How We Got Our Bible Session Four: Textual Criticism

God loves you. Furthermore, he has always loved you. However, you are a sinner. You have done things that violate God’s law in your thought and actions. For that, the punishment is hell. Fortunately, God sent His Son Jesus Christ, who was fully God and man, to die on the cross and bear God’s wrath for your sin. By placing your faith in Him for your salvation you can be saved.

God loves you. Furthermore, he has always loved you [even before the beginning of the world.] However, you are a sinner.[!] You have done [did] things that violate God’s law in your thought[, speech,] and actions. For that, the punishment is hell [—eternal separation from God.] Fortunately, [no comma] God sent His Son Jesus Christ, who was fully God and man, to die on the cross and bear God’s wrath for your sin [sins]. By [simply] placing your faith in Him [alone] for your salvation you can be saved.

The Task of Textual Criticism

First, the “bad” news… No autographs Hundreds of thousands of variants

Below are quotations from KJV 1611: A Conviction, not a Preference, page 1 You are tired of hearing about old manuscripts, Greek and Hebrew debates, and endless explanations of why such and such a word in the "original language" had a "root the meaning of which is.... or hearing that some word or verse is "unfortunately translated" in the King James.... And, you are really not interested in Alephs, uncials and codices, whatever they are. What you really would like to know is if there is a Bible, somewhere, that you can read in your language, that you can trust in every case, and is all between one set of covers. Right? Here is relief! In these pages you will find simple, common sense, easy to understand and impossible to refute reasons proving....

Now, the good news… The Types of Variants (from Lightfoot) –Trivial variations which are no consequence to the text. –Substantial variations which are of no consequence to the text. –Substantial variations that have bearing on the text The Date of Manuscripts (pp of Greenlee) The Number of Manuscripts

N.T. Compared With Other Ancient Works AuthorBookDate Written Earliest Copies Time Gap# of Copies HomerIliad800 B.C.c. 400 B.C.c. 400 yrs.643 HerodotusHistory B.C.c. A.D. 900c. 1,350 yrs.8 ThucydidesHistory B.C.c. A.D. 900c. 1,300 yrs.8 Plato 400 B.C.c. A.D. 900c. 1,300 yrs.7 Demosthenes 300 B.C.c. A.D. 1100c. 1,400 yrs.200 CaesarGallic Wars B.C.c. A.D. 900c. 1,000 yrs.10 TacitusAnnalsA.D. 100c. A.D. 1100c. 1,000 yrs.20 Pliny Secundus Natural History A.D c. A.D. 850c yrs.7 New TestamentA.D c. A.D.114 (portions) c. A.D. 200 (books) c. A.D. 325 (complete N.T.) c. +50 yrs. c. 100 yrs. c. 225 yrs New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell

The Tools of Textual Criticism

The Techniques of Textual Criticism