What are the best, most factual, most thorough books on the manuscript evidence of Scripture, the dating thereof, etc. I'm looking for slightly more modern books that take into account modern challenges.

Mainly, books that would be helpful in defending the faith against an educated unbeliever who uses modern scholarship and criticism against the dating of the gospels and epistles, etc. I'm wanting to be more thoroughly educated on those subjects.

Any recommendations?

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Joshua Wiseman
Riverview PCA
Charleston, WV

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings."
- Psalm 17:8

Here are 3 excellent books that will help contribute to your quest for good scholarship against liberal heresy.

Acts in its Hellenistic setting - Colin Hemer
Everything one could want to know about the historicity of Acts and then some. One reviewer calls this work a "tour de force" in NT scholarship

Ancient Orient and the Old Testament - K A Kitchen
This short easy read confronts JDEP scholarship. You will also enjoy Kitchen's humor. Written in 1966 but still very useful.

Interpreting the Parables - Craig Blomberg
Great book that reviews literary methodologies. Blomberg recognizes benefits of liberal methodology and how it works against them.

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Scott McManus
Attending Hillcrest Church
RTS Charlotte - MA Distance
Dallas TX

I actually might get all three of those, or at least the first two. Any ones that deal, in general, with the entire New Testament, or at least the gospels? This isn't a personal struggle of mine, and I know "enough" to answer 99% of people, but I'd like to have a wealth of arguments, along with facts, committed to memory and at my disposal, with which to answer even very educated critics.

Thy Word Is Truth by E.J. Young

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Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA
Church Blog

"there is no creature, either in heaven or on earth, who loves us more than Jesus Christ"
Belgic Confession, Article 26

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Thank you sir.

Any other recommendations? I'm going to blow some earnings on Amazon tonight when I get off of work.

Blomberg is a great for ammo against Gospel critics. Deals w synopic issues. Blomberg is gold for helping fine tune your ability to deal with Liberals/Jesus seminar/reader response etc. Blomberg book is also cheap.

Hemer is $$$ hardback from Esienbrauns.

Joshua,

For pertinent facts I woud put Moorman's Forever Settled at the top of the list. Cloud is anti-Calvinist, and if you go to his site you will run into that. But on the Scriptures he is great. Hills' book is a classic by an accredited text critic. Obviously these are all KJV or TR-advocacy books, just to balance out your library!

And Letis is an extraordinary historian of the text, favoring the TR.

Steve

P.S. They're not all Amazon, so you'll have to do a little extra work if you want them!

Forever Settled: A Survey of the Documents and History of the Bible (Hardcover) by Dr. Jack Moorman ISBN 1888328061 Amazon: Amazon.com: Forever Settled: A Survey of the... $6.25

MYTHS ABOUT MODERN BIBLE VERSIONS, Author: DAVID CLOUD, ISBN: 1-58318-059-1 (Way of Life Literature: http://www.wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm $20

The King James Version Defended, by E.F. Hills http://www.allbookstores.com/book/bu...oks/0915923033 $18.13

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Dr. Theodore P. Letis' works:

Edward Freer Hills’s Contribution to the Revival of the Ecclesiastical Text, Theodore P. Letis IRRBS $17.00
Paper back, 177 pages.

The Majority Text: Essays & Reviews in the Continuing Debate, Theodore P. Letis IRRBS 2000 $20.00
Paper back, 210 pages

The Ecclesiastical Text: Text Criticism, Biblical Authority and the Popular Mind, Theodore P. Letis IRRBS 2000 $28.00
Paper back, 232 pages.

Available from:

IBTS
INSTITUTE FOR BIBLICAL TEXTUAL STUDIES
5151 52nd Street, S. E., Grand Rapids, MI 49512 - Telephone (616) 942-8498 – ibts@voyager.net

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Steve Rafalsky
Elder, International Evangelical Church (Reformed)
Limassol, Cyprus

"I am set for the defense of the gospel" (Philippians 1:17)

"Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness..." (Colossians 1:11)

J. VanBruggen's The Ancient Text of the New Testament is a little gem (though it focusses on issues regarding the NT manuscripts, defending the Majority Text). I think it may be out of print, so you may have to try and find a used copy.

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Wes Bredenhof
Co-pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church
Langley, British Columbia
www.bredenhof.ca

The introduction parts to Gleason Archer's Introduction Survey of the Old Testament is fantastic on confronting liberalism.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College