140 REV. P. P. FLOURNOY, D.D.^ ON BEARING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL 



Statements was not written in the first century (unless, indeed, 

 the convenient " redactor " could be brought in and charged 

 with tampering with the text). 



On the other hand, if archaBology and history should be 

 found to show that these writings, indicating such familiarity 

 with places, persons, opinions, religious conditions, governmental 

 intricacies and changes, characters of prominent individuals 

 and peoples, and, in short, the whole atmosphere of New 

 Testament times, are invariably correct in their references 

 to these things, as only writijigs of contemporaries could be, 

 it will be hard to believ^e that they did not originate in those 

 times. 



Again, if the progress of such research should not diminish, 

 but, as it proceeded, should reveal ever-increasing agreement 

 with all these conditions as seen in the Xew Testament, we 

 should lind ourselves observing a continual approach to moral 

 certainty of the genuineness and authenticity of all the 

 writings of which this should prove to be true. 



If, under the searching eyes of criticism, it should appear 

 to be ascertained that the New Testament w^ritings are spurious, 

 there must arise from the Christian world the cry oit anguish, 

 " If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do ? " 

 But if, on the other hand, archaeological discoveries and closer 

 scrutiny should be found, more and more clearly, to establish 

 their genuineness, it will be seen that Christian faith rests, 

 not on myths and theories, but on the basis of well-attested 

 facts. 



Archaeological discoveries bearing on the New Testament 

 in various ways have been very numerous during the last half 

 century. The question is, do these discoveries, as well as earlier 

 ones, tend to strengthen or to weaken contidence in the New 

 Testament ? 



I. Documents. 



Among the great number of such discoveries, not the least 

 important are documents containing words of the New 

 Testament. The tact that there are more than three thousand 

 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, and a large number 

 of versions in various languages, besides voluminous quotations 

 from it in the works of ancient authors, is of no small 

 interest and importance. No other book is attested so fully 

 from such sources. 



As to their age. Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, D.Litt., Ph.D., 

 Director and Principal Librarian of the; British Museum, tells us : 



