Ask a Bible college Student

[Emzap]

I was going to post a one hour video by Richard Carrier but I figured that might be an imposition right off the bat.  Instead, I'll start with a much briefer passage from Bart Ehrman's "Jesus Interrupted" and see what you make of it.

A very large percentage of seminarians are completely blind-sided
by the historical-critical method. They come in with the expectation
of learning the pious truths of the Bible so that they can pass
them along in their sermons, as their own pastors have done for
them. Nothing prepares them for historical criticism. To their surprise
they learn, instead of material for sermons, all the results of
what historical critics have established on the basis of centuries of
research. The Bible is filled with discrepancies, many of them irreconcilable
contradictions. Moses did not write the Pentateuch (the
first five books of the Old Testament) and Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John did not write the Gospels. There are other books that did
not make it into the Bible that at one time or another were considered
canonical—other Gospels, for example, allegedly written by
Jesus’ followers Peter, Thomas, and Mary. The Exodus probably did
not happen as described in the Old Testament. The conquest of the
Promised Land is probably based on legend. The Gospels are at odds
on numerous points and contain non-historical material. It is hard
to know whether Moses ever existed and what, exactly, the historical
Jesus taught. The historical narratives of the Old Testament are
filled with legendary fabrications and the book of Acts in the New
Testament contains historically unreliable information about the
life and teachings of Paul. Many of the books of the New Testament
are pseudonymous—written not by the apostles but by later writers
claiming to be apostles. The list goes on.

Pgs 5-6

These are all claims with no support. Claims that have been made throughout this entire thread. Claims that cannot really be proven one way or another, because we weren't there. From my studies, I personally have found the Bible to be historically accurate. There is archeological finds to back it up. There are lists and lists of specific names, places, and numbers that would not have been written into a fictional story. There are elements of the Gospel itself that would not have been written into a fictional story. Really, though, it all comes down to faith. Because there is no hard evidence, and a heart set against God and His word wouldn't accept the evidence even if it was plain to see- there are always more reasons and excuses that people use to suppress the truth.