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Reliable as what?' asked
a discerning reviewer of the first edition of this little work, by way
of a comment on the title. His point, I think, was that we should be concerned
with the reliability of the New Testament as a witness to God's selfrevelation
in Christ rather than with its reliability as a record of historical fact.
True; but the two questions are closely related. For, since Christianity
claims to be a historical revelation, it is not irrelevant to look at
its foundation documents from the standpoint of historical criticism.
When the first edition of
this book (my literary firstborn) appeared in 1943, I was a lecturer in
classical studies, and had for long been accustomed to view he New Testament
in its classical context. When I was invited from time to time to address
audiences of sixth formers and university students on the trustworthiness
of the New Testament in general and of the Gospel records in particular,
my usual line was to show that the grounds for accepting the New Testament
as trustworthy compared very favourably with the grounds on which classical
students accepted the authenticity and credibility of many ancient documents.
It was out of such talks that this book originally grew. It has (I am
told) proved its usefulness to the readers for whom it was intended, not
only in English speaking lands but in German and Spanish translations
as well.
The historical and philological
lines of approach have, of course, their limitations. They cannot establish
the Christian claim that the New Testament completes the inspired record
of divine revelation. But non-theological students (for whom the book
was written) are, in my experience, more ready to countenance such a claim
for a work which is historically reliable than for one which is not. And
I think they are right. It is, indeed, difficult to restrict a discussion
of the New Testament writings to the purely historical plane; theology
insists on breaking in. But that is as it should be; history and theology
are inextricably intertwined in the gospel of our salvation, which owes
its eternal and universal validity to certain events which happened in
Palestine when Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire.
I welcome the opportunity
to give the book a thorough revision (not thorough enough, some of my
friends may think); and in sending it forth afresh I continue to dedicate
it to those university and college students throughout the world who,
singly or in groups, maintain among their colleagues the apostolic witness
to Jesus Christ our Lord.
F. F. B. April 1959.
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