The New Testament Documents: Are the Reliable

by F.F. Bruce

This book seeks to answer the question posed in its title: can we trust the New Testament? Other than what it says of itself, is there any evidence that points to the reliability of the New Testament record? Bruce asserts: "Since Christianity claims to be a historical revelation, it is not irrelevant to look at its foundations documents from the standpoint of historical criticism."

Bruce seeks to answer these questions by examining the date and attestation of the New Testament Documents and how the New Testament Canon was arrived at, before looking specifically at The Gospels and the writings of Luke and Paul. He finishes this book with an examination of archaeological evidence, early Jewish writings and early Gentile writers.

While it is not the most comprehensive or the most up-to-date book on the subject, this short volume is a worthwhile read to anyone who would like to know precisely how accurate the New Testament you read from today is compared with what was written some 2,000 years ago.

One caveat is that Bruce seems to accept some version of the two-source theory to the gospels. I never really grasped exactly what he thought about it as he doesn’t specify too much in this volume. He refers to “Q”—though he does so in such a way that he detaches himself from the typical critical scholar—though not in a disparaging way.

At about 120 pages, it is a relatively short read, most of which is extremely interesting. If you go looking for this one--and it's one worth looking for—try to find the sixth edition, revised in 1981. My copy is the fifth, revised in 1960, and probably lacks some of the more recent discoveries that yours will have.

The Editors do not advocate everything taught by the authors of the books we review. Like us, these authors are fallible humans and those who choose to read these books should measure them by the bible, the one true standard.