Manuscript Transmission

Discussion in 'Sacred Scripture' started by Scottish Monk, Jun 6, 2012.

  1. Scottish Monk

    Scottish Monk Well-Known Member

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    Manuscript transmission is that area of Biblical study that focuses upon those little notes we see at the bottom of the New Testament pages in some modern bible translations--textual notes that say something like "ancient manuscripts . . . some manuscripts say . . . important manuscripts support . . . Alexandrian manuscripts differ from Byzantine . . . According to the Received text . . . Western manuscripts read . . . "

    Manuscript transmission is NOT about the study of Bible translations, but the study of the manuscripts that various translators choose upon which to base their translation. Thus, differences in Bible translations (e.g., KJV, NRSV) may have more to do with translating different original language manuscripts (e.g., P46, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, etc.), than simply choosing original language definitions.

    Manuscript transmission is NOT about theological traditions of church history, simply because many of the original Greek manuscripts were copied and circulated before the theological traditions became set in stone. However, some traditions do lean toward specific manuscript families. For example, those who only read the King James Version will often gravitate toward the Byzantine manuscripts, and the Textus Receptus, because those are the manuscripts used by the translators of the King James Bible in 1611.

    And finally, all we seem to have are copies of original manuscripts--we do not have the original manuscripts themselves. Thus accurately dating manuscript copies and comparing them with other manuscript copies is a worthwhile endeavor for those interested in identifying what the original manuscripts included.

    *****

    Last year I became very interested in manuscript transmission. Below are a few resource titles for those interested.

    I think the most useful on a day-to-day basis is Comfort's New Testament Text and Translation Commentary, which provides most of the New Testament manuscript variations organized by Greek manuscript and English translation editions. Comfort adds English translations of the Greek variations, making it possible to study the manuscript variations for those of us who do not know Greek.

    If you want to actually look at photographs of the original language manuscripts, read about ancient writing and the scribal practice of copying manuscripts, and learn about the types of various copyist errors in the the manuscripts that we have received from the early years of the church--you many be interested in Comfort's Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism. A good introduction as to why Bible readers should study textual criticism is explained by Black in his slim classic New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. And if you are interested in how the books of the Bible came to be canonized, you may want to take a look at Bruce's The Canon of Scripture.

    Black, D. A. (1994). New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. Baker Academic.

    Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Canon of Scripture. IVP Academic.


    Comfort, P. W. (2008). New Testament Text and Translation Commentary. Tyndale House Publishers.


    ... Scottish Monk

    EDITED: June 6, 2012
     
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  2. Anna Scott

    Anna Scott Well-Known Member

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    Great resources. Thank you!

    It is interesting to note that most Bibles draw upon multiple manuscripts and when they differ, we may find those differences in the "little notes," to which you refer. Sometimes, the most ancient authority doesn't make it into the main body of text, but is banished to the footnotes. The placement of variants, in the main body of text vs. footnotes, is sometimes theologically motivated--at least it seems that way.

    It's complicated.
    Anna
     
  3. Anna Scott

    Anna Scott Well-Known Member

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    Scottish Monk,
    Since we are discussing manuscript transmission and variants; please see my thread: "Is Lucifer a Biblical Name for Satan." I'm hoping you will have some information regarding my question.
    Thanks,
    Anna
     
  4. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

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    Yes it is all so complicated - hence one should always read the Bible prayerfully and be very careful not to knock someones else's interpretation of Bible text, as they may well be right. :)

    In my other forum which is a forum for the Ulysses Club which is a social motor cycle club for people of 40 years of age. We have a section called the religious soapbox and I have met some interesting characters on there over the past 10 years... from Roman Catholics to very fundamentalist pentecostals. When the subject comes up about the inerrancy of the Bible the discussions usually heats up very much, and the religious knockers who trawl the forum use a lot of these inconsistencies we see in translations for push their anti Christian anti religious agenda. Some times I think we are our own worst enemy especially when we take a stand based on incomplete information.

    But at the end of the day it is FAITH that makes the difference. :)
     
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  5. Anna Scott

    Anna Scott Well-Known Member

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    Indeed, it is faith that makes the difference.
    Anna
     
  6. brian

    brian New Member

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    In addition to the resources you listed above, you might also want to check out my website, where you can view pictures of some of the New Testament Papyri, including most of P46:
    http://www.earlybible.com/
     
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  7. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the link I will pass it on...
     
  8. Scottish Monk

    Scottish Monk Well-Known Member

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    brian...

    Welcome to our Anglican Forums.

    [​IMG]

    The resources of NT papyri at your website are very nice. I especially like the way the photos can be zoomed. The links available on your website are also very good. I hope you will give us additional posts on the topic of NT manuscript transmission. Do you have any thoughts on the website of Wieland Willker? And what resources can you suggest for learning more about the Western manuscripts?

    ...Scottish Monk
     
  9. Stalwart

    Stalwart Well-Known Member Anglican

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    Have you read on the Dead Sea Scrolls, how they affect manuscript transmission and interpretation?
     
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  10. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

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    Pray tell me more about the "New Perspective on Paul" from the studies of the Dead Sea scrolls.
     
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  11. Anna Scott

    Anna Scott Well-Known Member

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    I checked you link. Very interesting pictures. I just wish I could read the ancient languages.

    I did see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, when it came to my city. Fascinating to see such ancient fragments up close.