Hume on Miracles

Argument against Revelation

The Gospels are not historically reliable
Bart Ehrman

• The authors of the Gospels were Greek-speaking Christians living 35 to 65 years after the events they narrate.  They were not eyewitnesses.
• The events they write about are based on oral accounts passed down to them.
• The authors were Christians spreading the Good News, not impartial historians.
• The Gospel accounts are filled with discrepancies and contradictions.
• The original texts of the Gospels no longer exist.
• The modern versions of the Gospels are derived from the original texts by way of many scribes who, over centuries, copied the text by hand.  But the copyists added, changed, and deleted text along the way.
  • For example, the last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark, about the Resurrection, were added centuries later.