The truth of the authority of Scripture is one of the key pillars of our faith. But how certain can we be about the text of the Bible, given the thousands of years that separate us from the writers? Nick Lunn talks about how sure we can be of the reliability of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts we have today.
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wycliffe.org.u k Can We Rely on the Text of the Bible?
Transcript
1. Can We Rely on the Text of the Bible?
2. John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, but
the darkness has not understood it.
(NIV)
The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not overcome it.
(NRSV)
3. John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, but
the darkness has not understood it.
(NIV)
The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not overcome it.
(NRSV)
4. NIV
,
.
5. NRSV
,
.
6. John 1:18
No one has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has explained him. (NASB)
No one has seen God at any time. The only
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has declared him. (NKJV)
7. John 1:18
No one has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has explained him. (NASB)
No one has seen God at any time. The only
begotten Son , who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has declared him. (NKJV)
8.
.
.
God / Son
9. In John 1:14
some Greek manuscripts say God
some Greek manuscripts say Son
This is referred to as a
variant reading or a textual variant
10. What was inspired?
The AUTOGRAPH not the copies.
autograph = the original document
11. Textual Criticism =
The task of reconstructing the
original text from later copies.
12.
Evidence to help establish the text:
1. EXTERNAL
2. INTERNAL
13.
E XTERNAL E VIDENCE
14. Old Testament
Hebrew MSS (Masoretic)
Aramaic MSS (Targum)
Greek MSS (Septuagint)
Latin MSS (Vulgate)
Syriac MSS (Peshitta)
Dead Sea Scrolls
15. Masoretic Manuscript
16.
The oldest Masoretic manuscripts
date from around AD 800-900.
17.
The oldest Masoretic manuscripts
date from around AD 800-900.
The most authoritative Masoretic manuscript is the Leningrad
Codex ( AD 1008)
18.
19.
Most of the Old Testament was
written between 1000500 BC.
20.
This means there is a gap of
1,5002,000 years between the
original Old Testament documents
and the Masoretic copies.
21.
This means there is a gap of
1,5002,000 years between the
original Old Testament documents
and the Masoretic copies.
22.
23.
24.
25. Isaiah Scroll
26.
27.
These manuscripts from the Dead
Sea region were over a thousand
years older than the earliest
Masoretic manuscripts.
28.
Had the text been
faithfully transmitted?
29. Isaiah 53:4-5
30. Isaiah 53:4-5 Dead Sea Scrolls Surely he bore our
infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken
by God, [ and ] smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced
for our transgress-ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; [ and ]
the punish-ment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed. Masoretic Text Surely he bore our infirmities
and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our
transgress- ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed.
31. Isaiah 53:4-5 Dead Sea Scrolls Surely he bore our
infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken
by God, [ and ] smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced
for our transgress-ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; [ and ]
the punish-ment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed. Masoretic Text Surely he bore our infirmities
and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our
transgress- ions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed.
32. 1 Samuel 1:24
she took him up with her,
with three bulls (NKJV)
she took the boy with her
along with a three-year-old bull (NIV)
Masoretic Text: three bulls
DSS and LXX: a three-year old bull
33.
The principal variations between the
Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint on
the one hand and the Masoretic text on
the other are mainly to be found in the
books of Samuel and Jeremiah.
34. Old Testament
Hebrew MSS (Masoretic)
Aramaic MSS (Targum)
Greek MSS (Septuagint)
Latin MSS (Vulgate)
Syriac MSS (Peshitta)
Dead Sea Scrolls
35. New Testament
36. Reliability of ancient text based upon:
The number of copies.
The gap of time before the earliest surviving copy.