Why should I trust ancient writings about Jesus?
By Will Bourne · Question 72
The direct answer
You should not trust an account simply because it is old, sacred to someone, or printed in a Bible. Ancient writings can provide evidence, but their value depends on the particular source and claim. The case needs to be made rather than assumed.
Fuller explanation
Ask who produced the text, when, what access they had to the events, what purpose they were serving, and how the account relates to other sources. Also ask what evidence supports those answers. Traditional attribution and demonstrated authorship are not identical, and a proposed date is not automatically certain.
Luke’s opening describes an account drawing on earlier reports and testimony passed down from eyewitnesses. That tells us how the author presents the project. It gives us something to investigate; it does not independently certify the accuracy of every scene.
Textual preservation and historical reliability are also different questions. Establishing what a document originally said would not, by itself, establish that what it said happened. A large number of later copies cannot simply be counted as the same number of independent witnesses to an event.
Likewise, accounts that use shared material should not be treated as fully independent confirmations at every point. Differences between accounts need to be identified and assessed. A proposed harmonization should be labeled as a reconstruction where it supplies details the texts do not state.
Christian writers have religious commitments. That does not make their testimony automatically worthless; having a purpose does not make a person incapable of reporting truth. It does mean we should examine the source rather than let either devotion or suspicion do all the reasoning. A careful historical case may support some conclusions more strongly than others.
The objection we still need to face
Are you using the Bible to prove the Bible?
A biblical book can be examined as an ancient source without first assuming that it is inspired. The circular step would be declaring it reliable simply because it belongs to an authoritative collection whose authority is the very issue under discussion. Historical evaluation must give reasons that do not depend on that assumption.
Scripture and its use
Luke 1:1–4; John 20:30–31; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8. These passages identify the writers’ claims and purposes. This entry sets out a method; it does not establish disputed authorship, dating, or a complete historical case.
Read these passages in their surrounding chapters alongside the explanation.