Oral transmission in the Bible is reliable

Con appeals to the argument from authority. The Telephone game is no where near the accuracy of oral transmission (1). Con argues "Many sects use the same parables from the Bible with different meanings attributed to those parables" but fails to point out that it's not because of oral transmission, but a misinterpretation of the texts (2). "The key here is 'said to', which is only implied, and as such it is neither verified nor proved as such." Con did not point out the source i cited. Now according to the Historical method cited earlier,either of the two sets of conditions can be fulfilled. 1) Broad conditions 2) Particular conditions: 3) Archaeology and evidence I will now prove it with 3. Millar Burrows, professor of Archaeology of Yale university says this: "the whole archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the Scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine. Archaeology has in many cases refuted the views of modern critics." (3) Archaeologist Johnathan Reed says "The many archaeological discoveries relating to people, places, or titles mentioned in Acts do lend credence to its historicity at one level; many of the specific details in Acts are factual" (4) In the Jewish world of Jesus' day, Jews (namely Jesus' disciples) relied on this method (outlined by scholar Birger Gerhardsson): 1. "Memory- Almost all important information was learned by way of sayings or texts that were ingrained in one"s memory so they knew it by heart. 2. Text and Commentary- The text refers to memorizing the text (text can be either what is written on the mind or in a book, p.4), while commentary refers to understanding the text. "First learn, then understand" (p.10). 3. Concise- Terms are concise and to the point in order for effective memorization to take place. 4. Didactic and Poetic devices- Things like pictorial imagery, alliteration, rhythmic phrases, and repetition (verbatim) were used to aid in memory. 5. Repetition- Jewish teachers would repeat word for word their main points, over and over followed by the students repeating those words over and over until they knew them by heart. 6. Recitation- When the texts were read repeatedly it was done rhythmically, partially sung. 7. Writing- Writing may have played a role in preserving tradition but this is debatable. 8. Living the Lesson- The Rabbi"s of the day were concerned with not only memorizing, and understanding but living the lesson." (5) Conclusion: Based on all the evidence, it has been successfully proven that oral transmission of the Bible has completely been verified. I have presented historical evidence of people using oral transmission to demonstrate it's accuracy, psychological studies done to explain how they can remember so much, and even more modern studies further demonstrating it's reliability. Oral transmission can be trusted provided it follows certain procedures and incorporates mnemonic devices, thus we can be confident that the Bible has been essentially completely preserved for thousands of centuries. Sources: 1. 2. http://www.lcoggt.org... 3. Millar Burrows, What Mean These Stones? (New York: Meridian Books, 1956), p.1. 4. Jonathan L. Reed, The Harper Collins Visual Guide to the New Testament: What Archaeology Reveals about the First Christians (New York: HarperOne, 2007), p.100. 5. Birger Gerhardsson, The Reliability of the Gospel Traditon, p.9-14