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The Thinking Man's Bible: The New Age of Reason |
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Chapter 30 |
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How much of the New Testament was written by the persons to whom it is attributed? This is as important a question, here, as it was for the Old Testament. If the books were not written by those alleged, or if they were anonymous, we are under no obligation to believe their authenticity as the word of God. Gospels These four books didn’t provide a biography of Jesus or a history of his times. His birth and his examination by the Jewish elders at age twelve must have been related by someone else, perhaps his parents, since the alleged authors didn’t know Jesus until he began his preaching career at about thirty years of age. 30.1 The authors of these books seem to have expanded upon the more credible parts of the original stories. Jesus clearly had no intention of starting a brave, new religion as later Christian theologians claimed (i.e. Jesus had come to earth with the intention to die for the sins of the world). He was not well known at the time of his arrest, and he was living in concealment. The cops needed a snitch, Judas, to find and identify him; his meetings with his followers were held in secret; and he had suspended public preaching. Even Jesus considered his arrest a betrayal, so he must not have intend to be apprehended, much less executed. 30.2 These books were too disordered and inconsistent to have been inspired by any single source or even by credible first-hand witnesses. The following examples destroy the credibility of the gospels. (For more examples, see Chapter 4.) - Mark and John didn’t mention the virgin birth. What time was Jesus crucified? - At the third hour. Mk 15:25 What words appeared on the cross? - This is Jesus the King of the Jews. Mt 27:37 Where did the Ascension occur? - Bethany. Lk 24:50-51 30.3 The earth-shattering occurrences related in Matthew appear to have been a fanciful expansion of the simpler rending of the temple veil in Mark and Luke. Matthew’s astounding story ended abruptly and without further mention. There would have been thousands of witnesses, but there was nothing mentioned anywhere else. The physical and theological questions raised by this event are legion (what did they look like, where did they go, what did they do, what was death like, what happened to them?). The author of Matthew has no credibility as God’s mouthpiece. "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Mt 27:51-53 "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Mk 15:38 "And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." Lk 23:45 30.4 Matthew related stories which were not mentioned in the other gospels. "Now the next day…the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate…Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away…So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." Mt 27:62,64,66 "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door…" Mt 28:2
Matthew told a stupid story, not included in the other gospels, of working-up an alibi which was inane on its face. The guards could not have known who stole the body while they slept, so no one hearing this excuse would not have believed it. One would have needed a bunch of total idiots to agree to this story. This didn’t say much for the church fathers who bought into the story, or for those who still preach it, or for those who still buy it. "…some of the watch came into the city…And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you, So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." Mt 28:11-15 30.5 Matthew can’t have been the author of the following passage, either. The phrase "until this day" clearly meant that the occurrence was a long time in the past. "…and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." Mt 28:15 30.6 The author of Matthew cannot have been one of the eleven remaining disciples, unless three others lied. Matthew said that the eleven went to meet Jesus at a mountain in Galilee on the same day that Luke said, and Mark and John implied, that the eleven met at a house in Jerusalem. These books have lost all their authority. "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted." Mt 28:16,17 "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat…" Mk 16:14 "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together…And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them…" Lk 24:33,36 "…the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst…" Jn 20:19 30.7 John told of a soldier’s spear piercing Jesus’ side after he died. The other books didn’t mention this significant act. John’s credibility is at risk. "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." Jn 19:34 Epistles The Epistles were used by the early church to build a system of worship which was clearly at odds with the character of their hero, Jesus. The early church leadership was characterized by pomp and income, not by humility and poverty (as was the congregation). 30.8 Even Paul said that the Bible was not 100% inspired by God. Paul said he spoke for himself, he spoke not after the Lord, and he didn’t know something he claimed God knew. Paul also admitted that he spoke foolishly at times. "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord…" 1Cor 7:12 Revelation Revelation was and is an ideal book for mystics, con men, and charlatans. It said almost nothing that couldn’t be twisted to mean whatever the proponent wished. There was nothing that could be firmly tested, evaluated, or verified. Evangelists raise easy money by terrorizing their audience with Revelation, but they have difficulty agreeing even amongst themselves as to what Revelation meant. A detailed discussion here would be hopeless. Perhaps all I can do is use the words of Martin Luther. "I miss more than one thing in this book and it makes me consider it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic…they are supposed to be blessed who keep what is written this book; and yet no one knows what that is, to say nothing of keeping it. This is just the same as if we did not have the book at all…My Spirit cannot accommodate itself to this book…Christ is neither taught nor known in it…Many have tried their hands at it, but until this very day they have attained no certainty. Some have even brewed it into many stupid things out of their own heads. Because its interpretation is uncertain and its meaning hidden, we have let it alone until now especially because some of the ancient fathers held that it was not the work of St. John the Apostle." (Martin Luther, Works, vol. 35, pp. 398-400 in McKinsey, 310) |
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The four books of the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written generations after their events occurred. They related Jesus’ sayings, dialogs, and actions, sometimes in different ways. Since they were anecdotal, revelation did not apply. They related things which the authors claimed were seen or done, not revealed to them by God. Therefore, we can assess their credibility by looking into their claims of authorship as well as by their internal consistency.