The Bible has stronger manuscript evidence than any other ancient document, is confirmed by archaeology at point after point, contains fulfilled prophecy that is historically verifiable, and has withstood centuries of the most intense scholarly scrutiny of any text in history. The case for the Bible's historical reliability is compelling. The further claim of divine inspiration — that God spoke through human authors — is supported by the evidence but requires faith. 95/100 Christ-Centered.
The New Testament has more manuscript evidence than any other ancient document by an overwhelming margin. We have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, plus another 19,000+ in other languages (Latin, Coptic, Syriac). For comparison: Caesar's Gallic Wars has 10 surviving manuscripts; the earliest copy is 900 years after the original. Homer's Iliad has 643 manuscripts — the most of any classical text after the NT.
The time gap between writing and earliest manuscript is also remarkably short for the New Testament. The earliest NT fragment (P52, a fragment of John's Gospel) dates to approximately 125 AD — within 30 years of the original. The Chester Beatty papyri contain most of the NT and date to around 200-250 AD. The reliability of the text we have is extraordinarily well established by the standards of ancient textual scholarship.
The Bible has been confirmed by archaeology at point after point over the past 150 years. Figures once dismissed as legendary — the Hittites (absent from secular records until 1906), King David (doubted until the Tel Dan inscription in 1993), Pontius Pilate (confirmed by an inscription found at Caesarea Maritima in 1961), the Pool of Siloam, the Pool of Bethesda — have been confirmed by archaeological discovery. Nelson Glueck, the leading archaeologist of his era, stated: "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference."
The Old Testament contains hundreds of specific prophecies about the Messiah that are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth: born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9), betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), crucified (Psalm 22:16), lots cast for his clothing (Psalm 22:18), none of his bones broken (Psalm 34:20), buried in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9). The Isaiah 53 passage — written 700 years before Christ — describes the suffering servant with striking specificity.
The historical case for Jesus's resurrection is the crux of the Christian truth claim. The minimal facts approach (defended by Gary Habermas and Mike Licona) establishes facts accepted by the vast majority of historians, including secular scholars: Jesus died by crucifixion; his tomb was found empty; multiple people, including Paul and a group of 500, claimed to have seen him alive after death; his disciples died for this claim. The best historical explanation for these facts is that Jesus actually rose from the dead. See our guide on Is Christianity True? and our Theology hub. The Gospel Coalition's essay on Scripture and GotQuestions on the Bible's truth provide additional depth.
For the practical question of how to read Scripture, see our guide How to Read the Bible.
For the archaeological evidence specifically, see our guide Is the Bible Historically Accurate?