The Old Testament – Why We Can Trust It
Why can we trust in and rely upon the translation of the Old Testament Scriptures?
1) The Dead Sea Scrolls – In 1946/7 the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Qumran Caves in southern Israel. It was perhaps one of the most amazing discoveries of the times as they contained parts from almost the entirety of the Old Testament (missing only the book of Esther). These scrolls dated from the 3rd Century BC to 1st Century BC/AD.
These were incredibly significant as they were almost 1000 years older than any other manuscript that had previously been found. So the question was, had the words of the Old Testament been faithfully preserved through the centuries?
Because if it wasn’t the same, then that would create problems that said that the texts had been changed or not translated correctly. Scholars around the world studied the texts intensely. The verdict came in. The transmission of the text was astonishing and the results were a resounding Yes! The text had been faithfully preserved! Only a very small percentage was different and those were minor issues such as small variants of how a name was spelled (like “Jon” as opposed to “John”).
The Isaiah scroll is perhaps the most famous because of its sheer size and preservation. I actually have seen the Isaiah scroll in person. It’s quite spectacular.
So we do have strong reason to believe that the Old Testament Scriptures were well-preserved and translation based on the Dead Sea Scrolls, but there’s more.
2) Josephus affirmed the Canon of the Old Testament
Josephus (AD 37-100) was one of the most well-known first century historians. He affirmed the historicity and canonicity of the Old Testament.
“We have but twenty-two [books] containing the history of all time, books that are justly believed in; and of these, five are the books of Moses, which comprise the law and earliest traditions from the creation of mankind down to his death. From the death of Moses to the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, the successor of Xerxes, the prophets who succeeded Moses wrote the history of the events that occurred in their own time, in thirteen books. The remaining four documents comprise hymns to God and practical precepts to men” (William Whiston, trans., Flavius Josephus against Apion, Vol. I, in Josephus, Complete Works, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1960, p. 8).
The folks over at Blue Letter Bible point out the significant of this quote:
- Josephus includes the same three divisions of the Hebrew Scripture, as had the Prologue to Ecclesiasticus and Philo.
- He limits the number of canonical books in these three divisions to twenty-two. This would be the same as the current twenty-four – Ruth was attached to Judges, and Lamentation attached to Jeremiah.
- He says there has been no more authoritative writings since the reign of Artaxerxes, son of Xerxes (464-424 B.C.). This is the same time of Malachi – the last book in the Old Testament.We know that Artaxerxes ruled for forty years. Ezra came to Jerusalem in the seventh year of his rule. The Bible says:Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king (Ezra 7:8).Nehemiah came in his twentieth year:In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before (Nehemiah 2:1).Therefore the last canonical books were composed in this period.
- Between the time of Malachi and Josephus’ writing (425 B.C. to A.D. 90) no additional material were added to the canon of Scripture. Consequently there was the notion of a long period of time without a divinely authoritative Word from God.
Josephus goes on to say that the Jewish people willingly died to preserve their sacred writings (ibid, pg 609). He also mentions there were other writings but they had no validity (Against Apion 1:41),
But let’s continue.
3) Jesus himself Affirmed the Old Testament – Jesus himself affirmed the authenticity and preservation of the Old Testament. Let’s look at how he treated the teachings of Isaiah. Here are some things he said:
7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
– Matthew 15:7-9; cf. Mark 7:6
16 He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free,
– Luke 4:16-18
These Scriptures are affirmed as translated correctly by the Dead Sea Scrolls, which may have even been an older scroll than what Jesus used (or who knows? Maybe the same!). Jesus used these Scriptures and affirmed that he was the one whom Isaiah spoke about.
So did Jesus just affirm the writings and teachings of Isaiah? He actually affirmed more than that.
After he rose from the dead, he was walking along the road to Emmaus talking with two men. They were downcast as they didn’t understand why Jesus died. They had hoped he was their deliverer, the one who would redeem Israel (Luke 24:21).
“we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Luke 24:21-27
The disciples on the road to Emmaus testify that Jesus used Moses and the Prophets to explain all the things concerning himself.
4) The Disciples and Apostles Affirmed the Old Testament
The disciples of Jesus and the apostles affirmed the Old Testament constantly. There are thousands of quotes and allusions in almost every book of the New Testament. From the fulfillment of Jesus in the Prophets and Psalms to the teaching of grace and faith in the words of Paul that reference Abraham. There is no doubt that the early church affirmed the authority and preservation of the Old Testament.
