How We Got the Bible
Lesson 6:
The Text of the New Testament &
Significance of Textual Variations
2
a study of
Neil R. Lightfoot
How We Got the
Bible, 3rd ed.
The text of the New Testament
• The fact of errors in printing
• What is textual criticism?
• Mistakes of copyists
• Basic rules of textual criticism
The fact of errors in printing
• No autographs available, only copies
and copies of copies
• Mistakes in copying not an ancient
problem only
• For example, 400 typographical errors
corrected in the first two years of the
KJV
Textual criticism
• “Criticism” is “the scientific investigation of
literary documents (as the Bible) in regard to
such matters as origin, text, composition,
character, or history” (Webster’s 7th ed.)
• Higher Criticism – authorship, date
• Textual or Lower Criticism is a study of the
form of words, i.e., the text itself
The function of textual criticism
To recover the exact wording of
the original New Testament
Copyists’ unintentional mistakes
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Mistaking one word for another
Confusing similar sounding words
Improper word division
Overlooking or underlooking words
Phrases and lines
Copying marginal notes into the text
Improper Word Division
Romans 5:1
• Therefore, since we are justified by
faith, we have [echomen] peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ
– NRSV
• Or, let us have [echōmen] peace...
Improper Word Division
Revelation 1:5
• To him who loves us and freed [lusanti]
us from our sins by his blood
– NRSV
• Or, washed [lousanti] us...
Word division
• What does this say?
GODISNOWHERE
Copyists’ intentional mistakes
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Spelling
Grammar
Harmonizing
Historical difficulties
Combining readings
Grammatical correction
John 7:39
• Now he said this about the Spirit, which
believers in him were to receive; for as
yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus
was not yet glorified.
– NRSV
• Or, for as yet the Spirit had not been
given...
Correction for clarity
Acts 2:47
• And day by day the Lord added to their
number those who were being saved.
NRSV
• “church”
Harmonization
Matthew 11:19
• the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet
wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
– NRSV
• Or, wisdom is vindicated by her children. (cf.
Luke 7:35)
Basic rules of textual criticism
• The more difficult reading is to be preferred
• The quality of witnesses is more important
than the quantity
• In parallel passages, the different reading is
to be preferred
Works or Children (Matt. 11:19)
• “works” = The more difficult reading is to
be preferred
• “works” = The quality of witnesses is
more important than the quantity
• “works” = In parallel passages, the
different reading is to be preferred
Significance of textual variations
• The Bible has been described as “the book of
200,000 errors”
• The counting method: one copyist’s error
repeated 3,999 times = 4,000 errors
• An attempt to undermine faith in God's word
• Instead, the 5,300 manuscripts validating the
Bible should be emphasized
Consequences of variations
• Trivial variations of no consequence
• Substantial variations of no consequence
• Substantial variations affecting the text
Types of Error or Variations
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Dittography - letter twice, only once
Haplography - letter once, needed two
Homoeoteleution - omission of line, ending
Homoeoauches - omission of page, beginning
Fusion - combing two words
Fission - dividing a single word
Metathesis - reversing position of letters
Homophony - substitution of another word
Misreading - of similar letters
Consequences of variations
• Trivial variations of no consequence
Spelling of proper names
• “Apelles” or “Apollonios” (Acts 18:24)
• “Bethabara beyond the Jordan” or
“Bethany beyond the Jordan” (John 1:28)
• “Bethzatha” or “Bethesda” or “Bethsaida”
(John 5:2)
Unimportant trivial variations
• The addition or
omission of words
• Whether Jesus
spoke of “the one
who has ears [to
hear]”
•
from page for Matthew 11:10-23 in Nestle-Aland’s
Novum Testamentum Graece, 25th ed.
Unimportant trivial variations
• The addition or omission of words
• Whether Jesus spoke of “the one who
has ears [to hear]”
Order of words
What is the difference?
–“The birth of Jesus Christ,”
or
–“The birth of Christ Jesus”
from Matthew 1:18
Consequences of variations
• Trivial variations of no consequence
• Substantial variations of no consequence
Codex Bezae
(D)
Bezae’s unique
reading for
Luke 6:5
Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of
the Greek Bible: An Introduction to
Greek Palaeography (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1981),
plate 19A
Bezae’s unique verse
• Luke 6:5 moved to follow v. 10
• Luke 6:5 then reads, “On the same day,
seeing one working on the sabbath day,
he said to him, ‘Man, if you know what
you are doing, you are blessed; but if
you do not know, you are accursed and
a transgressor of the law.’ ”
The story of
the adulterous
woman
Opening of “The Adulterous
Woman” in the NASU
Evidence about John 7:53-8:11
• Earliest Greek manuscript is Codex
Bezae (6th cent.)
• Where found in other manuscripts from
the 8th cent. onward, it sometimes
follows John’s Gospel or after Luke
21:38, or is marked with asterisks
Evaluation about John 7:53-8:11
• Seems to be a tradition handed down
from the early church
• Vouches for its own truthfulness
Confession
of the
Ethiopian
Eunuch
Acts 8:36-38 from
Codex Laudianus (Ea);
Greek on right, Latin on left
Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of
the Greek Bible: An Introduction to
Greek Palaeography (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1981),
plate 22
Confession of the Eunuch
“I believe in
the Son of
God”
Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: An Introduction to Greek Palaeography
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), plate 22
Evidence for Acts 8:37
• Earliest Greek manuscript is Codex
Laudianus (6th cent.)
• Quoted consistently by the early church
fathers
Irenaeus quoting Acts 8:37
• 2nd century church father
• “…that the eunuch himself, after he
believed and immediately became
worthy to be immersed, was saying, ‘I
believe that the Son of God is Jesus’ ”
– Irenaeus, Adversus haeresus 3.12.8
The Three Heavenly Witnesses
• 1 John 5:7-8
• Became a part of the KJV because of a rash
promise made by textual critic, Erasmus
• The third edition of Erasmus’ Greek N.T.
(1522) became the basis of the Greek text
used in translating the N.T. of the KJV 1611
• Originally quoted in a 4th cent. Latin sermon
Consequences of variations
• Trivial variations of no consequence
• Substantial variations of no
consequence
• Substantial variations affecting the text
The ending of Mark’s Gospel
The evidence that Mark ends at 16:8
• Not found in Vaticanus and Sinaiticus
(the two oldest Greek uncials)
• Not found in the earliest copies of the
Old Syriac, the Latin Vulgate and others
• The style and vocabulary of 16:9-20 is
different than the rest of Mark’s Gospel
The ending of Mark’s Gospel
The evidence that Mark ends at 16:20
• Vaticanus has a gap large enough for vv. 920; clearly the scribe knew of the passage
• Many other early manuscripts and versions
include the last twelve verses
• What book ends with the words, “for they
were afraid”?
• Irenaeus (2nd cent.) clearly quotes from it
Irenaeus’ quote from Mark
• “Also, towards the conclusion of his
Gospel, Mark says: ‘So then, after the
Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was
received up into heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God;’ ”
– Irenaeus, Adversus haeresus 3.10
J.W. McGarvey on Mark 16:9-20
• Argued that the last twelve verses of
Luke’s Gospel have the same number
of differences in style and vocabulary
that Mark 16:9-20 has, yet nobody
questions the end of Luke
– J.W. McGarvey, Matthew and Mark,
(1875; reprint ed., Delight, AR:
Gospel Light), pp. 377-382
J.W. McGarvey on Mark 16:9-20
• He concluded that Mark 16:9-20 is
— “authentic” = historically accurate
— “not genuine” = not written originally
by Mark
– J.W. McGarvey, Matthew and Mark,
(1875; reprint ed., Delight, AR: Gospel
Light), pp. 377-382
Some observations
• Every teaching in Mark 16:9-20 is found
elsewhere in the N.T.
• It seems that early in the history of
Mark’s Gospel the last page was
accidentally torn away
• Mark or some other early Christian
supplied the ending we have now
Questions for review (1)
• What is textual criticism?
• What are some ways that variations
entered into copies of the ancient text?
• What are some of the rules of textual
criticism?
Questions for review (2)
• How do you explain some 200,000
variations in the manuscripts of the
N.T.?
• What are the questions concerning the
ending of Mark’s Gospel?
Next week
Lesson 7:
Restoring the New Testament
Text & Manuscripts from the Sand