DEFENDING THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS OF JESUS

JOE HELLERMAN

I. Introduction
A. The Issue:
1. "The Bible is self-attesting, and the Holy Spirit confirms it." So, what we need to do is
read it with an open mind.
2. Yet, this is not very persuasive for outsiders, or for Christians who are looking for an
intellectual basis for their faith.
B. The Goal:
1. To craft an argument for the historical reliability of the Gospel of Mark, based on
criteria agreed upon by historians of ancient documents.
2. Why Mark? It is believed by Christian and non-Christian scholars to be (a) the earliest
written of the Gospels, as well as (b) a source for Matthew and Luke.
C. The Strategy: to look at three issues-objections, in order of increasing importance
1. To be sure that Mark has been accurately translated, so that it faithfully represents the
Greek manuscripts
2. To be sure that the original document that Mark wrote (the autograph) has been
faithfully reproduced and transmitted to the Greek manuscripts we now possess
3. To be sure that Mark was able and willing to offer reliable testimony

II. Issue # 1: the Objection of Inaccurate Translation

A. The Issue Stated
1. "The Church has biased the translation."
2. For scholars, this is a non-issue now, but not so for many other people.
B. Replies to this Issue
1. The difference between form and meaning
a. Two translations (e.g., New American Standard (NAS), and the New International
Version (NIV)) can use a different form, but still have the same meaning).
b. NAS uses formal dynamic equivalency as its translation strategy, which emphasizes
what the original language said.
c. NIV uses dynamic equivalency translation, which emphasizes the precise meaning
of the original language.
d. Point: both preserve accuracy of translation, while they emphasize different goals.
2. Ask Greek scholars, Christian or non-Christian, if our English Bible (e.g., NIV) is an
accurate translation. They will answer "yes."
C. Result: our English Bible (i.e., NIV) contains an accurate translation of the Greek version
of the Gospel of Mark.
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III. Issue # 2: the Objection of Tainted Transmission

A. The Issue Stated
1. "We cannot rely upon tainted copies to represent Mark's original Gospel."
2. We do not have the original document Mark wrote, nor do we have that of any ancient
document.
B. Key Question: how many copies do we have of the original, and how early were they
written? How close to the dating of the original?
1. Other ancient documents (e.g., Thucydides' History, or Tactitus' Annals)
a. These have at least 1,000 years between the writing of the original and the earliest
copy, yet we trust them to record history accurately.
b. They also have only 8 or 20 copies, respectively.
2. Mark
a. Only 140 years between the original and the earliest copies.
b. Thousands of copies exist.
C. What About Places Where We are Not so Sure?
1. Science of textual criticism allows us to help determine which copy is more accurate.
2. Result - 99% accuracy that we have the original writings of Mark preserved. No major
doctrine is affected by any variations.
D. Result: the NIV has been translated from a manuscript tradition that guarantees the
reliable transmission of the Greek original of Mark. So far, therefore, we have defended an
accurate rendition of what he actually wrote in 60 AD.

IV. Issue # 3: The Objection of Unreliable Testimony

A. The Issue Stated: "We cannot trust Mark to tell us the truth about Jesus. He wasn't even
on the scene of Jesus' public ministry."
1. Higher criticism's presuppositions
a. Example of C.S. Lewis' Great Trilemma
(1) Jesus was either liar, lunatic, or Lord
(2) Yet, higher critics claim he was a legend - that Jesus never claimed to be God to
begin with!
b. Basic presupposition: much of the material in our Gospels was invented by the
early church and never actually occurred.
(1) Controversy stories (e.g., Jesus vs. the Pharisees) were invented to solve thorny
debates, which were later interjected back into the story of the life of Jesus.
(2) Teaching passages (e.g., Sermon on the Mount) were invented to provide
instruction for new converts.
(3) Miracle narratives were invented as apologetical material.
2. Why this matters now: these views used to be confined to academia, but now are being
popularized by the Jesus Seminar.

B. Replies
1. The brief interval of time, from the historian's perspective, between Jesus and the
writing of Mark
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a. Compare the interval between the event and its being recorded by an author in
other sources
(1) Livy's report of the Law of the Twelve Tables, or Plutarch's record of the life of
Alexander the Great: they were written 400-450+ years after the events.
(2) They also are given the benefit of the doubt (innocent until proven guilty) and
are valued as key sources.
b. Contrast with Mark
(1) Liberal scholars hold an opposite presumption - guilty until proven innocent.
(2) Yet, there are only 25-30 years between the end of Jesus' earthly life and Mark's
writing. Thus we should run to it as reliable.
2. The conservative nature of oral tradition in ancient Jewish society
a. 'Orality' was the norm, without printing presses. It was rare to have a copy.
b. Many examples of the early church show how important it was to memorize
scripture.
3. The internal evidence provided by Mark's Gospel.
a. Contrary to higher critics' assumptions, there is an absence of controversy
narratives addressing important church debates.
(1) There are many unaddressed topics that we know occurred from the book of
Acts and Paul's letters.
(2) Further, we do not see Paul or Luke using Jesus' sayings to solve controversies.
b. Mark includes unflattering portrayals of Jesus.
(1) These tell us Mark was willing to tell us the truth about Jesus.
(2) We would not include such passages if we were trying to embellish Jesus from
being a peasant teacher to the Son of God.
(3) Thus, Mark has a feel of integrity, unlike other non-canonical books, like the
Gospels of Thomas.
4. The presence of independent witnesses to the events Mark narrates.
a. Liberals claim two things:
(1) That a high christology took many years to develop
(2) That independent sources for the Gospels had very different views of Jesus
b. Yet, Paul's witness in 1 Corinthians 15: Paul has a high christology, yet arguably
this passage was written quite early, c. 51 AD.
c. Other independent witnesses: John, Q, M, & L (a view held by many liberal and
conservative scholars)
d. Key conclusion: each of these points to a high christology, with no evidence that
they collaborated together
5. The personal association of Mark with the eyewitness Peter
a. The testimony of the early church fathers and elders
b. Scriptural evidence for Peter's association with Mark
6. The effect of Jesus' life upon the first generation of his followers.
7. Conclusion: the Gospel of Mark is a reliable testimony to events surrounding the life,
death and bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
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V. Practical Implications
A. Do we need 100% proof of Mark's historical reliability, and by extension, of the New
Testament?
1. Very little in life of which we can have 100% certainty.
2. We still make 100% commitments based on less than 100% certainty.
B. Better question: is there enough evidence to warrant a 100% commitment to Jesus?
Clearly, there is.