
thew 19:4–5; Luke 17:26; John 6:32; Matthew
• Although there are some differences in the pre-
served manuscripts, there is no doubt that at least
95% of the text is intact [whole and undamaged]
• The complete text of all New Testament books was
• Over 1,000 hand-copied manuscripts of the Mas-
available to those who lived at the same time as the
apostles, and they were satisfied with it.
• Meticulous study and compilation of all earlier
• In particular, the portrait of Christ as given in the
New Testament was accepted as authentic (accu-
• Extremely careful copying and cross-checking by
rate and true) by the earliest Christians.
• The conclusion is that the New Testament as we
• Completion of writing and editing about the time
now have it is substantially identical with the orig-
of Ezra, with probably the first Old Testament
• Careful preservation and transmission from still
• Hundreds of quotations are included in the writ-
ings of the early church fathers, probably adequate
to construct the entire New Testament, if neces-
• Other ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, Syr-
• Accuracy of most New Testament historical and
• Dead Sea Scrolls (containing most or all of Old
geographical references has been confirmed by
archaeological and historical research, and no such
• Acceptance by Jews and early Christians.
• Old Testament quotations in pre-Christian writ-
• The New Testament books were originally written
in Koine Greek, the common language of the New
Testament era, rather than classical Greek.
- High culture, writing skills, etc., long before
• Consistency of church ordinances (baptism,
Demolsihing Strongholds Copyright 2007 Answers in Genesis. Copy permission for student handouts granted.
- Geographical and historical accuracy.
been accurately transmitted from the original writings.
- Superiority of biblical records to the ethnic
Furthermore, the most difficult part to believe in the
Old Testament (the Creation and the Flood) is sup-
• Witness of Passover to Mosaic authorship.
ported by all true science, and the most difficult to be-
• Claims of writers; universal acceptance by Jews.
lieve in the New Testament (the bodily resurrection of
Christ) is confirmed by all sound history.
*Taken from Henry Morris, The New Defender’s Study
The biblical text as we have it is authentic, con-
Bible, World Publishing, Inc., 2006, pp. 2062–2063.
firmed wherever it can be tested. Completely separate
from the question of divine inspiration, the text has
Demolsihing Strongholds Copyright 2007 Answers in Genesis. Copy permission for student handouts granted.
Digging deeper into God’s Word is a surefire way to grow closer to Him and to mature in your Christian
walk. Try to locate a Strong’s Concordance (parent, pastor, church library, etc.) or if you have Internet access, you
can log onto www.crosswalk.com and save it to your Favorites for future use. This link gives you access to Strong’s
Concordance, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, Bible Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and a few other resources that can
be excellent tools for deep Bible Study.
Read 2 Timothy 3 to get the context (setting) for 2 Timothy 3:16, then look up the key words for 2 Timothy
3:16 in Strong’s Concordance. Look at the number (usually 3 or 4 digits) to the right of the 2 Timothy reference
and jot it down beside the word it goes with below. Then look up the Strong’s number at the back of the con-
cordance or in a Greek dictionary. On the lines below, write down the Greek word and the italicized definition
Inspiration:
______________________________________________________________________________________
Profitable:
______________________________________________________________________________________
Doctrine:
______________________________________________________________________________________
Reproof:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Correction:
______________________________________________________________________________________
Instruction:
______________________________________________________________________________________
Perfect:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Now tie it all together. Rewrite 2 Timothy 3:16 in your own words as you understand it now.
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Demolsihing Strongholds Copyright 2007 Answers in Genesis. Copy permission for student handouts granted.
Addison's Disease Addison's disease is a rare endocrine, or hormonal disorder that affects about 1 in 100,000 people. It occurs in all age groups and afflicts men and women equally. The disease is characterized by weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin in both exposed and non-exposed parts of the body. Addison's disease occurs when
Int. J. Cancer: 110, 284 –290 (2004) Publication of the International Union Against CancerDIETARY PHYTOESTROGEN INTAKE AND PREMENOPAUSAL BREASTCANCER RISK IN A GERMAN CASE-CONTROL STUDYINSEISEN ,* Regina PILLER , Silke HERMANN and Jenny CHANG-CLAUDE1 Unit of Human Nutrition and Cancer Prevention, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 2 Department of Clinical E