View source for Historicity of the New Testament (theopedia)

{{Infobox_Contents | 
  topic_name = Historicity of the New Testament |
  subtopics =   [[The Star of Bethlehem]]|
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}} |
}}

Christianity is "built upon the foundation of faith in the '''historical Jesus''' who is revealed by the '''historical New Testament''' documents. It is of utmost importance that these documents show themselves to be trustworthy and reliable since they are the primary documentary sources substantiating the object of the Christian faith, who is Jesus Christ. Unlike other religious systems which simply express a code of ethic, morality, and philosophical ideas, the Bible claims to be God's divine revelation for all of mankind and it verifies its claims through historical evidence. As New Testament scholar F.F. Bruce notes, "And this Good News is intimately bound up with the historical order, for it tells how the world's redemptive God entered into history, the Eternal came into time, the Kingdom of heaven invaded the realm of earth, in the great events of the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ." Given the extraordinary historical events that the Bible records, it is crucial to determine two things: (1) The reliability of the New Testament documents and (2) The reliability of the New Testament witnesses. If we cannot establish the reliability of these sources, then we have no objective way to evaluate the historical sayings, deeds, and claims of Jesus and his disciples." [http://www.john-lee-ministries.org/Current_Articles/Historicity/historicity.html John Rosser]