The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are among the most well-attested ancient documents in existence. Using the same criteria historians apply to any ancient text, the Gospels demonstrate early dating, eyewitness testimony, embarrassing details, and external corroboration that establish their reliability as historical records.
Key Question
Can we trust the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life?
Luke 1:1-4
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”
1 John 1:1
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.”
“As a cold-case detective, I evaluate eyewitness testimony for a living. The Gospel accounts pass every test I apply to witnesses in criminal cases: they were present, they corroborate without colluding, they include self-damaging admissions, and their testimony was never recanted — even under threat of death.”
“The Gospels have more eyewitness evidence, more corroborating evidence, and more manuscript evidence than any other ancient document. If we reject the Gospels, we must reject virtually everything we think we know about the ancient world.”