1. October 1, 2017

2. Our Study An Introduction to the Bible
A Message and Theological Summary of the Bible’s Books
How to Read, Study, and Understand the Bible
Overview
Inspiration
Canonization
Transmission
Translation
09/24/17
The Message of the OT
The Message of the NT
Redemptive History 1
Redemptive History 2
11/05/17
10/01/17
11/12/17
10/15/17
11/19/17
10/29/17
12/05/17
10/29/17

3. What do we mean when say the Bible is Inspired?

4. Definition of Biblical Inspiration…
Inspiration is that mysterious process by which divine causality worked through the human prophets (writers) without destroying their individual personalities and styles to produce divinely authoritative and inerrant writings. – Norman Geisler

5. What question does Canonization answer about inspiration?

6. What writings are inspired?

7. Canonization Defined…
“Canon” means “standard” or “rule” or “authority”
Irenaeus: “Canon of the Church/Truth”
Inspiration determines canonicity
A book or writing is valuable because it is canonical, it is canonical because it is inspired
The church does not determine canonicity, God does
The church recognizes canonicity

8. The canon is theologically and historically closed

9. Our Study – Transmission & Translation
Languages of the Bible
Writing material
Preparation & preservation
OT & NT Manuscripts
Ostraca, Inscriptions, & Lectionaries
Patristic witnesses
Translation
Greek versions
Latin versions of the Bible
English translations of the Bible
Discussion

10. Your Bible: The Process
Inspiration
Canonization
Transmission
Translation
Purchase
Read & Meditate!

11. Transmission
How God got his inspired and canonized Word out…

12. What God could have done to communicate with us
Spoke through angels
Visions and dreams
The Urim and Thummim, and lots
Moral law and creation
Audible voice and direct miracle
But these were important concerns
Precision
Propagation
Preservation

13. God chose to share his Word thru written language(s)
Biblical Languages OT
Hebrew
Biographically suitable
Pictorial
Personal
More felt than thought NT
Greek
Evangelistically suitable
Universal
Intellectual
More propositional

14. Writing Material & Instruments
Clay
Stone
Papyrus
Leather, Vellum, Parchment
Ostraca & Inscriptions
Stylus
Chisel
Pen & Ink
Pen & Ink
Pen & Ink

15. OT Manuscripts How far back do the Hebrew writings go?
Writing itself would have been pre-Mosaic, possibly also some elements of the scriptures (why?)
We have no pre-Babylonian manuscripts but lots from the Talmudic period (300 B.C. – A.D. 500)
Synagogue rolls, i.e. sacred copies of the OT
Private copies of typically parts of the OT

16. There is some diversity in the manuscripts
OT Manuscripts
Cairo Geniza
1890
200K manuscripts, 10K Biblical
Dead Sea Scrolls
1947
600 manuscripts
1 complete Isaiah
There is some diversity in the manuscripts
due to copyist errors

17. NT Manuscripts Year Book Author 40-45 James James, brother of Jesus
49-51
1-2 Thessalonians
Paul, from Corinth
53-55
Mark
Matthew (relies on Mark)
1 Corinthians
John Mark
Matthew
Paul, from Ephesus
55-56
2 Corinthians
Paul, from Macedonia 57
Romans
Paul
60-70
Hebrews
Unknown
62-63
1 Peter
Peter, from Rome 62
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
Philemon
Luke
Acts

18. NT Manuscripts Year Book Author 62-64 1 Timothy Paul, from Macedonia
64-67
2 Peter
Jude
2 Timothy
Peter
Jude, Jesus’ brother
Paul
85-95
Letters of John
John’s Gospel
John
95-96
Revelation

19. A Word about NT Reliability
Author / Book
Written
Earliest Copy
No. Copies
% Accuracy
Homer’s Iliad
800 B.C.
643 95
Plato
400 B.C.
900 (1,300 yrs.) 7 ?
Ceasar, Gallic Wars
B.C.
900 (1K yrs.) 10
Annals of Tacitus
A.D. 100
1100 (1K yrs.) 20
New Testament
A.D. 50 – 100
114, fragments
200, books
250, most of NT
325, all NT
5,366 99

20. NT Manuscripts Papyri John Rylands (P52, 17-138 AD, John 18:31-33)
Chester Beatty (P45-47, 250 AD, Excerpts from Gospels)
Bodmer (P66, P72, P75, 2nd – 3rd centuries, Lots of gospels and epistles, as well as extra-biblical)
Sinaiticus
340 AD
Full text on vellum
Vaticanus AD
Vellum
Alexandrinus
450 AD
Excellent condition

21. Various in Greek and Latin: Lots of them!!
NT Manuscript Types
All “uncials”
Both “uncials” and “minusciles”
AD 50
NT Authored
AD 100
P52
Various P
AD 200
AD 300
Sinaticus
TR and KJV based on these
based of these
Vaticanus
AD 400
Other…
Various in Greek and Latin: Lots of them!!
AD 500
Modern Translations
based of these
AD 900
Alexandrian & Western Families
Byzantine, “eastern” Families

22. Other Forms
Ostraca: Pottery, etc.
Inscriptions
Lectionaries

23. Patristic Witness to Scripture
Apostolic Fathers
Epistle of Pseudo Barnabus, sites Matthew (70-79 AD)
Corinthians by Clement, sites gospels (95-97 AD)
Philippians by Polycarp, lots of quotes from gospels and epistles (110 – 135 AD)
Didache, church instructional handbook
Ante-Nicene Fathers
Irenaeus, lots of quotes from NT in Against Heresies
Origen (18K NT quotations in his writings)
Cyprian, over 1K NT quotes in his writings
Nicene Fathers
Athanasius, the hero of Nicea in settling the deity of Christ, his vast numbers of citations are almost identical to Westcott & Hort

24. Translation
How God got contextualized his inspired and canonized Word

25. Septuagint (LXX): The Greek Version of the OT
First compiled in Alexandria between BC
70 Jewish scholars worked on it…
Tradition talks of miraculous alignment of independent translation
Aligns with the best of available Hebrew texts: Masoretic texts, Dead Sea Scrolls
Organized by
Law (Pentateuch)
Poetry
History
Prophets
Were added to by the Church Fathers to include the NT
Majority of the people spoke and read Greek, certainly could not read Hebrew

26. The Vulgate: A Bible for the people
Jerome
Priest
Commentator, Historian
Could read both Hebrew and Greek
In the early 5th century wanted a translation of the Bible in the language people could understand: Latin!
Resistance to his work was widespread
Jonah’s gourd or castor-oil plant
Augustine
Opposed public reading of the Vulgate because it would challenge the authority of the LXX
Would offend “the flocks of Christ…who had become accustomed to the LXX”
Traditional use was threatened, that which was familiar, customary, and friendly

27. The Development of the KJV
The King James is an English translation of what is referred to as the Received Text or Textus Receptus(TR)
The TR has several “editors”
Primarily Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam
Secondarily
Stephanus
Theodore Beza, the great reformer and successor to John Calvin in Geneva
The TR essentially emerged from the efforts of these men, plus others that followed them
The TR was completed after the 1611 KJV

28. The Development of the KJV: Erasmus
The Prince of the Humanists
Dedicated Catholic priest who was derided by Luther
Produced his first Greek text in 1516, dedicated to Pope Leo X
Though a text had already been compiled by Cardinal Ximenes
Erasmus used the texts he had available to him
Approach
Fidelity to text
Don’t undercut the Vulgate
Future editions succumbed more to pressures from the Church
Key elements
Limited texts
Those supporting the Modern were not available to him

29. A Closer Look at the TR Erasmus Editions of his Greek text 1516 1519
1522
1527
1535
Stephanus edited Erasmus work up until around 1550, and his was the received text of his day
Beza, edited even further
Noting concerns with Erasmus in Luke 2:14 (KJV, “goodwill toward men” vs. NASB, “among men with whom He is well pleased”…which aligns more with the textual evidence…but he did not change Erasmus here
The Elzivir brothers published the edition of the Greek NT that is now known as the TR in 1633

30. The Translation of the KJV
Suggested to King James in 1604 by the Puritan John Rainolds
Done by committee (as modern translations are)
Six groups (probably superior to Luther!)
Meeting at Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge
Great scholars, but did not claim inerrancy or infallibility
All were Anglicans
Editions: 1611, 1612, 1613, 1616, 1629, 1638, 1769 Cambridge
A quote from the Translators (p.118, White)

31. Summary of Text Types: Development
NIV
ESV
NASB
Westcott & Hort
United Bible Society
Nestle-Aland
Papyri
Sinaiticus
Vaticanus
Alexandrinus
Others

32. Approaches to an Inspired Bible
The Bible is Inspired!
In the originals…what is often called the autographs
These are inerrant
Can we get to them exactly?
Can we get to them sufficiently?
Textual Approach
Translation Approach
Older is better
More is better
Word for Word
KJV
NASB
ESV
Dynamic (Thought for Thought)
NIV
NLT

33. Summary of My View Key considerations
Understandable is essential
Textual fidelity is important
Different translation can be good, but…
I don't the prefer the KJV because readers don't understand it well (even when they think they do)
Textual consistent is very helpful (KJV and NKJV are textually different from NIV/ESV/NASB)...but the KJV is an excellent Bible!
The Message and Amplified are full blown interpretations, recommend you don't use them
NIV / NASB / ESV is a good mix of different translation philosophies and textual consistency

34. The Development of the Bible
Canonicity
Transmission
The Septuagint
The Vulgate
The King James Bible
Manuscript Text Types
Manuscripts and Modern Translations