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Examining the Scriptures has led inquirers to many different conclusions in regards to the historical accuracy of the Bible. We will examine two of the basic theories of Biblical history, the test by which we can judge which of these theories is true, and the truth which is evidenced by the results of the test.

I. The Theories

There are two different German words for history that embody the two primary notions of biblical historicity. "Geshichte" is the German word for story and represents the historian as a storyteller. Such a teacher is not as much concerned with the historical accuracy of his stories as he is about the message that he wants to convey through them. "Historie" is the German word that indicates objective fact. With this concept the historian's effort would be to present factual accounts of what actually occurred in the past.

There are many liberal scholars who deny the authenticity of Biblical history with the claim that the Bible was written as a book of stories that lacked objective historical facts and were only intended to teach significant moral lessons. This conclusion has been drawn from a basic premise, a presentation, and a paradigm of ancient historians.

Premise (Theological vs. Historical)
A basic premise of scholars that deny the historical accuracy of the Bible is that a preconceived theological bias destroys the writer's ability to record objective historical facts. This either/or fallacy states that either a historian records facts without any underlying motives or that he records only that which is convenient to the propagation of his theology. Based on such a premise, some scholars discredit the historic Biblical accounts with the belief that they were merely folk tales and mythical legends by which men communicated their theological views of God.

Of this premise, R.T. France said, "If a theologian then not a historian', while seldom explicit, seems to have been at the root of much recent writing on the gospels. It need only be stated to be seen to be absurd. There is no logical incompatibility between having an axe to grind (whether theological or other) and writing careful and accurate history. Indeed it may be questioned how many of the world's great historians have been dispassionate chroniclers, with no message to convey to their readers other than the bare facts." This premise influences the scholars' view of the presentation of history.

Presentation (Storyteller vs. Truth Bearer)
With this basic premise to start from, skeptics

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