How We Got the Bible

1. How We Got the Bible Lesson 6: The Text of the New Testament & Significance of Textual Variations

2. 2 a study of Neil R. Lightfoot How We Got the Bible, 3rd ed.

3. The text of the New Testament • The fact of errors in printing • What is textual criticism? • Mistakes of copyists • Basic rules of textual criticism

4. 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

5. 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

6. The function of textual criticism To recover the exact wording of the original New Testament

7. Copyists’ unintentional mistakes • 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

8. 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...

9. 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...

10. Word division • What does this say? GODISNOWHERE

11. Copyists’ intentional mistakes • Spelling • Grammar • Harmonizing • Historical difficulties • Combining readings

12. 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...

13. Correction for clarity Acts 2:47 • And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. NRSV • “church”

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Consequences of variations • Trivial variations of no consequence • Substantial variations of no consequence • Substantial variations affecting the text

19. Types of Error or Variations • 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

20. Consequences of variations • Trivial variations of no consequence

21. 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)

22. 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.

23. Unimportant trivial variations • The addition or omission of words • Whether Jesus spoke of “the one who has ears [to hear]”

24. Order of words What is the difference? • “The birth of Jesus Christ,” or • “The birth of Christ Jesus” from Matthew 1:18

25. Consequences of variations • Trivial variations of no consequence • Substantial variations of no consequence

26. 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

27. 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.’ ”

28. The story of the adulterous woman Opening of “The Adulterous Woman” in the NASU

29. 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

30. Evaluation about John 7:53-8:11 • Seems to be a tradition handed down from the early church • Vouches for its own truthfulness

31. 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

32. Confession of the Eunuch Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: An Introduction to Greek Palaeography (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), plate 22 “I believe in the Son of God”

33. Evidence for Acts 8:37 • Earliest Greek manuscript is Codex Laudianus (6th cent.) • Quoted consistently by the early church fathers

34. 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

35. 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

36. Consequences of variations • Trivial variations of no consequence • Substantial variations of no consequence • Substantial variations affecting the text

37. 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

38. The ending of Mark’s Gospel The evidence that Mark ends at 16:20 • Vaticanus has a gap large enough for vv. 9-20; 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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?

44. 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?

45. Next week Lesson 7: Restoring the New Testament Text & Manuscripts from the Sand