Are the Biblical Documents Reliable?

1
Are the BiblicalDocuments Reliable?

• How do we know the Bible we have today is even
  close to the original?
• Arent the copies through the years full of
  errors, embellishments, additions and deletions?

2
3 Errors to Avoid

1. Assume Inspiration of the document
2. Many documents claim inspiration
3. Our task is to prove the inspiration
4. Is is circular reasoning to assume the thing you
   are trying to prove.

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3 Errors to Avoid

1. Assume Inspiration of the document
2. Their Bible looked like ours
3. Arrangement / title of books
4. Chapter and verse divisions
5. The documents are a collection of ancient source
   autographs.
6. Start with modern authorities

4
Is the Document Valid?

• Bibliographical What is the textual tradition?
  Were many copies made and distributed?
• Internal Evidence What does the document claim
  for itself?
• External Evidence Does it align with other
  facts, dates, people?

5
The Old Testament

• The Scribe

• No copiers, scanners, or printing presses
• Copies were made by hand by scribes
• The believed they were dealing with the Word of
  God

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The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text

• Early 10th century
• Massoretes specialized in copying texts
• Copy Isaiah
• Then total the letters, words, lines, letters per
  line, etc.

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The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text

• They would note the middle letter of the book,
  middle letter of each page
• All present copies of Hebrew texts come from this
  period

8
The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text
• Dead 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

9
The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text
• Dead Sea Scrolls

• Most of the documents are dated around 250-150 BC
• Major find complete Isaiah scroll
• 1,000 years OLDER than oldest copy

10
The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text
• Dead Sea Scrolls

• There was no significant difference in the
  documents that are 1,000 years apart
• There were no textual changes
• Only a few minor errors

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The Old Testament

• The Scribe
• The Massoretic Text
• Dead Sea Scrolls
• The 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

12
The New Testament

• Manuscript Evidence

• There are more than 4,000 different manuscripts
  containing all or most of the NT
• They are written on different materials

13
The New Testament

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment

• Papyrus reed, split, pressed, made a durable
  paper
• Parchment sheep or goat skin split to very
  thin
• Parchment was very expensive and only used for
  important documents

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The New Testament

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment
• Examples

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

15
The New Testament

• Older Papyrii Earlier fragments (180-225 AD)
• Chester Beatty Papyrus (P45, P46, P47) Luke,
  John, Rom., 1 2 Cor., Gal., Eph., Phil., Col.,
  1 2 Thess., Heb. - and parts of Matt., Mark,
  Acts, and Rev.

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment
• Examples

16
The New Testament

• Oldest fragment Rylands Papyrus (P52) John
  1831-33, 37
• It dates at 130 AD
• Found in Egypt
• All of this evidence creates a bridge back to the
  first century

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment
• Examples

17
The New Testament

• In addition to Greek manuscripts
• There are more than 1,000 translations Syria,
  Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, Ethiopic
• Also about 8,000 Latin Vulgate (384-400 AD)

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment
• Examples
• Versions

18
The New Testament

• Many writers (100-450 AD)
• Some were students of or traveled with an apostle
• ALL of the NT is quoted by the church fathers
• Except 11 verses!

• Manuscript Evidence
• Papyrus Parchment
• Examples
• Versions
• Church Fathers

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A Comparison
Work Date of Writing Lapse Event to MS
Matthew 50-65 lt200
Mark 65 lt200
Luke 60 lt200
John 90-96 lt100
Paul 50-65 lt200
Josephus 80 900-1200
Tacitus 100-120 800-850
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A Comparison
Work Date of Writing Lapse Event to MS
Matthew 50-65 lt200
Mark 65 lt200
Luke 60 lt200
John 90-96 lt100
Paul 50-65 lt200
Herodotus 430-425 BC 1400-1450
Plutarch 100 850-1500
21
The Anvil

• Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's doorAnd
  heard the anvil ring the vesper chimeThen
  looking in, I saw upon the floorOld hammers,
  worn with beating years of time.

22
The 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."

23
The Anvil

• And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word,For
  ages skeptic blows have beat uponYet though the
  noise of falling blows was heard,The anvil is
  unharmed . . . the hammer's gone. Author unknown

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Inspiration

• Define Inspiration
• Greek God breathed in
• God gave the thoughts, ideas and the very words
  to express those ideas
• God chose the words from the writers vocabulary
  to express His thoughts

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Inspiration

• The original autographs ARE inspired
• Copies of the original are not inspired
• Translations are not inspired
• The translators are not inspired
• Does this mean we cant have trust in the Bible?
  Not at all.

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Changes

• Dittography 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
• Fission Improperly dividing one word into two
  words nowhere becomes now here

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Changes

• Fusion Combining two words to form one there
  in becomes therein
• Haplography Writing once what should be written
  twice later instead of latter god instead of
  good, my instead of my, my.

28
Changes

• Homophony Writing a word with a different
  meaning when both words have the same
  pronunciation deer for dear die for dye
• Transposition The reversing of letter order
  stop for pots no for on pot for top

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26 Documents
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26 Documents
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26 Documents
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26 Documents
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Copying 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 A1,
  B2, C3, D4
• Similar in English with the letter o and the
  number 0. The context will tell if it is a letter
  or number

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Bottom 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.

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Bottom Line

• 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

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Bottom Line

• 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

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Bottom Line

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