Timelines are Wonderful Things

We're well into the season of Lent, and as such, I've decided to challenge myself a little more.... not only am I reading "The Case for Christ", but I've decided to try and do it before Lent's 40-days are up! I may regret that, but I'll give it the "ol' college try!"

Now a bit of enlightenment for you.... :o)
I found a particularily interesting tid-bit of information while reading, and I think it's especially... well... cool!

People often argue the reliability of the scriptures... you know, they were written so many years ago, and long after the events actually happened; so how can they possibly be accurate recitations with all the time that passed? Well, apparently, that's not the case at all!!
For example, let's examine the writings of Paul. For those who don't know, The New Testament (the second half of the Bible) is written with the beginning of the life of Jesus (the Christmas story), includes his ministry, and ultimately his death and resurrection on the cross.
The apostle Paul is responsible for writing the books of (some of them letters/correspondence) Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews (? there are different opinions on the matter of who wrote Hebrews.). In summary, a pretty hefty chunck of the New Testament! So, it would make sense that if we can prove that this is in fact TRUE, that Paul IS INDEED responsible for writing these books by proven the truth within them, it would be safe to assume that the remainder of the books, written by individuals in the time of Paul, and some actually associated with him, are also true.

So, if the proof is in the pudding, the dish is served! :o) (ok, I'll stop with the cliches now)

According to research, many of Paul's letters incorporated Creeds that were used in the writings of the early church. These Creeds have been proven 100% accurate, consistent, and true. So if Paul has used parts of them in his writings, we can use datings from them to also date Paul's letters/writings. Some of these Creeds are included in the following books of the Bible:

* Philippians 2: 6-11
* Colossians 1: 15-20
* 1 Corinthians 15

Some of the what Paul used in writing 1 Corinthians 15 were Creeds he received between the years 32 and 35 AD, as has been recorded. Now, the Crucifixion of Christ is to have taken place in about 30 AD. Paul's conversion (on the road to Damascas) happened in about 32 AD. To explain the significance of these dates further, here's an excerp from Lee Strobel's book (pages 43, 44),:

"If the Crucifixion was as early as 30 AD, Paul's conversion was about 32 AD. Immediately Paul was ushered into Damascus, where he met with a Christian named Ananias and some other disciples. His first meeting with the apostles in Jerusalem would have been about 35 AD. At some point along there, Paul was given these creeds, which had already been formulated and were being used in the early church.

Now, here you have the key facts about Jesus' death for our sins, plus a detailed list of those to whom he appeared in resurrected form - all dating back to within 2-5 years of the events themselves!" (notes from an interview with Dr. Craig Blomberg, a nationally renowned scholar)

Isn't that amazing!?!?!? All this time, I knew what I believed and I knew there was some historical fact to back it up, but I didn't realize just how closely it had been dated and how consistent it was!!! So awesome!!!

I was excited to learn this!!! Are you!? :o)
Share your thoughts!