Manuscript

-return to blog- • -return to wiki-

Biblical Manuscript

Ancient manuscripts are used to seek out the original text of the Bible with as great a degree of accuracy as possible through a process called textual criticism or lower criticism.

(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament by Mark R. Norton, Page 155)

Accuracy

Old Testament

Older does not necessarily mean closer to the original. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Masoretic texts agree surprisingly well compared to all other ancient works, and all 5% differences are not the sort of thing that leads to heresy, though they do produce or muddy prophesies.

(Origin of the Bible handout by my small group leader, March 22, 2023. Page 2.)

The Masoretic texts are complete, but they were written 1-2 thousand years after the original autographs. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the 1940s and 1950s and became the most important ancient witnesses to the Hebrew Bible, as they date back to only 300 years after the close of the Old Testament canon.

(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament by Mark R. Norton, Page 159-160)

Other manuscripts have been accessed because of their age (like the Nash Papyrus) or their value in understanding the Old Testament textual tradition prior to the Masoretic standard (like the Cairo Geniza and the Samaritan Pentateuch).

(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament by Mark R. Norton, Page 166-168)

New Testament

Before complete manuscripts were found, the church fathers had quoted so heavily from the New Testament that we practically had a complete New Testament already.

(Origin of the Bible class notes, March 1, 2023. Pink jaguar print composition book. Page 2)

Dating

Since scribes have rigid standards that change over time, they can be dated by the writing strokes.

(Origin of the Bible handout by my small group leader, March 22, 2023. Page 2.)

Old Testament Manuscripts

Most medieval manuscripts of the Old Testament exhibit a fairly standardized form of the Hebrew text after the work of the Masoretes. Most of the important manuscripts from the A.D. 11th century or later reflect this same textual tradition. But since the Masoretic Text did not stablize until well after A.D. 500, so its development in preceding centuries is not well-understood.

(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament by Mark R. Norton, Page 156-157)

List

Biblical