Section 1 Learn to Be a Detective: Ten important principles every aspiring detective needs to master -- Chapter 1 Don't Be a "Know-It-AN": Resisting the influence of dangerous presuppositions 23 -- Chapter 2 Learn How to "Infer": Understanding the role of "abductive reasoning" 31 -- Chapter 3 Think "Circumstantially": Respecting the nature of circumstantial evidence 53 -- Chapter 4 Test Your Witnesses: Evaluating the reliability of witnesses 69 -- Chapter 5 Hang on Every Word: Examining the choice and meaning of language 87 -- Chapter 6 Separate Artifacts from Evidence: Determining what's important evidentially 97 -- Chapter 7 Resist Conspiracy Theories: Recognizing the rarity of true conspiracies 109 -- Chapter 8 Respect the "Chain of Custody": Establishing reliability by tracing the evidence 119 -- Chapter 9 Know When "Enough Is Enough": Getting comfortable with your conclusions 129 -- Chapter 10 Prepare for an Attack: Distinguishing between possible alternatives and reasonable refutations 139 -- Section 2 Examine the Evidence: Applying the principles of investigation to the claims of the New Testament -- Chapter 11 Were They Present?: Were the Gospels written early enough to have been authored by true eyewitnesses? 159 -- Chapter 12 Were They Corroborated?: Is the testimony of the gospel writers confirmed by outside sources and evidence? 181 -- Chapter 13 Were They Accurate?: Did the gospel writers falsely report anything that would invalidate their testimony? 213 -- Chapter 14 Were They Biased?: Were the gospel writers motivated to lie about their testimony? 239.