Museum of Ancient Culture

I visited Macquarie Uni's Museum of Ancient Culture and attended a seminar given by someone or other regarding the historical veracity of the New Testament texts. Basically there are two metrics that are commonly used to establish the authenticity of ancient texts: the number of copies found of the text and the length of time between when the originals were penned and the earliest found copy was penned.

Some facts given in the seminar:

• Ceasar's account of the Roman Civil war was penned around about 40BC (from memory). The the "youngest" found copy was written around 1000AD. Difference = approximately 1000 years
  
• Homer's Illiad was written around about the 8th century BC. The "youngest" found copy was written several centuries later. Difference = approximately 900 years
  
• The Acts of the Apostles (New Testament book) was written around about 75-80AD. The "youngest" found copy was written around 200AD. Difference = approximately 150 years.

Furthermore, the number of copies of New Testament texts by far and away exceeded that of any other work. The consistency of the texts across different copies is startling.

So, if you were an objective person with an eye for the truth, you could make the following relativistic statement:

I have more evidence for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, than I have of the truth of the Roman Civil War or indeed the accuracy of the poetic Iliad.

Is this a fair statement?

Museum of Ancient Culture

I visited Macquarie Uni's Museum of Ancient Culture and attended a seminar given by someone or other regarding the historical veracity of the New Testament texts. Basically there are two metrics that are commonly used to establish the authenticity of ancient texts: the number of copies found of the text and the length of time between when the originals were penned and the earliest found copy was penned.

Some facts given in the seminar:

• Ceasar's account of the Roman Civil war was penned around about 40BC (from memory). The the "youngest" found copy was written around 1000AD. Difference = approximately 1000 years
  
• Homer's Illiad was written around about the 8th century BC. The "youngest" found copy was written several centuries later. Difference = approximately 900 years
  
• The Acts of the Apostles (New Testament book) was written around about 75-80AD. The "youngest" found copy was written around 200AD. Difference = approximately 150 years.

Furthermore, the number of copies of New Testament texts by far and away exceeded that of any other work. The consistency of the texts across different copies is startling.

So, if you were an objective person with an eye for the truth, you could make the following relativistic statement:

I have more evidence for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, than I have of the truth of the Roman Civil War or indeed the accuracy of the poetic Iliad.

Is this a fair statement?