any other
ancient historical document Bibliographical test
number of manuscripts in existence (many manuscripts are better than a few manuscripts) time interval between the original and existing copies (a short time interval is better than along time interval)
The Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to the first century BC, suggests that the Hebrew text (Massoretic text) used as a source for the Old Testament is faithful to the original Hebrew text. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain fragments
of Old Testament Books, suggests that the Massoretic text was copied accurately over the thousand years following the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The minor differences between the Massoretic text and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not affect Christian doctrine.
Internal evidence test (Based on what it says, does the document appear to be reliable) Aristotle advocated giving the benefit of the doubt to a document unless there are contradictions or inaccuracies evident alack of understanding should not lead to the assumption that a document is erroneous. Primary Sources are considered more accurate than later sources. Biblical writers were eyewitnesses to Christ or they wrote from firsthand information (e.g. Luke 1:1-3)
External evidence test Historical figures and documents confirm the Scriptures
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