Archive for June 16, 2011


Jun 16

Are the Gospels Eye Witness Accounts?

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Recommended Link

While we’re listening through the New Testament together, our first concern is to hear what God has written, to let God speak on His own terms. God’s Word is powerful on its own, its power does not rest on human wisdom, and its authority does not rest on its conformity to some outside standard. We’re assuming that in our reading and listening together.

But because it is God’s very Word, we aren’t surprised when the New Testament is found, by some kind of test, to be an ancient document, and a document written, indeed, by those who must have actually been there. Hearing these kinds of arguments can reinforce our confidence in the Word, and help us converse with those who come to us with questions about the Bible.

With that in mind, I found the following two lectures, recently recommended by Joe Carter and Justin Taylor, to be worth highlighting at this point in our listening. Joe Carter’s introduction should peak your interest.

Dr. Peter Williams, a Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Abeerdeen, has conducted what I’d call an “algorithm-enhanced close reading” of the canonical gospels and compared them to the apocryphal testimonies about Jesus.

Normally, my attention span for videos on the web is limited to about 2 minutes. But when I started watching this video last last night I got sucked in by Dr. Williams engaging style and watched the entire lecture. As Evangel blogger Tom Gilson says, it’s a “talk on apologetics like you’ve never heard before.”