Restitutio

Podcast 61: Is the New Testament Reliable? (Apologetics 11)

Listen Later

Apologetics 11: New Testament Transmission

With the New Testament we can’t argue for a reliable transmission on the basis of meticulous Hebrew scribes. More often, especially early on, the Christian scribes focused more on quantity than quality so they could get the word out as quickly as possible. However, the sheer number of manuscripts that survived and the relatively early date of several ensure that we can employ a range of strategies to recover the original text with 99.5% accuracy. In fact, when we compare the New Testament to other ancient literature it is almost embarrassing how much better it is than the others.

If you would like to take this class for credit, please contact the Atlanta Bible College so you can register and do the necessary work for a grade.

Notes:

How To Determine Reliable Transmission

  • Two factors that need to be tested to prove reliability
    • number of copies
    • time span between extant copy and autograph
    • extant means the existing copy
    • autograph means what was originally written

      • A Wealth of Manuscripts

      • extant means currently in existence
      • Uncial manuscripts
        • all-capital Greek letters
        • 306 manuscripts dating to as early as the third century (200’s ad)
        • Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (both date to around ad350
        • about 250 years between the completion of the NT and the first full copies of it
        • Minuscule
          • Cursive writing emerged in ad 800
          • 2,856 manuscripts
          • Lectionaries
            • Contain NT Scripture in the sequence that it was to be read in the early churches at appropriate times of the year
            • 2,403 manuscripts
            • Total Greek Manuscripts = 306 + 2856 + 2403 = 5,565 currently
              • (according to Bruce Metzger)
            • Also there are ancient translations
              • Approximately 10,000 copies of the Latin Vulgate
              • 9,300 copies in Ethiopic, Syriac, and Aramaic.
              • Grand Total = over 24,000 manuscripts
              • critical editions
                • NA28  \ all modern translations for the NT are based on one of these
                • UBS4 /
                • Stephanus[1] (KJV was translated from Stephanus) see footnote and next page
                  • originated from Erasmus’ 1516 critical edition and complutensian polyglot of 1522
                  • based on 20 to 25 mss, mostly medieval 8th c. or later
                  • notable differences
                    • Comma Johanneum
                    • two later additions that still appear in our Bibles are Adulteress woman and long ending of Mark
                    • resources
                      • Bruce Metzger’s A Textual Commentary of the Greek New Testament
                      • NET Bible
                      • Translations
                        • major strategies
                          • formal equivalence (word for word)
                          • dynamic equivalence (thought for thought)
                          • translations using outdated Greek manuscripts
                            • KJV, NKJV, YLT, ASV, Amplified
                            • range of Bibles from most literal to least
                              • NASB
                              • HCSB
                              • ESV
                              • NRSV
                              • NET
                              • NAB
                              • NJB
                              • NIV
                              • NCB
                              • GNB
                              • CEV
                              • NLT
                              • Living
                              • Message

                                • Time Between Autograph and Extant Manuscript

                                • see chart on pp. 142-143 in Building Belief
                                • The John Rylands papyri manuscript found in Egypt, which is a small portion of the Gospel of John, is dated from ad 117-138. This means that we have a manuscript within nearly 30 years of the autograph. (Only 30 years between Gospel of John and P52 – John Ryland’s Papyrus)

                                  • Variants between Manuscripts

                                  • If we
                                    • ...more
                                    View all episodesView all episodes
                                    Download on the App Store
                                    RestitutioBy Sean P Finnegan
                                    • 4.8
                                    • 4.8
                                    • 4.8
                                    • 4.8
                                    • 4.8

                                    4.8

                                    144 ratings

                                    More shows like Restitutio

                                    View all
                                    Your Move with Andy Stanley Podcast by Andy Stanley

                                    Your Move with Andy Stanley Podcast

                                    4,008 Listeners

                                    Unbelievable? by Premier Unbelievable?

                                    Unbelievable?

                                    2,021 Listeners

                                    LHIM Weekly Bible Teaching by LHIM

                                    LHIM Weekly Bible Teaching

                                    22 Listeners

                                    Trinities by Dale Tuggy

                                    Trinities

                                    126 Listeners

                                    BibleProject by BibleProject Podcast

                                    BibleProject

                                    18,707 Listeners

                                    Theocast by Jon Moffitt & Justin Perdue

                                    Theocast

                                    884 Listeners

                                    Java with Juli - Conversations About God, Sex, & You by Dr. Juli Slattery and Authentic Intimacy®

                                    Java with Juli - Conversations About God, Sex, & You

                                    1,606 Listeners

                                    The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

                                    The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

                                    34,050 Listeners

                                    Restitutio Classes by Sean P Finnegan

                                    Restitutio Classes

                                    19 Listeners

                                    The Biblical Unitarian Podcast by Dustin Smith

                                    The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

                                    78 Listeners

                                    BibleThinker by Mike Winger

                                    BibleThinker

                                    2,717 Listeners

                                    One God Report by William Schlegel

                                    One God Report

                                    60 Listeners

                                    Unitarian Christian Alliance by Mark Cain, UCA member

                                    Unitarian Christian Alliance

                                    54 Listeners

                                    Transfigured by Transfigured

                                    Transfigured

                                    15 Listeners

                                    Morning Wire by The Daily Wire

                                    Morning Wire

                                    26,417 Listeners