Here's a visual representation (source) of how the bible confirms itself. It is a graph of 63,779 cross references between different books of the bible. It is practically impossible for an author to self reference himself multiple times without creating contradictions and/or dilemmas. See how the quran fails this test in this other thread. For tens of authors to pull this off over centuries in a handful of languages is enough to make you believe in the Holy Spirit inspiring the bible.
This reminds me of the story a man exploring the jungle and is captured by a tribe who condemns him to death. The chief asks the man for his last words saying if your last words are true you will die quickly with a spear to the heart. If your last words are false you will die slowly by torture. After a moment of reflection the man stated "I will die by torture". The chief being a man of his word was forced to release the man.
Bible critics often accuse Christians of circular arguments by using the bible to support itself. When the number of self-references becomes this extreme yet the bible remains coherent, consistent and true, self-reference becomes and incredibly powerful strength instead of a weakness.
PS.
The bar chart that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible, starting with Genesis 1 on the left. Books alternate in color between light and dark gray, with the first book of the Old and New Testaments in white. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in that chapter (for instance, the longest bar is the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119). Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible are depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.
This reminds me of the story a man exploring the jungle and is captured by a tribe who condemns him to death. The chief asks the man for his last words saying if your last words are true you will die quickly with a spear to the heart. If your last words are false you will die slowly by torture. After a moment of reflection the man stated "I will die by torture". The chief being a man of his word was forced to release the man.
Bible critics often accuse Christians of circular arguments by using the bible to support itself. When the number of self-references becomes this extreme yet the bible remains coherent, consistent and true, self-reference becomes and incredibly powerful strength instead of a weakness.
PS.
The bar chart that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible, starting with Genesis 1 on the left. Books alternate in color between light and dark gray, with the first book of the Old and New Testaments in white. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in that chapter (for instance, the longest bar is the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119). Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible are depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.
