There is essentially nothing in Christian theology that was written down at the time, nothing that hasn't been intentionally or accidentally mistranslated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. By the time anyone else saw any text it was far too late to even approximate the original.

REP: Only someone who has little understanding of historical literature would make these sweeping statements. I think your words also demonstrate ignorance about the oral tradition of passing on information. These were not people sat round camp fires telling stories - these were passed down by people who's career entailed being trained to memorize details to exacting standards.

'For those who wish to examine the historical reliability of the Bible, the test of reliability must be tested by the same criteria that all historic documents are tested:
Bibliographical Test
Internal Evidence Test
External Evidence Test
The Bibliographical Test of the New Testament is what I will present here. The others can be given if you need them.
The Bibliographical Test examines the reliability of the texts we have in regard to the number of manuscripts (MSS) and the interval of time between the original and the exiting copies.

There are more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts, of the New Testament. Over 10,000 Latin Vulgate and at least 9,300 other earlier versions (MSS). And there are more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existance.
No other historical document begins to approach those numbers. The Iliad by Homer is the closest with only 643 manuscripts that still survive. In the entire range of Greek and Latin literature, the Iliad ranks second to the Bible in possessing the greatest amount of manuscript testamony.

Surviving manuscripts of the New Testament:
Greek
?.Uncials??...??.267
?.Minuscules??.2,764
?.Lectionaries??2,143
?.Papyri??...???.88
?.Recent Finds?...?47
ToTal :??????.5,309 Extant Greek MSS

Latin Vulgate??....10,000 plus
Ethiopic????...?2,000 plus
Slavic??????...4,101
Armenian????....2,587
Syriac Pashette??....350 plus
Bohairic??????.100
Arabic???????...75
Old Latin????..??50
Anglo Saxon???..??7
Gothic??????...?..6
Sodgian???????.3
Old Syriac?????......2
Persian???????..2
Frankish???????.1

The time span between the original writings of the New Testament and the earliest known existing manuscripts is about 250 ?300 years later. The closest known work is Pliny the Younger written in 75-160A.D. The earliest known copy is 850 A.D. a time span of 750 years.
The New Testament has about 20,000 lines, the Iliad has about 15,600 lines. About 40 lines (400 words) of the New Testament are in doubt ? ? of 1%. 764 lines of the Iliad are questionable ? 5%.

Following are some other historical books with the number of (MSS) and time intervals:

Ceaser - 100-44 B.C; Earliest copy: 900 A.D - 1,000 yr. Time Span; 10 Copies

Plato - 427-347 B.C; Earliest copy: 900 A.D - 1,200 yr. Time Span; 7 Copies

Aristotle - 384-322 B.C; Earliest copy: 1100 A.D - 1,400 yr. Time Span; 49 Copies

Sir Fredrick Kenyon, director and principle librarian of the British Museum, states:
?Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established?
The writings of Ceaser, Plato and Aristotle are highly regarded and considered trustworthy by literary scholars- even though the nearest existing manuscript is 1,000 yrs. after the original writing. To dismiss the New Testament as unreliable therefore, is to dismiss the reliability of every existing piece of historical document in existence.'


Cascioli reminds me of those who refuse to acknowledge the Nazi holocaust.

Blacknad.