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CSI: Jerusalem |
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Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) is a popular drama on CBS about modern crime-busters who use science and technology to solve murders, but the investigation usually involves interviews with eyewitnesses who provide clues that help solve the mystery. Eyewitnesses may offer conflicting testimony on significant details about a crime, but when eyewitnesses say the same thing over and over again, the testimony is likely to be accurate and true. The church that Jesus established is built upon the testimony of eyewitnesses. When he composed his account about Jesus, Luke stated: “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4). Later, when he composed his account about the church, Luke also stated: “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:1-3). Luke wanted Theophilus to know that the eyewitnesses he had interviewed witnessed the resurrected Jesus more than once over a period of forty days. Paul cites at least six post-resurrection appearance and a total of five hundred and fourteen eyewitnesses a majority of which were still living in the spring of AD 56 when he penned his first letter to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The Corinthians and others who may have questions about the resurrection of Jesus could check his sources. The testimony of men and women who witnessed the events of the forty days between the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension would be the envy of crime scene investigators today! How do we know what the contemporaries of Jesus witnessed? The Gospels including Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not biographies and they are not chronological. They are accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus and are arranged thematically to emphasize something unique about Him. Why are there four Gospels? They provide multiple strands of testimony and when they are combined, they present a complete portrait of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called “synoptic” Gospels because they follow a common thesis. John is unique because it includes seven signs and seven discourses of Jesus with less narrative and no parables. The bottom line is that the four Gospels contain historical information confirming that Jesus is the Son of God. “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). Are there other Gospels or accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus? In addition to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, some Bibles include fifteen books called the “Apocrypha” from a Greek word meaning “hidden” referring to books that claim to reveal secret truths about Jesus and the apostles such as Maccabees. Furthermore, other books called the “Pseudepigrapha” from a Greek word meaning “false writings” applies to books that are falsely attributed to an apostle or prophet such as The Gospel Of Thomas. In his recent best-selling book, The DaVinci Code, and the latest summer blockbuster movie by the same name, Dan Brown asserts in his work of historical fiction that more than eighty books were rejected because they focus on the human nature of Jesus in favor of the four Gospels because they “embellish” His divine nature. The controversial author’s assertion is misleading! What was the criteria for determining the canon of Scripture? The term “canon” from a Greek word meaning “rule” or “standard” refers to books that have been included in the Bible. There are three criteria used to determine the canon according to Dr. Bruce M. Metzger, PH.D. who was interviewed by Lee Strobel in The Case For Christ (pp. 66-67): Apostolic authority. They must be written by the apostles who were eyewitnesses or by followers of the apostles. Conformity to the rule of faith. They must agree with the basis teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Used by the church as a whole. They must be accepted by the church as authentic over a period of time. Modern theologians such as the members of The Jesus Seminar argue that early church synods and councils made pronouncements concerning the canon purposely excluding books that should have been included. Metzger states in response: “The canon is a list of authoritative books more than it is an authoritative list of books” (p. 69). The books of the New Testament are not authoritative because they were chosen in favor of others; they are authoritative by virtue of their content. The “Apocrypha” and “Pseudepigrapha” simply do not measure up! We can believe the life and teaching of Jesus and the apostles without reservation because our faith is based upon eyewitnesses and reliable historical documents and evidence. Conduct a personal investigation and choose faith.
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