Ramsay was a product of the skeptical, German higher
criticism of the 19th century, which was based, not on scientific
investigation, but on philosophical musings. He taught his students that the
New Testament is an unreliable religious treatise written in the 2nd century by
writers far removed from the events described and, therefore, filled with myths
and inaccuracies.
Ramsay decided he would demonstrate this thesis by
retracing Luke’s account of Paul’s travels in Acts and doing archaeological
excavations along the way. He was confident that he would discover many
inaccuracies and falsehoods in the account and scientifically demonstrate the
accuracy of his thesis.
His
Scientific Discoveries Overturn His Liberal/Critical Theories
However, after decades of meticulous fieldwork and
excavation in Asia Minor, he was astonished by the precision of Luke's
descriptions of geographical, political, and cultural details. He
discovered that in every place modern critics had said Luke was mistaken, Luke turned
out to be right and the critics wrong,
For example, the critics said the writer of Acts was
mistaken when, in Acts 17:6, 8, he referred to the city rulers of Thessalonica as
“politarchs.” They pointed out that no writer of antiquity ever referred to rulers
by such a word. However, in his excavations in the area of Thessalonica, Ramsay
discovered that “politarch” was the precise word used in that region for their
rulers.
To cite another example, in Acts 14:6, Luke groups Lystra
and Derbe together as cities of Lycaonia but does not include Iconium, even
though Iconium and Lystra were much closer geographically (Acts 14:1-6). Also, earlier
Roman writers, such as Cicero (106-43 BC), said that Iconium was in
Lycaonia. The critics said this was clear evidence that Luke was mistaken.
Ramsay discovered, however, that at the time of Luke’s
writing Iconium was a part of Perga whose inhabitants spoke a different language (Phrygian) with
a different culture than Derbe and Lystra, whose inhabitants spoke the Lycaonian
language, shared a similar culture, and were part of Lycaonia. Again, Luke was right and the critics
were wrong.
As Ramsay continued his scientific excavations along
the route of Paul’s travels, he became convinced that Acts was written in the first century by the
traditional author. He acquired a very high regard for Luke as a historian and
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 and they stand the keenest scrutiny
and the hardest treatment” (Hyatt, Discovering the Real Jesus, 72).
He
Found the Evidence Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Being an honest seeker of the truth, Ramsay had to
deal with the logical ramifications of his discoveries. If Luke was this
careful to get his facts right about people, titles, cities, geography, and
waterways, should he not be trusted in the more important things about which he
wrote such as the Christmas story?
Indeed, of all the Gospels, Luke gives
the most detailed account of the Nativity and mentions Mary 12 times. This is more
than any other biblical writer. In addition to the birth of Jesus, he also
gives special, detailed attention to the birth of John the Baptist. Many see
his gynecological interests to be a result of his training as a physician.
At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke,
whom Paul calls the beloved physician (Colossians 4:14), indicates that
he has made a thorough investigation of the things about which he is writing, including the Virgin Birth. This investigation
included evidence from eyewitness accounts of the events recorded. Luke spent extended periods of time with Paul in
Jerusalem and Judea and would have had the opportunity to interview
those who were closest to the event, including Mary herself.
For Ramsay, the evidence was overwhelming
and to the dismay of atheists and agnostics everywhere, he embraced
Christianity. He followed the evidence and it led Him to the manger in Bethlehem
and angels announcing the birth of the newborn king. His scientific research
also led him to conclude that all 13 of Paul’s epistles are authentic, which
challenged the speculative theories of the higher critics of his day.
Archaeology
has, indeed, affirmed the Biblical historical record. William F. Albright
(1891-1971), the renowned archaeologist and late professor of Semitic languages
at John Hopkins University, also began his career as a skeptic. But after years
of archaeological investigations in the land of the Bible, he wrote,
The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by
important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
certain phases of which still appear periodically, has been progressively
discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of
innumerable details and has brought recognition to the Bible as a source of
history (Hyatt, Christmas
Is For Real, 11-12).
Our
Faith Has a Solid Historical Base
Such overwhelming evidence
for the reliability of the Bible raises the question as to why there remains so
much skepticism about the Christmas story and other miracles recorded in the
New Testament. This question was answered by Millar Burrows (1889-1980), a renowned archaeologist, Professor
of Archaeology at Yale Divinity School, and Director of the American School of Oriental Research in
Jerusalem. Concerning so much remaining skepticism in academia, he
wrote,
The excessive skepticism of many liberal theologians stems not
from a careful evaluation of the available data, but from an enormous predisposition
against the supernatural (Hyatt, Discovering the Real Jesus, 137).
In other words, the issue is
not an intellectual issue. It is a heart issue. The issue is a pre-commitment
to a materialistic worldview that has no room for miracles. For personal and
emotional reasons, they will not let go of
their unbelief, even in the face of contradictory evidence. If, however,
they will follow the evidence where it leads, they too can sing:
Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn king.
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful all ye nation rise,
Join the triumph of the sky.
With angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn king.
This article was derived from the books, Discovering the Real Jesus and Christmas is for Real by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt who is the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to educate American citizens about about their nation's Christian origins in the First Great Awakening.
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