How much do historical fact and Biblical history agree on?

I’m no expert but according to the analysis and archeology referenced in Who Wrote the Bible? the battles and conquests were often rooted in actual events, though they may play out a bit differently in the Bible than in real life.

The concern with historical accounts in the Bible are the same for any other ancient source. They didn’t really have a concept of history back then so fact checking was non-existent, narrative embellishment was wide spread and, as is so often the case, the writers of history had a tendency to record it with a self-affirming slant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6JsvMzT-Iw&feature=related

I watched the actual documentary on Neflix. It was pretty interesting. The guy is a journalst and an ex atheist who did a three year investigation.

One very interesting book on this subject is Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses.

@Trillian I read Strobel’s book “A Case for Christ” and if it an example of his journalistic skills he is a very poor journalist. He only interviews Christians and addresses arguments for Christianity it his search for “the truth” thus eliminating the possibility of finding contradictory evidence.

His goals aren’t about discerning the historicity of the Bible, just validating his religion. An exacting look at the problems in his book can be found here.

@Trillian : I saw that, it was pretty good, I thought.
@fundevogel : It didn’t say that it was an example of his journalistic skills.

@troubleinharlem He uses the mantle of journalist and ex-atheist to give himself credibility, and yet he fails to apply the sort of rigor to his research that make journalism credible and defines skepticism. As such he is a fraud, since contrary to his claims he did not cease being a skeptic and atheist by satisfying skeptical inquiry, but by circumventing it.

Strobel made one point that made me want to look into it more – just the one. The accuracy of information passed on orally in cultures where that was the main means of communication – which was pretty much the main form of communication for people prior to the invention of the printing press.

@troubleinharlem, @Trillian, @fundevogel

Completely with fundevogel on the lack of journalism and facts. I started watching Case for Christ, but it was a farce. I have yet to really see any historical facts to back the bible up on really anything. Which is why I think you have to view the bible as a work of fiction. Compelling and interesting, but a work of fiction.

Many of the things mentioned in the Bible did happen and no one can say different because our evidence says so. It is funny that those who follow science say things so as a matter of fact and yet a lot of the Bible stories are confirmed by science.

@JustmeAman can you provide examples? That is what I asked for.

At most 10%. An example would be Herodes. Or Paul, the apostle. And most likely Jesus. When looking at the history of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea

you will see that only small parts correspond to the OT.

The rest are valuable myths, parables, advice. The story of the birth of Jesus is most likely a myth for example.

Imagine this:

Say, that @mattbrowne is right and 10% is fact, which is a huge amount if you take in mind the size of the dang book. Let’s say the author appeared on Oprah, and admitted that only ten percent was true, and the rest was embellished or made-up completely. That it was published in the non-fiction biography section because it would sell better. Think about how she blasted James Frey. “I feel duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers,” Winfrey told [God].

90% Fiction? Which section of the bookstore does it belong in now? Not a historical document.

@everephebe – Myths and parables are different from fiction created to entertain people. Which section of the bookstore does it belong in now? I’d say life advice books. And remember

“Myths are about the human struggle to deal with the great passages of time and life—birth, death, marriage, the transitions from childhood to adulthood to old age. They meet a need in the psychological or spiritual nature of humans that has absolutely nothing to do with science. To try to turn a myth into a science, or a science into a myth, is an insult to myths, an insult to religion, and an insult to science.”—Michael Shermer

@mattbrowne

The self-help section? No, hey, fiction isn’t a dirty word for me. I just meant between the two main sections of a bookstore fiction or non-fiction. Myths are great, parables and stories are all great but you don’t put them in your non-fiction section, unless their in some textbook- which, let’s agree on this, the bible is not. Mythology is “historical fiction,” and honestly the historical part is used loosely.

@everephebe – Many non-fiction books belong to multiple genres. But if I had to pick one, the self-help section is a good choice. Many bookstores do have a religion/philosophy section, though. If you want to understand why the Bible isn’t a history book, check this out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_criticism

@mattbrowne & @everephebe
I don’t mean to be a butthead but mythology and religion are almost always categorized in the non fiction section in libraries. All of the 200’s are devoted to religion (mostly Christianity) and the other folklore ends up in 398. At best I can think of a few Nordic epics that get put in the fiction section, but I’m not even sure if those particular epics reference anything mythic.

I don’t really have an issue with shelving them non fiction since they are in sections devoted to religion and mythology, not history. A decent amount of these books are devoted to the study and documentation of religion and mythology so true or not a lot of the books are non fiction. At least in some sense.

You know what else is in the non fiction section? UFOs and bigfoot. Clearly escaping the fiction section doesn’t make a book Fact.

@fundevogel – I’m aware that some atheists don’t see the difference between the Bible and UFO literature. And in one respect they are actually right. Both involve the search for meaning and spirituality.

@mattbrowne I guess, I’m more sympathetic to people looking for meaning in religion than UFO’s. That’s really grasping at straws. At least religion has a history of trying to find purpose and value in life, I don’t see what flying saucers has to do with that at all.

@fundevogel – Agreed.

@fundevogel, great points, and good to know.

Secular historians who reach back in time to tell us of the distant past, but who scornfully ignore the Bible’s record, are compelled to fill in the gaps between their meager fragmentary archaeological findings with unreliable traditions, fancy calculations and outright guesswork. On the other hand, honest investigators, and there are many, recognize the truly genuine worth of the Bible as unimpeachable testimony, confirmed by all the discoveries that have been unearthed. When put to the test, the Bible indeed has proved its worth as the most complete record of ancient happenings and as a book of sterling accuracy. We are therefore equipped, with this book of truthful historical dates in hand, to count all the way back to Adam’s creation with little difficulty, filling in the gaps of secular history with dependable data. What is more, we can do so quickly and with little effort.

@Spreader

What you just wrote is a great example of Poe’s Law. So good, in fact, that I am not sure which one it is…

IT is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane.” How do these words by biologist Richard Dawkins affect you? If you believe the Bible, likely you believe in creation rather than in the theory of evolution. Does that mean that, as a believer in the Bible, you are ignorant, stupid, or insane?Consider, too, this statement: “New Testament scholars have established beyond any reasonable doubt that the Jesus of early Christian documents is to some extent a fiction of the Christian imagination.” These words in The Weekend Australian were spoken by Dr. Robert W. Funk, a university professor of religious studies and author of a number of books on religious interpretation.
Dr. Funk originated a project known as the Jesus Seminar, a group of more than a hundred Bible scholars who together scrutinized the sayings of Jesus reported in the Bible. Among other things, they concluded that the Lord’s Prayer was not composed by Jesus; that Jesus did not say that the meek would inherit the earth or that the peacemakers would be called sons of God; and that he did not say: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me . . . will never die.”( John 11:25, 26; Matthew 5:5, 9; 6:9, 10) Even though their conclusions may shock some, they are not unusual. They are the result of modern Biblical criticism, and similar ideas have been taught in religious seminaries for some time. Perhaps you have hardened yourself to hearing the Bible contradicted by scientists. But when religious leaders cast doubt on the truthfulness of the Bible record, you may wonder whether it is time to reconsider your own position. Is it logical to believe the Bible when so many intellectuals in the field of religion evidently do not?