The New Testament, truth or fiction?

There are countless threads, and take-offs of threads in here dealing with issues relative to religion, many filled with patently false information, pseudo logic, and incomplete information, the end result being that no one is convinced of anything. With this post, I hope to provide a base for those wishing to learn more than the fact they have a Bible at hand, and their Sunday school and pulpit teachings telling them how to interpret same, but the stories behind that book and its teachings. Uncovering then, as the thread title says, the truth and or fiction behind the 27 books. For now, I will preface that with the following.

Christianity from which the NT is based, is supposed to have been given rise within the walls of Israel at a time of Herod the Great. We all have come to believe that Herod did in fact exist, and along with that some of the historical, albeit mild references within the NT to the history of that time. But what do we know exactly that would actually allow us to believe the written word? For example, how many Christians know about the evolution of the NT Bible they read today; or, how it came to be; or by whom it was actually written; or, how it came to contain the 27 books, such that, were they the only books written, and were others not included; or, which parties decided what the NT scriptures will contain, or, more importantly, what historical documents are at our disposal to support the NT as being without flaw? The answer is really relevant only to the latter; it is much more than most of us know, or was intended for us to know.

There is far too much to place in one post or even several, to cover the writings in the NT. Aside from the writings themselves within which we find a plethora of inconsistencies and ideologies which go against the Old Testament, it behoves us to understand as best as we can the foundations upon which these books were built, which we are told to revere and to not question.

For now, a bit of history: We know that The Bible as a whole, specifically centres around the Middle Eastern areas of Egypt, Babylon(Iraq), Persia(Iran) and Israel, all of which were affected by Persian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman rule over a number of centuries. That was �The World� in the olden days. We know that in the late and last century before Christ, the Greeks were predominant in Egypt, and we know that the Romans at that time and still later, came to be dominant in the rest of the area. We also know that the Hebrews were spread throughout the entire area, not just that of Israel as we call it today. We also know that the Roman empire enjoyed over 300 years of rule from the Principate in the first half of the century BCE, to the Dioclete in the early 3rd century CE., and it was within that time that Christianity was forged, and perhaps not known, largely so by Rome.

Ask most Christians from what sources the books of the NT originated, and they have not a clue. The fervent response may be that the apostles wrote them, but how those writings came to be known, they cannot say. The facts though actually are still unfolding, not as quickly as we might hope due to extreme politics, suppression and where necessary, denial, now just as before, but they are emerging.

At this time, I will state this: The books of the New Testament are writings which can only be traced to the second and third centuries CE as far as artifacts are concerned. There are older historical writings during the time of Herod and into the latter part of the first century CE which have no reference to Christ, but should if he had existed, and there are numerous fragments and full papyri from the first to fourth centuries BCE that tell a tale that is not quite as presented in the NT. These findings were from two areas of Egypt hundreds of miles apart, the texts of some actually corroborating each other, and further corroborated by some of the manuscripts found at Qumram. They are real, and saved in antiquity, some within the library of Vienna, some within the Library at Oxford, some at the Vatican, the Greek archdiocese, even the private libraries of lords, and others within Europe. Not far from prying eyes, but secure enough that even the founders� works and translations on some of these texts are either hard to come by or released only to notable notables once in the hands of the various governments and theological societies. Yet none of these documents are well enough known, and some even unheard of by the masses. These documents have been labeled forgeries or tall tales, and for very good reason, in that what they actually have to say by themselves will raise eyebrows, will shake the faith of many, and cast massive doubt on the most popular book of today. To those who place the documents within the historical context of the day and the relevant sources for same, they are the ultimate eye opener as to the fraud that is behind the NT.

The Vatican�s secret archives are secret for a reason. It was under Roman rule the story of Christ was pressed forward, and it was in Rome that most of the NT was penned. Those seriously interested in taking an open mind and learning what lies behind the texts of the NT should expend the effort to learn what is out there. The age of the internet affords you a cheap and readily accessible avenue. The fascinating read will set a thinker�s mind in motion as s/he tries to piece together the places, events, names, and dates. For those who do not wish to believe anything other than what they believe, then do not undertake this study, for you will reject every piece with frivolous and illogical excuses. I also caution those interested in the footwork, to try and find only the facts; i.e manuscripts; historical dates; available historical references of the era; Greek and Roman church documents, and to not use any writings from any author as proof of anything other than as a reference guide to further your search. Keep notes as well, for you will surely need to refer to them. The object is to make up your own minds, not to have others influence you. The task is daunting and ongoing, but you are fortunate, in that in today�s electronic world it will take far less than the decades I have spent in research, and the decades more I will, as long as the finds trickle out.

As a guide, I recommend the following research, in this order:
The history of Israel from 300BCE to 100CE.
The history of Egypt from the same era.
The history of the Alexandrian Bible; Septuagint; the Vatican Codex: Codex Sinaiticus: --the Pe#ta: The King James Version.
The creation of the Greek Orthodox Church
The earliest known Biblical documents, Christian and Hebrew.
Early Church documents. i.e letters.
Muslim belief in Christ.
Early Jewish writings. Start with Flavius Josephus.
The Egyptian towns known as Oxyrhynchus and Nag Hammadi
The infancy Gospels of Matthew, and Joseph.
The Sayings of Jesus/Gospel of Thomas
The gospel of Mary
The Hebrew account of Daniel- not the Christian.
The theories behind who wrote the Gospel attributed to John, and the book of Revelations.
The reason for Paul�s letters/epistles.
The Jerusalem council
Paul�s travels to Rome and the accounts of his death.
Peter�s letters
Peter�s demise. When, where and why?
Constantine�s adventures in Rome and Egypt.
The bishops and papal reigns to 400CE.
The Council of Nicea
The inquisition
The Burning of the Vatican.


[edit on 11/5/04 by SomewhereinBetween]