Exploring the Bible

1. Exploring the Bible The Reliability of the Manuscripts

2. Producing Literature in Ancient Times The scriptures were written on perishable materials • Parchment- This writing material was made from cow, sheep, or goat skins. • Vellum- This was a much finer grade of writing material made from antelope or calf skins. • Papyrus- These were made by cutting the stalks of the papyrus plant into strips. • Paper-Paper was invented in china in the 2nd century AD and introduced into Asia Minor in the 4th century.

3. The Old Testament Manuscripts The Talmudists (300 BC - 500 AD) • They could only use the skins of ceremonially clean animals. • Each "page" could not have more than 60 lines, or less than 48 • Each page had to be sewn together with cords taken from levitically clean animals. • The ink that they used had to be prepared from a special recipe to avoid anything unclean. • Not a single word could be written from memory. • Every letter had to have the space of a hair between them. • The scribe had to ceremonially wash himself before he could begin. • He had to be in full ceremonial dress while he did his copying. • When he came to the name of God, he had to take up a special pen to write with.

4. The Old Testament Manuscripts The Massoretes (500-900 A.D.) This name comes from the Hebrew word massora, which means "Tradition”. • In the Massoretic text vowel points were added to indicate where vowels went. • The Massoretes counted every sentence, every word, and every letter of every leaf (page) of a scroll.

5. Hebrew Manuscript Discoveries The Cairo Gheniza;In the late 19th century a Jewish textual scholar named Abraham Firkovitch began to discover many old Hebrew manuscripts but was extremely secretive about his sources.

6. Hebrew Manuscript Discoveries The Dead Sea Scrolls;In March, 1947, a Bedouin shepherd named Muhammad Adh-Dhib discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave 8 miles south of Jericho.

7. Hebrew Manuscript Discoveries The Dead Sea ScrollsIn a comparison of Isaiah chapter 53 from the Dead Sea Scrolls with the 1008 AD Massoretic text, there are 17 letters (not words) that are different. • 10 of these letters are simply differences in spelling. • 4 of these letters are minor stylistic changes. • The remaining 3 letters make up the word "light" found in verse 11 which in no way changes the meaning of this passage.(…he will see the light or … will see it)

8. Hebrew Manuscript Discoveries • The Old Testament Septuagint (LXX) The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that was produced under the direction of Ptolemy Philadelphus around 250 BC for the Greek speaking Jews in Alexandria Egypt. • Scholars have used this third century BC Greek translation to determine the exact wording of the original Old Testament manuscripts that were used at that time by translating the Greek back into Hebrew.

9. The Transmission of the New Testament

10. The Transmission of the New Testament Variants in the Manuscripts • There are a little over 138,000 words in the Greek New testament and it has been asserted that there are approximately 400 thousand variants in the manuscripts. • Nearly 99% of the variants make no difference in the understanding of the text since they are made up of differences in spelling or word order. Word order doesn’t change the meaning of a sentence in the Greek like it does in English.

11. The Transmission of the New Testament Textual scholars have been able to group the New Testament manuscripts into families based on the geographical location in which they were produced

12. The Transmission of the New Testament

13. The Transmission of the New Testament

14. Variants in the Manuscripts • Errors of the eye. Early manuscripts were not punctuated and there were no spaces between the letters (HEISNOWHERE). • Errors of the ear. Sometimes copies were made while someone read them • Errors in memory. This would happen when a scribe would unconsciously substitute the wording from a similar passage

15. Variants in the Manuscripts • Errors in judgment. These errors were caused by dim lighting, poor eyesight, or copying from a worn out manuscript that was difficult to read. • Intentional changes. This sometimes happened when a scribe tried to "smooth out" the grammar or update the spelling of a particular passage.

16. Variants in the Manuscripts “Companion to the Greek Testament” by Philip Schaff • "There are only about 50 variant readings which are of any significance but not one of them alters an article of faith or a precept of duty which is not abundantly sustained by other undoubted passages, or by the whole tenor of Scripture teaching."

17. The Early Manuscript Translations Syriac versions- Over 200 manuscript copies of the "Syriac Peshitta" in existence today dating from 150 - 250 AD Latin versions- There are over 10,000 manuscript copies of the Latin Vulgate Slavic versions- We have over 4,000 copies of these manuscripts. Ethiopic versions- We have over 2,000 copies of these manuscripts. Armenian versions- we have over 2,500 copies of these manuscripts.

18. Quotes from the Church Fathers * Polycarp (69-156 AD) A pupil of the Apostle John. * Ignatius (67-110 AD) A pupil of the Apostle John. * Papias (70-155 AD) Also a pupil of John. * Justin Martyr (100-167 AD) Killed for his faith in Rome. * Iranaeus (130-200 AD) A pupil of Polycarp. * Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) A leader of the church in Alexandria. * Origen (185-254 AD) Said to be the most learned man in the ancient church *Tertullian (160-220 AD) Early defender of Christianity. * Hippolytus (170-236 AD) Early defender of Christianity. * Cyprian (195-258 AD) Bishop of Carthage. * Eusebius (264-340 AD) Bishop of Caesarea.

19. Important manuscript discoveries John Rylands Papryus (P52, Date; 100-125 AD) Bodmer Papyrus (Date; 110-125 AD) Chester Beatty Papyri (P46, & P47, Date; 75-150 AD) Codex Vaticanus (Date; 325-340 AD) Codex Sinaiticus (Date; 330-350 AD) Codex Alexandrinus- (Date; 450 AD) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus- (Date; 345 AD)