Can the Bible's divine authorship be demonstrated by logic?

[McCulloch]

I believe that the following facets of my faith can be demonstrated by logical deduction

2. The Bible is God's Word*

Can the Bible's divine authorship be demonstrated by logical deduction?

[Clownboat]

More importantly, if the Bible contains foreknowledge that a human writer is incapable of producing alone, there must be a supernatural source or influence providing the information?

That's the brunt of the argument(s):
If the Bible possesses a certain quality (quality X), then it must owe it's origin to a supernatural source.

Right, that is the topic. The bible doesn't contain any aforeknowledge at all. What would you claim as aforeknowledge?

I love these type of nonsensical arguments that christians make about the bible. A certain quality? So it must owe it's origin to a supernatural source? This is absurd. It doesn't have a certain quality. It's just a book. A hatred one at that.

I agree, Jim here claims there is a quality (X) yet does not provide said quality. The Enuma Elish could be considered inspired on these terms since it has a certain quality to it too. When the quality is not explained then that could mean any quality. The bible contains no qualities that can only be explained by a supernatural source.

Atheism has a certian quality, and I can tell you what it is without being ambiguous. Free thought, intellect, reason, discernment, scepticism, questioning the questionable, and a dependency on what can be proven and not what can be wished for with faith. That is a special quality.

That would be more of a "godly" quality don't you think? I think a deity would want us to question, test, retest, examine, analyze, be skeptical. When we have these qualities and/or mentalities we will never be naive and believe everything at face value. Especially a 3000 year old text that has no bearing on the modern world.

The christian god would prefer that we are credulous, gullible, thoughtless, non-questioning, ignorant and Naive. Kind of like the way the leaders of North Korea make their people to be.

But at least you can die to escape North Korea!
RIP - Christopher Hitchens

[kayky]

But even the timing of the Gospel accounts' depiction of Jesus is astonishing given the "seventy weeks" prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:24 - 70 weeks being equal to 490 years)
If Jesus was crucified on the Passover eve of AD 30, that's 487.5 years after Israel's return from Babylon (in the "midst of the final week" 9:27, leaving 3.5 years to fulfill the 490 year period).

When the Gospels were written is subject to debate (most say they were written after AD 70 because Mark and Matthew mention the destruction of Jerusalem, but the underlying assumption is that there is no such thing as supernatural foreknowledge/predictive prophecy), but some of the events recorded in history (Gospel or otherwise) corroborate some claims.

My point is that the Gospels are contrivances. This "timing" is deliberate. I don't mean that as a criticism of the Gospels. I don't think they were ever meant to be literal biographies of Jesus. They were meant to be narrative liturgical writings in which to imbed the teachings of Jesus. Some elements are historical I believe, but they also have many allegorical and mythic elements.

[Nickman]

But even the timing of the Gospel accounts' depiction of Jesus is astonishing given the "seventy weeks" prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:24 - 70 weeks being equal to 490 years)
If Jesus was crucified on the Passover eve of AD 30, that's 487.5 years after Israel's return from Babylon (in the "midst of the final week" 9:27, leaving 3.5 years to fulfill the 490 year period).

When the Gospels were written is subject to debate (most say they were written after AD 70 because Mark and Matthew mention the destruction of Jerusalem, but the underlying assumption is that there is no such thing as supernatural foreknowledge/predictive prophecy), but some of the events recorded in history (Gospel or otherwise) corroborate some claims.

Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy has not been agreed on at all. It has been tweeked and turned and all in efforts to make it fit the time frame of the beginning of the first century. The gospels cannot be used as evidence for fulfilled prophecy or anything.

[arian]

[Nickman]

[arian]

[jimvansage]

so, the divine authorship of the Bible can be supported by deduction?

[Justin108]

Since we cannot see the spirit world . . .

This statement begs the question against those of us who disbelieve in the "spirit world." Why believe such a thing exists, especially considering there is no evidence for its existence?

I am not going to argue this point in this thread, or maybe in any thread. I believe their is plenty of evidence for the spirit world. I think Wiccans do as well. If you go to Amazon and do a search in books for "Life after Death" or "Out of Body Experiences" or "Near Death Experiences" you will find lots of evidence. I once read a book about meditating in such a fashion that your spirit leaves your body and it didn't take me long to get so freaked out when doing this that I quit. I also experienced this when training my mind to work like a computer. It seems to me there is something more than atoms in there.

LSD can also give you an out-of-body experience. The mind is a delicate thing. It fools itself ever so often.

[Justin108]

1) If Jesus is the Son of God, then the Bible is divinely inspired

2) Jesus is the Son of God

3) Therefore, the Bible is divinely inspired

That's a logical deduction with the conclusion that the Bible is divinely inspired, which serves to show that divine inspiration can be demonstrated with the use of logic. Perhaps McCulloch would like to elaborate on what he's looking for?

Except that this is the logical fallacy of circular reasoning.

[stubbornone]

I believe that the following facets of my faith can be demonstrated by logical deduction

2. The Bible is God's Word*

Can the Bible's divine authorship be demonstrated by logical deduction?

The Author's of the Bible, at least the New Testament, are well known. The Apostolic Gospels are written by Matthew, Mark, Luke. Then there are the Pauline Epistles, written by Paul, and even Revelations, written by John of Patmos.

Given that these are well known claims by those knowledgeable of the Bible, I am left wondering what specifically you are asking about regarding the authorship of the Bible?