Conservative apologetics makes strong claims about the Bible's accuracy, consistency, and divine origin. Here we examine those claims through the lens of textual criticism, archaeology, and mainstream historical scholarship.
Common claims
- "The Bible has no contradictions"
- "Biblical prophecies prove divine authorship"
- "The Bible is historically accurate"
- "The Bible is scientifically accurate"
- "The Gospels were written by eyewitnesses"
- "The Bible has been perfectly preserved"
- "The New Testament is the best-attested ancient document"
- "Archaeology confirms the Bible"
- "The Exodus happened as described"
- "The Genesis flood is a historical event"
- "Non-Christian sources confirm the Gospel accounts"
- "The disciples died for their beliefs, proving the resurrection"
- "The empty tomb proves the resurrection"
- "Morality requires God"
- "Without the Bible there is no objective morality"
- "The Bible predicted modern science"
- "The Dead Sea Scrolls prove the Bible is unchanged"
- "500 witnesses saw the risen Jesus"
- "Paul's conversion proves the resurrection"
- "The rapid spread of Christianity proves the resurrection"
- "The criterion of embarrassment proves Gospel reliability"
- "Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies"
- "The Book of Daniel accurately predicted future empires"
- "The four Gospels are independent, corroborating accounts"
- "The Bible's internal consistency proves divine authorship"
- "The Bible described the Earth as round before science"
- "The Tower of Babel explains language diversity"
- "No archaeological discovery has ever contradicted the Bible"
- "The Shroud of Turin confirms the resurrection"
- "The cosmological argument proves the God of the Bible"
- "Pascal's Wager supports belief"
- "The Bible's survival and influence proves divine protection"
Key concepts
Historical context
This section aims to present mainstream scholarly consensus accurately. If you find errors, please contribute corrections.