Are the New Testament documents reliable sources of information about the historical Jesus?
I have been asked to make a case for the reliability of these documents as sources of information about the historical Jesus. In a nutshell, ‘Can we believe what we read about him there?’. My own enquiries and discoveries have convinced me of their reliability. That said, it is of course vital for a proper understanding of them that we appreciate exactly what sort of documents they are and what kind of information it is they convey: it is important therefore we remember that they were written to challenge and to invite the reader to belief in the Christian faith. The New Testament documents are theological as well as historical writings. We find different types, or genres, of writing – just as we do within the Old Testament – whilst we must realise also that they are necessarily interpretations of the person and events they record. What matters, how however, is what, after careful examination and reflection, we think of the information they convey. In doing this, we are simply making a
