Of
the four Gospels, Luke gives the most detailed account of the Nativity and
mentions Mary 12 times, more than any other biblical writer. In addition to the
birth of Christ, he also gives special, detailed attention to the birth of John
the Baptist and many see his gynecological interests to be a result of his
training as a physician.
The agnostic
Oxford professor and archaeologist, Sir William Ramsay, thought he would
scientifically prove Luke to be a bogus, unreliable writer by retracing Luke’s
account of Paul’s travels in Acts. However, after years of retracing Luke's
account of Paul's travels and doing archaeological excavations along the way,
Ramsay completely reversed his view of the Bible and first-century history.
He
Sets Out to Disprove Luke
Ramsay, considered
one of the greatest archaeologists of all time, was a product of the skeptical,
German higher criticism of the 19th century. According
to these critics, the New Testament was written in the second century by
individuals far removed from the events described and, therefore, filled with
inaccuracies, myths, and legends.
However, Ramsay’s many
years of archaeological research convinced him that
Acts was written in the first century by
Luke, the traditional author, and he acquired a very high regard for
Luke as a historian. He wrote,
Luke
is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact
trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense; in short, this author
should be placed along with the greatest of historians (Hyatt, Christmas is for Real, 10-11).
In 1896, Ramsay
began publishing his discoveries in a book entitled St. Paul the Traveler
and the Roman Citizen. The book caused a furor of dismay among the skeptics
of the world, for its affirmation of the biblical record was totally
unexpected. The evidence was, in fact, so overwhelming that many atheists gave
up their atheism and embraced Christianity.
Over the next 20
years, Ramsay published other volumes showing how he discovered Luke to be
accurate in the tiniest details of his account. In his book, The Bearing of
Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, he wrote,
"You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian's
and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment" (Hyatt, Christmas is for Real, 11).
To cite just one
example, Luke’s use of the term “politarch” to describe officials in
Thessalonica was widely considered to be a bogus term made up by a later writer
since it was never used by ancient writers. But in his archaeological
excavations, Ramsay uncovered the term no less than five times in ancient
carvings in the city, demonstrating beyond doubt the authenticity and
reliability of Luke’s authorship.
The evidence was overwhelming,
and Ramsay eventually gave up his agnosticism and came to faith in Christ. He
concluded that if Luke was this careful to get right the most minute facts about
words, dates, roads, waterways, and different cultures, then he could also be
trusted to have gotten his facts right about the supernatural things he
described such as the Virgin Birth.
Indeed, at the
beginning of his Gospel, and just before describing the angel’s visit to Mary, Luke
says that he has utilized eyewitness accounts of
the events described. Indeed, the detail Luke presents about the Virgin Birth
does indicate that he has derived his information from a primary source, either
Mary herself or someone to whom Mary had relayed the intimate details of the
event.
Conclusion
of the Matter
The famous Oxford historian, A.N. Sherwin-White, carefully examined Luke’s
references to 32 countries, 54 cities, and nine islands, finding not a single
mistake. The noted New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, noted that where Luke has
been suspected of inaccuracy by modern critics, archaeology has again and again
proven Luke to be right and the critics wrong.
The evidence begs
the question that if Luke was this careful to get his facts right about names,
places, events and dates, can we not be confident that he was just as careful
to get his facts right concerning the more important things about which he
wrote, such as the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ?
Charles Wesley,
the Anglican cleric and Methodist revivalist, believed so and wrote his magnificent
hymn, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” after hearing London church bells ringing
as he walked to church one Christmas day. He wrote,
Hark
the herald angels sing,
Glory
to the newborn king.
Peace
on earth and mercy mild,
God
and sinners reconciled.
Joyful
all ye nations rise,
Join
the triumph of the skies.
With
angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ
is born in Bethlehem.
This
article is derived from the book, Christmas is for Real, by Dr. Eddie L.
Hyatt and available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehhyatt.com.
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