TMSJ 9/1 (Spring 1998) 25-38 ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS AND BIBLICAL EXPOSITION William D. Barrick Associate Professor of Old Testament Ancient manuscripts have been the subject of many books, journal articles, and essays, but few have dealt with their relationship to biblical exposition. Yet the expositor has a vital role in preserving what those ancient manuscripts of the Bible contribute to an accurate knowledge of Old and New Testaments. Few works on systematic theology deal with the important doctrine of preservation, yet Scripture itself deals extensively with that doctrine. To do his part in implementing that doctrine, the expositor must examine his text in the original languages, identify the text’s original statement, and expound that original text. He must practice the doctrine of preservation by participating in that preservation. * * * * * Nineteen ninety-seven marked the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The impact of these scrolls on Bible translations, textual criticism, and biblical exposition is still being assessed. The scrolls are part of a larger body of ancient manuscripts that the footnotes and margins of a number of current Bible translations cite in support of their renderings of the OT. The ancient versions to which those footnotes refer include the Samaritan Pentateuch (4th century B.C.1), the biblical manuscripts from Qumran (3rd century B.C.–1st century A.D.), the Greek Septuagint (3rd–2nd centuries B.C.), the Aramaic Targums (1st–4th centuries A.D.2), the Syriac Peshitta (1st–2nd centuries A.D.), and the Latin Vulgate (ca. A.D. 400). Those manuscripts have been subjects of many books, journal articles, and essays. Many of the published items deal with the significance and history of the ancient manuscripts. Various scholarly journals contain a large number of technical 1Dating the Samaritan Pentateuch is not an easy matter. It may date from as early as the fifth century B.C. or as late as the second century B.C. See Emanuel Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress; Assen/Maastricht: Van Gorcum, 1992) 82-83. 2The tradition of the Aramaic translations or paraphrases dates back to the time of Ezra (cf. Neh 8:8). See F. F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments: Some Chapters on the Transmission of the Bible, 3d rev. ed. (Westwood, N. J.: Revell, 1963) 52-53, 133-45. 25 26 The Master’s Seminary Journal articles on the application of ancient manuscript evidence to the textual criticism of both the OT and NT. One area of application often goes unnoticed, however. That is the area of biblical exposition or preaching. How do the ancient manuscripts affect the exposition of the biblical text? What effect might those manuscripts have upon present-day expositors of God’s Word? What is the expositor’s responsibility in light of those manuscripts? THE EXPOSITOR IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ROLE IN THE PRESERVATION OF THE BIBLICAL TEXT The accountability of biblical expositors goes beyond the integrity they must demonstrate in their interpretation of the Word. It involves the integrity of the Scriptures themselves. The expositor who does a magnificent job of interpreting and explaining the Scriptures may yet sow a seed of doubt about the actual text or may even indulge in unwarranted emendations of the text. The commentaries and modern translations he utilizes in sermon preparation may affect his treatment of the biblical text. Many of those sources have sought to recover the original text so that they might translate or interpret the Scriptures more accurately.3 The Bible expositor’s goal should be the accurate presentation of God’s written revelation. That accuracy relates directly to the degree to which the expounded text conforms to what God originally revealed. Thus the Bible expositor becomes an active participant in the determination, transmission, and preservation of the biblical text. In order to place the expositor’s role in proper perspective, an adequate understanding of the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture is necessary. Biblical Indications of the Doctrine of Preservation Traditionally the church has declared its belief that the preservation of the Scriptures is the result of God’s providential activity. The Second London Confession (1677) made the following declaration: “The Old Testament in Hebrew . and the New Testament in Greek . being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and Providence kept pure in all Ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of Religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them.”4 The 3Harold Scanlin, The Dead Sea Scrolls & Modern Translations of the Old Testament (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1993), is a recent evaluation of the effects the Qumran manuscripts have had on a number of English translations. Among the translations evaluated were the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the New English Bible (NEB), the Revised English Bible (REB), the New American Bible (NAB), the Jerusalem Bible (JB), the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), the New Jewish Version (NJV), the New International Version (NIV), the Good News Bible (GNB), and the New King James Bible (NKJV). Individual translation projects have also published explanations of their procedures in utilizing evidence from ancient manuscripts. Cf. Kenneth L. Barker, ed., The Making of the NIV (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991); Bruce M. Metzger, Robert C. Dentan, and Walter Harrelson, The Making of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991). 4William L. Lumpkin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, rev. ed. (Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1969) 251. Ancient Manuscripts and Biblical Exposition 27 belief that God’s written Word has been preserved without undue alteration is the basis for confidence in the teachings of the Bible. Like the Second London Confession, W. Graham Scroggie attributed the preservation of Scripture to the providence of God.5 God must have a role in the preservation of His Word if it is to be kept inviolate. The active preservation of the Scriptures is necessary because the sinful nature of mankind is antagonistic to God and His Word. Such antagonism breeds both contempt for Scripture and the neglect of Scripture. It is fully within the capacity of sinful mankind to allow the Word to perish and to alter its wording intentionally or unintentionally. The Great Omission. Is the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture still a part of the evangelical creed? If so, what is its importance? In his book Christian Theology, Millard J. Erickson entitled the chapter on biblical inspiration, “The Preservation of the Revelation: Inspiration.”6 However, the chapter does not deal with biblical preservation. In fact, Erickson’s volume does not treat the doctrine of the preservation of the Scriptures anywhere. The chapter title indicates that Erickson believes that preservation relates in some way to inspiration. Apparently, he would attribute preservation to divine action. Erickson defined inspiration as the “supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit upon the Scripture writers which rendered their writings an accurate record of the revelation.”7 If preservation is accomplished by inspiration, then it too must stem from divine intervention. Elsewhere, Erickson refers to Scripture’s permanence, citing Matt 5:18 as his proof-text.8 The only mention he gives to biblical passages dealing with addition to and subtraction from Scripture (e.g., Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; Rev 22:18-19) is in the context of a discussion concerning the biblical canon’s composition.9 Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology is among the few theologies to dedicate any space at all to the topic of the preservation of Scripture.10 There it merits a separate, though brief, chapter. Chafer defines the matter in the following fashion: The Bible is eternal in its own right. It abides because of the fact that no word Jehovah has spoken can be removed or shaken. In fact, it is by means of His written Oracles that God announces His binding declarations concerning the “all things” which cannot be shaken. The Scriptures are the legal instrument by which God obligates Himself to execute every detail of His eternal covenants and to fulfill every prediction His prophets 5W. Graham Scroggie, Is the Bible the Word of God? (Chicago: Moody, 1922) 14-16. 6Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985) 199. 7Ibid. 8Ibid., 203. 9Ibid., 211. 10Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1947) 1:124-25. 28 The Master’s Seminary Journal have made. The legal instrument which secures this vast consummation must continue, and shall continue, until the last promise, for which it stands as surety, has been realized.11 Chafer quotes Ps 119:89,12 but does not discuss its specific contribution to the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture. Unfortunately, he does not discuss human responsibility or textual criticism as they relate to preservation. The vast majority of the theological resources utilized by pastors fall short in discussing this important doctrine.13 That omission in theological literature is a disturbing reflection on what must be taking place in Bible college and seminary classrooms. When a large body of Christian literature ignores an aspect of biblical theology, one can rest assured that it is also getting short shrift academically. If this omission is not corrected, future expositors may be unable to define the doctrine and unaware of their role in the preservation of God’s written Word. The Biblical Definition. A definition of preservation as it relates to the Scriptures is best derived from the Scriptures themselves. The presentation of the biblical witness concerning preservation in Chart 1 reveals: (1) that God preserves His Word forever, (2) that God preserves His Word unchanged, and (3) that God preserves His Word primarily in heaven.