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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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How We Received Our Bible (Transmission – Part 3) Pastor Daryl Hilbert I.
INTRODUCTION A. From the original autograph to
the modern Bible extends an important link in the overall chain from “God to
us” known as transmission. (Geisler
& Nix, General Introduction To the Bible) B. It provides a credible answer
to the question: Do Bible scholars today possess an accurate copy of the
autographs? (ibid) C. In support of the integrity of
the transmission, an overwhelming number of ancient documents must be
presented. (ibid) D. There are not only countless
manuscripts to support the integrity of the Bible (including the Old
Testament since the discovery of the E. For the New Testament, beginning
with the second century ancient versions and manuscript fragments and
continuing with abundant quotations of the Fathers and thousands of
manuscript copies from that time to the modern versions of the Bible, there
is virtually an unbroken line of testimony. (ibid) F. In fact, it may be concluded
that no major document from antiquity comes into the modern world with such
evidence of its integrity as does the Bible. (ibid) II. ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS A. “Original autographs” are the very originals that were penned by
the prophets and apostles or their amanuenses (i.e. scribal secretary - Jer
36:27; Rom 16:22; Gal 6:11). These are the writings that were under the
divine process of inspiration. When the autographs went from the originals to
copies, the process is not called, “inspiration,” but “transmission.”
Therefore, the divine process of inspiration only applies to the original
autographs. B. It is almost universal among evangelical orthodox individuals
and churches to make such distinction in their position and doctrinal
statements. 1.
We do not assert that the common text, but only that the
original autographic text, was inspired.
(Archibald A. Hodge and Benjamin B. Warfield, Inspiration, pg. 42) 2.
The original autographs of the Scriptures were infallibly
correct. (John R. Rice, Our God-Breathed Book
-- The Bible, pg. 88) 3.
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to
be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life,
inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (II Tim.
3:16-17; II Peter 1:20,21). ( 4.
“All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God" (2 Tim.3:16), by which we understand that holy
men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" to write the very words
of Scripture (2 Pet.1:21). This divine inspiration extends equally and fully
to all parts of the sixty-six books of the Bible as it appeared without error
in the original manuscripts (Jn.10:35; Mt.5:18). ( 5.
Thus, the orthodox doctrine that the Bible is the infallible,
inerrant Word of God in its original manuscripts has maintained itself from
the first century to the present. (Geisler,
N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996, c1986). A General Introduction To The Bible,
pg. 156). C. The copies that we possess cannot be technically said to be
inspired. However, because we possess copies of the inspired original that
are 98-99.9% pure, our copies can be considered “virtually” inspired. 1.
The Bible obviously did not come to us in its present form.
Rather, as God inspired its human authors His words were written down in
scrolls. These original manuscripts (or autographs as they are sometimes
called) contained no errors, presenting perfectly the Word of God. However,
there are no known originals left. What we possess today are thousands of
copies of the original manuscripts (this includes fragments, which in some
cases may contain only a verse or two). The problem is that while the
manuscripts we study today agree to an incredible extent there do exist
differences. (Rev. Gary Gilley, Southern View Chapel) 2.
It is comforting to note, however, that scholars estimate that
the text we have before us is between 98 and 99.9% pure — exactly as
originally written. Only about 50 readings of any significance is in doubt, and
none of these affect any basic doctrine. So we can have complete confidence
in our text. (Rev. Gary Gilley, Southern
View Chapel) 3.
Strictly speaking, only the "Autographs" (the original
documents penned by the biblical authors) are inspired. (Copies of the
original documents are VIRTUALLY inspired to the extent that they accurately
reflect the original documents--and the evidence indicates that they DO
accurately reflect the original documents to a very high degree.) (Ron Rhodes, The Complete Book of Bible Answers) 4.
No one manuscript or translation is inspired, only the original.
However, for all intents and purposes, they are virtually inspired since,
with today's great number of manuscripts available for scrutiny, the science
of textual criticism can render us an adequate representation. Therefore, we
can be assured that when we read the Bible we are reading the inspired Word
of God. (Josh McDowell, Don Stewart, Reasons
Skeptics Should Consider Christianity) III. PRESERVATION OF TRANSMISSION A. The Old Testament manuscripts fall into two general periods of
evidence. 1.
The Talmudic Period (c. 300
B.C.–A.D. 500) a)
By the time of the Maccabean
revolt (168 B.C.), the Syrians had destroyed many of the existing manuscripts
of the Old Testament. b)
The Talmudic period produced
many manuscripts which were preserved in synagogues and by private owners. c)
In addition, The Dead Sea
Scrolls (c. 167 B.C.–A.D. 133) have made an immense contribution to Old
Testament critical study. 2.
The Masoretic Period (A.D. 500-1000) a)
Masoretes are Jewish textual
scribes of the fifth through ninth centuries A.D. who standardized the Hebrew
text of the Old Testament, which is therefore called the Masoretic Text. b)
The Masoretes understood the
significance of God’s revelation to man in the form of the Scriptures.
Because of such understanding, they were meticulous in copying the
Scriptures. In fact, they had incorporated rules to guarantee that there were
no errors in the transmission process. Samuel Davidson, in “The Hebrew Text of
the Old Testament, p. 89, writes of these rules: [1] A synagogue
roll must be written on the skins of clean animals, [2] prepared for the particular use of the synagogue by a
Jew. [3] These must be fastened together with strings taken from
clean animals. [4] Every skin must contain a certain number of columns,
equal throughout the entire codex. [5] The length of each column must not extend over less
than 48 nor more than 60 lines; and the breadth must consist of thirty
letters. [6] The whole copy must be first-lined; and if three words
should be written without a line, it is worthless. [7] The ink should be black, neither red, green, nor any
other colour, and be prepared according to a definite recipe. [8] An authentic copy must be the exemplar, from which the
transcriber ought not in the least deviate. [9] No word or letter, not even a yod, must be written
from memory, the scribe not having looked at the codex before him. . . . [10] Between every consonant the space of a hair or thread
must intervene; [11] between every new parashah, or section, the breadth
of nine consonants; [12] between every book, three lines. [13] The fifth book of Moses must terminate exactly with a
line; but the rest need not do so. [14] Besides this, the copyist must sit in full Jewish
dress, [15] wash his whole body, [16] not begin to write the name of God with a pen newly
dipped in ink, [17] and should a king address him while writing that name he
must take no notice of him. B. The New Testament manuscripts fall into four general periods of
evidence. 1.
1st-3rd
Cent. a)
The first three centuries witnessed a composite testimony as to
the integrity of the New Testament Scriptures. Because of the illegal position
of Christianity, it cannot be expected that many, if any, complete
manuscripts from that period are to be found. (Geisler, N. L., & Nix, A General Introduction To The
Bible). b)
Therefore, textual critics must be content to examine whatever
evidence has survived, that is, nonbiblical papyri, biblical papyri, ostraca,
inscriptions, and lectionaries that bear witness to the manuscripts of the
New Testament . (ibid.) 2.
4th-5th
Cent. a)
The fourth and fifth centuries brought a legalization of
Christianity and a multiplication of manuscripts of the New Testament. (ibid.) b)
These manuscripts, on vellum and parchment generally, were
copies of earlier papyri and bear witness to this dependence. (ibid.) 3.
6th-10th
Cent. a)
From the sixth century onward, monks collected, copied, and
cared for New Testament manuscripts in the monasteries. (ibid.) b)
This was a period of rather uncritical production, and it
brought about an increase in manuscript quantity, but with a corresponding
decrease in quality. (ibid.) 4.
11th Cent on a)
After the tenth century, uncials (“inch high” formally printed
large letters) gave way to miniscules (small cursive letters), and copies of
manuscripts multiplied rapidly. (ibid.) C. Comparison to Classical Greek Manuscripts a)
The classical writings of Greece and Rome illustrate the
character of biblical manuscript preservation in a candid fashion. In
contrast to the total number of the more than 5,300 partial and complete New
Testament manuscripts known today, the Iliad of Homer has only 643, The
Peloponnesian War of Thucydides only eight, while Tacitus’s works rely on but
two manuscripts. (Geisler, N. L., & Nix, A
General Introduction To The Bible) b)
The abundance of biblical evidence would lead one to conclude
with Sir Frederic Kenyon that “the Christian can take the whole Bible in his
hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true word of
God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation
throughout the centuries.” (ibid.) c)
Or, as he goes on to say, The number of manuscripts of the New
Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the
oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that
the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other
of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in
the world. (ibid.) |
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