Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

In his ongoing attacks on the historicity of the Bible, David Bokovoy insists that the argument that the authors of the NT intended to describe actual historical people, places and events is false:

[Some believers argue that]  Surely, therefore, the New Testament contains “historicity.”  Wellllll. . . No. It doesn’t. In fact, not at all. …. Mark didn’t set out to write a “history” or even a “biography” of Jesus. …. Instead, they [the Gospel authors] were meant to inspire and teach theology.

In reality, no where in the NT do we get the impression that the authors claim to be merely recounting pious and inspirational but largely fictional stories.  Furthermore, the NT authors consistently claim that they are basing their narratives on eyewitness accounts of actual events.  (How can one be an eyewitness to events that never happened?–only in the movies!)

Those interested in examining this issue in depth should consult Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, (Eerdmanns 2008)