ISSUE BULLETIN OF THE OLSEN a new approach to considering the weight of PARK CHURCH evidence for various readings. Their text, called “The Majority 19.46 OF CHRIST Text” is often abbreviated MT. In 2005 Maurice Robinson and Faithful Sayings William Pierpont published The in the Original November 12, Greek: Byzantine Textform. Their approach focuses on the Byz- 2017 antine text-type. Standard Version. Only the New King James Version (and Since Westcott and Hort, while no complete NT manuscripts a few other updates of the have been found many fragmentary papyri have been discovered Services KJV) continue to use the TR that predate Sinaiticus. These have been published in The Complete Sunday: 9:00 AM as their textual basis. Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts (Grand Rapids: Baker 10:00 AM Book House, 1999). Some include . . . 11:00 AM While the theory was 52 Wednesday: 7:00 PM quickly accepted that the The Rylands Papyrus (P ), a fragment acquired by B.P. Grenfell in Byzantine text-type was a Egypt in 1920 and published in 1934. It is in the Rylands Library and Manuscripts of the Greek New Testament corrupted text, some schol- was copied around AD 150. It is the oldest undisputed fragment of a Elders: ars continue to question its NT book with a portion of John 18:31-33. Pat Ledbetter How the Bible Came to Us (12) assumptions. Does the age The Chester Beatty Papyri (P46), discovered in Egypt and sold to Ches- Jeff Nunn By Kyle Pope of a manuscript guarantee its ter Beatty and the University of Michigan in the 1930s. This manu- accuracy? Does a well-pre- script has almost all of Paul’s epistles. When first found it was dated Deacons: n our last study we learned about the (TR) edition served manuscript guarantee to AD 200, but some modern scholars place it into the first century Steve Dixon of the Greek NT. Produced by Erasmus (1516), then refined in later it is accurate, or does it show based upon paleography. Ryan Ferguson Ieditions by Estienne (1550), Elziver (1624), and Scrivener (1894), it fell into disuse? There were Arend Gressley the TR served as the textual basis for English translations such as the times when major collec- For several years Daniel B. Wallace has been announcing the up- Ben Hight King James Version (KJV) for over 400 years. In the nineteen century a tions of NT manuscripts were coming publication of a manuscript of Mark he believes should be Blake McAlister discovery would dramatically change this. dated into the first century. He posts listings of new discoveries at destroyed. Did these contain Brady McAlister When Erasmus made his first edition he viewed only a few rela- manuscripts as old as these The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts: www.csntm. Walker McAnear org. In some cases readings found in papyri discoveries support read- tively young manuscripts, but the text he produced reflected what is majuscules that read as the Sam Nunn ings found in the Byzantine text. NU has occasionally restored read- known as the Byzantine text-type (named for Byzantium, the former Byzantine text does? Should Lance Purcell capital of the Eastern empire). This text-type is found in most of the ings they once rejected. What will new discoveries reveal? accepted readings be reject- Rusty Scott 5800 surviving manuscripts and was accepted throughout the Greek- ed based on the witness of Justin Smiley speaking world for centuries. Erasmus’ work motivated a rise in the only a few manuscripts? j Trevor Yontz study of ancient manuscripts to determine the original text. This field In 1982 Zane Hodges and of study, known as Textual Criticism, is used in the study of all types of Arthur Farstad introduced Evangelist: historical literature. Its name doesn’t mean one is criticizing a text. It is Kyle Pope the use of criticalexamination of manuscript evidence to determine the 4700 Andrews Ave. most likely form of the original text. Amarillo TX 79106 Faithful Sayings Issue 19.46 November 12, 2017 Greek, like all languages changed over time. One of the most im- 806-352-2809 portant ways it changed was how it was written. Think of it this way, www.olsenpark.com if you looked at a note written by a person when he was four, forty, and ninety-four, the way he wrote at each age shows which notes were Faithful Sayings Issue 19.46 November 12, 2017

older or younger. The study al majuscule manuscripts came to light that became important to the So how did these discoveries compare to the TR? For the Shortly after this a revision of changes in writing is called study of the Greek NT. Here are some of the most important along most part there was agreement, affirming the Lord’s promise, of the KJV was made relying on paleography. In its earliest with the symbol used to identify them in footnotes in Greek Bibles: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no this approach. In England it was forms Greek used block let- means pass away” (Matt. 24:35). But there were some dif- called the Revised Version, but Codex Alexandrinus (A). Sixteen years after the KJV Cyril Lucar, Pa- ters that were all capital let- ferences. Sinaiticus differs from the TR in 12,000 instances. in 1901 an American version triarch of Constantinople gave Charles I a near complete manuscript ters (known as majuscules or The most of these are minor spelling differences, but in other of it was published called the of the Greek Bible copied in Alexandria around AD 400. It is in the uncials). There were no spac- cases, the differences are more significant. For example, in Ro- American Standard Version. Al- British Museum. es between letters and no ac- mans 8:1, mentioned in our last study, most manuscripts have though it did not omit all read- cent or breathing marks. This (B). Since at least 1475 the earliest catalog of the the longer reading ending with the words, “who do not walk ings Westcott and Hort rejected, continued through about AD Vatican library records a near complete manuscript of the Greek Bib- according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (NKJV). for the first time a textual basis 900, but around AD 800 Greek le believed to date to about AD 300. Sinaiticus ends the verse with the words, “There is therefore other than the TR was used. began to use mostly lower now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (D). Theodore Beza was a friend John Calvin. In 1581 Since Westcott and Hort case letters (known as minus- Does that mean the original text had the shorter reading, or Beza gave Cambridge Library a manuscript of the Gospels and Acts the view that the Byzantine cules). It was a more cursive was Sinaiticus miscopied in this instance? Throughout Sinaiti- he got from a monastery in Lyons made in the fifth or sixth century. text-type is a secondary text style with space between let- cus there are notes where scribes (at some point) added cor- has become the accepted view ters along with accent and The story of one of the most significant discoveries revolves rections that match the Byzantine text. In Romans 8:1 there among most scholars. Criti- breathing marks. None of this around the life of a man named Constantin von Tischendorf (1815- is a break in the line after the words “Christ Jesus” with an cal (or Eclectic) texts based on changed the meaning, but it 1874). Daniel B. Wallace believes the fictional character Indiana arrow pointing back to these words. At the top of the page readings scholars pieced to- allows scholars to determine Jones was based in part on Tischendorf’s life. At nineteen he was there is another arrow with the words of the longer reading gether from their best judgment a manuscript’s age based on already skilled in Greek and Latin. At twenty-five, he taught at a uni- supplied (possibly) by a later editor. Which reading should be of the original reading are pro- how it was written. Gener- versity. At twenty-six, he deciphered the palimpsest (a manuscript accepted? How scholars answer this affects decisions made in duced leaning primarily on the ally majuscule manuscripts “scraped twice” with one text written over another) known as Co- Bible translation for the next centuries. age of a manuscript as a basis are the oldest, minuscule are dex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) which turned out to be a near complete Sinaiticus became the basis for Tischendorf’s future editions for its authority. The two most younger. After Erasmus sever- manuscript of the NT from around AD 400. of the Greek New Testament. He published eight from 1841- popular editions are the Nestle- At twenty-seven Tischendorf published his first edi- 1869, but included notes that identified variants in other manu- Aland and the United Bible So- tion of the Greek NT. Two years later, in 1844 at the age of scripts. In the years that followed a theory developed that the ciety Greek texts (abbreviated twenty-nine, he discovered the oldest complete NT manu- Byzantine text had been changed over time to include conflated NU). Unlike Westcott and Hort, script ever found. At St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai readings (i.e. readings bringing together different variants into both include footnotes allow- he rescued this ancient manuscript from a pile of parch- one reading). In 1881 B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort, proponents ing readers to evaluate manu- ments about to be burned for firewood. It is known as. . . of this theory, published a text of the Greek NT advocating the script evidence. Updated edi- view that older manuscripts are the only trustworthy witnesses tions try to include the most -Dated to around AD 300, it is a parch .(א) ment elegantly written in four columns. It contains all of the to the text. Using the majuscule manuscripts as their primary recent manuscript discoveries. NT and much of the Greek OT. It is in the British Museum source, their edition omitted words or phrases that had long NU has been used as the tex- and can be digitally viewed at: www.codexsinaiticus.org. been in the TR. These were listed in the back as “rejected read- tual basis for almost all English ings.” It had no footnotes showing evidence for variant readings. translations since the American

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