3
12
70
500
others
1Co 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time,
most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Oral and written traditions behind the gospels
Collected, memorized and
(perhaps) recorded:



Sayings of Jesus
Miracle stories
Passion narrative
from the German Quelle, "source"
Various Source Hypotheses
2SH holds that Mark was the first
gospel to be composed and
became the primary narrative
source for Matthew and Luke
(Markan priority). In addition,
Matthew and Luke independently
supplemented their Markan
material with sayings of Jesus
from a lost sayings collection,
termed "Q".
posits three sources for Luke: Mark,
Q, and to a lesser extent Matthew
4SH: Matthew's and Luke's
own special sources are
postulated to be distinct,
written sources
Markan Hypothesis
Matthew and Luke used the first
version of Mark (pMk), which was
revised into Secret Mark (dMk). Our
Mark then comes an edited version
of Secret Mark.
Proto gospel and Q
The Logia Translation Hypothesis from
Hebrew and Greek stories
the early church gathered for a meal and
remembered the life, works and the
words of Jesus
Memories fade
 People who witnessed the event
die
 The 4 gospels were written very
early after Jesus’ death and
resurrection:

Mark: around 70 A.D.
 Matthew: around 80 A.D.
 Luke: around 80 A.D.
 John: around 90 A.D.

Collecting the books
Canonization of the New Testament
Phase I
About 50 A.D. – 100 A.D.
The Apostles Consider their Writings to be scripture.
• Paul – Colossians 4:16, I Thessalonians 5:27, II Thessalonians 2:15
• Peter – II Peter 1:15, 3:1-2
• Paul – I Timothy 5:18
• Peter – II Peter 3:15-16
It was the Apostolic witness that formed the core
of the faith of Christians
all around the World
ca. 51-100 AD: The New
Testament books are
written.
But during this same period other
early Christian writings are
produced:
 The Didache (ca. 70)
 1 Clement (ca. 96)
 The Epistle of Barnabas (ca.
100)
 7 Letters of Ignatius of Antioch
(ca. 110)
 The Shepherd of Hermas (ca.
100)
 If you want to read them:
www.earlychristianwritings.com
Oldest MS of John 125 AD
Development of the New Testament
Canon
Development of the New Testament
Canon
incorporates Christian
ideas.
(mid-second century)
Proliferation of Gnostic writings
Gospels
Acts
Apocalypses
Gospels
Gospel of Mary
Gospel of Philip
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Truth
Gospel of Judas
Apocalypse
The Apocryphon of John
The Apocalypse of Adam
Thomasine works
Hymn of Jude Thomas the Apostle in the Country of Indians
The Gospel of Thomas
The Book of Thomas: The Contender Writing to the Perfect
Valentinian
.
ca 153 AD/CE, Bishop of Rome
The Divine Word Present in the Infant
On the Three Natures
Adam's Faculty of Speech
To Agathopous: Jesus' Digestive System
Annihilation of the Realm of Death
On Friends: The Source of Common Wisdom
Basilides
(132–? CE/AD).
The Octet of Subsistent Entities
Election Naturally Entails Faith and Virtue
The Elect Transcend the World (Fragment E)
The Uniqueness of the World
The State of Virtue (Fragment D)
Reincarnation
In India this generated new
Iswaras in the place of Isa
This gave rise to Hinduism
(c.110-160)
ca. 140AD: He was a
businessman in Rome.
Marcion donated 200,000
sesterces to the Church of Rome
after Pope Hyginus died in 143,
an impressive sum of money.
Many have conjectured that this
"gift" was actually a calculated
bribe on the part of Marcion and
his adherents in order to obtain
the bishopric of Rome.
ca. 140AD:
There are two Gods:
 Yahweh, the cruel
God of the Old
Testament
 Abba, the kind father
of the New Testament
Marcion,
(c.110-160)
Marcion’s Canon
Gospel according to Luke
Romans
I Corinthians
II Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians (Laodiceans)
Colossians
Thessalonians I
Thessalonians II
Philemon
Marcion's "New Testament“—the first to be
compiled forced other Christian leaders, like
Irenaeus, to decide on a core canon:
Tests for inclusion
three main criteria were used
1.Early date
Was it written within a 100 years of the death of Jesus? Written during
the life time of Apostles. John died in AD 100
2. Apostolic connections
What eye witness corrobation is behind it?
3. Intrinsic soundness
Quality of theological reflection
Is it Good Theology?
The Incarnation and historicity of Jesus of Nazareth
Canonization of the New Testament
Phase II
About 100 A.D. – 170 A.D.
• First collection of New Testament books showed up in Rome.
• Other areas held some collections of New Testament books
• Each region or area would have a different collection of books
• The church had no council, meeting, or conference to bring all the
apostolic writings together.
• Distance kept the New testament canon very diverse.
• Each church used and read the writings it had.
Irenaeus’ list ca. 180 AD
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
I Corinthians
II Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Thessalonians I
Thessalonians II
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
James (?)
1 Peter
1 John
Revelation of John
Shepherd of Hermas
Canonization of the New Testament
Phase III
About 70 A.D. – 200 A.D.
Early Church Fathers consider the Apostolic letters to be scripture
• Clement of Rome – refers to Matthew, Luke, Romans, Corinthians, Hebrews, I
Timothy, I Peter.
• Polycarp – Quotes Philippians, and nine other of Paul's Epistles.
• Ignatius – Quotes Matthew, I Peter, I John, and nine of Paul’s Epistles.
• Papias (pupil of John) – Quotes John and talks about the origin of Matthew and
Mark
Others
Tatian, Justin Martyr, Basilides, Marcion, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen
All considered the Apostolic letters to be scripture
AD 200 Muratorian fragment List
But the periphery of the canon is not yet
determined.
According to one list, compiled at Rome
around 200 (often called the
Muratorian Canon), the NT consists
of:







The 4 Gospels (though first 2 are
missing)
Acts
13 letters of Paul (Hebrews is not included)
1-2 John
Jude
The Apocalypse of Peter.
But not Hebrews, James, 3 John, 1 &
2 Peter, or Revelation
Canonization of the New Testament
Phase IV
About 300A.D. – 340 A.D.
•
Constantine accepts Christianity.
•
He orders 50 Bibles to be prepared for all the
churches in his city Constantinople.
•
Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea was
given the job of preparing the 50 Bibles.
•
300 AD Eusebius of Caesarea
Church Historian
Eusebius lived through
the Great Persecution
under Diocletian
and
served as the bishop of Caesarea during
the reign of Constantine.
He was one of the bishops present at
the Council of Nicaea.
He is best known for writing his
Ecclesiastical History.
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
300 AD Eusebius of Caesarea
Church Historian
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History
When he wrote his History, Eusebius' vital concern was to record facts
before they disappeared and before eyewitnesses might be killed and
libraries might be burned during the next persecution. He faithfully
transcribed the most important existing documents of his day, enabling
later generations to have a collection of factual history about the first three
centuries of Christianity.
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is one of the classics of early Christianity
and stands in equal stature with the historical works of Josephus.
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
300 AD Eusebius of Caesarea
Church Historian
“recognized,”
“disputed,”
“spurious”
and
“heretical”
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Recognized:
 The four Gospels,
 Acts,
 Paul’s letters,
 1 John,
 1 Peter
 and “if it really seems right,”
Revelation
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Disputed:
 James,
 Jude,
 2 Peter
 and
 2 & 3 John
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History

Spurious:
Acts of Paul,
Shepherd of Hermas,
Apocalypse of Peter,
Letter of Barnabas,
the Didache,
the Gospel of the
Hebrews and,
“if it seems right,”
Revelation
Eusebius
A.D. 260 - 340
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History
Heretical:
 Gospels of Peter, Thomas,
Matthias, etc.,
 Acts of Andrew, John or
other apostles
Using groups 1and 2,
he made his list of accepted books.
Which happen to be identical to our modern
day list of New Testament books.
367AD : Athanasius,
Bishop of Alexandria,
in his Easter letter.
The earliest extant list of the
books of New Testament, in
exactly the number and
order in which we presently
have them
in his Easter letter of 367
We must remember that the whole
process was rather fluid and
took place over a long period of time.
At one stage certain books that are now in
were out and others that are now out
were in.
Eusebius wrote a list of books in AD 320
and
Bp Athanasius in AD367
makes the first record of what we
recognise as the New Testament
Many strands forms the
thread
Canonization of the New Testament
Phase V
About 397A.D.
The Council of Carthage
• Gave formal approval to canonize 27 books of the New
Testament.
• These books were the same 27 listed by Eusebius
research.
• All 27 books had already been accepted by the
churches through the years.
• These same 27 books now make up our modern New
Testament.
reproduces the same
list and declares:
397AD: The North African Council of Carthage
397AD: The North African
Council of Carthage
reproduces the same
list and declares:
“apart from the canonical Scriptures
nothing is to be read in church under the
name of the divine Scriptures …
Let the church across the sea be
consulted for the confirmation of this
canon.”
Closing of
the Canon
settled to mark out
against Heresy,
That which the Church
considered to be a true
and genuine reflection of
Christian Teaching,
covering the life and work
of Jesus,
how to live the Christian
Faith,
useful for teaching and
encouraging the church
to witness and persevere
in the face of persecution.
Non-canonical Christian Writings

“Apocryphal” works – not accepted into NT
Canon
 Why not? – written later; different theology; used by
heretical groups?

More “Gospels”: Gospels of Thomas, Peter, Judas,
etc.
More “Acts”: Acts of Paul, of Peter, of Thomas, etc.
 More “Apocalypses”: Apoc. of John, of Peter, etc.

Non-canonical Christian Writings

“Patristic” works – also not in NT, but different reasons

Why not? – not “apostolic” (i.e., written later, but theology
acceptable)

More “Letters/Epistles”: by Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius of
Antioch, etc.


More “Homilies/Sermons”: by later bishops & teachers
Other Genres: Biblical commentaries; theological treatises;
etc.

4th & 5th Cent. “Creeds”: summary statements of Christian
beliefs
AD 1536 Martin Luther




1536: Martin Luther
translates the Bible from
Hebrew and Greek to
German.
He assumes that, since
Jews wrote the Old
Testament, theirs is the
correct canon.
He puts the extra 7 books
in an appendix that he
calls the "Apocrypha."
This is the Old Testament
that most Protestants use
(Anglicans also use the
Apocrypha devotionally).
1536: In his translation of the Bible from
Greek into German, Luther removes 4 NT
books
•Hebrews,
•James,
•Jude, and
•Revelation
from their normal order and places them at
the end, stating that they are less than
canonical.
Most other Protestants do not agree with him.
Martin Luther
AD 1546:
The Catholic Church council which made a formal claim about
the extent of the Christian canon
Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and other Christians do
not consider this council universal
reaffirms the canonicity of all 46 books of OT. and 27 books of NT
II
The Reliablity
of Transmission
Is the Bible reliable in transmission?
By the end of the 1 9th century, however, archaeological
discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament
manuscripts. Discoveries of early papyri bridged the gap between
the time of Christ and existing manuscripts from a later date.
Those findings increased scholarly confidence in the reliability of the Bible.
William F. Albright,
"We can already say emphatically that there is no longer any
solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after
about A.D. 80, two full generations before the date between
130 and 150 given by the more radical New Testament critics
of today."
The importance of Time of
writing
Jesus’ death
and resurrection
Mark’s
gospel
30-33 A.D.
70 A.D.
40 years


There are still people ALIVE in 70 A.D. who
were alive in 30-33 A.D.
If Mark was lying, he would be corrected for
sure
Bible vs Julius Caesar’s bio
Jesus died
Tacitus
Caesar died
Earliest
Surviving
Copy Mark
Mark
44 B.C.
30 A.D. 70 A.D.
60 A.D.
40 yrs
100 yrs
350 A.D.
Earliest 950 AD
Surviving
Copy Tacitus
Writing Bible vs Alexander’s bio
Jesus died
323 BC
Alex died
Plutarch
Earliest
Surviving
Copy Mark
Mark
30 AD 70 AD
60 AD
40 yrs
400 yrs !!!
350 AD
Earliest 950 AD
Surviving
Copy Plutarch
Work
When
Written
New
Testament
A.D. 40100
A.D. 125
25 yrs
24,000
900 B.C.
400 B.C
500 yrs
643
Homer (Iliad)
Sophocles
Aristotle
Caesar (Gallic
Wars)
496-406
B.C
384-322
B.C.
100-44
B.C.
Earliest
Copy
Time
Span
1,400
A.D. 1000
yrs
1,400
A.D. 1100
yrs
A.D. 900
1000 yrs
No. of
copies
193
49
10
Comparision of the Survival of New Testament texts
and other ancient documents
Author
Lucretius
Date
Written
Earliest Copy
died 55 or 53
B.C.
Approximate
Time Span
between original
& copy
Number
of
Copies
Accuracy of Copies
1100 yrs
2
----
Pliny
61-113 A.D.
850 A.D.
750 yrs
7
----
Plato
427-347 B.C.
900 A.D.
1200 yrs
7
----
Demosthenes
4th Cent. B.C.
1100 A.D.
800 yrs
8
----
Herodotus
480-425 B.C.
900 A.D.
1300 yrs
8
----
Suetonius
75-160 A.D.
950 A.D.
800 yrs
8
----
Thucydides
460-400 B.C.
900 A.D.
1300 yrs
8
----
Euripides
480-406 B.C.
1100 A.D.
1300 yrs
9
----
Aristophanes
450-385 B.C.
900 A.D.
1200
10
----
Caesar
100-44 B.C.
900 A.D.
1000
10
----
Livy
59 BC-AD 17
----
???
20
----
Tacitus
circa 100 A.D.
1100 A.D.
1000 yrs
20
----
Aristotle
384-322 B.C.
1100 A.D.
1400
49
----
Sophocles
496-406 B.C.
1000 A.D.
1400 yrs
193
----
900 B.C.
400 B.C.
500 yrs
643
95%
1st Cent. A.D.
(50-100 A.D.
2nd Cent. A.D.
(c. 130 A.D.
f.)
less than 100 years
5600
99.5%
Homer (Iliad)
New
Testament
Comparision of Survival of New Testament texts and other ancient
doc. of that time
New Testament texts
Date of
Events
Earliest
surviving
fragment
Time between
fragment and
event
Matthew 0-70?
0 - 30 A.D.
~150 A.D.
< 130 years
Mark
15-90?
27 - 30 A.D.
~50 A.D.
< 20 years !!!
Luke
10-80?
0 - 30 A.D.
~400 A.D.
< 400 years
John
10-100?
27 - 30 A.D.
~130 A.D.
< 100 years
Work
Author's
Lifespan
Non-New Testament Contempory texts
Josephus
(War)
37-100
200 BC - 70 A.D.
~1050 A.D.
> 1000 years
Jesephus
(Antiquities)
37-100
200 BC - 65 A.D.
~1050 A.D.
> 1000 years
Pliny's letters
60-115
97 - 112 A.D.
~850 A.D.
> 700 years
The New Testament has survived in
more manuscripts than any other
book from antiquity
(i.e., there are many more copies of
the New Testament from ancient
times in the world today)
24,000 partial and complete manuscripts
There are now more than
5,300 known Greek
manuscripts of the
New Testament.
Add
over 10,000 Latin Vulgate
and at least
9,300 other early versions
(MSS) and
So we have more than
24,000 manuscript copies
of portions of the New
Testament in existence
today.
MANUSCRIPT RELIABILITY
SUPPORTED BY
VARIOUS LANGUAGES AND VERSIONS
Syriac versions
Old Syriac Syriac Peshitta.
150-250 AD.
4th C. 350 MSS
Palestinian Syriac. 400-450 AD
Philoxenian 508 AD By Polycarp
Harkleian Syriac. 616 AD
Latin versions
Old Latin. 4th – 13th C
African Old Latin - 400 AD.
Codex Corbiensis 400-500 AD four Gospels.
Codex Vercellensis 360 AD.
Latin Vulgate 366-384 AD by Jerome
Coptic (or Egyptian)
versions
Sahidic. 3rd C.
Bohairic 5th C
Middle Egyptian 4-5th C
.
Other early versions
Armenian 4th C
Gothic. 4th C
Georgian. 5th C
Ethiopic. 6th C
Nubian. 6th C
Accuracy of Transmission
86,000 quotations from the early church fathers
and
several thousand Lectionaries
(church-service books
containing
Scripture quotations
used in the early centuries of Christianity).
New Testament has survived in
a purer form
than any other book –
a form that is 99.5% pure.
(i.e., 99.5% of the New Testament that we
read today is exactly the same as the
orignal copy that was written almost 2000
years ago !!!)
Some Terms
Papyrus – Ancient writing paper made from the papyrus plant.
MS – Two letters used to denote a handwritten copy of the scriptures.
Parchment – Animal skins that have been prepared to be used like paper.
Vellum – Calf-skin that has been prepared to be used like paper.
Codex – Means book form. Papyrus sheets put together to make reading easier.
Canon – An official list, group, or segment of accepted books.
Scrolls – Papyrus sheets glued together and rolled around a stick, usually 20-30 feet
long.
Septuagint – The Greek translation of the Old Testament.
Dead Sea Scrolls – Scrolls found in the caves of Qumran which contained many old
testament books. These scrolls were 1000 years older than the
MS we had.
Ancient Writing Materials

Papyrus (reed plant)


Cut in strips, flattened
Less expensive, durable
Papyri refers to the material the text is
written on, papyrus. Papyrus manuscripts
are the earliest witness to the New
Testament. extant papyrus manuscripts of
the New Testament ranges from the second
century CE to the eight century CE. Papyrus
manuscripts are designated using the letter
"P" followed by numerals in superscript
(e.g. P1, P52 etc). There are about 96
papyrus manuscripts.
52
P

- Oldest NT fragment
Ca. 125 – 150 C.E. (now in John Rylands Library, Manchester)

front: John 18:31-33
back: John 18:37-38
P46

Oldest manuscript of the
Pauline letters.





Originally part of the
Chester Beatty Papyri
Written ca. AD 200
Total of 104 pages, but
several are now missing
Included at least ten of
the Pauline letters
This image shows the
text of 2 Cor 11:33–12:9
Ancient Writing Materials

Vellum / Parchment


Animal skins, prepared
More expensive, durable
Ancient Writing Format

Scroll



Rolled, sealed on outside
Written on one side only
Papyrus or Vellum

Codex



Sheets stacked, bound
Written on both sides
Papyrus or Vellum
Uncials, refers to the
formal capital letters used
in the writing of the text.
Uncial manuscripts are
normally written on
parchments (animal
hides). extant New
Testament uncial
manuscripts ranges from
the turn of the third
century CE to the 11th
century CE.
There are 299 extant
uncial manuscripts.
Minuscules refer to the small
letters written with a running
hand.
Minuscules form the bulk of
the manuscripts (approx
2,800)
but are also the latest and
furthest removed from the
original manuscripts.
The earliest minuscule
manuscripts date from 9th
century.
How we got our New Testament Text
Early Versions of the New Testament
Old Latin
Latin Vulgate translation
available copies date from the fourth to the
thirteenth century. There are, extant, about 50
manuscript fragments of OL, none of which
Today the more than 8,000 extant manuscripts
of the Vulgate show numerous cross
(OL) versions, end of the
2C AD
of Jerome
(c342-420).
contamination of all textual types.
contains the complete New Testament
The Old Syriac
The Peshitta,
of Syrian Churches
extant 350 manuscripts, contains 22 books
of the New Testament but lacks II & III
John, II Peter, Jude and Revelation-which
the Syrian Church does not accept as
canonical.
4th -5th C AD
called the
Curetonianus
Coptic,
written with Greek alphabets
(with additional letters). 4C AD

Pre-Constantine Era (1st – 3rd Cent.)


Christians were poor, persecuted, minority
NT texts: only few papyrus scraps survive
Biblical Texts

Emperor Constantine




Edict of Milan (312 C.E.)
Imperial support of Christianity
Construction of Churches
Full Bible Codices on Vellum
some survive from 4th / 5th Cent.:
 Codex Sinaiticus
 Codex Vaticanus
 Codex Alexandrinus, etc.
It has been accurately transmitted over time through
the copying of its documents
There are more than 5,000 complete or partial manuscripts of New
Testaments books available today in Greek,
let alone other ancient manuscripts in Latin and other languages
and distributed all around the world.
The wealth and antiquity of the documents established the basic
trustworthiness of their transmission. Portions of the New Testament
that are textually uncertain — which are noted in the marginal notes of
a good Bible — are rare; further, they bring into question no Christian
doctrine.
Codices
The Oldest Codex’s
These were MS’s. they were all hand written
•
•
•
Codex Sinaiticus
01
Constantine Tischendorf (18151874) found the manuscript in
1844 in the monastery of St.
Catherine in Mount Sinai.
•
Made in 4th century
•
Only MS with the entire New Testament
•
Located in the British Museum
Codex Vaticanus B 03
•
Made in 4th century
•
Located in the Vatican Library
Codex Alexandrianus
A 02
•
Made in 5th century
•
Located in the British Museum
The Vaticanus is arguably the most
important and probably the earliest (early
fourth century) of all the New Testament
manuscripts. The New Testament is not
complete however, as everything after
Hebrews 9:14 is lost.
Canonization of the New Testament
Other Codex’s
These were MS’s. they were all hand written
•
•
•
•
Codex Ephraem C 04
•
Made in 5th century
•
Located in Paris
Codex Beza D 05
•
Made in 5th century
•
Located in the University of Cambridge
Codex Washington W 032
•
Made in 4th century
•
Located in the Smithsonian Library
Codex Koridethi, Q 038.
•
Made in the ninth century
It contains the four gospels with some gaps
III
Translations
1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First
Person to Produce a (HandWritten) manuscript Copy of
the Complete Bible in English
(80 Books).
John Wycliffe 1320 – 1384
Wycliffe had no access to Greek
or Hebrew manuscripts and was
thus totally reliant on the fourth
century Latin translation of St.
Jerome - the Vulgate.
He is considered the founder of
the Lollard movement, a precursor
to the Protestant Reformation
The Council of Constance declared Wycliffe (on
4 May 1415) a stiff-necked heretic and under
the ban of the Church. It was decreed that his
books be burned and his remains be exhumed.
Twelve years afterward, at the command of
Pope Martin V they were dug up, burned, and
the ashes cast into the River Swift, which flows
through Lutterworth
John Wycliffe 1320 – 1384
John
CAP 1
1 In the bigynnyng was the word, and the word was at God, and God was the word.
2 This was in the bigynnyng at God.
3 Alle thingis weren maad bi hym, and withouten hym was maad no thing, that
thing that was maad.
4 In hym was lijf, and the lijf was the liyt of men; and the liyt schyneth in
derknessis,
5 and derknessis comprehendiden not it.
6 A man was sent fro God, to whom the name was Joon.
7 This man cam in to witnessyng, that he schulde bere witnessing of the liyt, that
alle men schulden bileue bi hym.
8 He was not the liyt, but that he schulde bere witnessing of the liyt.
9 There was a very liyt, which liytneth ech man that cometh in to this world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was maad bi hym, and the world knew hym
not.
11 He cam in to his owne thingis, and hise resseyueden hym not.
12 But hou many euer resseyueden hym, he yaf to hem power to be maad the
sones of God, to hem that bileueden in his
name; the whiche not of bloodis,
13 nether of the wille of fleische, nether of the wille of man, but ben borun of God.
Bible in the language of the people unto
Johannes Gutenberg
Discovers Printing Press
He started printing Bibles 1855
Born 1394-99? - Died 1468
The First Book Ever
Printed is Gutenberg's
Bible in Latin.
Machine-printed, hand-painted Gutenberg Bible in
Latin
Gutenberg Bible, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
The first printed edition of the
New Testament in English
was the translation by
William Tyndale,
probably printed by
Peter Schoeffer, the Younger,
at Worms, Germany,
in 1525 or 1526.
Only one complete copy
of that first printing still exists.
The translation had been officially
condemned by the English bishops,
and
all copies that could be found were
burned.
Tyndale
himself was condemned for heresy
and burned at the stake
in 1536,
In 1526, Tyndale finally completed the first-ever printed New Testament
in English. Translating the Bible into English without permission was a
serious crime, punishable by death.
Infuriated, the bishop of London confiscated and destroyed as many
copies of Tyndale's New Testament as he could. Meanwhile, English
authorities called for Tyndale's arrest. He went into hiding, revised his
New Testament, and (after learning Hebrew) began translating the Old
Testament, too. Tyndale was burned in 1563
Historical Translations
English Translations
A.D. 676 – Parts of the Bible translated into Anglo-Saxon by Caedmon, Bede,
Alfred the Great
A.D. 1382 – The Wyclif Bible, the first English Bible, translated from the Vulgate
Bible
PRINTING
A.D 1525 – Tyndale’s Bible, Translated from the original
A.D. 1535 – Coverdale Bible, translated from Dutch and Latin sources.
A.D. 1560 – Geneva Bible, translation based on the Tyndale Bible.
A.D. 1611 – Ordered by King James
A.D. 1881 – Anglo-American Revision, follows the King James version.
KJV translation
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1607 King James commissioned a group to translate the Bible.
Enlisted the best men to work with only the Hebrew and the Greek text
Men were divided into 6 groups to do the translating
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When these 12 men finished, another group of men reviewed their work
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3 groups worked on the Old Testament
2 groups worked on the New Testament
1 group worked on the Apocrypha (later dropped)
This group added works to make the text flow better in English, these are the
Italicized words in your Bible.
The work of the first two groups took 2 years to complete.
The new translation was then submitted to another group for review.
The work was finished by this group in nine months.
The work employed over 54 translators
The Authorized Version then published in 1611.
Authorized by King James, not written by him.
This work was a literal translation, word for word.
More then 5,000 manuscripts were reviewed to complete this work.
Modern Translations
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Amplified New Testament
Amplified Old Testament
Twentieth Century New Testament
Weymouth’s New Testament
Fenton’s Bible
Moffat’s Translation
Montgomery Centenary
New Testament in Basic English
Berkeley Version
Norlie’s New Testament
New English Bible
Amplified Bible
Living Bible
New Living Translation
New International version
Good News Bible
Revised Standard Version
NASU
AMP
ESV
KJV
NRSV
HCSB
NIV
NLT
NCV
GNT
CEV
TLB
TM
New American Standard Bible updated
Amplified Bible
English Standard Version
King James Version
New Revised Standard Version
Holman Christian Standard Bible
New International Version
New Living Translation
New Century Version
Good News Translation
Contemporary English Version
The Living Bible
The Message
Word For Word Translations
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Interlinear Bible
English Standard Version
New American Standard Bible
Amplified Bible
King James Version
New King James Version
New American Bible
Thought for Thought Translations
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New International Version
New Living Translation
New revised standard version
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Message Bible
Contemporary English Version
Good News Translation
Today’s New International Version
Malayalam Translations
John Keats’s
closest and most influential friend.
C.M.S High School and the C.M.S College were founded by Benjamin Bailey
in 1817 in Kottayam. Bailey was the first Principal of the CMS College
The first printing press in Kerala has been established by
Benjamin Bailey at Kottayam in 1821.
Bailey published
• The Gospel according to Mathew at Kottayam in 1825.
• The New Testament was published in 1829
• Psalms in 1839
• and the entire Malayalam Bible in 1841.
The History of
MALAYALAM BIBLE
SYRIAN BIBLE
Read during service was the only way
of hearing the word.
Few understood Syriac
52 AD
1450
Sermons helped
1821
Printing Press
Gutenberg
Bailey established
Printing Press in
Kottayam
The History of
MALAYALAM BIBLE
These are based on King James Version
Vishudha
Sathyaveda
pusthakam
CMS Press
1821
Revised Modern
1829 1839
1841
Whole Bible
Psalms
1825 Mathew
New Testament
Malayalam Version
1983
1997 2000
New India Bible Version
Peshitta omits
• 2 Peter
To this day, readings from these
• 2-3 John
books are not read in
Syriac Churches.
• Jude
• Revelation
They were later added in later translations
The word Peshitto in Syriac means 'simple' or 'clear'
Diatessaron,
'Gospel of the Mixed'.
There was an earlier translation
into Old Syriac
Evangelion Dampharshe
meaning
'Gospel of the Separated'
Translated into Malayalam from Syriac Peshitta
1811
1908
1987
1997
1928-1940
Gospel of Luke
Published in Bombay
By
Timapay Pillai
& Fr.Phillipose
Following the talks between
Buchanan and Mar Dionysius
Manikathanaar’s
Translations of
New Testament
And eccl. Pro. &
Tobit
St.Joseph Press,
Mannanam
New Testament
By
Fr. Thomas
Kayyalaparampil
St.Thomas
Seminary
Vadavatur,
Kottayam
Entire Bible
Fr. Mathew
Uppanni
Based on
Mosul
Peshitta
but different
order of
books
Gospel of Mathew
By
Konnattu Matthan Malpan
British Bible Society
The Bible in the Syriac Tradition
By Sebastian P. Brock
So, what do you think ?