WHY THE BIBLE CANNOT BE LEGEND

"This makes history verifiable, and enables us to investigate any historical claim. Moveover, the events of history are inextricably interwoven. Every event that actually takes place is interconnected with all others that occur at the same time and place. To deny the historicity of a single event requires a re- explanation of all of the circumstances surrounding its occurrence. Biblical history and secular history are completely interrelated. They interpenetrate each other to such a degree that it is impossible to divorce them. A denial of Biblical history would entail a denial of what is known about secular history, because both are interwoven into the same fabric. The facts recorded in the Old Testament, including the supernatural events, are integral to the secular history of Israel and the nations that surrounded her before the time of Christ. In the same way, the facts recorded in the New Testament are integral to the history of the Roman Empire. If we did not take the Bible at face value, it would be difficult to explain the rise of Christian faith in the midst of persecution in the Roman Empire until it eventually became the preferred religion almost three hundred years later."