evidence for the canon are the documents reliable? are there variant readings? do these variants...

Evidence for the Canon

Are the documents reliable?

Are there variant readings?

Do these variants make the Bible less reliable?

Introduction

We have studied how the canon was assembled.

We have studied how the original documents were written

Now the focus is on the reliability of the Bible.

Introduction

Some questions that need to be answered: Are the books we have reliable? Are they accurate to the original work? Would Peter, Luke or Paul recognize the

books that claim their authorship? What about the variant readings? What about number of documents and

fragments discovered?

New Testament

Scholars testifyScholars testify

•Philip Schaff – Fewer than 400 out of 150,000 documents have any problem.•None of these variants include an “article of faith or precept of duty which is not abundantly sustained by other and undoubted passages.”

New Testament

Scholars testifyScholars testify

•Geisler and Nix – “If one word is misspelled in 3,000 different manuscripts, this is counted as 3,000 variants or readings.”•F. F. Bruce – “The wealth of attestation is such that the true reading is almost invariably bound to be preserved by at least one of the thousands of witnesses.”

New Testament

Scholars testifyScholars testify

•Sir Fredric Kenyon – “No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rest on a disputed reading.”•“It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain.”

New Testament

Scholars testifyScholars testify

•Sir Fredric Kenyon – “Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the NT, 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.”

New Testament

Scholars testifyScholars testify

•Howard Vos – “From the standpoint of literary evidence the only logical conclusion is that the case for the reliability of the New Testament is infinitely stronger than for any other record of antiquity.”

Manuscripts of Antiquity

10

35

4

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Number of Documents

Works from the NT Period

Caesar's GalicWars

Livy RomanHistory

Tacitus 14Histories

Tacitus 16Annuls

Manuscripts of NT

8000

1000

5000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

Complete NT Books

Latin VulgateOther VersionsGreek

Manuscript Evidence

A. T. Robertson – There are more than 13,000 copies of complete works of the NT.

This does not include the 10’s of thousands of fragments and partials

This does not include the quotations by early church fathers

This does not count the 76 complete papyri of the entire NT.

Manuscript EvidenceSir Fredric Kenyon – “The interval then

between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the NT may be regarded as finally established.”

Dating of NT Documents

Dating procedures for these documents include: Materials used Letter size and form Punctuation Text divisions Ornamentation Color of ink Texture and color of the parchment

Famous Early Documents

John Ryland – a 2.5 X 3.5 inches – contains John 18:31-33 – from 117-138 AD

Chester Beatty Papyri – A book of more than 220 pages, 10 X 8 inches – 200 AD

Bodmer Papyrus – Earliest known copy of Luke and John – printed in uncials – 175-225 AD

Famous Early Documents

Codex Sinaiticus – 350

Codex Vaticanus – 325 – 250 AD

Many others – too numerous to list all

Supported by Church Fathers

Tertullian – 160 – 220Origen – 185 – 253 – more than 6,000

writingsIgnatius – 70 – 110Polycarp – 65 – 155 – Student of JohnIraneaus – 180 – Student of PolycarpJosephus – 37-100 – Jewish historian

Early Church Fathers

Eusebius – 130 – “Mark, having been the interpreter of Peter wrote down accurately all that he (Peter) mentioned, whether saying or doings of Christ, not, however, in order. For he was neither a hearer nor a companion of the Lord; but afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who adapted his teachings as necessity required, not as though he were making a compilation of the sayings of the Lord.”

Early Church Fathers

Iraneaus – (180) – He was a student of Polycarp, who was a student of John. Iraneaus became the bishop of Lyons (now part of France). He converted almost the entire population of Lyons and sent other missionaries to other parts of pagan Europe.

Polycarp – (70-156) – He was a disciple of John. He was burned at the stake at 86 years of age.

NT Evidence

Luke 1:1-3 – Some who followed Christ wrote of his life

2 Peter 1:16 – “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty”

1 John 1:3 – “That which we have seen and heard”

Acts 2:22 – “Miracles God did in your midst”

NT Evidence

John 20:30-31 – Signs done in the presence of his disciples

Luke 3:1-2 – All the current leaders are listed by name and title

Acts 26:24-26 – Apostles did not do things hidden, “in a corner”

F. F. Bruce

“Indeed, the evidence is that the early Christians were careful to distinguish between the saying of Jesus and their own inferences or judgments. Paul, for example, when discussing the vexed questions of marriage and divorce in 1 Corinthians 7, is careful to make this distinction between his own advice on the subject and the Lord’s decisive ruling: ‘I, not the Lord’’ and again, ‘Not I, but the Lord.’”

OT Reliability

Not as many manuscripts as the NTThe Talmudists – (100-500 AD)

Jews who spent time cataloging civil and religious law

They had an intricate system for transcribing scrolls for the synagogues

Talmudist Rules

Only written on skins of clean animalsFastened together with strings from clean

animalsPrepared for the use in synagogues onlyEvery skin must contain a certain number of

columns, equal throughout the codexInk should be black – not red, green or other

colors

Talmudist Rules

Each column must be at least 48 lettersEach column should not be more then

60 linesThe original must be an authentic copySpace between every consonant – a

hairs breadthName of God must be written with a

new pen, newly dipped in ink

Talmudist Rules

Never allow an interruption during the writing of a name of God Even if the king speaks to you

Write the name of God with washed hands

If any rules are broken – the scroll must be burned, destroyed or just used in a school for practice

Massoretic Period (500-990)

Massorites – Word means “tradition”They sought to hold on to the tradition

of using Hebrew – as it became a dead language

They added vowel markings to insure proper pronunciation

Massoretic Period (500-990)

They also added the calculations to insure accuracy They counted letters per line They counted words per line They counted lines per page The counted words per page

All the totals were checked against the authentic document being copied

Archaeology for OT

Walls of Jericho – Garstand – “As to the main fact, the, there remains no doubt; the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber over their ruins into the city.”

Archaeology for OTSodom and Gomorrah – W. F.

Albright, M. G. Kyle – They found at the southeast corner of the Dead Sea five oases made fresh water streams, and centrally located “high place” for religious festivals. The pottery found in that area dated between 2500 and 2000 BC.

Thousands of other examples could be cited.

OT Reliability

Robert Dick Wilson – “In 144 cases of transliteration from Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Moabite into Hebrew and in 40 cases of the opposite, or 184 cases in all, the evidence shows that for the 2300 to 3900 years the text of the proper names in the Hebrew Bible has been transmitted with the most minute accuracy.”

The Hebrew Text

Cairo Codex – 895 AD – This book is a Massoretic text of the Old Testament. It is kept in the British Museum.

Codex Babylonicus – Earliest complete OT – 1008 AD – This codex is at a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia

Aleppo Codex – 900 AD – It was discovered in 1958

British Museum Codex – 950 AD – This book contains Genesis through Deuteronomy

Dead Sea Scrolls

40,000 fragments located here500 complete booksEvery book in the OT was found here

except EstherThere are commentaries on almost

every OT bookDiscovered in 1947

Dead Sea ScrollsCity of QumranOccupied by Essenes – strict sect

seeking to preserve the Jewish religionLeather scrolls preserved in clay jars,

sealed topsValue of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Isaiah scroll from around 150 BC 1,000 years older than previously known No significant changes in the text

Conclusions:

New Testament The evidence is overwhelming. The books of the NT are reliable.

Old Testament The documents are reliable Archaeology supports the OT

We have the Word of God.