1. More Manuscripts and Ancient Versions
The Bible Versions Study

2. Timeline
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
Papyrus: 1st Century - beginning 4th Century
Vellum: 4th C – 15th C [Paper begins 14th C]
Uncial texts: 4th – 8th C
Miniscule texts: 9th – 15th C
These facts are aids in dating the manuscripts. Styles changed with materials change, then further changes within a ‘style’ came about.
For example, early Uncial texts had no spacing between words, later Uncial texts did.

3. From Uncial to Miniscule

4. Characteristics of miniscule style
Cursive, flowing style – smaller letters
Began to appear 8th century, dominated from 10th c. on
Thousands of miniscule mss. in existence
Date range: 9th to 16th c.
“Since the minuscules are later than the uncials, they are, as a class, of less importance than the uncials. But there are exceptions to this rule.” Thiessen, p. 49

5. It's a family affair Family 1 Family 13
“Some of these [minuscules] run in groups and show a kinship that can be traced back to the same uncial.” Thiessen, p. 49
Family 1
Miniscule 1 (10th C), 118 (13th C), 131 (11th C), 209 (12th C)
Frequently agrees with these Uncials: Aleph, B, L
“Erasmus used 1 in the second edition of his Greek Testament (1519), although in the main he used 2 in the Gospels, a poor minuscule of the 12th c.” Thiessen, p. 50
Family 13
Miniscule 13, 124, 346 (12th C), 69 (14th C)
All share a common original (W. H. Ferrer, Dublin)
Others have been added to this group
Distinguishing characteristic: “pericope de adultera” (woman caught in adultery), Jn found after Luke in these copies

6. Lectionaries Characteristics Benefits Reading lessons used in services
Non-continuous text
Opening formulae (“on a certain occasion”; “The Lord said...”)
Sometimes editing to make for suitable public reading
Benefits
Tend to be conservative quotations (careful)
More than 1600 in existence
Dated from 6th C onward
Usually Uncial
Gregory said they “avoid every new sentence, every new word, every new syllable, every new tone” quoted in Thiessen, p. 51

7. Ancient Versions: Syriac
General significance
First languages for NT translation
Earliest translations done in AD 150 (mss. copies not so old)
General observations about Syriac
Language of Antioch, Syria, Mesopotamia [Iraq]
Aramaic a dialect of Syriac
Importance of Antioch: “almost a second capital of the Roman world, a rival of Alexandria and Ephesus” (Thiessen, p. 52)
As gospel moved inland, translation became important

8. Tatian's Diatessaron
Tatian a Syrian who wrote a harmony of the gospels
Circulated in Syriac in the 4th century
Only two ancient mss.:
Both Arabic translations of Syriac
Dated 11th C

9. Old Syriac Discovered in 1800s, Egypt Sinaitic Syriac Cureton Syriac
Discovered in same monastery as Sinaiticus
Dated 2nd C
Most of the Gospels
Cureton Syriac
Published 1858 Wm. Cureton
Contains Gospels
Begins “The Gospel of the Separated Ones” to distinguish from Diatessaron

10. Peshitta Syriac Revision of the Old Syriac
Translated by Rabbula, Bishop of Edessa, about AD 425
Manuscript base very close to Byzantine (Majority) texts
Used all over the Byzantine (Eastern) church
243 mss. of the Peshitta
Oldest mss. from the 5th C, some others from 6th
Very similar to Textus Receptus and KJV