The Bible was written 125 years after the passing of Jesus Christ. Were his words not changed after so long?

Question

The Bible was written 125 years after the passing of Jesus Christ. Were his words not changed after so long?

Answer 1

I think you have your dates wrong.

None of the apostles lived to be 150.

Answer 2

The NT was started after 70CE and was finished, that is totally complied after 160 years, and the OT was finished about 30 years after the NT.  Jesus' words?  Well, he never said anything, the writers did all of his talking for him.

Answer 3

Speaking in the pure interest of truth, if the words might have changed, they might still have the same meaning. We don't base our faith on the text alone. But, we also base it on it's logical and sensible conculsion.

Yes, many unbelievable things are told. But, 30 years ago mp3 cell phones were unheard of. It just goes to show how little control man has over time.

I think what stirs controversy is the way the words are taken. We all know that an informed public is the last thing a society wants. So much so, they would be willing to cruicify a man who says he is the son of a Jewish God and then destroy any evidence of his credibility.

Yeah, his words could have easily been changed. But what do they mean?

Answer 4

The Old Testament was written quite a long time before Jesus Christ was born. The New Testament consists of 4 gospels written by eyewitnesses and letters to established churches, written by the apostles. The apostles were men who had actually walked with and followed Jesus. I don't know where you get "125 years" later. The 4 gospels and the letters to the churches and Revelations were all written in the 1st century by men who had actually known Jesus. These were all later collected and compiled into one book, The Bible.

Answer 5

That's funny, we have manuscript fragments dated about 95 years after his death.

One ancient writer from about 100 years after Jesus' death clearly knew of the existence of some of the Gospels and tells us something of their origin:

...  And the presbyter said this. Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements.

... Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Aramaic (Hebrew) language, and each one interpreted them as best he could.

- Papias, 110-140 A.D. (so it was roughly 80-110 years after Jesus' death which was around 30 A.D.) - He also speaks of John, but not as directly as he does these two.

Answer 6

The books of New Testament (Matthew - Revelation) were all completed between c. 41 and c. 96 C.E.

So the 125 year premise of your question is flawed. It's more like 8 to 63 years. I'm sure some words were paraphrased or approximated, but the apostles witnessed first-hand many of the events they wrote about. There seems to be a fair amount of consistency throughout the New Testament, with the exception of a couple accounts (the story of Judas being one).

Answer 7

We just don't have any copies dating earlier than that.  But, if you look at any book of antiquity, say Plato or the writings of Socrates, we don't have any copies within a 1000 years of them, but we sure hold them in esteem.  See my point.  The Bible is substantiated by more evidence than any book of its era, by far, yet we continue to question its source and accuracy.

Answer 8

It might have been put together 125 years later, but I'm sure his words were recorded at the time.  Just like people take notes in church I'm sure some of his followers made note of what he said.  If not, the Holy Spirit worked through the apostles to write the books of the NT.  If Jesus was able to raise Lazarus from the dead I'm sure the Holy Spirit could show the disciples what to write.

Answer 9

The above is correct.  There was work written much earlier.