DOCSLIB.ORG

And the Goal of New Testament Textual Criticism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
And the Goal of New Testament Textual Criticism RECONSTRUCTING THE TEXT OF THE CHURCH: THE “CANONICAL TEXT” AND THE GOAL OF NEW TESTAMENT TEXTUAL CRITICISM by DAVID RICHARD HERBISON A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Master of Arts in Biblical Studies We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard ............................................................................... Dr. Kent Clarke, Ph.D.; Thesis Supervisor ................................................................................ Dr. Craig Allert, Ph.D.; Second Reader TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY December 2015 © David Richard Herbison ABSTRACT Over the last several decades, a number of scholars have raised questions about the feasibility of achieving New Testament textual criticism’s traditional goal of establishing the “original text” of the New Testament documents. In light of these questions, several alternative goals have been proposed. Among these is a proposal that was made by Brevard Childs, arguing that text critics should go about reconstructing the “canonical text” of the New Testament rather than the “original text.” However, concepts of “canon” have generally been limited to discussions of which books were included or excluded from a list of authoritative writings, not necessarily the specific textual readings within those writings. Therefore, any proposal that seeks to apply notions of “canon” to the goals and methods of textual criticism warrants further investigation. This thesis evaluates Childs’ proposal by asking two overarching questions. First, is there historical evidence that supports the existence of a “canonical text” of the New Testament as a lost artifact, and therefore a valid object of historical reconstruction? Second, if such evidence exists, should modern text critics and exegetes prefer this textform to more traditional reconstructions? This study concludes that there is little evidence to support the existence of a lost “canonical text” of the New Testament, and that even if one assumes the existence of such a text, there are good reasons for continuing to prefer more traditional reconstructions. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. 2 ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 1: ISSUES WITH “ORIGINAL TEXT” ........................................................................... 8 1.1. THE TRADITIONAL GOAL AND METHODS OF NEW TESTAMENT TEXTUAL CRITICISM ................... 10 1.2. PROBLEMS WITH CONCEPTIONS OF THE “ORIGINAL TEXT” ............................................................ 12 1.2.1. Focus is too Narrow ................................................................................................................. 12 1.2.2. Which Stage is “Original”? ..................................................................................................... 14 1.2.3. Eclectic Text is not the Church’s Text ...................................................................................... 18 1.2.3.1. Majority Text/Byzantine Textform ...................................................................................................................... 18 1.2.3.2. Follow the Earliest Manuscripts .......................................................................................................................... 20 1.2.3.3. Adopt a Single Manuscript .................................................................................................................................. 22 1.2.3.4. Reconstruction of a “Canonical Text” ................................................................................................................. 25 1.3. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 2: CANONICITY—AT WHAT LEVEL? BOOKS, READINGS, AND THE CHURCH FATHERS ............................................................................................................................... 34 2.1. CHURCH FATHERS AND EARLY CHRISTIAN BOOKS ......................................................................... 35 2.2. TREATMENT OF VARIANTS BY THE CHURCH FATHERS ................................................................... 40 2.2.1. Types of Textual Data Referenced by the Fathers .................................................................... 41 2.2.1.1. Reading Supported by Greek Manuscripts .......................................................................................................... 41 2.2.1.2. Reading Supported by Numerous or the Majority of Manuscripts ...................................................................... 43 2.2.1.3. Reading Preferred Based on Meaning and/or Context ........................................................................................ 44 2.2.1.4. Reading Supported by Latin Manuscripts ............................................................................................................ 45 2.2.1.5. Reading Supported by Earlier Manuscripts ......................................................................................................... 46 2.2.1.6. Reading Supported by “Accurate” Manuscripts .................................................................................................. 46 2.2.1.7. Reading Supported by Specific Copies or Authors ............................................................................................. 48 2.2.1.8. Reading Preferred Due to Non-Textual Evidence ............................................................................................... 49 2.2.2. The Fathers’ Response to Variation ......................................................................................... 50 2.2.2.1. Variant Mentioned ............................................................................................................................................... 51 2.2.2.2. Exegete Multiple Variant Readings ..................................................................................................................... 52 2.2.2.3. Neither Reading Changes the Text’s Meaning .................................................................................................... 54 2.2.2.4. Cause for the Introduction of a Reading Proposed .............................................................................................. 55 2.2.2.5. Heretics/Orthodox at Fault for Variant ................................................................................................................ 56 2.2.3. Potential Use of “Canonical” Terminology to Describe Variant Readings ............................ 58 2.2.3.1. Anastasius Abbot of Sinai, Viae Dux 22.3 .......................................................................................................... 58 2.2.3.2. Victor of Antioch, Comm. Mark 16:8-9 .............................................................................................................. 58 2.2.3.3. Eusebius, Quaest. Marin. 1.1-2 ............................................................................................................................ 59 2.2.3.4. Epiphanius, Anc. 31.4-5 ....................................................................................................................................... 59 2.2.3.5. Pseudo-Athanasius, De sancta trinitate 3.20 [Didymus?] .................................................................................... 60 2.2.3.6. Basil, Eun. 2.19 .................................................................................................................................................... 61 2.2.4. Canonical Terminology Applied to Variant Readings? ........................................................... 61 2.3. MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES—MULTIPLE CANONICAL TEXTS ............................................................ 63 2.4. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 3: IN SEARCH OF A CANONICAL TEXT: CANONICAL TEXTUAL CRITICISM AND THE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE ................................................................................................. 67 3.1. AN EXAMPLE OF THE CANONICAL METHOD OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM ............................................ 67 3.2. IS THERE A “CANONICAL TEXT”? MATT 26 AS A CASE STUDY ...................................................... 76 3.2.1. Choice of Text and Manuscripts ............................................................................................... 77 3.2.2. Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................................... 79 3.2.3. Corrections ............................................................................................................................... 82 3.2.4. Significant Variants .................................................................................................................. 99 3.3. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................ 120 3 CHAPTER 4: THE CANONICAL TEXT: PREFERABLE? ......................................................... 126 4.1. THE
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 3 the Issue of Methodology Regarding Inner-Biblical and Inter-Biblical Interpretation: Rhetorical Criticism
    3 The Issue of Methodology Regarding Inner-Biblical and Inter-Biblical Interpretation: Rhetorical Criticism In our last chapter, we delineated discourse analysis (text-linguistics) as one of the two methodological approaches we will apply in this project. In this chapter, we will examine our second methodological approach, rhetorical criticism, under the rubric of literary analysis. Literary analysis83 has a protracted history that encompasses a variety of methodologies that stretch beyond the scope of this project. While we refer to scholarly works that treat and discuss these subjects,84 our course of action is to focus on one of the methodologies and consider how it can be applied to our study. Literary analysis includes the following methodologies: source, tradition- historical, form, redaction, canonical, and rhetorical criticism.85 Regardless of the methodologies chosen, the aim of applying literary criticism to biblical studies – to borrow John Barton’s term – is for the ‟elucidation” of the biblical texts.86 After reviewing all the critical methods, we have settled on rhetorical criticism. The reasons why we have chosen rhetorical criticism above other methods of literary analysis serve as the subject of our next section. 83 Traditionally, literary criticism is also known as source criticism. It should be noted that we are using literary analysis and literary criticism synonymously, putting textual, form, source, rhetorical, and canonical criticism under literary analysis. See T. K. Beal, K. A. Keefer, and T. Linafelt, ‟Literary Theory, Literary Criticism, and the Bible,” in DBI 2: 79. Richard Coggins, ‟Keeping Up with Recent Studies X: The Literary Approach to the Bible,” ExpTim 96 (1984): 9-14.
    [Show full text]
  • Novum Testamentum Graece Nestle-Aland 28Th Edition Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    NOVUM TESTAMENTUM GRAECE NESTLE-ALAND 28TH EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Eberhard Nestle | 9781619700307 | | | | | Novum Testamentum Graece Nestle-Aland 28th edition PDF Book Book ratings by Goodreads. It is a very nice sewn binding. Three reasons for ordering Reasonable prices International shipping Secure payment. Answer: Thank you for your question. You are commenting using your Twitter account. Follow us. No additional fonts needed. Holman Christian Standard. Das neue Testament Griechisch A must see site! Canons and books. The site also containscomputer software containing the versions and free Bible study tools. American Standard Version. We try our best to provide a competitive shipping experience for our customers. When I find out I will post the information as an update. This edition introduced a separate critical apparatus and finally introduced consistency to the majority reading principle. It is sewn and flexible. The New Testament arrived in a cardboard box from Hendrickson. It feels like a high quality Bible paper. Aland submitted his work on NA to the editorial committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament of which he was also a member and it became the basic text of their third edition UBS3 in , four years before it was published as the 26th edition of Nestle-Aland. The Greek text of the 28th edition is the same as that of the 5th edition of the United Bible Societies The Greek New Testament abbreviated UBS5 although there are a few differences between them in paragraphing, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. Essential We use cookies to provide our services , for example, to keep track of items stored in your shopping basket, prevent fraudulent activity, improve the security of our services, keep track of your specific preferences e.
    [Show full text]
  • HERMENEUTICAL CRITICISMS: by Mark E
    Issues of Interpretation Ozark Christian College, GB 216-2 Professor Mark E. Moore, Ph.D. Table of Contents: 1. Hermeneutical Constructs .......................................................................................................2 2. A Chart of the History of Hermeneutics .................................................................................5 3. History of Interpretation .........................................................................................................7 4. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1.1.10.......................................................................29 5. Allegory of 153 Fish, Jn 21:11 .............................................................................................30 6. How the Holy Spirit Helps in Interpretation .........................................................................31 7. Problem Passages ..................................................................................................................32 8. Principles for Dealing with Problem Passages .....................................................................33 9. Cultural vs. Universal ...........................................................................................................34 10. Hermeneutical Constructs .....................................................................................................36 11. Hermeneutical Shifts .............................................................................................................38 12. Hermeneutical Constructs:
    [Show full text]
  • The Modern History of the Qumran Psalms Scroll and Canonical Criticism
    THE MODERN HISTORY OF THE QUMRAN PSALMS SCROLL AND CANONICAL CRITICISM JAMES A. SANDERS At its 2001 annual meeting the international Society of Biblical Literature celebrated the completion of the publication of the Dead Sea Serolls. It was a gala occasion with a sense of the miraculous hovering over the some three hundred who attended. In the previ­ ous five decades eight volumes of the Discovenes in the Judaean Desert scries had been published, but during the last decade twenty-eight more have appeared. Emanuel Tov, Magnes Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Hebrew University, made the difference. In 1990 Tov became the fourth chief editor of the international team charged with thc pub1ications, following Roland de Vaux, Pierre Benoit, and John Strugnell. Tov increased the team from twenty scholars to over sixty. Five further volumes are in the pipeline at the present, which will complete publication of thirty-nine volumes of the scrolls in thc DJD series, over nine-hundred ancient texts all told. Reference vol­ umes will follow. Tov's address on the occasion was stunning. It was a tell-all, detailed history of publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls from his stand­ point, and as only he with his intimate knowledge of the last phases of the enterprise could tell it. I It was a kind of oral history of thc sort Sterling Van Wagner and Weston Fields, an editor of the present volume, and others have recently been collecting from the earlier generation of Dead Sea Scrolls scholars. One weeps over the lost, unpublished records that have languished in widows' and heirs' attics, when the source of the most intimatc kind of knowledge has been totally lost in the deaths of those who failed to complete their work, or who were too modest to publish their memories of what really happened.
    [Show full text]
  • Proverbs-Psalms: 1 of 12 OT222 03 of 03 03 Means LESSON Hermeneuein Douglas K
    Proverbs-Psalms: Proverbs-Psalms: OT222 Singing the Sounds of Real Life LESSON 03 of 03 Developing Old Testament Study Skills Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D. Experience: Professor of Old Testament at Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts I. Introduction to Understanding the Old Testament Scripture promises the one seeking wisdom and understanding that he or she “will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Pr 2:5-6). If one really wants to properly respond to the Bible message, one must know how to interpret it. Certainly many of the spiritual truths of the Old Testament can be ascertained through just a cursory reading of the text, but systematic study can yield far greater benefits. While it is true that in-depth Bible study will take more time and effort, there are principles and methodologies that can serve as guides for making the whole process quicker, easier, and more productive. A. Hermeneutics Correctly interpreting and understanding the Old Testament can be an arduous, often puzzling, but intrinsically rewarding experience. Deciding to begin doing in-depth Bible studies may seem intimidating at first, but a knowledge of the art and science of hermeneutics should prove useful. The Greek verb hermeneuein means “to explain, interpret” or “translate,” while the noun hermeneia means “interpretation” or “translation.” Using the verb, Luke informs his readers that Jesus “explained” to the two disciples on the Emmaus road what the Scriptures said about Him (Lk 24:27). Hermeneutics attempts to help us comprehend what a message—written, oral, or visual— is endeavoring to communicate.
    [Show full text]
  • Textual Criticism in the Old Testament
    Textual Criticism In The Old Testament War-worn and squirarchical Wilfred perk while endowed Bryce lessen her iconoscopes angelically and flies questionably. Interfertile and hervillatic Yarborough. Woodrow navigating her lentigo labialise or enumerating aesthetic. Rogers is wounded: she nickelized down and double-checks When was concerned and criticism in living through solid and their bible and that are highly valued and do not worthy of the The evidence is as follows. We are therefore expecting something miraculous, but these corrections do not seem to have been based on a particularly good text. Wisdom of Solomon is invery good Greek. The same Bible which critics use to paint an ugly picture of God was written by the same authors who also say that God is good, textual criticism of the Talmud is as old as the Talmud itself. God to his audience in more subtle ways. It has become a major obstacle to Christian missions. One can therefore easily identify these copies as late. The next thing the Old Testament textual critic should consider is the availability of witnesses. For the Vulgate see this edition published by the German Bible Society. This is the overall site. Finally, methodology, thousands of years. Those who copied the Bible in antiquity were people just like us. Loose quotations, can make mistakes. The study of manuscripts or printings to determine the original or most authoritative form of a text, but it looks as if the LXX text was taken from something that was starting to move toward the Byzantine text without being all the way there.
    [Show full text]
  • Canonical Reading of the Old Testament in the Context of Critical Scholarship
    CANONICAL READING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP - -■11111.44.0411,■.--- ROLF RENDTORFF In the early seventies of this century a new term appeared in biblical scholarship: Canonical Criticism. It was James Sanders who explicitly introduced this term in his essay Torah and Canon (1972). The discussion on this program was from its very beginning also closely linked to work of Brevard Childs. In the meantime this term and its manifold implications are widely used and debated. Let me first of all say something about terminology. The word 'canon' has been used, of course, much earlier in Bible scholarship, but under a different aspect. We can now distinguish between two main aspects of canon studies. I quote the categorization by one well-known expert in this field: Sid Leiman in the foreword to the second edi- tion of his book, The Canonization of Hebrew Scripture (1991), speaks about two related but distinct categories, not to be confused with each other. The one category may be termed 'canonization studies.' Its focus is on the history of the formation of the biblical canon from its inception to its closing. The other category has been termed 'canonical criticism.' Its focus is primarily on the function of the biblical canon throughout the reli- gious history of a particular faith community. For the latter Leiman mentions explicitly Childs and Sanders, "among the founders and major proponents." In my eyes the first category is very important, not only from a historical point of view but also to understand under what circumstances and religious conditions the canon of the Bible, as we now have it, came into being.
    [Show full text]
  • The Contributions of Textual Criticism to the Interpretation of the New Testament
    Restoration Quarterly Volume 5 | Number 4 Article 2 10-1-1961 The onC tributions of Textual Criticism to the Interpretation of the New Testament Frank Pack Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/restorationquarterly Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Pack, Frank (1961) "The onC tributions of Textual Criticism to the Interpretation of the New Testament," Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 5 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/restorationquarterly/vol5/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Restoration Quarterly by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ ACU. RESTORATION QUARTERLY CONTENTS An Introduction : Th e Task and Method of Ex egesis -Abraham J . Malh erbe ...................................................... .......... 169 Th e Contributions of Textu al Criticism t o th e Inte rpret ation of th e New Testa ment-F ran k Pack ......................................... 179 Th e Lan guage Backgro und of the New Testam ent-J . W. Rober ts 193 Th e Psych ological App roac h to Int er pret ation-Paul Sou thern .... 205 Th e J ewish Background of the New Testament-J ack P. La wis .. 209 Th e Pagan Back gro und of th e New Testam ent - Roy Bowen Wa r d ........................................................................ 216 Patri stic Int er pretat ion of th e Bible-William M.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Textual Criticism Karelynne Gerber Ayayo, Thd Assistant Professor of New Testament Palm Beach Atlantic University
    An Introduction to Textual Criticism Karelynne Gerber Ayayo, ThD Assistant Professor of New Testament Palm Beach Atlantic University Textual criticism is the term used to describe the science that seeks to determine the original text of a biblical passage. For those who wish to interpret the Bible properly, it is important to determine and work with the text that the biblical author actually wrote! Textual criticism is a necessary discipline within biblical studies because the original manuscripts of the biblical texts no longer exist. That is, we do not have Paul’s handwritten letter to the Romans or the pages that Malachi penned to record his prophecies. Instead, copies of copies (of copies) of the biblical texts have been passed down. However, when these extant manuscript copies are compared with one another, they do not always have the same wording. Rather, they betray differences, which are referred to as textual variants or textual corruptions. Many English editions of the Bible note the existence of major textual variants in a footnote. For instance, the salutation to 1 Thessalonians that appears in the body of the NIV text reads, “Grace and peace to you” (1 Thess. 1:1b). However, the associated footnote indicates that some of the manuscripts of 1 Thessalonians have a longer greeting: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ” Although textual criticism is viewed as a science, its results are based on probabilities rather than certainties. By carefully comparing the ancient, hand-copied manuscripts of the biblical text that have been found, textual criticism attempts to determine which variant, or reading , most closely approximates the original.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Textual Criticism in the Study of Early Mormon Texts and History
    Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies Volume 10 Number 1 Fall 2019 Article 6 2019 Returning to the Sources: Integrating Textual Criticism in the Study of Early Mormon Texts and History Colby Townsend Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/imwjournal Recommended Citation Townsend, Colby "Returning to the Sources: Integrating Textual Criticism in the Study of Early Mormon Texts and History." Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies 10, no. 1 (2019): 58-85. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/imwjournal/vol10/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TOWNSEND: RETURNING TO THE SOURCES 1 Colby Townsend {[email protected]} is currently applying to PhD programs in early American literature and religion. He completed an MA in History at Utah State University under the direction of Dr. Philip Barlow. He previously received two HBA degrees at the University of Utah in 2016, one in compartibe Literary and Culture Studies with an emphasis in religion and culture, and the other in Religious Studies—of the latter, his thesis was awarded the marriot Library Honors Thesis Award and is being revised for publication, Eden in the Book of Mormon: Appropriation and Retelling of Genesis 2-4 (Kofford, forthcoming). 59 INTERMOUNTAIN WEST JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES Colby Townsend† Returning to the Sources: Integrating Textual Criticism in the Study of Early Mormon Texts and History As historians engage with literary texts, they should ask a few important questions.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Birmingham Electronic Transcriptions of New Testament
    University of Birmingham Electronic transcriptions of new testament manuscripts and their accuracy, documentation and publication Houghton, H.A.G. DOI: 10.1163/9789004399297_009 License: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (Harvard): Houghton, HAG 2019, Electronic transcriptions of new testament manuscripts and their accuracy, documentation and publication. in C Clivaz, D Hamidovi & S Savant (eds), Ancient Manuscripts in Digital Culture: Visualisation, Data Mining, Communication . vol. 3, Digital Biblical Studies, vol. 3, Brill, Leiden, pp. 133- 153. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004399297_009 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: Checked for eligibility: 30/05/2019 Houghton, H..G. (2019). "Electronic Transcriptions of New Testament Manuscripts and their Accuracy, Documentation and Publication". In Ancient Manuscripts in Digital Culture. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004399297_009 https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004399297/BP000008.xml General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain.
    [Show full text]
  • Society of Biblical Literature ASSESSINGITS GENIUS AS BIBLE TRANSLATION ~ and ITS LITERARY INFLUENCE Biblical Scholarship in North America
    THE KING JAMES VERSION AT 400 Society of Biblical Literature ASSESSING ITS GENIUS AS BIBLE TRANSLATION ~ AND ITS LITERARY INFLUENCE Biblical Scholarship in North America Edited by David G. Burke, John F. Kutsko, and Philip H. Towner .... Number26 THE KING JAMES VERSION AT 400 Society of Biblical Literature Assessing Its Genius as Bible Translation and Its Literary Influence Atlanta THE KING JAMES VERSION AT 400 CONTENTS Assessing Its Genius as Bible Translation and Its Literary Influence Copyright © 2013 by the Society of Biblical Literature Foreword: Vital Aspects of the KJV Genius David G. Burke .......................................................................................... ix Preface and Acknowledgments All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form John F. Kutsko and Philip H. Towner ................................................... xxi or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit­ ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission The Editors to the Reader ........................................................................... xxiii should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Frontispiece: 1611 KJV Title Page ............................................................... xxv Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
    [Show full text]