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Are the BiblicalAre the BiblicalDocuments Reliable?Documents Reliable?
How do we know the Bible we have today is even close to the original?
Aren’t the copies through the years full of errors, embellishments, additions and deletions?
3 Errors to Avoid3 Errors to Avoid
1.1. Assume Inspiration of the Assume Inspiration of the documentdocument
1.1. Many documents “claim” inspirationMany documents “claim” inspiration
2.2. Our task is to prove the inspirationOur task is to prove the inspiration
3.3. Is is circular reasoning to assume the Is is circular reasoning to assume the thing you are trying to prove.thing you are trying to prove.
3 Errors to Avoid3 Errors to Avoid
1.1. Assume Inspiration of the Assume Inspiration of the documentdocument
2.2. Their Bible looked like oursTheir Bible looked like ours1.1. Arrangement / title of booksArrangement / title of books2.2. Chapter and verse divisionsChapter and verse divisions3.3. The documents are a collection of The documents are a collection of
ancient source autographs.ancient source autographs.
3.3. Start with modern “authorities”Start with modern “authorities”
Is the Document Valid?Is the Document Valid?
BibliographicalBibliographical – What is the – What is the textual tradition? Were many copies textual tradition? Were many copies made and distributed?made and distributed?
Internal EvidenceInternal Evidence – What does – What does the document claim for itself?the document claim for itself?
External EvidenceExternal Evidence – Does it – Does it align with other facts, dates, people?align with other facts, dates, people?
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe Scribe No copiers, scanners, or printing presses
Copies were made by hand – by scribes
The believed they were dealing with the Word of God
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextText
Early 10th centuryMassoretes
specialized in copying texts
Copy IsaiahThen total the
letters, words, lines, letters per line, etc.
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextText
They would note the middle letter of the book, middle letter of each page
All present copies of Hebrew texts come from this period
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea Scrolls
1947, clay jars containing leather scrolls were found
The city of Qumran was dedicated to making copies of Scripture
It dates from 250 BC – 100 BC
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea Scrolls
Most of the documents are dated around 250-150 BC
Major find – complete Isaiah scroll
1,000 years OLDER than oldest copy
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea Scrolls
There was no significant difference in the documents that are 1,000 years apart
There were no textual changes
Only a few minor errors
The Old TestamentThe Old Testament
The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic
TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea ScrollsThe SeptuagintThe Septuagint
Septuagint – often called LXX (70)
There were 70 Jewish scholars
Greek translation of the Old Testament
In Alexandria, Egypt about 200 BC
Jesus quoted from it
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
There are more than 4,000 different manuscripts containing all or most of the NT
They are written on different materials
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
PapyrusPapyrus – reed, split, pressed, made a durable “paper”
ParchmentParchment – sheep or goat skin – split to very thin
Parchment was very expensive and only used for important documents
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
ExamplesExamples
Codex Vaticanus – Codex Vaticanus – Codex Siniaticus – Codex Siniaticus – Parchment copies of the entire NT (325 – 450 AD)
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
ExamplesExamples
Older Papyrii – Older Papyrii – Earlier Earlier fragments (180-225 fragments (180-225 AD)AD)
Chester Beatty Chester Beatty Papyrus (P45, P46, Papyrus (P45, P46, P47) – Luke, John, P47) – Luke, John, Rom., 1 & 2 Cor., Gal., Rom., 1 & 2 Cor., Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Thess., Heb. - and Thess., Heb. - and parts of Matt., Mark, parts of Matt., Mark, Acts, and Rev.Acts, and Rev.
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
ExamplesExamples
Oldest fragment – Oldest fragment – Rylands Papyrus (P52) – John 18:31-33, 37
It dates at 130 ADFound in Egypt
All of this evidence creates a bridge back to the first century
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
ExamplesExamplesVersionsVersions
In addition to Greek In addition to Greek manuscripts –manuscripts –
There are more than There are more than 1,000 translations – 1,000 translations – Syria, Coptic, Syria, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, Armenian, Gothic, EthiopicEthiopic
Also about 8,000 Also about 8,000 Latin Vulgate (384-Latin Vulgate (384-400 AD)400 AD)
The New TestamentThe New Testament
Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence
Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment
ExamplesExamplesVersionsVersionsChurch FathersChurch Fathers
Many writers (100-450 Many writers (100-450 AD)AD)
Some were students of Some were students of or traveled with an or traveled with an apostleapostle
ALL of the NT is quoted ALL of the NT is quoted by the church fathersby the church fathers
Except 11 verses!Except 11 verses!
A ComparisonA Comparison
WorkWork Date of WritingDate of Writing Lapse: Event to Lapse: Event to MSMS
Matthew 50-65 <200
Mark 65 <200
Luke 60 <200
John 90-96 <100
Paul 50-65 <200
Josephus 80 900-1200
Tacitus 100-120 800-850
A ComparisonA Comparison
WorkWork Date of WritingDate of Writing Lapse: Event to Lapse: Event to MSMS
Matthew 50-65 <200
Mark 65 <200
Luke 60 <200
John 90-96 <100
Paul 50-65 <200
Herodotus 430-425 BC 1400-1450
Plutarch 100 850-1500
The AnvilThe Anvil
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime:
Then looking in, I saw upon the floorOld hammers, worn with beating
years of time.
The AnvilThe Anvil
"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."
The AnvilThe Anvil
And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed . . . the hammer's gone. Author unknown
InspirationInspiration
Define: InspirationInspiration Greek – God breathed in God gave the thoughts, ideas and the very
words to express those ideas God chose the words from the writer’s
vocabulary to express His thoughts
InspirationInspiration
The original autographs ARE inspiredCopies of the original are not inspiredTranslations are not inspiredThe translators are not inspiredDoes this mean we can’t have trust in
the Bible? Not at all.
ChangesChanges
DittographyDittography – Writing twice what should have been written once – latter instead of later; good instead of god; too instead of to; my, my instead of my
FissionFission – Improperly dividing one word into two words – nowhere becomes now here
ChangesChanges
FusionFusion – Combining two words to form one – there in becomes therein
HaplographyHaplography – Writing once what should be written twice – later instead of latter; god instead of good, my instead of my, my.
ChangesChanges
HomophonyHomophony – Writing a word with a different meaning when both words have the same pronunciation – deer for dear; die for dye
TranspositionTransposition – The reversing of letter order – stop for pots; no for on; pot for top
26 Documents26 Documents
26 Documents26 Documents
26 Documents26 Documents
26 Documents26 Documents
26 Documents26 Documents
Copying ChecksCopying Checks
In English we have letters “a, b, c, d” and we have numbers “1, 2, 3, 4”
Greek and Hebrew uses letters for numbers – A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4
Similar in English with the letter o and the number 0. The context will tell if it is a letter or number
Bottom LineBottom Line
The biblical copies are so accurate that all of the biblical documents are 98.5% textually pure.
The Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah was 1,000 years older than any previous copy, but was over 95% textually identical.
Bottom LineBottom Line
We have more than 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the NT
We also have 19,000 manuscripts of ancient origin translations
All of the NT is quoted by the early church fathers (except 11 verses)
The NT is very well preserved
Bottom LineBottom Line
It is obvious that the NT is far better preserved than an other ancient text
People have no problem believing in Caesar, Plato, Aristotle
Historians quote Josephus as a Jewish historian
Bottom LineBottom Line
There is more evidence for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount than for the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln