Interview With Robby Lashua (Part 1)
In the kick-off to our Know About Jesus series, apologist Robby Lashua tackles two tough questions. First, how do we know the New Testament we have today is the same as what was originally written down? Second, how do we know what was written down is true? In this episode, you’ll learn about the tests historians use when determining the reliability of ancient documents—and whether the New Testament accounts of Jesus pass those tests.
Can We Trust What We Have?
How do we know that the stories we have about Jesus in the Bible today are what was originally written down? Robby points to the high number of Greek manuscripts that exist of the New Testament—over 5,000, to be exact. Moreover, many of those manuscripts date within a few decades of the original. By contrast, there are only 1,800 known manuscripts of Homer’s The Iliad.
robby Lashua
“We know with 99.9% accuracy what the original New Testament documents said.”
Can We Trust That It’s True?
Critics of the Bible claim it is full of contradictions. Robby says that on closer examination, the contradictions turn out not to be contradictions at all. “When we look internally, we don’t find contradictions,” he told Know Why. “What we do find are embarrassing details.”
Why does this matter? “Historians of all different kinds of ancient literature believe that if you find embarrassing details in the text about the people who are writing the text, they’re probably telling you the truth,” he explained.
Listen next week for Part 2 of Know Why’s interview with Robby Lashua, in which Robby delves into historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.
More Resources
Is the New Testament Text Reliable?