In this article we present evidence through the textual criticism of the possibility of restoring the original text of the writings of the New Testament.
The knowledge of scriptural criticism is able to restore the original text, did scientists succeed in this area? Some researchers and scientists indicated that they had reached 99% certainty.
And that only 1% of the subjects are worth studying. This is a great achievement compared to the texts of the ancient Greco-Roman world. But some critics have tried to mislead the public in order to extract confidence in the writings of the New Testament. When we hold on to the New Testament, we hold on to God's trusted Word. Most researchers are convinced. Except for a few of them and the minority that promotes the corruption of the New Testament, one of them Bart Ehrman. Because he is biased and atheist and he is interested in promoting his books for money and making huge gains. However, many researchers and scientists in the same field disagreed with him and many responses were written. We will address three main facts about the researchers' confidence in scriptural critique of the writings of the New Testament.
I. The existence of a large number of manuscripts?
What is the advantage in having a large number of manuscripts. The benefit of this great number is its advantage when determining the original reading of the New Testament. It makes it easier to evaluate the various readings available or known rather than having texts without any evidence
Wegner, A Student's Guide, p. 41 Second, the abundance of New Testament manuscripts on ancient classical books. The New Testament contains many manuscripts that support its texts and does not compare the number of manuscripts of any old classic book such as the writings of Herod or Theosides, Julius Caesar or Tacitus or Levi or others. Moreover, the interval is very short between the original written through the messenger and copies copied from the original, unlike any old classic book, we find that there is a time gap between the original and copied for hundreds of years may reach the periods to a thousand years and more. The researchers concluded in the textual criticism that the critics accepted the classical texts as accurate. How can we not accept the writings of the New Testament as accurate? Thirdly, the texts that need to be studied do not invalidate any belief or affect any of the fundamentals of Christianity. It can be checked to determine the best reading between readings. Now the role of researchers in the field of textual criticism. Westcott and Hort In 1881, both B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort published a New Testament book based on manuscripts. What they produced is a remarkable science of scriptural criticism, although at the time there were no major discoveries like the twentieth century. But they analyzed the manuscripts and wrote that the differences in the manuscripts were just a small matter and there were water differences. They wrote the following. The words in our opinion still subject to doubt only make up about one sixtieth of the whole New Testament (The New Testament in the Original Greek, Macmillan, 1881, vol. 1, p. The words that are subject to doubt in our opinion are about sixty of the whole New Testament. They returned and said again that the variables do not constitute more than a thousand part of the text of the New Testament in full The amount of what can in any sense be called substantive variation, is but a small fraction of the whole residual variation, and can hardly form more than a thousandth part of the entire text [of the New Testament]. (vol. 1, p. 2) Westcott and Hort explained in writing the first chapter in three pages that the majority of the text of the New Testament does not need to be discussed or corrected. We desire to make it clearly understood beforehand how much of the New Testament stands in no need of a textual critic's labors. (vol. 1 p. 3) And finally was the New Testament restored through hard work? And the position of ancient classical books such as Heroddet and Thucydis and the Roman authors. And to accept their writing without a doubt. Can it be compared with the writings of the New Testament? Wistkott and Hort are reproduced in Volume II at the end of their work: The New Testament texts stand on a variety of written evidence The apparent ease and simplicity with which many ancient texts are edited may be thought, on a hasty view, to insist that the New Testament can not be restored with equal security. But this ease and simplicity is in fact the mark of evidence too scanty to be tested; whereas in the diversity and fullness of the evidence on which it rests, the text of the New Testament stands absolutely and unapproachably alone among ancient prose writing (vol. 2, p. 561) Westcott and Hort say what the scriptural critics have said many times. The classical texts were accepted as genuine and they are much less written in their manuscripts than in the New Testament. The New Testament is accepted as a fact about the most classical books in their manuscripts. Sir Frederick Kenyon Optimistic about the result of hard work done by many scientists.
It is reassuring that all discoveries have been reinforced by the authenticity of the Bible and our conviction that we have in our hands great integrity. The Word of God It is reassuring at the end to find that the general result of all these discoveries and all this study is to strengthen the proof of the authenticity of the Scriptures, and our conviction that we have in our hands, in substantive integrity, the veritable Word of God.
Reference Paul D. Wegner, Textual Criticism of the Bible, p. 25 After Kenyon's work many other manuscripts were found, yet nothing changed in the meaning and content of the New Testament. Of course there are variables but few in the New Testament and these variables have only a slight difference in the meaning or even the content (Wegner page 25) Jack Finegan He is an emeritus professor of the New Testament and Archeology and has a great relationship with manuscripts. Jack sees what the scribes and authors did was a cautious act. Of course, there are differences because of the large number of manuscripts, but they can be overcome and the writings of the original authors of the New Testament can be reached. It is clear that we can distinguish between the variable reading and the closest possible access to the original, which is intended by the original author on page 55 Fingan summarizes the strict ways to follow the original text.
The entire book, according to Jack, aims to provide a background for understanding texts that are safe and to reach the maximum extent possible from the original word on page 187 Note that he said the original word in the individual, it indicates that the textual critics are cautious in the word contained, and there is no variable that influenced a basic doctrine or erased the entire New Testament.
Gordon D. Fee In an introductory article in the Bible's commentary on scriptural criticism, he said that the original text of the New Testament could be accessed as humanly as possible. And access to the intent of the original authors and what they intended in their writings.
The text criticism aims to:
Identify the original words of the New Testament And get an accurate translation representing the original text. vol. 1, Zondervan, 1979 (pp. 419-20)
In the following articles we will see the views of:
Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland
David Alan
Black Harold
Greenlee K. Elliott and
Reference Paul D. Wegner, Textual Criticism of the Bible, p. 25 After Kenyon's work many other manuscripts were found, yet nothing changed in the meaning and content of the New Testament. Of course there are variables but few in the New Testament and these variables have only a slight difference in the meaning or even the content (Wegner page 25) Jack Finegan He is an emeritus professor of the New Testament and Archeology and has a great relationship with manuscripts. Jack sees what the scribes and authors did was a cautious act. Of course, there are differences because of the large number of manuscripts, but they can be overcome and the writings of the original authors of the New Testament can be reached. It is clear that we can distinguish between the variable reading and the closest possible access to the original, which is intended by the original author on page 55 Fingan summarizes the strict ways to follow the original text.
The entire book, according to Jack, aims to provide a background for understanding texts that are safe and to reach the maximum extent possible from the original word on page 187 Note that he said the original word in the individual, it indicates that the textual critics are cautious in the word contained, and there is no variable that influenced a basic doctrine or erased the entire New Testament.
Gordon D. Fee In an introductory article in the Bible's commentary on scriptural criticism, he said that the original text of the New Testament could be accessed as humanly as possible. And access to the intent of the original authors and what they intended in their writings.
The text criticism aims to:
Identify the original words of the New Testament And get an accurate translation representing the original text. vol. 1, Zondervan, 1979 (pp. 419-20)
In the following articles we will see the views of:
Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland
David Alan
Black Harold
Greenlee K. Elliott and
Ian Moir
Philip W. Comfort
Bruce M. Metzger
Moisés Silva
Paul D. Wegner