How did we get from…

To here…

Buckle your seat belt…

It’s a story that either will upset your faith or affirm your faith!

Last week… from ancient story to sacred text

Tonight… preserving and translating the

text

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures are considered “the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you.”

But Questions Remain!!!•How do we define the Scriptures?•We have no “autographs” of the writings of the authors•The printing press wasn’t used in the west until the fifteenth century•Can we trust the copies of copies of copies?•When they were translated, can we trust the translations? •How do we know which ones are best?

Copies of Copies of Copies•We have no “autographs”•Copying of texts in the ancient world was a cumbersome task which led to numerous mistakes•Copies were made by single scribes or in a room with a reader and multiple scribes•Some changes were accidental… others were made to “clarify” or “perfect” a text

The Dead Sea Scrolls

•Discovered in 1947 in the desert near Qumran near the Dead Sea•Written in Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Nabataean, the scrolls date from fourth century BC to third century AD•The majority of texts found are non-Biblical, however 22% of the Hebrew Bible has been found

The Dead Sea Scrolls

•Previous to this, the oldest Hebrew text of the Hebrew Bible dated to the tenth century AD•One of the most important finds is a complete text of the Isaiah dating from the first century BC

New Testament Texts

•The oldest fragment of NT writing, known as P52, is 3.5 inches x 2.5 inches•It contains a portion of John 18:31 on one side and John 18:37 on the other•Usually dated from around 120 AD, it was found in Egypt in 1920

New Testament Texts

•P52 is one of over 5,800 Greek texts, 10,000 Latin texts, and 9,300 texts of other ancient languages.•There are an estimated 400,000 variations among these texts!•Texts are catalogued by manuscript construction (papyrus, paper, etc.), by style of writing, and by content of the text

Two Questionable Texts

•John 7:53-8:12 – The woman caught in adultery

•Found in no early transcripts•Uses words and phrases alien to the rest of the Gospel•Written in a style unlike rest of the Gospel

Two Questionable Texts

•The Final Twelve Verses of Mark (they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them;)

•Found in no early transcripts•Uses words and phrases alien to the rest of the Gospel•Written in a style unlike rest of the Gospel•Without them the story ends abruptly (they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.)

Textual Criticism

•The 19th and 20th Centuries gave rise to a new school of Biblical studies ~ Higher, or Historical Criticism•This method seeks to determine the most original text possible

Textual Criticism•External Evidence

•Which text is oldest?•Where is the text from?•Is the text part of a group which is considered reliable?

•Internal Evidence•Does it use language and express views common to the rest of the text?•Does it seem to be a mistake? (a word left out)•Is it more difficult than other texts?

Translations

•The Latin Vulgate •Late fourth century•Utilized best available texts of the day•Widespread use made it the most important text of the Bible in western Christianity•By 16th century it was officially proclaimed as the official version of the Bible for the Roman Catholic Church

English Translations

•Wycliffe Bible•Fourteenth century translation•Based on the Vulgate•Intended to be heard since most people couldn’t read•After his death the church declared him a heretic and exhumed his body and burned it

English Translations

•The Reformation and Printing•The desire for Scripture and the availability of printing prompted a flood of translations•The earliest and most famous was the Tyndale Bible (c.1525)•Based on early Greek manuscripts, Luther’s German translation, and the Vulgate•Burned at the stake in 1536 as a heretic

English Translations

•The Use of Jehovah•Tyndale introduced the word to English language as “God’s name.”•The Hebrew text takes the consonants of

YHWH (LORD) and adds the

vowels of Adonai (lord) to make

YaHoWaH, or Jehovah!

English Translations

•King James Version•After Tyndale, a number of English translations emerged•In 1604, King James I authorized a translation to become the definitive English translation•Based on Greek, Hebrew, and Vulgate texts, it draws heavily on Tyndale’s work•Enormously influential in the development of the English language

English Translations

•The Revised Standard Version•Following KJV, there were numerous other English translations, but none rivaled KJV until RSV in 1950’s•Utilized modern scholarship for latest Greek and Hebrew text•Other than references to God, used common pronouns and verb forms ( you did instead of thou didst)

English Translations

•Isaiah 7:14 controversy of RSV•Most ancient Hebrew text uses Hebrew word almah – “a young woman shall conceive”•LXX translated Hebrew into Greek with Greek word parthenos – “a virgin shall conceive”•KJV used the LXX and translated it “virgin”•RSV used the Hebrew and translated it “young woman”

Recent Years

•Translations or Paraphrase?•Translations are based on Greek and Hebrew texts and attempt to be faithful to the original languages•Paraphrases are loose translations in which the author’s interpretation and style makes the text more readable

Recent Years

•Well Known Paraphrases•J. B. Phillips (1958)•Good News for Modern Man (1966)•The Living Bible (1971)•The Message (1993-2002) – considered a cross between paraphrase and translation – an “idiomatic” translation of ancient texts

Recent Years

•Well Known Translations•The New International Version (1978) – considered scholarly but not formal•The New Revised Standard Version (1989) – uses gender neutral language in translating•Today’s New International Version (2005) – uses gender neutral and more modern language•The NRSV and TNIV ended printing of RSV and NIV

A Final Word

Through editing of ancient writings, changes in

various manuscripts, twists and turns of dozens of

translations, through the power of the Holy Spirit,

when we read these words, we encounter and are encountered by God.

Next Week