2. A study of the Bible and its origins A study of the Bible and its origins.

4.  It’s not just one book but a collection of 66 smaller ones.  Its name, in fact, comes from a Greek word that means “the little books.” This word ultimately came to mean the book that is composed of many books—The Holy Bible.  The Bible was written by 40 different authors.  And they were not all alike—certainly not just “men of the cloth.” There were politicians, shepherds, a medical doctor, military leaders, assorted tradesmen, and a theologian or two thrown in for good measure.  The writers were from all parts of the known world of their times.  Not just different countries but from three different continents—Africa, Asia, and Europe.  “Their times” spanned nearly 16 centuries—from about 1500 B.C. to 95 A.D.  In fact, they lived so far apart in history that, if the Bible were just being completed for the first time today, it would already have been in the works for a thousand years by the time Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas!

5.  It was written in three different languages.  The various authors wrote in Hebrew, Aramaic (an ancient Hebrew-like language), and Greek.  The writing styles are as varied as the authors.  Some wrote poetry, some history. There are letters, biographies, prophecies, and the proverbial “wisdom literature.”  After 1600 years in the making, it’s remained the same for even longer.  The “canon” of Scripture was settled in the 2 nd -4 th century, and Christians have generally accepted our collection of 66 “little books” to be The Bible ever since.

6. The Bible Society of the United Kingdom calculates that the number of Bibles printed between 1816 and 1975 was 2,458,000,000. By 1992 the estimated number rose to nearly six billion. Furthermore, worldwide sales of the Bible number more than a staggering 100 million each year, far outpacing any other book in history.

7. As of 2007 approximately 7.5 billion Bibles have been distributed throughout world—with the vast majority still available for use! And these figures do not include the various digital versions of the Bible being used today by millions on computers, Blackberries and iPhones. Currently, the complete Bible has been published in over 450 languages.

8. The New Testament alone has been published in nearly 1,400 languages. The Gospel of Mark in over 2,370 languages. Although these figures represent less than half of the languages and dialects presently in use in the world, they nonetheless include the primary vehicles of communication of well over 90% of the world’s population.

9. Portions of scripture in English began to emerge in the early seventh century, but the first complete English translation was not produced until 1382 by the influence of John Wycliffe. This was translated from the Latin into English. Before then, a version translated into Latin by Jerome in the fourth century, called the Latin Vulgate, was the most widely-used Bible translation in the middle ages (the first major book printed on Gutenberg’s press in 1456). An English version of the Bible did not exist until 600 years ago.

10. Later in the 16th century, seven more popular English versions were produced, beginning with William Tyndale’s work in 1525. This English version of the New Testament was the first to be translated directly from the Greek instead of Latin texts. After Tyndale, several other famous Bibles were produced in the 16th century. The Cloverdale Bible in 1535 The First complete printed English bible Tavernier's Bible First to be completely printed in England Matthew’s Bible in 1537 Apocrypha was placed in an appendix. The Great Bible in 1539 The first “Authorized” English Bible. Called Great because of its size (15X10) The Geneva Bible in 1560 The first to use chapters, verses, and the italicization of added words

11.  The italicized words in the Bible are words that were added by the translators to help the reader.  This is usually necessary when translating from one language to another because word meanings and idioms change.  However, to make sure that everyone understood that these words were not in the available manuscripts they set them in italics.  This has carried through to the modern translations today.

12.  In 1604, in an effort to resolve severe factions between Englishmen over Bible versions, King James I authorized the translation of another version that came to bear his name.  The King James Version was finally published in 1611, and together with its four revisions (in 1629, 1638, 1762, and 1769), it remains as the most widely circulated Bible in existence.  A few other translations were produced over the centuries, but the real revolution of new Bible versions began to erupt in the 20th century, largely due to the widening language barrier. Some of the more influential, recent translations have been:

13. American Standard Bible(1901) Revised Standard Version (NT 1946; complete Bible, 1952) J. B. Phillips’ The New Testament in Modern English (1958) Amplified Bible (1965) Jerusalem Bible (1966) New American Bible (1970) New English Bible (1970) New American Standard Bible (1971) The Living Bible (1971) New International Version (1973) New King James (1982) Contemporary English Version (1995)

14.  There have even been revisions of these versions.  NASB was updated in 1995.  The NIV has been recently updated with the TNIV, Today’s New International Version.  The RSV has been updated with the ESV.  The Living Bible has been updated with the New Living Translation, which itself has recently been revised.  Jerusalem Bible updated to the New Jerusalem Bible.(1985)  Many new Translations are currently being worked on.

15.  Two Basic Styles  Formal Equivalence  Dynamic Equivalence

16.  The translation of one language into another retaining as much as possible the original forms of the first language.

17.  Renders each word of the original language into English and seeks to preserve the original syntax and sentence structure as much as possible in translation.  Preserves aspects of the original text, including ancient idioms, term consistency, and original-language syntax-- that are valuable for scholars and professional study.  Allows a reader to trace formal elements of the original-language text through the English translation.  Produces in English the closest natural equivalent of the message expressed by the original- language text, both in meaning and in style.  Examples are KJV, NKJV,NAS

18.  Matthew 1:18  tou de ihsou cristou h genesiv outwv hn mnhsteuyeishv thv mhtrov autou mariav tw iwshf prin h sunelyein autouv eureyh en gastri ecousa ek pneumatov agiou  “Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus was. Being betrothed the mother of him, Mary, to Joseph, before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.”

19.  Matthew 1:18  “Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus was. Being betrothed the mother of him, Mary, to Joseph, before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.”

20.  John 4:15  legei prov auton h gunh kurie dov moi touto to udwr ina mh diqw mhde diercwmai enyade antlein  “Says to him the woman, ‘Sir, give to me this the water that not I thirst nor I come here to draw.”

21.  John 4:15  “Says to him the woman, ‘Sir, give to me this the water that not I thirst nor I come here to draw.”

22.  The translation of one language into another with a goal of translating the meaning of the original without regard to the forms of the first language.

23.  Focuses on translating the message of the original- language text.  It ensures that the meaning of the text is readily apparent to the contemporary reader.  Examples are NIV, NLT

24.  There is a third method that combines contemporary wording and grammar with an emphasis on reflecting the original words as closely as possible.  This is seen in the Holman Standard Bible.

25.  Romans 3:21  NASB “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets”  NLT “But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight-- not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago”

26.  Ecclesiastes 11:4  NASB “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.”  NLT “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”

27.  There is a very heated battle about which is more appropriate for Bible translation. There is a place for both, though, and their advantages and disadvantages should be carefully understood.

28.  Dynamic equivalence translations are good for those who know little or nothing about the Gospel or the Bible.  Functional equivalence translations are good for those who understand biblical concepts and want to understand more carefully the exact wording of the text.

29.  King James Version (KJV)—11-12  New American Standard (NASB)—11-12  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)—10-11  New King James Version (NKJV)—7-8  English Standard Version (ESV)—7-8  New Living Translation (NLT)—6-7  New Century Version (NCV)—5-6  Good News Translation (GNT)—5-6  Contemporary English Version (CEV)—5-6  The Message—5-10 (depending on the passage)  New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)—2.

30.  English is changing as all languages do.  All languages are in a continuous state of flux.  All translations will eventually be out of date.  The advent of the internet and all its related applications has created a greater state of flux than in the past.  English Bible translations need to change as well.

31.  Our tendency is to exalt one translation over another.  King-James-Only movement  Instead we should recognize our bounty of riches and use it accordingly.  Recognize that the multiplicity of translations can increase our confidence in the Scriptures.  Use this bounty of wealth to your advantage.  Be gracious, but be educational.

32.  There is a sense in which every translation falls short of perfectly communicating the original text underneath it.  More importantly, there is a sense in which every translation contains the word of God and accurately communicates its sense.  Be aware of what is out there and how the translations differ, but more than that trust the one you have and listen for God’s word to speak to you from its pages.

33.  NT Manuscripts  Papyri  A plant grow in Egypt, Africa, Israel: Used to make a form of paper, Strips were laid crisscross and then pressed and dried  A Roll or scroll is several sheets of attached Papyrus up to 35 feet long  Revelation 5:1  Written on both sides to signify completion.

34. P 75 175-225 CE Images from http://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.htmlhttp://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.html

35. P 66 ~200 CE Images from http://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.htmlhttp://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.html

36.  NT Manuscripts  Papyri  Uncials / Majuscules  Same as Papyri but written on parchment, called Uncials if lower case Greek and Majuscules if upper case Greek  Over 500 in existence today

37. Source:http://www.schoyencollection.com/Coptic_files/ms1365.jpghttp://www.schoyencollection.com/Coptic_files/ms1365.jpg

38. א -Sinaiticus-01A-Alexandrinus-02 4 th century5 th century Images from http://www.csntm.orghttp://www.csntm.org

39. Close-up of A

40.  NT Manuscripts  Papyri  Uncials / Majuscules  Same as Papyri but written on parchment, called Uncials if lower case Greek and Majuscules if upper case Greek  Palimpsests are uncials that gave been scraped and written on a second time. The recovered texts are call palimpsests meaning scraped in Greek. Of the 250 uncials today 52 of them are palimpsests.

41.  NT Manuscripts  Papyri  Uncials / Majuscules  Minuscules  A New Testament Minuscules is a copy of a portion of the New Testament written in a small, cursive Greek script (developed from uncials). Most of the Minuscules are still written on parchment.  2,792 miniscule in existence today.

42. 669 10 th century Image from http://www.csntm.orghttp://www.csntm.org

43. Close-up of 669

44. SOURCE:http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/images/exhibitions/month/H475/H475_scriptdetail.jpg&imgrefurl=http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month /apr2006.html&usg=__z2ijKyOq5BqwsP6EC2KgWu12hAU=&h=369&w=856&sz=54&hl=en&start=35&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Edjnqc4YOHMBGM:&tbnh=63&tbnw=145&prev=/images% 3Fq%3DGreek%2Bminuscule%2BBible%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

45.  NT Manuscripts  Papyri  Uncials / Majuscules  Minuscules  Versions (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, and so on)  Patristic Citations( Church Fathers)  Lectionaries  A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of Scripture readings appointed for worship on a given day or occasion.

46. Source http://www.schoyencollection.com/GreekNT_files/ms1982.jpg : http://www.schoyencollection.com/GreekNT_files/ms1982.jpg

47.  Overall quality of the sources  Text Types / Location  Alexandrian-  Most Reliable  Alexandria Egypt  Caesarean  Named for Caesarea in Palestine.  Byzantine  Byzantium, another name for Constantinople  About 95% of all known manuscripts  Western  Least Reliable  Rome

48. External evidence  Date-Oldest is usually best  Geographical origin- more widely distributed is better  Genealogical factor- sources must be weighed, not merely counted

49. Internal Evidence  1.Shorter text is preferred  Especially if shorter reading is difficult or ambiguous or grammatically incorrect or if longer text gives and explanation or agrees with a parallel passage  Longer reading is acceptable if item omitted could have seem harsh, offensive, erroneous or contradictory Mechanical means of omission can be demonstrated  2.The original reading will explain the existence of the variant text  3.Conflated( combined) reading are secondary  4.Quality is more important than quantity( Majority Text)  5.Wide geographical support is significant

50. The process of evaluating different variants in a manuscript tradition, usually in the attempt to determine the most likely reading of the original text.

51.  Scribes make mistakes  Scribes make changes  4000+ NT manuscripts, no 2 exactly the same

52. Section of the New Testament Total Greek words Total words in question Percent accuracyPlaces with the number of words in question 1234567891011+ Matthew18,34655897.0 %1413118752421115,12,12,17,30,12,12,15,23,19,13 Mark11,27057596.4-1.5%814820832006211,11,17,166 Luke19,48250197.4 %101391911124222120,26,21 John15,63552497.7-1.1%135388452100212,168,29 Acts18,45060096.7 %23544131127421212,12,18,23,23 Paul’s writings32,40873597.75 %3485814760220111,13,14,36,53 Romans7,11125496.4 %84127110110111,13,14,53 1 Corinthians6,83014497.9 %66112120000036 2 Corinthians4,4776898.5 %45500100100- Galatians2,2304398.1 %28500100000- Ephesians2,4225497.8 %26811100000- Philippians1,6293797.7 %17602000000- Colossians1,5823697.6 %29011000000- 1 Thessalonians1,4812498.4 %10210001000- 2 Thessalonians8231398.4 %11100000000- 1 Timothy1,5913298.0 %13511000000- 2 Timothy1,2381798.6 %12110000000- Titus659898.8 %6100000000- Philemon335698.2 %4100000000- Other NT12,54426797.9 %1582362401001- Hebrews4,9538698.3 %41811101001- James1,7422898.4 %22300000000- 1 Peter1,6846196.1 %30850000000- 2 Peter1,0994096.6 %20301200000- 1 John(excl. 1Jn5:8) 2,1413298.4 %27000100000- 2 John245697.6 %6000000000- 3 John219398.6 %3000000000- Jude4611197.6 %9100000000- Revelation9,85113598.6 %94831101000- Totals137,9863,90597.2 %1305285107533717148101131 total Inaccuracy--2.8 %.9%.2%.1%.04%.03%.01%.6% % of inaccuracies -- 100%33%15%8%5%4%3% 2% 3%22%

53.  Unintentional Changes  Intentional changes

54.  From faulty eyesight or by careless inspection of the original

55.  1) Substitution of similar letters and combinations of letters. 2 Peter  2:13 ΑΓΑΠΑΙΣ ("love feasts") and ΑΠΑΤΑΙΣ ("deceptions");  2:18 ΟΛΙΓΩΣ ("scarcely") and ΟΝΤΩΣ ("really").

56.  1) Substitution of similar letters and combinations of letters.  2) Omission of words between repeated phrases (homoeoteleuton). 1 John 2:23 "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not [the Father; he that acknowledgeth the Son also hath] the Father.“

57.  1) Substitution of similar letters and combinations of letters.  2) Omission of words between repeated phrases (homoeoteleuton).  3) Addition of letters by repetition (dittography). 1 Thes. 2:7 εγενηθημεν ηπιοι ("we were gentle") εγενηθημεν νηπιοι ("we were babes").

58.  Faulty eyesight or by careless inspection of the original  Likeness of pronunciation or by incorrect spelling

59.  1) ω confused with ο. Rom. 5:1 εχομεν ("we have peace") and εχωμεν ("let us have peace").  2) αι confused with ε. Mat. 11:16 ετεροις ("others") and εταιροις ("fellows").  3) ου confused with υ. Rev. 1:5 λουσαντι ("washed") and λυσαντι ("freed").  4) η, ι, υ, ει, οι, υι all confused with one another, because they are all pronounced "ee" in later Greek (itacism). I John 1:4 ημων ("our") and υμων ("your"). A frequent variation in later manuscripts.  5) λλ confused with λ, νν confused with ν, etc. Mat. 27:35 βαλλοντες ("casting") and βαλοντες ("having cast"); Mat. 1:18 γεννησις ("birth") and γενεσις ("generation").

60.  From faulty eyesight or by careless inspection of the original  From likeness of pronunciation or by incorrect spelling  From errors of memory or anticipation

61.  From faulty eyesight or by careless inspection of the original  From likeness of pronunciation or by incorrect spelling  From errors of memory or anticipation  Faulty interpretation of corrections in the margin

62.  Addition of notes giving brief explanations.  Mat. 10:3 "Lebbaeus, whose surname was" added before "Thaddaeus."

63. Addition of homiletic notes.  Rom 8:1 "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.“  Rom 11:6 "But if it be of works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work.“  Mat. 27:35 "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots."

64.  Addition of notes giving lectionary and liturgical adaptations.  Luke 7:31 "And the Lord said" added at the beginning of the reading.  Mat. 6:13 "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen" added to the Lord's prayer.  Mark 16:20 "Amen" added to the end of the book.

65.  Addition of notes giving quotations from related Scripture passages.  Luke 23:38 "in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew" added from John 19:20; Heb. 12:20 "or thrust through with a dart" added from Exod. 19:13.

66.  Chiefly by treating substitutionary corrections as additions (conflation). Rom. 6:12 "[in] its lusts" added after "obey it" rather than substituted for "it."

67.  Unintentional Changes  Intentional changes

68.  To make the meaning more plain

69.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar. Mark 7:2 "they found fault" added to complete the sentence. 2 Cor. 12:7 "therefore" omitted from before "lest I should be exalted.“

70.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar  2) Addition of implied words. Mat. 12:35 "of the heart" added after "treasure." Acts 25:16 "to die" added after "deliver any man up.“

71.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar  2) Addition of implied words.  3) Addition of natural supplements, often for the sake of emphasis. Mat. 6:4, 6 "openly" added after "will reward you.“

72.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar  2) Addition of implied words.  3) Addition of natural supplements, often for the sake of emphasis  4) Substitution of more idiomatic expressions. 1 Cor. 3:4 "carnal" for "men." Phil. 2:30 "not regarding his life" for "hazarding his life.“

73.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar  2) Addition of implied words.  3) Addition of natural supplements, often for the sake of emphasis.  4) Substitution of more idiomatic expressions.  5) Substitution of definitions. Mat. 6:1 "alms" for "righteousness." Mark 7:5 "unwashed" for "defiled.”

74.  1) Additions, omissions, and substitutions designed to simplify or correct the grammar  2) Addition of implied words.  3) Addition of natural supplements, often for the sake of emphasis.  4) Substitution of more idiomatic expressions.  5) Substitution of definitions.

75.  To make the meaning more plain  To harmonize related passages

76.  Mat. 19:17 "Why do you ask me concerning what is good?" displaced by "Why do you call me good?" from Mark 10:18. --a very frequent kind of alteration.

77.  To make the meaning more plain  To harmonize related passages  To remove difficulties which would require tedious explanation

78.  Mark 1:2 "in Isaiah the prophet" changed to "in the prophets."  John 1:28 "Bethany" changed to "Bethabara."  John 7:8 "yet" added to "I go not up to this feast."  Mat. 24:36 "nor the Son" omitted.

79.  To make the meaning more plain  To harmonize related passages  To remove difficulties which would require tedious explanation  To emphasize or safeguard important teachings

80.  Luke 2:33 "Joseph" substituted for "his father."  Luke 2:43 "Joseph and his mother" substituted for "his parents."

81.  To make the meaning more plain  To harmonize related passages  To remove difficulties which would require tedious explanation  To emphasize or safeguard important teachings  To reflect or promote monastic customs

82.  Mark 9:29 "and fasting" added after "prayer."  Similarly in Acts 10:30, 1 Cor. 7:5.

83. Internal Evidence  1.Shorter text is preferred  Especially if shorter reading is difficult or ambiguous or grammatically incorrect or if longer text gives and explanation or agrees with a parallel passage  Longer reading is acceptable if item omitted could have seem harsh, offensive, erroneous or contradictory or Mechanical means of omission can be demonstrated  2.The original reading will explain the existence of the variant text  3.Conflated( combined) reading are secondary  4.Quality is more important than quantity( Majority Text)  5.Wide geographical support is significant

84.  It is important to remember that even though variants exist manuscripts agree in most of their texts  Most variants do not affect the meaning of the text

85.  Achtemeier, Paul J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. Print.  Aland, Kurt, and Barbara Aland. The Greek New Testament. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft., 1994. Print.  Archer, Gleason L. New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties: Based on the NIV and the NASB. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Print.  Benware, Paul N. Study Guide for Survey of the New Testament. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1995. Print.  Benware, Paul N. Survey of the New Testament. Chicago: Moody, 1990. Print.  Benware, Paul N. Survey of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody, 1993. Print.  Benware, Paul N. Surveying the Old Testament. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1992. Print.  Ewert, David. A General Introduction to the Bible: From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations. Grand Rapids, MI: Academie /Zondervan, 1990. Print.  Gaebelein, Frank Ely. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: With the New Internat. Version of the Holy Bible ; in 12 Vol. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publ. House, 1990. Print.  Kaiser, Walter C. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub., 1995. Print.  Mackie, G. M. Bible Manners and Customs. Old Tappan, NJ: Power, 1984. Print.  Metzger, Bruce Manning. The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001. Print.  Metzger, Bruce Manning. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament 2nd Ed.: A Companion Volume.... N.p.: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994. Print.  Pache, René, and Helen I. Needham. The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture. Salen, Wisc.: Sheffield Pub., 1992. Print.  Paul N Benware. Survey of the New Testament. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1995. Print.  Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Basic Theology. Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1986. Print.  Smith, Marsha A. Ellis. Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps, and Reconstructions. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1993. Print.  Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. Print.  Wilkinson, Bruce, and Kenneth Boa. Talk Thru the Bible. Nashville: T. Nelson, 1983. Print.  Young, Edward J. Thy Word Is Truth: Some Thoughts on the Biblical Doctrine of Inspiration. London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1972. Print.