authenticity of New Testament Sections
Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 7:08 pm
I was gratiously reading the responses to my prior inquires and a question arose that I'd like to see addressed. If the question has been addressed and answered, please kindly point me to the URL (or multiple) of the forum. If there is an outside resource, I'd welcome that too.
Here's my question, and forgive the rambling as I ask it.
As I was reading these responses, I noticed a disproportinate number of answers coming from the Book of Romans. I began to wonder how do we know that this Book is authentic? Not in the sense of did the person who wrote it write it, but rather in the sense that how do we know this really belongs in the Bible at all? It's not written by Jesus. It's not written by God. It's written by man. According to About.com, Romans was written by Paul in 60 AD. If true, then we can answer that it was written by one of the disciples of Jesus. However, aren't we really just reading one man's intrepretation of what Jesus and God were or are thinking? How do we know that his intrepretation is accurate? As I pondered this question, I scrolled down a bit and noticed that all the four primary books of the new testament (John, Luke, Matthew, Mark) were written well after those books were written, some not until almost the turn of the century. This means that the authors of these books are not likely even the person who bears their title, thus begging the question, how do we know they recorded Jesus's words accurately?
Here's my question, and forgive the rambling as I ask it.
As I was reading these responses, I noticed a disproportinate number of answers coming from the Book of Romans. I began to wonder how do we know that this Book is authentic? Not in the sense of did the person who wrote it write it, but rather in the sense that how do we know this really belongs in the Bible at all? It's not written by Jesus. It's not written by God. It's written by man. According to About.com, Romans was written by Paul in 60 AD. If true, then we can answer that it was written by one of the disciples of Jesus. However, aren't we really just reading one man's intrepretation of what Jesus and God were or are thinking? How do we know that his intrepretation is accurate? As I pondered this question, I scrolled down a bit and noticed that all the four primary books of the new testament (John, Luke, Matthew, Mark) were written well after those books were written, some not until almost the turn of the century. This means that the authors of these books are not likely even the person who bears their title, thus begging the question, how do we know they recorded Jesus's words accurately?