Through the miracle of technology, I just sat in on the seminar “Can We Trust the Gospels?” by Dr. Peter Williams, Principal and CEO of Tyndale House, Cambridge (not to be confused with Tyndale House publishers in Chicago). Peter was speaking at the European Leadership Forum 2020 virtual gathering.

Tyndale House is a Cambridge-based research institute housing one of the world’s most advanced libraries for biblical scholarship. Through our in-house academic programmes we research the history, language and context of the Bible…We are located five minutes’ walk from Cambridge University Divinity Faculty and eight minutes’ walk from Cambridge University Library. – from the Tyndale House, Cambridge web site

I met Peter a few years ago when he paid a visit to Navigator Headquarters in Colorado Springs. I was particularly interested in this seminar since I just read A Life of Jesus by Endo. There were many interesting insights in the book by this well-known Japanese author, but I was a bit confused and/or put off by his frequent commentary about what was or was not true in the gospels. As in, “We know this was added in later.” In fact, we know nothing of the kind! That was the point of the seminar.

I can’t give you all the details, but suffice it to say that I came away encouraged. We can trust the gospels! From a lifetime of experience in conversations with all kinds of people, I can say there’s very little fruit from questioning the truth of scripture. We do best when we submit to it rather than critique it.

If you’re interested in tapping into Peter’s expertise, his book Can We Trust the Gospels? is available on Amazon. I’ve just downloaded it, and it’s not very long. For the rest, here are a few of my takeaways from the seminar:

• The gospels don’t come with numbers (i.e., dates), just names. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to date the gospels absolutely or with respect to Paul’s letters or the destruction of Jerusalem. We simply don’t know when they were written except within the lifetimes of Matthew and John, who walked with Jesus, Mark, who learned from Peter, and Luke, who learned from Paul and did his own investigation.
• Jesus did and said things more than once: for example, cleansing the temple, teachings. 
• The “Sermon on the Mount” should be called the “Lesson on the Mount” and may have been interactive. “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom. Now say that back to me.”
• Jesus spoke Greek just as the gospels were written in Greek. It’s not like we’re losing in translation from the Aramaic. Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic were spoken during that time. Jesus would have been able to speak Greek. 
• There is no reason to put Mark’s gospel as a source for Matthew and Luke. (Endo did that a lot)
• Were there two angels or one at the tomb? Angels move!

The gospels: read them, trust them, get to know Jesus!

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1.1 – 4, NIV)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1.1 – 3, NIV)