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Bible Reliability / Answer across Scripture
The New Testament often presents apostolic witness as testimony about what was seen, heard, received, and handed on.
Study theme
Bible Reliability
The New Testament treats eyewitness testimony as an important part of its witness. Luke says he investigated the things handed down by eyewitnesses and servants of the word. John speaks of testimony from one who saw. First Corinthians 15 appeals to witnesses of the risen Christ. These passages leave room for historical questions, but they show that Christian faith was not presented as private myth detached from public testimony.
Luke, John, and Paul all place Christian witness in relation to events, testimony, and proclamation. The question belongs where the New Testament shows faith being handed on through witnesses to Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and meaning.
Luke 1:1-4 introduces ordered testimony. John 20:30-31 explains the purpose of the written signs. 1 Corinthians 15 summarizes the received gospel and names resurrection witnesses.
Key passages
1Because many have undertaken to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,
2even as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;
4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.
30Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
31but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
1Now I declare to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,
2by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
9For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.
10But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was bestowed on me was not found vain, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.
A common overclaim is to say eyewitness language answers every historical question automatically. A common underclaim is to ignore that the texts themselves present testimony as part of their purpose.