1. Can We Rely on the Text of the Bible?

2. John 1:5

• The light shines in the darkness, but

• the darkness has not understood it.

• (NIV)

• The light shines in the darkness, and

• the darkness did not overcome it.

• (NRSV)

3. John 1:5

• The light shines in the darkness, but

• the darkness has not understood it.

• (NIV)

• The light shines in the darkness, and

• the darkness did not overcome it.

• (NRSV)

4. NIV

• ,

• .

5. NRSV

• ,

• .

6. John 1:18

• No one has seen God at any time; the only

• begotten God who is in the bosom of the

• Father, he has explained him. (NASB)

• No one has seen God at any time. The only

• begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the

• Father, he has declared him. (NKJV)

7. John 1:18

• No one has seen God at any time; the only

• begotten God who is in the bosom of the

• Father, he has explained him. (NASB)

• No one has seen God at any time. The only

• begotten Son , who is in the bosom of the

• Father, he has declared him. (NKJV)

8.

• .

• .

• God / Son

9. In John 1:14

• some Greek manuscripts say God

• some Greek manuscripts say Son

• This is referred to as a

• variant reading or a textual variant

10. What was inspired?

• The AUTOGRAPH not the copies.

• autograph = the original document

11. Textual Criticism =

• The task of reconstructing the

• original text from later copies.

12.

• Evidence to help establish the text:

• 1. EXTERNAL

• 2. INTERNAL

13.

• E XTERNAL E VIDENCE

14. Old Testament

• Hebrew MSS (Masoretic)

• Aramaic MSS (Targum)

• Greek MSS (Septuagint)

• Latin MSS (Vulgate)

• Syriac MSS (Peshitta)

• Dead Sea Scrolls

15. Masoretic Manuscript

16.

• The oldest Masoretic manuscripts

• date from around AD 800-900.

17.

• The oldest Masoretic manuscripts

• date from around AD 800-900.

• The most authoritative Masoretic manuscript is the Leningrad Codex ( AD 1008)

18.

19.

• Most of the Old Testament was

• written between 1000500 BC.

20.

• This means there is a gap of

• 1,5002,000 years between the

• original Old Testament documents

• and the Masoretic copies.

21.

• This means there is a gap of

• 1,5002,000 years between the

• original Old Testament documents

• and the Masoretic copies.

22.

23.

24.

25. Isaiah Scroll

26.

27.

• These manuscripts from the Dead

• Sea region were over a thousand

• years older than the earliest

• Masoretic manuscripts.

28.

• Had the text been

• faithfully transmitted?

29. Isaiah 53:4-5

30. Isaiah 53:4-5 Dead Sea Scrolls Surely he bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, [ and ] smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgress-ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; [ and ] the punish-ment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Masoretic Text Surely he bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgress- ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

31. Isaiah 53:4-5 Dead Sea Scrolls Surely he bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, [ and ] smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgress-ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; [ and ] the punish-ment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Masoretic Text Surely he bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgress- ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

32. 1 Samuel 1:24

• she took him up with her,

• with three bulls (NKJV)

• she took the boy with her

• along with a three-year-old bull (NIV)

• Masoretic Text: three bulls

• DSS and LXX: a three-year old bull

33.

• The principal variations between the

• Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint on

• the one hand and the Masoretic text on

• the other are mainly to be found in the

• books of Samuel and Jeremiah.

34. Old Testament

• Hebrew MSS (Masoretic)

• Aramaic MSS (Targum)

• Greek MSS (Septuagint)

• Latin MSS (Vulgate)

• Syriac MSS (Peshitta)

• Dead Sea Scrolls

35. New Testament

36. Reliability of ancient text based upon:

• The number of copies.

• The gap of time before the earliest surviving copy.

37. New Testament

• Greek MSS 6,000

• Latin MSS 10,000

• Syriac MSS 100s

• Coptic MSS 100s

• Church Fathers

38.

• a. Caesars Gallic Wars - 10 MSS

• b. Annals of Tacitus 2 MSS

• c. History of Herodotus 8 MSS

• d. History of Thucydides 8 MSS

39. Early Papyrus (P 52 ) - AD 125

40. Codex Vaticanus AD 340

41.

• a. Caesars Gallic Wars - 10 MSS

• b. Annals of Tacitus 2 MSS

• c. History of Herodotus 8 MSS

• d. History of Thucydides 8 MSS

42.

• a. Caesars Gallic Wars - 10 MSS

• b. Annals of Tacitus 2 MSS

• c. History of Herodotus 8 MSS

• d. History of Thucydides 8 MSS

• a. 950 years

• b. 1000 years

• c. 1350 years

• d. 1300 years

43.

• The wealth of manuscripts, and above all

• the narrow interval of time between the

• writing and the earliest extant copies,

• make it by far the best attested text of

• any ancient writing in the world.

• John A. T. Robinson

44.

• The wealth of manuscripts, and above all

• the narrow interval of time between the

• writing and the earliest extant copies,

• make it by far the best attested text of

• any ancient writing in the world.

• John A. T. Robinson

45.