LG1200‐50 | New Testament Greek [email protected] Text Criticism Worksheet True or False Decide whether each of the following statements are true or false. T or F 1. We have no autographs (i.e. manuscripts written by the authors themselves and their scribes) of the New Testament. 2. The Nestle‐Aland 27th ed. text is the original Greek text of the New Testament. 3. Some of the differences between NT manuscripts are due to errors made when the scribe’s eye accidently skipped a word or a line. 4. If text critics determine that a scribe attempted to smooth out the style of a passage or correct its grammar, they will probably decide to use the smoothed out version. 5. Of the three text families, the Alexandrian family of manuscripts is usually thought to be the most faithful to the original. 6. The Textus Receptus, or received text, is usually thought to be the most faithful to the original. 7. Papyri (signaled by the script letter î) are the oldest manuscripts we have. 8. Another word for manuscript is “witness.” 9. The codex Alexandrinus is not in the Alexandrian family of texts. 10. The more manuscripts we have that testify to a particular reading, the more likely that reading is the original. 11. Some of the differences between NT manuscripts are due to error made when the scribe replaced one word with another that sounded similar. 12. As a general rule, when trying to decide between two manuscripts, the shorter reading is to be preferred. Types of Evidence The text critic analyzes both external evidence and internal evidence to determine which reading of a particular disputed text is to be preferred. Put “I” beside those criteria that represent types of internal evidence. Put “E” beside those criteria that represent types of external evidence. I or E The date and character of the witnesses: generally older is to be preferred. The geographical distribution of the witnesses: generally the wider the 2 geographical distribution of texts that say the same thing, the more likely that reading is to be preferred. In general, the more difficult reading is to be preferred, on the theory that a scribe would be more likely to smooth out grammatical difficulties than to introduce them. The reading most like the style of the author throughout the book is to be preferred. Matching Match the vocabulary to its meaning. Fill in the appropriate letter, or copy and paste the description into the table across from the word it describes. Word Description 1. Codex 2. Uncial 3. Papyrus 4. Textus Receptus 5. Minuscle 6. Critical Apparatus (or just Apparatus) 7. Vulgate 8. Vaticanus 9. Sinaiticus 10. Codices a) A manuscript written in all capital letters, from the 4th‐8th centuries. b) A manuscript written in small case letters, appearing later than its capital letter counterparts. c) An Alexandrian family codex signified by the letter a. d) An Alexandrian family codex signified by the letter B. e) An ancient manuscript in book (rather than scroll) form. f) The “received text” of the NT; unfortunately it is based on the least reliable manuscript tradition. (The King James Bible depended heavily on this.) g) The Latin version of the Bible created by St. Jerome in the late 4th century. h) The oldest witnesses to the NT, named after the materials they were written on. i) The plural of codex. j) The symbols at the bottom of a page of Greek text that document alternative readings to that in the body of the text. .