Additional Resources

The Canon of the New Testament by F. F. Bruce. See: Chapter 3 in "The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?" (5th edition; Leicester: Intervarsity Press, 1959) http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocont.htm

"Perhaps we can appreciate how wealthy the New Testament is in manuscript attestation if we compare the textual material for other ancient historical works. For Caesar's Gallic War (composed between 58 and 50 B.C.) there are several extant MSS, but only nine or ten are good, and the oldest is some 900 years later than Caesar's day. Of the 142 books of the Roman history of Livy (59 B.C. — A.D. 17), only 35 survive; these are known to us from not more than 20 MSS of any consequence, only one of which, and that containing fragments of Books III-VI, is as old as the fourth century. Of the 14 books of the Histories of Tacitus (c. A.D. 100) only four and a half survive; of the 16 books of his Annals, 10 survive in full and two in part. The text of these extant portions of his two great historical works depends entirely on two MSS, one of the ninth century and one of the eleventh." See: thenoblesearch.org/download/evdnc1.pdf page 8

"The extant MSS of his minor works (Dialogus de Oratoribus, Agricola, Germania) all descend from a codex of the tenth century. The History of Thucydides (c. 460 - 400 B.C.) is known to us from eight MSS, the earliest belonging to c. A.D. 900, and a few papyrus scraps, belonging to about the beginning of the Christian era. The same is true of the history of Herodotus. Yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity of Herodotus or Thucydides is in doubt." F. F. Bruce in The New Testament Documents Return

Biblical Canons (list of research articles)

gbgm-umc.org/umw/bible/canon.stm

Ancient Early Centuries Non-Christian Sources Verifying New Testament Statements

Ancient Non-Christian Sources;
Extra-Biblical Historical Evidence for the LIFE, DEATH, and RESURRECTION of JESUS

Early and later Authors Quoting from early Canon or copies

ancienthistory.about.com/cs/patrology/ & iclnet.org/

bible-researcher.com/athanasius.html

The wide variety of evidence documenting the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures is profound.

Boyd, Robert T. (1969), A Pictorial Guide to Biblical Archaeology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Findlay, A.F. (1906), "Gospels(Apocryphal)," A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, ed. James Hastings (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark), Vol. I.

Geikie, Cunningham (n.d.), Hours with the Bible (New York: Hurst), Vol. I.

McGarvey, J.W. (n.d.), Sermons (Cincinnati, OH: Standard).

Manchester, William (1978), "American Caesar" Douglas McArthur, 1880-1964 (Boston: Little, Brown).

Mitchell, T.C. (1988), The Bible in the British Museum (London: British Museum).

Plummer, Alfred (1896), The Gospel According to Luke (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark).

Smick, Elmer B. (1988), Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Walter Elwell (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), Vol. I.

reclaimingthemind.org/content/files/TTP/IA1/Intro-to-Apologetics1-TTP-2008.pdf

See "Shattering the Christ-Myth" for other arguments regarding authenticity of Jesus:

tektonics.org/tekton_01_01_01.html

allanturner.com/bibleproofs.html

Christian Evidences, Part 1 grmi.org/renewal/Richard_Riss/evidences/

Christian Evidences, Part 2 grmi.org/renewal/Richard_Riss/evidences2/

100 Scriptural Proofs That Jesus Christ Will Save All Mankind by Thomas Whittemore, 1840 tentmaker.org/books/ScripturalProofs.html

Quotations by early church fathers: thenoblesearch.org/download/evdnc1.pdf, page 6.

Writer	Date of Death	Number of Quotes
Justin Martyr	ca 165	268
Irenaeus	ca 202	1,038
Clement of Alexandria	ca 215	1,017
Origen	ca 254	9,231
Tertullian	ca 220	3,822
Hipploytus	ca 235	734
Eusebius	ca 339	3,258