are the biblical documents reliable? how do we know the bible we have today is even close to the...

Are the BiblicalAre the BiblicalDocuments Reliable?Documents Reliable?

How do we know the Bible we have today is even close to the original?

Aren’t the copies through the years full of errors, embellishments, additions and deletions?

3 Errors to Avoid3 Errors to Avoid

1.1. Assume Inspiration of the Assume Inspiration of the documentdocument

1.1. Many documents “claim” inspirationMany documents “claim” inspiration

2.2. Our task is to prove the inspirationOur task is to prove the inspiration

3.3. Is is circular reasoning to assume the Is is circular reasoning to assume the thing you are trying to prove.thing you are trying to prove.

3 Errors to Avoid3 Errors to Avoid

1.1. Assume Inspiration of the Assume Inspiration of the documentdocument

2.2. Their Bible looked like oursTheir Bible looked like ours1.1. Arrangement / title of booksArrangement / title of books2.2. Chapter and verse divisionsChapter and verse divisions3.3. The documents are a collection of The documents are a collection of

ancient source autographs.ancient source autographs.

3.3. Start with modern “authorities”Start with modern “authorities”

Is the Document Valid?Is the Document Valid?

BibliographicalBibliographical – What is the – What is the textual tradition? Were many copies textual tradition? Were many copies made and distributed?made and distributed?

Internal EvidenceInternal Evidence – What does – What does the document claim for itself?the document claim for itself?

External EvidenceExternal Evidence – Does it – Does it align with other facts, dates, people?align with other facts, dates, people?

The Old TestamentThe Old Testament

The ScribeThe Scribe No copiers, scanners, or printing presses

Copies were made by hand – by scribes

The believed they were dealing with the Word of God


The ScribeThe ScribeThe Massoretic The Massoretic

TextText

Early 10th centuryMassoretes

specialized in copying texts

Copy IsaiahThen total the

letters, words, lines, letters per line, etc.



TextText

They would note the middle letter of the book, middle letter of each page

All present copies of Hebrew texts come from this period



TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea Scrolls

1947, clay jars containing leather scrolls were found

The city of Qumran was dedicated to making copies of Scripture

It dates from 250 BC – 100 BC




Most of the documents are dated around 250-150 BC

Major find – complete Isaiah scroll

1,000 years OLDER than oldest copy




There was no significant difference in the documents that are 1,000 years apart

There were no textual changes

Only a few minor errors



TextTextDead Sea ScrollsDead Sea ScrollsThe SeptuagintThe Septuagint

Septuagint – often called LXX (70)

There were 70 Jewish scholars

Greek translation of the Old Testament

In Alexandria, Egypt about 200 BC

Jesus quoted from it

The New TestamentThe New Testament

Manuscript Manuscript EvidenceEvidence

There are more than 4,000 different manuscripts containing all or most of the NT

They are written on different materials



Papyrus & Papyrus & ParchmentParchment

PapyrusPapyrus – reed, split, pressed, made a durable “paper”

ParchmentParchment – sheep or goat skin – split to very thin

Parchment was very expensive and only used for important documents




ExamplesExamples

Codex Vaticanus – Codex Vaticanus – Codex Siniaticus – Codex Siniaticus – Parchment copies of the entire NT (325 – 450 AD)




ExamplesExamples

Older Papyrii – Older Papyrii – Earlier Earlier fragments (180-225 fragments (180-225 AD)AD)

Chester Beatty Chester Beatty Papyrus (P45, P46, Papyrus (P45, P46, P47) – Luke, John, P47) – Luke, John, Rom., 1 & 2 Cor., Gal., Rom., 1 & 2 Cor., Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Thess., Heb. - and Thess., Heb. - and parts of Matt., Mark, parts of Matt., Mark, Acts, and Rev.Acts, and Rev.




ExamplesExamples

Oldest fragment – Oldest fragment – Rylands Papyrus (P52) – John 18:31-33, 37

It dates at 130 ADFound in Egypt

All of this evidence creates a bridge back to the first century




ExamplesExamplesVersionsVersions

In addition to Greek In addition to Greek manuscripts –manuscripts –

There are more than There are more than 1,000 translations – 1,000 translations – Syria, Coptic, Syria, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, Armenian, Gothic, EthiopicEthiopic

Also about 8,000 Also about 8,000 Latin Vulgate (384-Latin Vulgate (384-400 AD)400 AD)




ExamplesExamplesVersionsVersionsChurch FathersChurch Fathers

Many writers (100-450 Many writers (100-450 AD)AD)

Some were students of Some were students of or traveled with an or traveled with an apostleapostle

ALL of the NT is quoted ALL of the NT is quoted by the church fathersby the church fathers

Except 11 verses!Except 11 verses!

A ComparisonA Comparison

WorkWork Date of WritingDate of Writing Lapse: Event to Lapse: Event to MSMS

Matthew 50-65 <200

Mark 65 <200

Luke 60 <200

John 90-96 <100

Paul 50-65 <200

Josephus 80 900-1200

Tacitus 100-120 800-850

A ComparisonA Comparison

WorkWork Date of WritingDate of Writing Lapse: Event to Lapse: Event to MSMS

Matthew 50-65 <200

Mark 65 <200

Luke 60 <200

John 90-96 <100

Paul 50-65 <200

Herodotus 430-425 BC 1400-1450

Plutarch 100 850-1500

The AnvilThe Anvil

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime:

Then looking in, I saw upon the floorOld hammers, worn with beating

years of time.

The AnvilThe Anvil

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

The AnvilThe Anvil

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed . . . the hammer's gone. Author unknown

InspirationInspiration

Define: InspirationInspiration Greek – God breathed in God gave the thoughts, ideas and the very

words to express those ideas God chose the words from the writer’s

vocabulary to express His thoughts

InspirationInspiration

The original autographs ARE inspiredCopies of the original are not inspiredTranslations are not inspiredThe translators are not inspiredDoes this mean we can’t have trust in

the Bible? Not at all.

ChangesChanges

DittographyDittography – Writing twice what should have been written once – latter instead of later; good instead of god; too instead of to; my, my instead of my

FissionFission – Improperly dividing one word into two words – nowhere becomes now here

ChangesChanges

FusionFusion – Combining two words to form one – there in becomes therein

HaplographyHaplography – Writing once what should be written twice – later instead of latter; god instead of good, my instead of my, my.

ChangesChanges

HomophonyHomophony – Writing a word with a different meaning when both words have the same pronunciation – deer for dear; die for dye

TranspositionTransposition – The reversing of letter order – stop for pots; no for on; pot for top

26 Documents26 Documents

Copying ChecksCopying Checks

In English we have letters “a, b, c, d” and we have numbers “1, 2, 3, 4”

Greek and Hebrew uses letters for numbers – A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4

Similar in English with the letter o and the number 0. The context will tell if it is a letter or number

Bottom LineBottom Line

The biblical copies are so accurate that all of the biblical documents are 98.5% textually pure.

The Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah was 1,000 years older than any previous copy, but was over 95% textually identical.


We have more than 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the NT

We also have 19,000 manuscripts of ancient origin translations

All of the NT is quoted by the early church fathers (except 11 verses)

The NT is very well preserved


It is obvious that the NT is far better preserved than an other ancient text

People have no problem believing in Caesar, Plato, Aristotle

Historians quote Josephus as a Jewish historian


There is more evidence for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount than for the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln