Led by John Sura Vox Church
My Personal Class Notes-
Session 1 – Facilitator: John Sura
Date: May 18, 2025
Revelation
Natural Revelation – Through the created world
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” — Psalm 19:1–4
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” — Romans 1:20
Special Revelation – Through the inspired Word of God
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” — Hebrews 1:1–2
Purpose of the Session
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15
Goal: To gain an understanding of the Bible, its history, and best practices for interpretation.
Purpose of Scripture
To Save, Sanctify, and Protect Against False Teaching
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” — 2 Timothy 3:14–15
Salvation to Sanctification
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” — 1 Peter 1:14–15
Warning Against False Teaching
70% of the Epistles include warnings against false teaching and false teachers.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” — 2 Timothy 4:3–5
Session 1: History of the Bible
Definition
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies.
Collection Summary
- 40+ Writers, 1 Divine Author
- 66 Books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament)
- Written Over 1600 Years
- Languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
Translation vs. Transmission
- Over 6,000 manuscripts in original biblical languages
- ~9,000 manuscripts in other ancient languages (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc.) — used for cross-verification, not translation
Comparison: Ancient Texts vs. New Testament Manuscripts
| Work | Author | Date Written | Earliest Copy | Time Gap | # of Copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iliad | Homer | ~800 BC | ~400 BC | ~400 years | ~1,800 |
| History of the Peloponnesian War | Thucydides | ~431 BC | ~AD 900 | ~1,300 years | ~8 |
| The Gallic Wars | Julius Caesar | ~58–50 BC | ~AD 900 | ~950 years | ~10 |
| Histories | Herodotus | ~440 BC | ~AD 900 | ~1,300 years | ~8 |
| Annals | Tacitus | ~AD 100 | ~AD 1100 | ~1,000 years | ~20 |
| Dialogues | Plato | ~400 BC | ~AD 900 | ~1,300 years | ~210 |
| New Testament | Various Apostles | AD 45–95 | ~AD 125 (P52) | ~30 years | 5,800+ Greek, 25,000+ total |
Key Insights
- The New Testament has unparalleled manuscript support in both volume and proximity to the originals.
- The Old Testament is verified by the Dead Sea Scrolls (250 BC – AD 70), showing extraordinary consistency (especially the book of Isaiah).
Conclusion
The Bible—especially the New Testament—has unmatched manuscript support among all ancient literature, both in quantity and proximity to the originals. From a historical textual criticism standpoint, it is the most reliably transmitted document of antiquity.
Canon & Copy
- Early collections of biblical texts were bound in codices (book form), not scrolls.
- Approximately 200,000 textual variants exist. This is a strength, not a weakness.
- These enable scholars to compare readings and determine the most likely original with 98% accuracy.
- The remaining 2% of variants do not affect core doctrines.
Were They Telling the Truth?
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” — 2 Peter 1:16
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it…” — 1 John 1:1–2
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time…” — 1 Corinthians 15:3–8
“And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear.” — Acts 10:39–40
Historical Crosshairs & Evidence
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea…” — Luke 3:1–2
- Book of Acts – 84 confirmed historical details (locations, officials, titles, regional slang, nautical terms)
- Gospel of John – 59 historically verified details (customs, locations, people)
Evidence for Truth
- Martyrdom of the Apostles – They died for what they knew to be true, not for a lie.
- Explosive Growth of the Early Church – Especially among Jewish converts with deep-rooted tradition.
- Embarrassing Testimony – Disciples portrayed with doubt and failure (Peter’s denial, Thomas’ skepticism).
- Extra-Biblical Corroboration – Sources like Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger affirm key gospel events.
- Fulfilled Prophecy –
- Over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament
- 57 fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming
- Odds of one man fulfilling just 8 of these prophecies: 1 in 10^17 (that’s 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16–17
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