h ow it came to us and

1. the Bible how it came to us and how to study it

2. Transmission (copying the books) Chief Materials Papyrus Parchment (Vellum) Paper Forms of Books Scroll Codex (book)

3. Transmission (copying the books) Copying Methods One to One Copying Dictation

4. Transmission (copying the books) Unintentional Errors • Errors of faulty eyesight • Confusion of letters • Abbreviated words mistaken • Lines ending with the same word • ..........You to take them from the • world, but to keep them from the • evil one…. • becomes • ………You to take them from the • evil one….

5. Transmission (copying the books) Unintentional Errors Errors from faulty hearing Revelations 1:5 lou,santi (lousanti) ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us . . .’ KJV lu,santi (lusanti) ‘Unto Him that loved us, and freed us . . .’ NIV/NAS 1 Corinthians 15:54 ni/koj (nikos) ‘Death is swallowed up in victory . . .’ nei/koj (neikos) ‘Death is swallowed up in conflict. . .’

6. Transmission (copying the books) Unintentional Errors • Errors of the Mind • Words substituted for synonyms • Change in word order • Transposition (switching) of letters • Errors of Judgment • -Ancient practice of writing in all caps with no spaces and “unnatural” line breaks led to misreading the text • -Accidentally reading across two columns • -Marginal notes incorporated into the text

7. Transmission (copying the books) Unintentional Errors Errors of Judgment Example John 5:3-4 NIV Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-- the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. John 5:3-4 KJV In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, [waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.] 

8. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Changes Involving Grammar and Spelling -Major revision of Hebrew grammar in 1350 BC probably resulted in some differences arising in the Hebrew text -Correcting grammatical and spelling ‘errors’ in the Greek that were likely due to the ‘commonizing’ of Greek with other languages (i.e.; Semitic expressions carried over into the Greek) -Change from a difficult reading to an easier reading

9. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Efforts to Harmonize Parallel Accounts -Short version of Lord’s Prayer in Luke made to match the longer versions in Matthew and Mark -Quotations from the Old Testament in the New Testament made to agree to Septuagint reading, or have context added

10. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Addition of Natural Compliments -Matthew 9:13 – ‘For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners [to repentance – KJV]’ -Matthew 6:4 – ‘Your Father who sees in secret will reward you [openly – KJV]’

11. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Clearing Up Historical and Geographical Difficulties Mark 1:2 – Isaiah credited with quote from both Isaiah and Malachi NIV – ‘It is written in Isaiah the Prophet . . .” KJV – ‘As it is written in the prophets . . .” Harmonizing of John 19:14 with Mark 15:25 John 19:14 – ‘in the sixth hour . . .’ Mark 15:25 – ‘in the third hour . . .’

12. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Combining variant readings rather than choosing one reading over the other Alterations Made Because of Doctrinal Reasons -Acts 1:3 – ‘It seemed good to me [and to the Holy Spirit] to write an orderly account . . .’ -John 7:8 – ‘I am not [yet] going up to the feast, for my time has not yet come . . . but after his brothers went up to the feast, the he also went up, not publicly but in private.’

13. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Addition of Miscellaneous Details -Names of the two thieves on the cross -Name of the ‘rich man’ in the story of the rich man and Lazarus -Additional details to the resurrection

14. Transmission (copying the books) Intentional “Corrections” Exalting Titles of Christ or the Apostles Acts 15:11 -‘Lord Jesus’ – NIV/NAS -‘Lord Jesus Christ’ – KJV Colossians 1:23 -‘of which I, Paul, have become a servant (or minister)’ -Switched to ‘of which I, Paul, have become a herald and apostle’ (not in any English version)

15. Evaluating Variant Readings Internal Evidence Scribal Tendencies -Generally the more difficult reading is to be preferred -Generally the shorter reading is to be preferred What was the author more likely to have written -Style and vocabulary throughout the book -The immediate context -Harmony with usage elsewhere -Aramaic background to the text -Priority of the Gospel of Mark -Influence of Christianity on the text

16. Evaluating Variant Readings External Evidence Number or Manuscripts - “Majority Text Theory” – KJV & NKJ -The reading with the most witnesses wins This is typically considered untrustworthy since the Byzantine church used Greek beyond the 13th Century A.D. and there are a great number of their manuscripts available. They are referred to as the ‘majority text’ and are considered the top authority for the KJV translators.

17. Evaluating Variant Readings External Evidence Date of the Witnesses - “Weight of the Text Theory” – NIV, NAS, RSV, etc. -Earlier manuscripts are typically taken to be more reliable since they are closer in time to the original -Later manuscripts, though greater in number, are not considered as heavily as earlier manuscripts

18. Evaluating Variant Readings External Evidence Geographical Distribution of the Witnesses -If a reading is found in manuscripts that were in various parts of the Christian world it is considered more reliable -If a reading is centrally locate around one region it is more likely to be a corruption

19. Evaluating Variant Readings External Evidence Genealogical Relationship of the Witnesses Alexandrian – Considered most reliable Western – Considered as second most reliable Eastern – Considered a close third in reliability Byzantine – Considered the most corrupt due to the many intentional errors/corrections that are found

20. Evaluating Variant Readings Textual Families Western Byzantine Eastern Alexandrian

21. CODEX SINAITICUS