Five Periods

 I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts  Excurses: Did the written Word of God exist before this time? Answer: YES!!!!!!!!!!! *Job, Deuteronomy, etc. Just because manuscripts do not exist from before that time, does not mean they never did, simply that they have not survived in original form. However, the words have. Psalm 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (1020 B.C. appr.) I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts 1.Textual Features A. Change from early script to square script. Example: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.—archaic In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth—square. I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts 1.Textual Features A. Change from early script to square script. Example: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.—archaic In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth—square. B. Form of text—individual scrolls not codex I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts 1.Textual Features A. Change from early script to square script. Example: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.—archaic In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth— square. B. Form of text—individual scrolls not codex C. Style of writing/text—predominantly consonantal I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  *Prior to 400 B.C., No extant Hebrew manuscripts 1.Textual Features A. Change from early script to square script. Example: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.—archaic In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth— square. B. Form of text—individual scrolls not codex C. Style of writing/text—predominantly consonantal D. Development of Hebrew Language/grammar I. Prior to 400 B.C.

  First manuscript evidence for Hebrew text II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

  First manuscript evidence for Hebrew text *1947 discover of Old Sea Scrolls changed viewpoint. II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

  First manuscript evidence for Hebrew text *1947 discover of Old Sea Scrolls changed viewpoint. Question? Did the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls support the Masoretic text tradition or undermine its accuracy and authority? II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

  First manuscript evidence for Hebrew text *1947 discover of Old Sea Scrolls changed viewpoint. Question? Did the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls support the Masoretic text tradition or undermine its accuracy and authority? Answer? At first, it seemed to only agree 30% with MT, LXX, and Samaritan Pentateuch. Excurses: the scholarship did not report the truth about what was discovered. II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

  First manuscript evidence for Hebrew text *1947 discovery of Old Sea Scrolls changed viewpoint. Value of Dead Sea Scrolls 1.The majority of Qumran MSS agree with the Masoretic Text tradition. 2.Evidence of scribal activity. 3.Evidence of the Old Testament Canon (all but Esther found) 4.Evidence of majority of Masoretic text tradition. --closely parallel 5.Small % of LXX found II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

 Masada II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

 Masada Hebrew manuscripts found at Masada (occupied by zealots and their families A.D ) Rome came to crush rebellion. In fragments of Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, Psalms, plus a few apocryphal texts in Hebrew, Ecclesiasticus and fragment of book of Jubilees. *Agreed with Masoretic Text type II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

 Wai Murabba Hebrew manuscripts were discovered in 1952 from the time of the rebellion of 135 A.D. Fragments of Pentateuch, Isaiah, Minor Prophets Scroll. *Agree with Masoretic Text type. II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

 Other sites Nahal Hever and Nahal Seelim (during this time of transition, consonantal text remains unaltered. II. 400 B.C. to AD 135

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period III. AD

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period Question: Did the soferim (counters) and Masoretes alter the consonantal text they received from previous generations? III. AD

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period Question: Did the soferim (counters) and Masoretes alter the consonantal text they received from previous generations? A.Talmudic Period (soferim or Jewish Rabbis) Preservation devices were passed on orally (oral masorah. Qere—read. Rabbi Akiba with the saying “The “masorah” is the fence around the law.” (Buhl, Canon and text of the Old testament, 96-97, 197) 2. Reading of the words of Scripture in certain places differed from the written text. 3. Significant features of the soferim’s transmission of the text *Rules and mnemonic devices developed to ensure accurate transmission. III. AD

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period Question: Did the soferim (counters) and Masoretes alter the consonantal text they received from previous generations? A.Talmudic Period (soferim or Jewish Rabbis) Preservation devices were passed on orally (oral masorah. Qere—read. Rabbi Akiba with the saying “The “masorah” is the fence around the law.” (Buhl, Canon and text of the Old testament, 96-97, 197) 2. Reading of the words of Scripture in certain places differed from the written text. 3. Significant features of the soferim’s transmission of the text *Rules and mnemonic devices developed to ensure accurate transmission. *Divisions of text a.Divisions into verses (not numbering) “Wurthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, 21” b.Division of the Old Testament into chapters, not of Jewish origin, but time of rabbi Solomon ben Ishmael. c.Division of text into paragraphs. d.Division of the text into liturgical divisiions *other textual indicators and annotations III. AD

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period Question: Did the soferim (counters) and Masoretes alter the consonantal text they received from previous generations? B.Masoretic Period ( ) III. AD

 Talmudic/Masoretic Period Question: Did the soferim (counters) and Masoretes alter the consonantal text they received from previous generations? B.Masoretic Period ( ) 1. Three competing masoretic schools. (Tiberian elevated, East Babylon (remnant from exile), West South Palestine and Tiberian (Jerusalem) 2. Thre elements of Masoretic textual activity. Created the system of writing in the margins to ensure accurat understanding and correct transmission. *The Consonantal text remained unaltered. III. AD

  Printed Hebrew Bibles IV

  Printed Hebrew Bibles  A. Early printed Bibles before 2 nd Rabbinic Bible 1. First—1477 edition of Psalms (only through Psalm 5) 2. Bologna Pentateuch (solved problem of vowel points and accents and paved the way) 3. First complete printed Bible with vowel points and accents. Soncino Bible— First complete printed Bible in Spain. Complutensian Polyglot (6 columns) (Masoretic Text, Vulgate, Aramaic Targum, and (LXX with Latin translation) IV

  Printed Hebrew Bibles  B. Rabbinic Bibles  First Rabbinic Bible Samuel and Kings divided like the Vulgate for first time. Much like the Soncino Bible.  Second Rabbinic Bible— Became the “Received Edition” Was Ben Asher Text type. *By 16 th century A.D. Printed editions replaced manuscripts in Europe. The Refomers based their work on the Bomber or “Received Edition IV

  Printed Hebrew Bibles  C. Early Hebrew editions (pre-1900’s)  edition of J.H. Michaelis  Benjamin Kennicott, (oxford scholar) and G.B. de Rossi (catholic scholar)  3. Letteris Bible of Meyer Levi Letteris—based on 2 nd Rabbinic Bible edition reprinted and still used. IV

  Printed Hebrew Bibles  D. 20 th Century Hebrew Bibles  & —Ginsburg (British Bible Society) followed 2 nd Rabbinic Bible. 2. Kittel editions * 1905 and 1912 BH * 1936/37 BHK (Kahle)—based on Leningrad codex, (claimed to be accurate and true Ben Asher codex) * (BHS)—single critical apparatus 3. Norman Snaith—1958—British and foreign society— forgery IV

  Printed Hebrew Bibles  E. Present Day Hebrew Text Projects  1. Biblia Quinta (BHQ) Leningrad Codex  2. Hebrew University Bible—Aleppo Codex *Consonantal Text remains unaltered. –There is a call for an ecclectic text, but none have yet emerged. However, most English translations are ecclectic, in that they consult variations to be open-minded. IV