A priceless treasure trove
was found right here in this
00:00:27.22\00:00:31.06
ancient burial tomb. I
met Ketef Hinnom just outside
00:00:31.09\00:00:36.46
the walls of Old Jerusalem
the ancient road from Jerusalem
00:00:36.50\00:00:40.87
to Bethlehem passed nearby.
And this marked the boundary
00:00:40.90\00:00:45.81
between the tribe
of Judah and Benjamin.
00:00:45.84\00:00:48.08
And up here on the
hillside overlooking Jerusalem
00:00:48.11\00:00:52.61
are seven ancient burial caves
that have been hewn into the
00:00:52.65\00:00:58.15
limestone and
meticulously designed.
00:00:58.19\00:01:01.32
The caves were intended for
family burials over a number of
00:01:01.36\00:01:05.89
generations. The ceilings
have long since collapsed
00:01:05.93\00:01:10.77
but these burial caves
had benches cut into the rock
00:01:10.80\00:01:15.54
on which the dead
had been laid to rest.
00:01:15.57\00:01:18.51
The headrests that were cut
into the stone can still be seen
00:01:18.54\00:01:22.84
today and show where the bodies
of the deceased were laid out
00:01:22.88\00:01:26.98
side by side. The bodies were
left here until they decomposed
00:01:27.02\00:01:32.45
and just the skeleton remained.
The bones were then gathered up
00:01:32.49\00:01:37.19
and places in an ossuary or
bone box and kept in the cave.
00:01:37.23\00:01:41.66
Spaces were hewn under
some of the benches to serve as
00:01:41.70\00:01:46.80
repositories for the
bones in order to make way
00:01:46.84\00:01:50.17
for newly deceased so
in affect the caves here
00:01:50.21\00:01:54.91
were a type of cemetery.
00:01:54.94\00:01:56.91
Archeologist Gabriel
Barkay had a hunch that this
00:01:56.95\00:02:02.28
rocky knoll, this cave cemetery
held some hidden secrets
00:02:02.32\00:02:07.02
and so he organized a
small excavation on the site.
00:02:07.06\00:02:10.93
As he examined the tombs, he
realized that they dated back
00:02:10.96\00:02:16.40
to the first temple period,
the time of Solomon's Temple
00:02:16.43\00:02:20.14
and so were
over 2,600 years old.
00:02:20.17\00:02:23.77
All of the tombs were looted
a long time ago by grave robbers
00:02:23.81\00:02:28.41
and so all of the grave gift and
keepsake and funeral mementos
00:02:28.44\00:02:33.25
were gone.
00:02:33.28\00:02:34.62
There were no jewelry, oil
lamps, or perfume jars left.
00:02:34.65\00:02:37.79
When Barkay and his
young team started work
00:02:37.82\00:02:41.89
on the last cave here,
they noticed that one of the
00:02:41.92\00:02:45.93
stone burial
benches had collapsed.
00:02:45.96\00:02:48.23
When they removed the rubble
here, this small dark chamber
00:02:48.26\00:02:54.20
was exposed, when they took
a closer look they discovered
00:02:54.24\00:02:58.97
that it contained a
literal treasure trove,
00:02:59.01\00:03:02.34
more than 1,000
objects from antiquity.
00:03:02.38\00:03:05.85
Among the treasure were
two small pure silver scrolls
00:03:05.88\00:03:11.42
they'd been rolled up worn
as amulets to protect and bring
00:03:11.45\00:03:15.72
good fortune to the wearer.
00:03:15.76\00:03:17.63
When they were unraveled,
they were both found to have the
00:03:17.66\00:03:21.53
ancient priestly benediction
inscribed on them from
00:03:21.56\00:03:24.90
the Bible Book of Numbers
chapter 6, verses 24 to 26.
00:03:24.93\00:03:28.97
It was clear that they were
extremely old Bible Inscriptions
00:03:40.18\00:03:44.92
When the ancient craftsman
inscribed these scrolls
00:03:44.95\00:03:49.26
2,600 years ago, Solomon's
Temple was still standing,
00:03:49.29\00:03:53.96
the prophet Jeremiah was
alive, the heirs of King David
00:03:54.00\00:03:58.80
were still on the throne.
00:03:58.83\00:04:00.30
And what was of particular
interest was that even though
00:04:00.34\00:04:04.51
that was so old the
wording was exactly the same
00:04:04.54\00:04:09.48
as we have in our Bibles today.
00:04:09.51\00:04:11.78
The scrolls were priceless
and what made these scrolls
00:04:11.81\00:04:16.65
of particular interest and value
is the fact that they contained
00:04:16.69\00:04:20.76
Bible inscriptions
that were very old.
00:04:20.79\00:04:23.89
In fact, they were the
oldest Bible text ever found,
00:04:23.93\00:04:28.83
they were genuine Bible treasure
but they aren't the only
00:04:28.86\00:04:33.57
treasure associated
with the Bible, there's more,
00:04:33.60\00:04:37.41
much more. Join me as
we dig deeper and discover
00:04:37.44\00:04:42.78
even greater
treasure from the Bible.
00:04:42.81\00:04:45.71
I read the story of a rich
farmer who on his death bed
00:05:00.70\00:05:04.67
said to his sons, my
treasure is buried in my fields.
00:05:04.70\00:05:09.54
If you want to be
rich then dig for it.
00:05:09.57\00:05:12.84
Well, when the old man
died the two sons presuming
00:05:12.87\00:05:17.18
that their father has hidden
his money in a treasure chest
00:05:17.21\00:05:20.58
somewhere on his farm,
set out eagerly to find it.
00:05:20.62\00:05:24.49
Equipped with spades and
picks they dug with great
00:05:24.52\00:05:28.39
enthusiasm and perseverance.
00:05:28.42\00:05:30.53
They dug and searched
for long hours but seemingly
00:05:30.56\00:05:34.20
without success. Carefully
they turned over the soil
00:05:34.23\00:05:38.73
in every field digging to a
depth no plow had ever reached.
00:05:38.77\00:05:43.77
But there was no sign of a
treasure chest buried anywhere.
00:05:43.81\00:05:48.04
When spring came, the
sons abandoned their search
00:05:48.08\00:05:52.35
in order to sow a crop
then came summer and harvest
00:05:52.38\00:05:57.39
and what a harvest is
was they never seen anything
00:05:57.42\00:06:01.92
like it before,
it was a bumper crop.
00:06:01.96\00:06:04.96
In digging the land so
thoroughly the boys had found
00:06:04.99\00:06:08.73
the riches they
were searching for.
00:06:08.76\00:06:10.63
The wise old father's plan
had succeeded by persevering
00:06:10.67\00:06:16.81
and continual digging the
sons got the most out of their
00:06:16.84\00:06:20.78
inheritance.
00:06:20.81\00:06:22.14
Now, you too have
inherited a precious heirloom.
00:06:22.18\00:06:26.01
A gift that has come down
to you for many generations
00:06:26.05\00:06:30.09
and too, it is buried,
not in a field, but in a book.
00:06:30.12\00:06:35.39
And He who bequeathed it to
you says, if you want to be rich
00:06:35.42\00:06:39.83
in all the best and
most beautiful things
00:06:39.86\00:06:42.46
that life has to
offer, then search this book.
00:06:42.50\00:06:46.23
Dig into it with all
the spiritual tools at your
00:06:46.27\00:06:50.34
disposal. Read it, study it,
meditate upon it, pray over it,
00:06:50.37\00:06:54.91
invest time in it and within
it, you'll find the richest
00:06:54.94\00:06:59.51
of treasures.
00:06:59.55\00:07:00.88
This Book is of
course the Bible, your Bible,
00:07:00.92\00:07:05.32
Now admittedly in some respects
it is much like other books.
00:07:05.35\00:07:10.23
From its appearance no one
would suspect that it might be
00:07:10.26\00:07:15.13
any more valuable than the rest
but open it, began to search
00:07:15.16\00:07:19.97
and you'll soon see
the first hint of treasure,
00:07:20.00\00:07:23.20
in fact everyone who reads
it sincerely and reverently
00:07:23.24\00:07:28.04
will reap a rich harvest
of spiritual blessings, inner
00:07:28.08\00:07:32.21
peace, happiness, strength,
courage, wisdom, inspiration,
00:07:32.25\00:07:37.55
all the things you have longed
for but thought impossible
00:07:37.59\00:07:41.82
to attain. So here's a
treasure worth digging for and
00:07:41.86\00:07:47.00
the more you dig, the
more you'll find every turn
00:07:47.03\00:07:50.50
of the spade will
reveal fresh gems.
00:07:50.53\00:07:53.44
For example he will discover
the secret of lasting happiness
00:07:53.47\00:07:58.01
and fulfillment and
you'll find the reason there's
00:07:58.04\00:08:01.81
good and evil in the world.
00:08:01.84\00:08:03.18
You'll understand
what happens when you die,
00:08:03.21\00:08:06.31
the mysteries of life
and death, you'll know what
00:08:06.35\00:08:09.28
the future has in
store for you and your family
00:08:09.32\00:08:11.79
and above all, he'll
discover the best news ever
00:08:11.82\00:08:16.12
and find true inner peace.
00:08:16.16\00:08:18.26
And here's what's amazing,
this treasure is available to
00:08:18.29\00:08:22.83
everyone, no one is
barred from searching for it
00:08:22.86\00:08:26.50
on grounds of caste, color or
creed, this Book will speak to
00:08:26.53\00:08:31.67
anybody regardless of their
religion, nationality, career,
00:08:31.71\00:08:36.24
or the size of
their bank account.
00:08:36.28\00:08:38.15
Believe me when I say that this
treasure is worth considering.
00:08:38.18\00:08:44.05
Dig into it, you've got nothing
to lose, lots of people are
00:08:44.09\00:08:49.92
and they're
finding it a real winner.
00:08:49.96\00:08:52.03
The Guinness book of
records estimates that over
00:08:52.06\00:08:55.96
five billion copies of
the Bible have been printed
00:08:56.00\00:08:59.63
over the years. Now
perhaps you've had a look at
00:08:59.67\00:09:02.77
one of those five billion Bibles
and found it different from
00:09:02.80\00:09:06.84
any other book you've
read and given up on it.
00:09:06.88\00:09:09.91
But don't get too hasty
to set it aside, instead,
00:09:09.94\00:09:15.42
let's have a closer
look at it together.
00:09:15.45\00:09:17.75
And I've got to admit that
right here in the beginning
00:09:17.79\00:09:21.06
the Bible is different, at fist
glance it doesn't seem to have
00:09:21.09\00:09:26.49
any continued story to it
whether it's short chapters
00:09:26.53\00:09:30.20
and it's numbered verses,
it doesn't look too inviting
00:09:30.23\00:09:33.37
either and it
certainly isn't light reading.
00:09:33.40\00:09:36.44
And if your Bible happens
to be a King James Version
00:09:36.47\00:09:40.08
you'll notice that the language
seems just a little antique.
00:09:40.11\00:09:44.15
And you may have other questions
"Why is the Bible divided into
00:09:44.18\00:09:48.38
two sections called The Old
Testament, and New Testament?
00:09:48.42\00:09:52.55
Perhaps you've wondered
about who wrote your Bible?
00:09:52.59\00:09:56.56
and when and where? Is
it an original work or copy?
00:09:56.59\00:10:01.23
But there is a more
important question still.
00:10:01.26\00:10:04.27
Many people look upon
the Bible as a Sacred Book
00:10:04.30\00:10:08.27
They call it God's
Book or God's Word, why?
00:10:08.30\00:10:13.11
Is there a reason?
and is it a good reason?
00:10:13.14\00:10:16.54
These are all good
and important questions.
00:10:16.58\00:10:20.88
And so, to begin with, let's
take a look at the book as a
00:10:20.92\00:10:27.69
whole, actually it
isn't a single book,
00:10:27.72\00:10:31.86
but rather a collection of
books, it's often been called
00:10:31.89\00:10:36.50
a library and it is in a sense.
00:10:36.53\00:10:39.40
Now in most Bibles there
is a list of all these books
00:10:39.43\00:10:43.30
usually on one of the opening
pages, if you'll glance at this
00:10:43.34\00:10:47.78
you'll see that there are 39
books grouped under the section
00:10:47.81\00:10:51.41
marked Old Testament
and 27 under New Testament
00:10:51.45\00:10:56.22
making 66 books in all.
00:10:56.25\00:10:58.85
Now some of the books
are not really books at all
00:10:58.89\00:11:02.46
but letters, some of them
so short they could be typed
00:11:02.49\00:11:07.06
on a single page.
00:11:07.10\00:11:08.43
And as the differences
between The Old Testament and
00:11:08.46\00:11:12.50
The New Testament, the
old was written before Christ
00:11:12.53\00:11:16.34
and the new after Christ.
00:11:16.37\00:11:18.74
Approximately 400 years
elapsed between the writing of
00:11:18.77\00:11:23.35
the last book of the
Old Testament, Malachi,
00:11:23.38\00:11:26.48
and the writing of
Matthew, the first book in
00:11:26.51\00:11:29.48
The New Testament.
00:11:29.52\00:11:30.85
Now the word testament is a
Latin word that means covenant
00:11:30.89\00:11:36.32
or agreement. The Old Testament
is the covenant God made
00:11:36.36\00:11:40.70
with people before
the time of Christ.
00:11:40.73\00:11:42.96
The New Testament is
the agreement God made with
00:11:43.00\00:11:46.53
people after Christ had come.
00:11:46.57\00:11:48.54
The word old means
ancient, having greater age,
00:11:48.57\00:11:54.01
not superseded or obsolete.
Both the Old and New Testaments
00:11:54.04\00:12:00.18
are still important today.
00:12:00.22\00:12:01.88
The Bible was 1,600
years in preparation,
00:12:01.92\00:12:05.95
the earliest book was
written probably about 1500 BC
00:12:05.99\00:12:10.59
and the last book was written
in the last decade of the
00:12:10.63\00:12:14.36
first century after
Christ, so around 100 AD.
00:12:14.40\00:12:18.60
The 66 books,
pamphlets, letters, messages,
00:12:18.63\00:12:23.27
whatever you wish to call
them were the work of about
00:12:23.30\00:12:26.68
40 authors. The two most
prolific being Moses in the
00:12:26.71\00:12:30.71
Old Testament
and Paul in the New.
00:12:30.75\00:12:33.48
The first five books of
the Bible were written by Moses
00:12:33.52\00:12:37.55
these books were called The Law.
00:12:37.59\00:12:40.22
Then came the Prophets The
Early Prophets who recorded
00:12:40.26\00:12:44.36
the dealings of
God with His people.
00:12:44.39\00:12:47.20
and The Later Prophets who
blended council with warning
00:12:47.23\00:12:51.63
and prediction.
00:12:51.67\00:12:53.00
And then there were The Writings
00:12:53.03\00:12:55.84
The books of poetry and wisdom
such as the Psalms and Proverbs.
00:12:55.87\00:13:00.24
The Law, The
Prophets, and The Writings.
00:13:00.28\00:13:03.85
These were the scriptures
that Jesus used, we call them
00:13:03.88\00:13:08.52
The Old Testament today,
The New Testament of course
00:13:08.55\00:13:12.09
hadn't yet been
written in the time of Jesus.
00:13:12.12\00:13:14.89
Now, after Jesus left this
earth four accounts of His life
00:13:14.92\00:13:19.66
were written down by
those best qualified.
00:13:19.69\00:13:22.73
These books were called
The Gospels, Matthew, Mark,
00:13:22.76\00:13:27.30
Luke, and John.
00:13:27.34\00:13:28.94
The word Gospel
simply means Good News.
00:13:29.00\00:13:32.57
So, these four books tell
the good news about Jesus.
00:13:32.61\00:13:37.28
Then comes the book of Acts
which records the story of the
00:13:37.31\00:13:41.48
growth and expansion of
the early Christian church.
00:13:41.52\00:13:45.19
Later came The Letters written
by Paul and other Apostles
00:13:45.22\00:13:49.72
to the early churches.
00:13:49.76\00:13:51.09
And of course finally
there was the Revelation
00:13:51.13\00:13:54.86
written by the Apostle John.
00:13:54.90\00:13:56.93
So, as we seen about 40
people were involved in writing
00:13:56.97\00:14:02.14
the Bible and it's interesting
to notice the variety of
00:14:02.17\00:14:06.07
backgrounds they came from.
00:14:06.11\00:14:07.88
There was Moses who led one
of the first freedom movements
00:14:07.91\00:14:11.61
of all time. David the
sheep herder who became a king,
00:14:11.65\00:14:15.45
Daniel, Prime
Minister of Babylon,
00:14:15.48\00:14:17.62
Matthew a tax
collector, Luke a doctor,
00:14:17.65\00:14:21.22
Peter the
fisherman, Paul the Pharisee
00:14:21.26\00:14:24.09
and many others.
00:14:24.13\00:14:25.66
And the amazing thing about
it is that every one of these
00:14:25.69\00:14:29.43
writers is in surprising
agreement with every other
00:14:29.46\00:14:33.57
even though some were
separated by 1,600 years
00:14:33.60\00:14:37.31
and very few were
acquainted with one another.
00:14:37.34\00:14:40.71
The amazing thing is that
the words they wrote blended
00:14:40.74\00:14:45.98
together so perfectly that they
stayed together for more than
00:14:46.01\00:14:50.15
two thousand years.
00:14:50.19\00:14:51.52
Consider now where your Bible
was written, little if any of it
00:14:51.55\00:14:57.16
was produced in a
warm comfortable study
00:14:57.19\00:14:59.79
such as a modern author might
require for his or her work.
00:14:59.83\00:15:03.77
Parts of the Bible were written
in the wilderness of Sinai
00:15:03.80\00:15:08.00
others in
Jerusalem, and some in Babylon,
00:15:08.04\00:15:11.71
other Jews were in captivity
there, a few books were composed
00:15:11.74\00:15:15.94
in a prison cell in
Rome and one was written on
00:15:15.98\00:15:19.51
the island of Patmos, a Penal
Colony in the Mediterranean.
00:15:19.55\00:15:23.49
Most of your Bible was
written under very difficult
00:15:23.52\00:15:27.46
circumstances and conditions.
00:15:27.49\00:15:29.82
So, it's quite remarkable
that the work of so many diverse
00:15:29.86\00:15:34.50
individuals living in
such widely scattered places
00:15:34.53\00:15:38.17
working under such elementary
conditions and separated by
00:15:38.20\00:15:42.30
hundreds of years of time
should when gathered together
00:15:42.34\00:15:46.31
become the greatest, the best
known and the best loved book
00:15:46.34\00:15:50.85
in all the world.
00:15:50.88\00:15:52.21
Now, the question is often
asked "Do any of the original
00:15:52.25\00:15:56.85
writings exist today?"
00:15:56.89\00:15:58.55
Well the answer is
simple "No, not one."
00:15:58.59\00:16:02.49
All those priceless
documents were lost ages ago.
00:16:02.52\00:16:07.20
But fortunately way back
when manuscripts or autographs
00:16:07.23\00:16:12.93
were still in existence,
good men sensed their importance
00:16:12.97\00:16:17.41
and copied that. In fact as
centuries rolled by they were
00:16:17.44\00:16:22.21
copied so often that
today there are many of these
00:16:22.24\00:16:25.41
early documents, whole or
in part in the great museums
00:16:25.45\00:16:29.72
and libraries of the world.
00:16:29.75\00:16:31.25
Almost always the copying
were done with such precise care
00:16:31.29\00:16:36.16
that when the work is examined
today, the difference is due to
00:16:36.19\00:16:40.20
faulty workmanship are
found to be so slight as to have
00:16:40.23\00:16:44.73
no essential effect upon the
overall meaning of the document.
00:16:44.77\00:16:48.60
Now because of the eagerness
of scholars to find the
00:16:48.64\00:16:52.44
perfect text, the one
most nearly like the original
00:16:52.47\00:16:56.48
autograph. Every Biblical
Manuscript discovered today
00:16:56.51\00:17:00.12
is studied with patient skill.
00:17:00.15\00:17:03.28
Can you imagine then the
extraordinary excitement in 1948
00:17:03.32\00:17:08.76
when it became known
that a considerable number of
00:17:08.79\00:17:12.33
very ancient manuscripts
had been discovered by
00:17:12.36\00:17:15.63
Bedouin Shepherds in a
cave at Qumran near the Dead Sea
00:17:15.66\00:17:19.70
in the Middle East.
00:17:19.73\00:17:21.30
This interest increased greatly
when scholars revealed that
00:17:21.34\00:17:24.97
these scrolls of Isaiah
and other Old Testament writers
00:17:25.01\00:17:28.94
were hundreds of years
older than any yet found
00:17:28.98\00:17:33.11
dating back possibly
to the second century BC.
00:17:33.15\00:17:37.35
It was one of the
greatest archeological studies
00:17:37.39\00:17:41.29
of all time.
00:17:41.32\00:17:42.66
The Dead Sea Scrolls are 1,000
years older than any complete
00:17:42.69\00:17:48.56
Biblical Hebrew
Manuscript in existence,
00:17:48.60\00:17:51.33
it's the age of the scrolls
that makes them so valuable.
00:17:51.37\00:17:55.50
In one stroke, we are
brought 1,000 years nearer
00:17:55.54\00:18:00.38
to the original
writings of the Prophets.
00:18:00.41\00:18:02.91
Years of intensive study by
the greatest Hebrew scholars
00:18:02.94\00:18:07.65
have revealed that there are
no real significant differences
00:18:07.68\00:18:11.45
between our Bible text today and
that of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
00:18:11.49\00:18:16.12
When the words of the ancient
scrolls were compared with
00:18:16.16\00:18:20.23
our Bibles they were
found to be virtually identical
00:18:20.26\00:18:24.07
a marvelous tributary to
our accuracy of the copies.
00:18:24.10\00:18:29.00
Then came the discovery
of the silver scrolls here at
00:18:29.04\00:18:35.14
Ketef Hinnom 30 years later.
00:18:35.18\00:18:37.25
These scrolls were 400 years
older than the Dead Sea Scrolls
00:18:37.28\00:18:42.98
but again, the Bible text
on the scrolls was identical to
00:18:43.02\00:18:49.12
our Bibles today. Do
you see what this mean?
00:18:49.16\00:18:53.19
It means that we could
know that our Bible today
00:18:53.23\00:18:57.10
is the same as when it came
from the hands of the writers
00:18:57.13\00:19:02.00
but the original
Hebrew was not only copied,
00:19:02.04\00:19:05.17
it was also translated.
One of the earliest and most
00:19:05.21\00:19:09.81
important
translations was into Greek.
00:19:09.84\00:19:12.51
This is called the Septuagint
because of the 70 Jewish
00:19:12.55\00:19:18.22
scholars that prepared it,
the work was done in Alexandria,
00:19:18.25\00:19:22.22
Egypt during the 2nd
and 3rd centuries BC.
00:19:22.26\00:19:25.19
Now because the
Septuagint was in Greek,
00:19:25.23\00:19:28.76
the early Christian Church
which was for the most part
00:19:28.80\00:19:32.47
a Greek speaking church
adopted it as its Old Testament.
00:19:32.50\00:19:36.67
The New Testament was written
in a form of Greek known as
00:19:36.71\00:19:41.11
Koine which was the
common speech of the masses
00:19:41.14\00:19:44.28
at the time of the apostles.
00:19:44.31\00:19:46.15
Large numbers of
recently discovered letters,
00:19:46.18\00:19:49.75
business records, and
public inscriptions proved this
00:19:49.78\00:19:53.59
to be true. It was most
likely that the apostles and
00:19:53.62\00:19:57.63
and Jesus Himself spoke in
Aramaic, but when the time came
00:19:57.66\00:20:02.50
for their words to be
recorded it was done in the
00:20:02.53\00:20:05.33
common language of the
people of that day in Greek.
00:20:05.37\00:20:09.17
As in the case of the
Old Testament, not a single
00:20:09.20\00:20:13.01
original document
exists, but many copies of the
00:20:13.04\00:20:16.88
New Testament Books when
they by devoted Christians
00:20:16.91\00:20:20.12
soon after the originals were
written in later and of these
00:20:20.15\00:20:24.69
some 4,500 are treasured
in New Zealand's Libraries
00:20:24.72\00:20:29.62
around the world.
00:20:29.66\00:20:30.99
Now the oldest copy of
the New Testament ever found
00:20:31.03\00:20:34.76
is a papyrus portion
found of John's Gospel
00:20:34.80\00:20:37.87
that was found in Egypt
in 1920 by Bernard Grenfell
00:20:37.90\00:20:42.14
a scholar from Oxford
University it dates from 100 A.D
00:20:42.17\00:20:47.28
or soon after. From this Papyrus
we know that the book of John
00:20:47.31\00:20:52.61
was written is the
second half of the first century
00:20:52.65\00:20:55.42
or early in the second century.
00:20:55.45\00:20:57.59
The other gospels, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, were written
00:20:57.62\00:21:02.16
earlier than John so we
are now getting right back
00:21:02.19\00:21:05.69
to the time of the Apostles and
writers of the New Testament.
00:21:05.73\00:21:09.33
So because this
papyrus has such an early date
00:21:09.36\00:21:13.84
and is exactly the
same as in our Bibles today
00:21:13.87\00:21:17.31
it gives us good reason to be
confident that the New Testament
00:21:17.34\00:21:22.41
we read today accurately
reflects what was in the
00:21:22.44\00:21:26.65
original manuscripts. Now
this papyrus is just a fragment
00:21:26.68\00:21:32.29
of one of the Books of
the Bible, hundreds of others
00:21:32.32\00:21:35.76
smaller but vitally important
fragments of the New Testament
00:21:35.79\00:21:39.73
have also but preserved, many
have been discovered in recent
00:21:39.76\00:21:44.00
years. When each one is found
it is critically studied by
00:21:44.03\00:21:48.60
scholars whose prime objective
is to prepare a Greek text
00:21:48.64\00:21:53.54
that will bear the closed
possible resemblance to the true
00:21:53.58\00:21:58.08
but lost original. But
what about complete Bibles
00:21:58.11\00:22:02.78
what's the oldest
complete Bible we have today?
00:22:02.82\00:22:06.05
Well, the codex Bernarad
Grenfell is probably the oldest
00:22:06.09\00:22:11.49
complete copy of the
Bible in existence today.
00:22:14.36\00:22:15.70
It gets its name from the
fact that in 1481 it was already
00:22:15.73\00:22:19.83
in the library of the Vatican in
Rome and is still a part of it.
00:22:19.87\00:22:23.61
Little is known of its
history before that date
00:22:23.64\00:22:26.57
but scholars have
declared that it belongs to the
00:22:26.61\00:22:29.84
first half of the
fourth century A.D.
00:22:29.88\00:22:32.38
Now what does all
you and your Bible?
00:22:32.41\00:22:36.82
Just this. You can be absolutely
certain about the essential
00:22:36.85\00:22:42.86
accuracy of the original text.
00:22:42.89\00:22:45.03
In the words of the
late Sir Frederic Kenyon
00:22:45.06\00:22:48.50
one-time director of
the British Museum and an
00:22:48.53\00:22:51.90
Authority on
Biblical Manuscripts...
00:22:51.93\00:22:53.57
I read recently the story
of a man who when he was young
00:23:10.85\00:23:16.36
and getting ready to graduate
from college had been admiring
00:23:16.39\00:23:20.30
a beautiful sports
car in a dealers showroom,
00:23:20.33\00:23:23.37
and knowing that his
father could well afford it
00:23:23.40\00:23:26.30
he told him that
was all that he wanted.
00:23:26.33\00:23:29.34
As graduation day approached
awaited signs that his father
00:23:29.37\00:23:34.98
had purchased the car
for him, finally on the day
00:23:35.01\00:23:39.45
he was to graduate, his
father had called him into his
00:23:39.48\00:23:42.42
private study told him
how proud he was to have
00:23:42.45\00:23:46.25
such a fine son and
how much he loved him
00:23:46.29\00:23:48.76
he then handed him a
beautifully wrapped gift box.
00:23:48.79\00:23:50.13
Curious but
somewhat disappointed
00:23:50.16\00:23:55.90
the young man opened
the box and found a lovely
00:23:55.93\00:24:00.00
leather-bound with his
name embossed on it in gold.
00:24:00.04\00:24:04.04
Well, he was
disappointed to say the least
00:24:04.07\00:24:07.98
and became somewhat angry,
raised his voice to his father
00:24:08.01\00:24:11.71
and said, with all your
money you give me a Bible?
00:24:11.75\00:24:15.75
rather than the sports
car that I really wanted.
00:24:15.78\00:24:18.89
He then stormed out of the house
00:24:18.92\00:24:21.42
leaving his father
and the Bible behind.
00:24:21.46\00:24:24.29
Many years passed and the
young man was very successful
00:24:24.33\00:24:29.30
in the business he went into.
00:24:29.33\00:24:30.87
He had a beautiful
home and a wonderful family
00:24:30.90\00:24:33.90
but realized that when
he thought about his father
00:24:33.94\00:24:36.94
that he was very old now.
00:24:36.97\00:24:39.34
He then decided that
perhaps he should go to see him
00:24:39.37\00:24:43.04
because he had not seen
him since that graduation day.
00:24:43.08\00:24:46.65
However, before he
could make arrangements to go
00:24:46.68\00:24:50.59
he received a phone call
from the funeral home director
00:24:50.62\00:24:53.96
telling him that his
father had passed away
00:24:53.99\00:24:56.73
and had willed all
his possessions to him.
00:24:56.76\00:24:59.73
He was told that he
needed to come home immediately
00:24:59.76\00:25:03.33
and take care of things.
00:25:03.37\00:25:05.33
When the son had
arrived at his father's house,
00:25:05.37\00:25:08.57
sadness and
regret filled his heart.
00:25:08.60\00:25:11.37
He began to search through
his father's important documents
00:25:11.41\00:25:15.48
and saw the Bible his father
had given him for graduation.
00:25:15.51\00:25:18.98
The Bible looked brand
new just as it was years ago
00:25:19.01\00:25:24.22
when he was given it.
00:25:24.25\00:25:25.65
With tears in his
eyes, he opened the Bible
00:25:25.69\00:25:29.09
and began to turn
through the pages,
00:25:29.12\00:25:31.89
his father had
carefully underlined a verse
00:25:31.93\00:25:35.06
which was Matthew Chapter seven
and verse 11 which reads...
00:25:35.10\00:25:38.93
As the son read those
words, a car key dropped from
00:25:49.81\00:25:54.18
the back of the Bible,
it had a tag on it with the
00:25:54.22\00:25:57.89
car dealer's name, the same
dealer who had the sports car
00:25:57.92\00:26:02.32
that he wanted so badly
for his college graduation.
00:26:02.36\00:26:05.99
On the tag was the date of
his graduation and the words
00:26:06.03\00:26:10.43
written in large
print. "Paid in full".
00:26:10.47\00:26:13.84
Many times during our
lifetime we miss God's treasure
00:26:13.87\00:26:18.74
and blessings because they
are not packaged as we expected
00:26:18.77\00:26:22.38
them to be or because we
are not willing to dig for it.
00:26:22.41\00:26:26.15
If you want real treasure,
if you want to rich in all the
00:26:26.18\00:26:30.35
best and beautiful
things life has to offer,
00:26:30.39\00:26:32.95
then search this book,
this is where you will find
00:26:32.99\00:26:37.33
real and lasting treasure.
00:26:37.36\00:26:39.16
If you would like
to find this treasure
00:26:39.19\00:26:41.53
and experience inner
peace and lasting happiness
00:26:41.56\00:26:44.73
in your life, then I'd
like to recommend the free gift
00:26:44.77\00:26:48.10
we have for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:26:48.14\00:26:52.41
We would like you to
have your own personal copy
00:26:52.44\00:26:56.28
of the Bible. This Bible
is our gift to you and is
00:26:56.31\00:26:59.68
absolutely free, I
guarantee there are no costs
00:26:59.71\00:27:03.39
or obligations whatsoever.
00:27:03.42\00:27:05.82
So, make sure you take this
opportunity to get your free
00:27:05.85\00:27:10.39
Bible today.
00:27:10.43\00:27:12.03
Phone or text 0436.333.555
in Australia, or 020.422.2042
00:27:12.06\00:27:22.00
in New Zealand, or 770.800.0266
in the United States.
00:27:22.04\00:27:28.51
Or visit our website tij.tv
or simply scan the QR code
00:27:28.54\00:27:35.05
on your screen and we'll
send you today's free offer
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.42
totally free of charge
and with no obligation.
00:27:38.45\00:27:41.32
You can also write to us at
the addresses on your screen
00:27:41.36\00:27:44.99
or email us at info@tij.tv.
Don't delay, call or text us
00:27:45.03\00:27:52.40
now. Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the Bible
00:27:52.43\00:27:57.77
and the treasures of
life that it contains.
00:27:57.81\00:28:00.31
It's so easy to
discard or neglect Your Word
00:28:00.34\00:28:03.71
and the wisdom, good news
and salvation that it contains.
00:28:03.75\00:28:07.52
Lord, we want to invest
time in the Bible and in our
00:28:07.55\00:28:11.75
relationship with you.
May we put this into practice
00:28:11.79\00:28:15.29
in our lives? And we ask
these things in Jesus' name.
00:28:15.32\00:28:18.93
Amen!
00:28:18.96\00:28:20.50