How We Got the Bible Part I Melvin Curry From God to Man (Ephesians 3:1-4) “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),” (NKJV) The Revealed Word • Father through Son (John 16:28; 17:7-8) • Son through Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7) • Holy Spirit through chosen, inspired persons: especially the Apostles (John 14:26; 16:13) The Word: From Spoken to Written 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (See 2 Tim. 2:2) Inspired Scriptures (OT and NT) (2 Timothy 3:15-17) “. . . from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God-Breathed • “is given by inspiration of God” (theophneustos, all one word in Greek) • “strictly God-breathed; hence divinely inspired, inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16)” (Barkley Newman Greek Dictionary) Two Important Figures that Describe the Origin of Scripture • Creation by Breath (2 Tim. 3:16) – Compare creation of man (Gen. 1:26-27) – Compare commissioning apostles (John 20:21-22) • Creation of Light (2 Cor. 4:5-7) – Compare creation of natural light (Gen. 1:3) Fakes and Forgeries 1 Thessalonians 2:1 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, v. 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.” Authentication 1. Author’s handwriting: “ See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!” (Galatians 6:11) “This salutation by my own hand--Paul.” (Colossians 4:18; see Philemon 19) “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.” (2 Thessalonians 3:17, KJV) 2. Delivered by a friend of the author, a brother who was trusted by the church to which a letter was delivered, such as Timothy ( 1 Cor. 4:14-17), Titus (2 Cor. 8:16-19), Tychicus and Onesimus (Col. 4:7-9). Publication “And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.” (Colossians 4:16) Cf. 2 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 1 Cor nthians 1:2) Accept as Authoritative “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15) “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37) “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) How We Got the Bible Part II Melvin Curry Manuscripts and Translations Both the OT and NT Scriptures were copied by hand until the printing press was invented by Johannes Guttenburg around A. D. 1440. Some OT Manuscript Evidence The material that follows is a mere sampling of the available information about the transmission of the OT text 1) from the earliest available hand-copied Hebrew manuscripts to Renaissance printed texts 2) as reflected in twenty-first century English translations. Modern Jewish Scribe Oldest Complete OT Manuscript (Until Discovery of Dead Sea Scolls) Hebrew Aleppo Codex (A.D. 925) - newmanlib.ibri.org Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks OT Greek Manuscripts Codex Vaticanus – about AD 350, contains all of the OT in Greek except for a large part of Genesis and the Psalms added in the 15th century. Dead Sea Scrolls Caves Storage Jars Dead Sea Scrolls 1. Until 20th century, only MSS of Hebrew Bible came from Middle Ages. 2. One Dead Sea Scroll contained the entire book of Isaiah, dating to at least 100 B.C. Isaiah Scroll (Complete Text; at least 100 B.C.) Isaiah Scroll Isaiah Scroll - newmanlib.ibri.org Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks Old Testament Manuscripts 1QIsaiaha – the earliest complete book ms of the OT, dating to ~125 BC, found in cave 1 at Qumran. Two Silver Amulets Largest: 4” by 1” Smaller: 1” by ½” Discovered: in a grave near St. Andrews Church of Scotland, in Jerusalem. Date to about 850 B. C. Contents of Silver Amulets Numbers 6:24-26 (Late 7th Cent. B. C.) Samaritan Penteteuch Likely originated sometime during the second century B. C. Oldest Manuscript: 11th Cent. A. D. Some New Testament Manuscript Evidence The material that follows is a mere sampling of the available information about the transmission of the NT text 1) from the earliest available handcopied Greek manuscripts to Renaissance printed texts 2) as reflected in twenty-first century English translations. THE STRENGTH OF THE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE 1. “If the NT were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt” (F. F. Bruce, The NT Documents 15). 2. “the greatest authors of Greek and Latin literature are preserved to us in a mere handful of copies, in some cases indeed only in one single manuscript, [but] we may feel confident [in the] great mass of Bible manuscripts” (Sir Frederick Kenyon, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts 159). NT And Other Ancient Writings Compared AUTHOR WRITTEN EARLIEST COPY TIME SPAN NO. COPIES Caesar 100-44BC AD 900 1000 years 10 Plato 427-347BC AD 900 1200 years 7 Tacitus AD 100 AD 1100 1000 years 20 (Bks. I – IV of Annals survived in a single mnuscript) Suetonius AD 75-160 AD 950 800 years 8 Herodotus AD 480-425 AD 900 1300 years 8 NT And Other Ancient Writings Compared AUTHOR WRITTEN EARLIEST COPY TIME SPAN Sophocles 496-406 BC Euripides 480-406 BC Aristotle 384-322 BC Aristophanes 450-385 BC AD 1000 AD 1100 AD 1100 AD 900 NEW TESTAMENT AD 125 30-75 yrs AD 49-96 NO. COPIES 1400 years 100 1500 years 9 1400 years 5 1200 years 10 5000+ Attempt to Suppress the Scriptures • The Roman Emperor Diocletian (A.D. 245313). • February 3, 303, he ordered church buildings to be closed, and all copies of the Scriptures were to be surrendered and burned. • Confirmed by Eusebius (Church History 8.2, 45) and at least two contemporary papyri accounts from Egypt. Some Definitions and Dates Papyri (ancient paper scrolls or books). Generally, 1st through 3rd centuries. Uncials (manuscripts written in capital letters. Generally, 4th through 9th centuries. Cursives (manuscripts written in small letters, usually joined together). Generally, 10th through 14th centuries. Lectionaries (brief collections of Scripture passages to be read on special occasions). Papyrus Page Papyrus Fragment of John 18 (P⁵²) Early 2nd Cent. A. D. The Rylands Papyrus no. 457 1. Contains parts of 4 vv. of John 18. 2. Dates to A.D. 125. 3. By the time the document was produced, John’s Gospel had circulated as far as Egypt. 4. This particular copy had been used extensively, worn out, and thrown away. 5. Discovered in 1935. Vatican Codex (5th Cent. A. D.) Manuscripts for the KJV (A.D. 1611) No papyri. Perhaps only one major uncial (Bezae). Many cursives. Some lectionaries were available, but none were used as far as we know. Manuscripts for the ERV (1881) and ASV (1901) No papyri. 19 uncials. 950 cursives. 400 lectionaries. Manuscripts for the NASB (1965) 73 papyri. 224 uncials. 2,650 cursives. 2,000 lectionaries. Manuscripts for the NIV (1978) 85 papyri. 268 uncials. 2, 792 cursives. 2, 193 lectionaries. Current Count of Manuscripts 128 papyri 322 uncials 2,926 minuscules 2,462 lectionaries Even More Manuscripts At least 20,000 copies of ancient versions (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc.) are currently available. If All Else Fails . . . There are over 1, 000, 000 quotations from the New Testament in the writings of early Christians (“the Church Fathers”). Statistics Used (Misused) by Textual Critics The work to determine the most reliable text of the NT involves both “science and art” (Alfred E. Housman, a classical scholar). Representative textual critics: Daniel B. Wallace (Center for Study of NT MSS; professor at Dallas Theological Seminary) and Bart Ehrman (professor at UNC Chapel Hill) contrast the views of a conservative and a liberal. There are other views that could be illustrated. Wallace’s Viewpoint “There is no ground for wholesale skepticism about the wording of the original text” (From a dialogue with Ehrman in 2008) Ehrman’s Viewpoint If we ask the question “Is the text of the New Testament reliable? the reality is that there is no way to know.” (From a dialogue with Wallace in 2008) 25, 000 Manuscripts Major Text Types of Manuscripts 1. Byzantine (the Majority Text of NKJ is close to this) 2. Alexandrian (the basis of ASV) 3. Western (Note: prejudices the reader to say that a text type “adds” or “omits” a reading; rather, a text type just reads a specific way) Geography of Text Types Western Western Byzantine Byzantine Alexandrin A l Geographic Origin of NT Letters Internal evidence points to Asia Minor and the Aegean Region. Oldest MSS found in Egypt and Dead Sea region because of dry humidity. MSS deteriorated in the humid region of Asia Minor; thus, only later copies survived to the time of the printing press. MSS older than 8th or 9th centuries did not survive there. This could account for the scarcity of early Byzantine copies of the Bible. Papyri: Earliest MSS Represent mostly Alexandrian-type readings, as would be expected. However, both Western-type and Byzantine-type readings occur. Byzantine Text Represents about 90% of surviving Manuscripts. Alexandrian Text Most of the manuscripts that date from A.D. 200 to A.D 400 represent the Alexandrian-type. Western Text Represented in writings of early Christians before A.D. 200 or shortly after Old Latin and Syriac versions Quite a number of lengthier readings in Gospels, Acts, and Paul’s letters Variant Readings (Errors in Manuscripts) There are about 138, 162 words in the NT and at least 400, 000 variants in the MSS. Variations in Manuscripts of the New Testament (docslide.us/How We Got the Bible/Can We Trust Our English Version, Part Two) (30.5 Pages of 253) No Variations 86% of New Testament (218 of 253 Pages) Spelling Variations 12% Minor Var. 1.5% (3.25 pages) Significant Variations 0.5% (1.25 pages) Acts 2:30 Byzantine MSS “Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne” Alexandrian MSS “Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, He would seat one on his throne” • Matthew 6:13 Byzantine MSS “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Alexandrian MSS • “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” • Matthew 24:36 Byzantine MSS “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Alexandrian MSS “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only.” Three Most Disputed Passages Mark 16:9-20 John 7:53-8:11 1 John 5:7 Accuracy of Text (see Isa. 40:6-8; 1 Pet. 1:23-25) “If comparative trivialities … are set aside, the words in our opinion still subject to doubt can hardly amount to more than a thousandth part of the whole NT” (Westcott and Hort, The NT in the Original Greek 565). Just more than ½ page of Greek NT! Resistance to Change “Fortunately in the case of the Bible there was powerful resistance to change, and scribes faithfully reproduced the text before them whether they understood it in detail or not, and even when it posed serious problems to the interpreter” (Freedman, “Archaeology and the Biblical Languages” 310). A Rabbi’s Warning This warning was given to a young Jewish scribe to jealously guard the copying of the sacred text: “Take heed how you do your work, for your work is the work of heaven; lest you drop or add a letter of a manuscript, and so become a destroyer of the world” (from the Talmud). Vatican Manuscript (5th Cent. A.D.) How We Got the Bible Part III Melvin Curry Some Abreviations for Translations NASB AMP ESV RSV KJV NKJV HCSB NRSV NAB NJB New American Standard Bible (1971; update 1995) Amplified Bible (1965) English Standard Version (2001) Revised Standard Version (1952) King James Version (1611; significantly revised 1769) New King James Version (1982) Holman Christian Standard Version (2004) New Revised Standard Version (1989) New American Bible (Catholic, 1970, 1986 (NT), 1991 (Psalms) New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic, 1986; revision of 1966 Jerusalem Bible) NIV TNIV NCV NLT1 NIrV GNT CEV Living New International Version (1984) Today’s New International Version (NT 2001, OT 2005) New Century Version New Living Translation (1st ed. 1996; 2nd ed. 2004) New International reader’s Version Good News Translation (also Good News Bible) Contemporary English Version Living Bible (1950). Paraphrase by Ken Taylor. Liberal treatment of ‘blood.’ Message The Message by Eugene Peterson (1991-2000s) Classification of Some Modern Translations Word For Word (Essentially Literal) Thought for thought (Dynamic Equivalence) Interlinear ASV NASB KJV NKJV ESV NIV RSV NRSV Summary (Paraphrase; Extreme thought for thought) The Message Living Bible NLT A Chart of Classifications An Alternate Classification (http://www.apbrown2.net/web/TranslationComparisonChart.htm) Essentially Literal Translation Not “word worship” (despite Eugene Nida’s criticism of an ELT). The word order in Greek is different than it is in English. Obviously, some syntactical rearrangement is necessary to make good sense in our language. For example, look at Galatians 2:20. Compare the original word order with that in the NKJV: Galatians 2:20 “Christ I have been crucified with, I live but, no longer I, lives but in me Christ; that which but now I live in flesh, in faith I live, in the of the Son of God, who loved me and gave up himself for me [faith].” (Greek word order represented as nearly as possible) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV) Essentially literal translators “strive to find the English word or combination of words that most accurately corresponds to the words of the original text” (Ryken). Dynamic Equivalence Translation Nida’s rule: Translators should give “priority [to] the needs of the audience over the forms of language.” Translate “from culture to culture” – change figures of speech. Produce on the reader a similar impression to the one produced by the original text on its reader. But the attempt to be more precise and reasonable for readers often leads translators to be precisely wrong and reckless. Romans 7:25 Essentially Literal “So then, with the mind I mysef serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (NKJV, 1982) Interpretive “So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful natured a slave to the law of sin.” (NIV, 1984) Criticized for affirming the Evangelical doctrine of original sin. Romans 16:16 Essentially Literal “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (KJV, and most standard translations) Interpretive “Give one another a hearty handshake all around.” (J. B. Phillips) But 1st cent. Christians also shook hands (see “the right hand of fellowship,” Galatians 2:9); therefore Phillips applies the wrong interpretation. Titus 1:6 Essentially Literal “the husband of one wife, having children who believe” (NASB, 1973; even the RSV, 1952, gave a similar translation) Gender Neutral “Someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers" (NRSV, 1989) A sign of the times rather than a more accurate translation! Hebrews 2:6 Essentially Literal “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him” (NIV, 1984) Gender Neutral “What are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them” (TNIV, 2000) Not only neutral gender but also perverts the application of the passage to Jesus. Romans 4:7 Essentially Literal “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered” (NASB). Colloquial “Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean” (MESSAGE). “Blessed” carries a greater meaning than the pagan idea of luck. - newmanlib.ibri.org - Psalm 2:12 Abstracts of Powerpoint Talks • • • • Do homage to the son (NASB). Kiss the king (NEB). Bow down to him (GNB). Kiss his feet (RSV). Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto • “Peter replied, "Each of them, Repent, and be you must repent of your baptized every one of you sins, turn to God, and in the name of Jesus be baptized in the name Christ for the remission of of Jesus Christ to show sins, and ye shall receive that you have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.“ forgiveness for your (KJV) sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “ (NLT) • Conclusion 1. A person has every reason to be confident that the text of the NT has been preserved in essential details. 2. One must be careful, however, to choose as a primary translation one that reasonably reflects the original language and references significant textual variants. 3. I personally prefer NKJV, ASV, NASB, KJV, “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower fades; but the word of the Lord endures forever”
