©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Chapter 2 How the New Testament Was Formed and Handed Down to Us

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Key Topics/Themes Many Christian books written during New Testament period (ca C.E.) not accepted into canon Process of canonization Comparison/analysis of manuscripts Development of English translations

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Formation of the Christian Canon The diverse historical origins of the New Testament books The process of the canonization of New Testament books Marcion and Gnosticism Influence of the Latin Vulgate

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Transmitting the New Testament Texts Earliest fragments of New Testament manuscripts Earliest complete copies Biblical manuscript production in the time of Constantine I ( C.E.) Problems in manuscript transmission

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Transmitting the New Testament Texts (cont’d.) The development of the codex Manuscript types –majuscules (uncials) –minuscules

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Assembling a Composite New Testament Text Important early manuscripts –Codex Sinaiticus –Codex Vaticanus –Codex Alexandrinus –Codex Bezae –Other manuscripts/manuscript fragments –Quotes from Church fathers

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Assembling a Composite Text (cont’d.) Important early manuscripts (continued) –Minuscule manuscripts –Translations from Greek into other ancient languages

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Creating a Standard Greek Text Desiderius Erasmus The Greek New Testament edition Novum Testamentum Graece edition

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education English Bible Translations Early resistance to English translations Early efforts at English Bible translations –The Venerable Bede (ca. 730) –John Wycliffe (1384)

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Other Important English Bible Translations William Tyndale (1525) Coverdale Bible (1535) Great Bible (1539) Bishop’s Bible (1568) Geneva Bible (1560) King James Bible (1611)

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education The King James Bible (Authorized Version) Commissioned by James I of England A committee effort A masterpiece of English literature Shortcomings of the King James Version

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Some Contemporary English Translations Revised Standard Version (New Revised Standard Version Jerusalem Bible (New Jerusalem Bible) New English Bible (Revised English Bible) New International Version

©McGraw-Hill Higher Education Summary Canonization process three centuries in length Difficulties in compiling accurate text of the New Testament documents The significance of the work of English Bible translators