Homily for Easter 3 - April 18, 2021

 

Homily for Easter 3

April 18, 2021

The Truth of the Scriptures

 

            Today’s readings have a common theme: that the Scriptures all point to Jesus. Peter speaks to the people on Pentecost morning, explaining that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Jewish scriptures. And Jesus in the Gospel explains to His disciples that the Law and the Prophets all speak about Him.

            But is the Bible historically accurate? Or is it just a myth? This is a critically important question, because if we can’t believe the Bible’s historical claims, we shouldn’t believe the Bible’s religious claims.

            Some modern scholars want to say that the Scriptures are not historical, but that they are myths and legends that grew up around a man named Jesus. In the 1980s and ‘90s, a project took place called the “Jesus Seminar” where about 150 biblical scholars gathered together for a series of meetings where they actually voted on what Scripture passages were historical! Not surprisingly, this seminar said that Jesus never did any miracles, or rise from the dead – they claimed that those were just legends that had grown up around the ordinary man named Jesus.

            So we must ask…does the Bible contain actual history?

            The answer is yes. The Church teaches that the Bible is inerrant and inspired. It is inspired because God used human authors to write down everything necessary for our salvation. It is inerrant insofar as it cannot make an error when teaching a truth needed for salvation.

We as Catholics do not read the Bible literally, however. The Bible is not a book, but a collection of books, with different genres – poetry, letters, history, parables. We don’t need to believe that every little detail in the Bible is historically accurate. Our Catechism says that at times, the Bible uses “symbolic language” – meaning that the stories such as Adam and Eve, while true, may not be as slavishly accurate as we think history should be. Nevertheless, the Bible does contain real, verifiable history. Abraham, Moses, and David were real people; Jesus really did tremendous miracles and rise from the dead.

            But how do we know? Here are six quick reasons why we know that the Bible is historical.

            First, because we have ancient manuscripts of the Bible. The oldest fragment we have from the Gospel of John is from around the year 120 – only about 30 years after the Gospel itself was written! The oldest complete Gospel is a copy of the Gospel of Matthew from around 200AD. So we can go back to the very ancient sources and see that they match up exactly with the Bible we are reading today!

            Second, much of the Bible was written by eyewitnesses. Of the four Gospel writers, Matthew and John were apostles. According to the early Church fathers, Mark interviewed Peter for his Gospel, and Luke did his own research, which included interviewing the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul. These people were not reporting about events that happened a long time ago, but events that they (or their sources) saw with their own eyes.

            Third, consider their fate. Most of the writers of the Scriptures did not receive fame and fortune for their preaching of the Truth! Many of the prophets were persecuted (Isaiah was sawed in half, while Jeremiah was imprisoned and thrown into a well). Likewise, Matthew, Mark and Luke were all martyred, while John was exiled. Why would someone write a myth or legend that would get them tortured or killed? This makes me believe that they wrote about what they truly saw and experienced.

            Fourth, there are writings outside the Bible that verify the accounts in the Bible. Several Babylonian writings mention the Kings of Israel by name. We have inscriptions that mention historical events and battles and kings that are recorded in the Bible. There were even Jewish and pagan historians like Josephus and Tacitus who, writing around the time of Christ, mention a man named Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This extrabiblical evidence makes us realize that these were historical events!

            Fifth, the “criterion of embarrassment”. If you were writing your autobiography, would you focus on your failures and embarrassing moments? No, most of us would highlight our successes and triumphs. But the Bible paints Israel – and the Apostles – in a rather unflattering light. Israel is unfaithful and disobedient; the Apostles are fearful and foolish. A myth would not purposely embarrass the very people who are writing it! Thus, the fact that the authors include embarrassing details about themselves, their culture, and their nation shows us that this must be actual history!

            Finally, archaeological findings agree with the Bible. In the seventh century, a pilgrim to Jerusalem named Adomnan of Iona wrote about finding Jesus’ childhood home in Nazareth, between two tombs, with a courtyard and a spring inside the house. But sadly the location of that house had been lost to history…until 2015, when archeologists discovered the ruins of a house that matched all the descriptions of the 7^th Century pilgrim – and evidence that a Byzantine church had been built on that spot, too! Every year, archeology has found more and more artifacts that confirm the historicity of the Bible – just recently, they found the personal seal of the prophet Isaiah!

            Our Catholic Faith hinges on the Resurrection. As St. Paul tells us, “If Christ is not raised, then our faith is in vain.” But the Resurrection hinges on the truth of the Bible. Can we believe that what has been written and handed on to us is true and historical? The answer is a resounding “yes”!