SPECIAL DELIVERY How Did We Receive The Bible? Dr. Jon McNeff, Senior Pastor July 10, 2005

SPECIAL DELIVERY How Did We Receive The Bible? Dr. Jon McNeff, Senior Pastor July 10, 2005 I. THE EARLY DOCUMENTS A. The Old Testament 1. The Talmud Talmud written codification of oral law - over 635 laws were eventually recorded. It was compiled during the 400 year period after Josephus died. It contained several references to Jesus and early Christianity. 1 2. The Massoretic Text The Massoretic Period - A.D. 500-900. Massoretes - from massora meaning tradition. Accepted the task of editing the Old Testament text and standardizing it. Centered in Tiberias Added vowel points to insure proper pronunciation Counted every letter, syllable, word and paragraph - counted the middle one in each new copy - threw away the new copy if it was different Massoretic text is the standard Hebrew text today 2 B. The New Testament 1. Manuscript evidence Surviving New Testament documents: Greek 5, 309 Latin Vulgate 10,000 plus Slavic 4,101 Armenian 2,587 Ethiopic 2,000 plus Total over 25,000 Significant documents from this list include the following: Codex Sinaiticus Dates from A.D. 340. It contains the whole New Testament and half of the Old Testament. It was discovered by Friedrich Tischendorf in a monastery on Mount Sinai in 1844. It is located today at the University Library in Leipzig, Germany. Codex Vaticanus Dates from A.D. 325-350. Contains the whole New Testament as well as the Greek (LXX) Old Testament. Located in the library of the Vatican in Rome, the manuscript was brought to the library shortly after Pope Nicholas V (who died in 1455) established it. Nothing is known of its location before that time. 3 1 Chapman, The Case for Christianity, 233, 251, 254. 2 McDowell, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, 54-55. 3 John McClintock and James Strong, ed. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, (Harper and Brothers, 1867-1887; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 1981, 10:731 (page references are to reprint edition). 1

The John Rylands Fragment A piece of papyrus that contains five verses from John 18:31-33, 37-38. Though some feel it may date earlier, most date it from 117-138 A.D. [In 1972 Jose Callahan discovered documents dating from 50-100 AD] The Chester Beatty Papyri Dates from A.D. 200 and contains three papyrus codices containing major portions of the New Testament. been removed. The discovery of the Rylands, Beatty, and the Bodmer Papyri led Sir Frederic G. Kenyon (former director of the British museum) to conclude, The last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now 2. Manuscript comparison The documents of the New Testament are substantiated by more abundant and accurate manuscript evidence than any other book of the ancient world. These manuscripts were copied with greater accuracy and were dated earlier than any secular classic by far. Regarding the comparison of early manuscripts, Geisler makes several observations (1) No other book is even a close second to the Bible on either the number or early dating of the copies. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of manuscripts; the New Testament boasts thousands. (2) The average gap between the original composition and the earliest copy is over 1,000 years for other books. The New Testament, however, has a fragment within one generation from its original composition, whole books within about 100 years from the time of the autograph, most of the New Testament in less than 200 years, and the entire New Testament within 250 years of the date of its completion. (3) The degree of accuracy of the copies is greater for the New Testament than for other books that can be compared. A handful of copies that are 1,000 years after the fact do not provide enough links in the missing chain nor enough variant readings in the manuscript to enable textual scholars to reconstruct the original. 4 Following is a table comparing the data of the most prominent secular writers of New Testament times. Writer When Copy Time Copies Caesar 100 B.C. A.D. 900 1000 years 10 Plato 347 B.C. A.D. 900 1300 years 7 Demosthenes 322 B.C. A.D.1100 1400 years 200 Homer 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 years 643 New Testament A.D. 100 A.D. 125 25 years 25,000 3. Textual comparison Some variations exist in various documents regarding the variant readings that exist in a portion of the New Testament documents, Geisler and Nix note that only about one-eighth of all the variants had any weight, as most of them are merely mechanical matters such as spelling or style. Of the whole, 4 Geisler, Christian Apologetics, 308. 2

then, only about one-sixtieth rise above trivialities, or can in any sense be called substantial variations. Mathematically this would compute to a text that is 98.33 percent pure. (Geisler and Nix 365) By comparison we can examine: The Iliad - "has about 15,600. Only 40 lines (400 words) of the New Testament are in doubt whereas 764 lines of the Iliad are questioned. This five percent textual corruption compares with half of one percent of similar emendations in the New Testament. The Mahabharata - the national epic of India - even more corruption - eight times the size of the Iliad and the Odyssey together - 250,000 lines. Of these, 26,000 lines (10%) are textual corruptions (Evidence, p. 43) II. ARCHAEOLOGY A. The Black Stele This is an eight foot high black rock column (in the Louvre) stelae were commonly placed near market places or temples for all to see contained rights and responsibilities of all Babylonians this one had a portrait of King Hummurabi receiving a scepter and ring (king of first dynasty of Babylon 1792-1750 B.C.) found in 1901 in Susa (Persia, modern Iran) it contained the Code of Hammurabi 282 laws this contradicted the Documentary Hypothesis, which maintained the Old Testament couldn't have been written by Moses but by J, E, P, and D (Jehovah, Elohim, Priestly, and Deuteronomic authors). Pre-dates Moses by over three centuries! [Baker and Zondervan Encyclopedias] B. The Hittites Previously thought to be a biblical myth biblical people centered in Asia Minor found to exist in three time periods, The Old Kingdom, 1740-1400 (pre-mosaic), The Empire, 1400-1190, and Neo-Hittite Kingdoms, 1190-700 B.C. Eight Hittite languages now identified in treaties, laws, annals of the kings, and histories found in hieroglyphics which now are identified as the oldest of the Indo-European languages. Many inscriptions and reliefs (pictures) have been found. C. Ebla Capitol of a city-state in modern Syria at height of its power in 2300 B.C. with a population of 260,000 people. 1974 a collection of 17,000 cuneiform tablets dating from 2300 B.C. found fallen from their shelves after a fire in a library These include accounts of creation, a flood, history and legal texts, and names of Hazor, Lachish, Gezer, Dor, Megiddo, Jerusalem, Joppa and Sinai. [IBC] Revealed highly developed society, including writing skills - previous to this, scholars said Moses 3

couldn't have written the Penteteuch (1400 B.C.) because people didn't have the writing skills then - Ebla dated advanced writing skills 1,000 before Moses! Also referred to five Cities of the plain dating to 3,000 B.C. mentioned in Genesis14:2 (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar along with 70 other cities) but thought to be fictitious for many years by liberal scholars. (Josh, Ready Defense - p. 98). D. The Nuzi Tablets The Nuzi tablets 4,000 clay tablets found near Kirkuk, Iraq in 1925-31 dated to the 1500-1600 B.C. The tablets were mostly private contracts and public records - verified Old Testament practices regarding inheritance, adoption, and business. E. The Dead Sea Scrolls A series of biblical and extra-biblical scrolls found between 1947-1952 in caves of an ancient Jewish religious community named Qumran (near Jericho). Origen (third century A.D.) mentioned using Hebrew and Greek manuscripts that had been stored in jars in caves near Jericho. Dated from 150 B.C. to A.D. 68. Qumran yielded 90,000 fragments, 1,000 manuscripts, 300 of which are biblical material only differences were in spelling and grammar not meaning. Cave IV - every book of Old Testament, except Esther, is represented. [Elwell] III. HISTORY Diocletian tried to burn all Bibles he erected a column called Extincto Nomine Christianorum, meaning The name of Christians has been extinguished. The next Emperor was Constantine, who made Christianity the law of the land. Voltaire (d.1778), French atheist, said, Fifty years from now the world will hear no more of the Bible. That year his book sold for $.08 per copy and the British Museum was paying the Russian government $500,000 for one New Testament Greek manuscript 50 years later the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire's house to print Bibles. A. The canon Reasons for establishing the canon: Spurious writings, such as those of Marcion (who rejected the whole Old Testament, and all the New Testament writings except Paul's), and attacks on genuine writings exposed the need to have a standard of acceptance. 4

Genuine writings were being collected and used as Scripture. Apostolic writings were being used in public services, making it necessary to determine which writings were canonical. An edict by Emperor Diocletian in A.D. 303 to burn all sacred books this prompted the church to decide which writings indeed were sacred. 5 Tests for canonicity Authorship had to be by a recognized prophet or apostle or someone closely associated with one, as in the case of Mark, Luke, Hebrews, James and Jude. Agreement the writings had to be in agreement with other books included in the canon. Usage was the book received, collected, read and commonly used in the life of the church? The later church councils didn t so much decide which books to include as they acknowledged which books were already in use. Authoritative Does it have a sense of Thus saith the Lord? Does the book ring true with a sense of coming from the mouth of God rather than some fanciful earthly author attempting to sound godly? Authentic Is the authorship genuine? Is the time and place of its writing authentic? Are the accounts and people contained in it real? Dynamic does it possess life changing power? What about the Apocrypha? From the Greek word apokruphos meaning hidden or concealed. 15 books added to the Old Testament by the Catholic Church that Protestants believe are non-canonical. The term was first used by Jerome in the 4th century although the Catholic Church did not officially act on the issue until the Council of Trent in 1546. In addition to declaring these traditions as authoritative, the Council of Trent also declared that church tradition, as declared by the church fathers, and papal pronouncements were on a par with Scripture. The council further decreed the Latin Vulgate as the standard for reading and teaching, and that the Roman Catholic Church was to be the official interpreter of Scripture. 6 The findings of the Council of Trent are suspect because they met after Luther had challenged the authority of the church and had asked them to provide Scriptural support for doctrines such as salvation by works and prayer for the dead, doctrines specifically taught by the Apocryphal books of 2 Maccabees and Tobit. 7 Reasons for exclusion from the canon: They abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies and anachronisms. They teach doctrines which are false and foster practices which are at variance with inspired Scripture. They resort to literary types and display an artificiality of subject matter and styling out of keeping with inspired Scripture. They lack the distinctive elements which give genuine Scripture their divine character, such as prophetic power and poetic and religious feeling. Jesus and the New Testament writers never once quoted from the Apocrypha although there are hundreds of quotes to almost all the canonical books of the Old Testament. Josephus (A.D.30-100), a prominent Jewish historian, excluded the Apocrypha as Scripture so did the Council of Jamnia, Jerome, many church fathers, and all the Reformation scholars B. The Latin Vulgate Jerome (A.D.347 419) was asked by Pope Damasus in A.D.382 to provide a new translation of the Bible in Latin from the original Hebrew due to Eastern Church formerly adopting Greek as the standard text established a monastery and convent in Bethlehem to accomplish the work over the next 30 years provided the benchmark for later translations since it was primary text used for next 1,000 years did not 5 Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 171. 6 Ibid., 528. 7 Norman Geisler and Ron Brooks, When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences, (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989), 156. 5

include the Apochrypha during the whole time generally referred to as the Dark Ages the 1,000 years before the Reformation. C. The Reformation 1. First English Bible John Wycliffe (1324-1384) John Wycliffe preceded the Reformation by almost 200 years but held the same beliefs as the Reformers he was called The Morning Star of the Reformation provided the first English translation of the Bible from Latin called The Wycliffe Bible in 1382 included his criticisms of the Catholic Church in the preface wanted the Bible to be read by the common man his Bible was banned and burned he was excommunicated died of a stroke. In 1428, 44 years after his death, Pope Martin V ordered the bones of Wycliffe to be exhumed and burned. 2. The printing press 1455 The single most important event to influence the spread of the Bible the printing press, by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz Germany in 1455 first book ever printed was the Gutenberg Bible a printed version of the Latin Vulgate with the advent of the Reformation, the teachings of the Reformers and new translations of the Bible could be spread rapidly. 3. The Textus Receptus 1516 Priest and scholar, Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), championed the use of the original languages in 1516 he published a new Greek edition alongside his own Latin translation it showed the inaccuracies of the Latin Vulgate this was one year before Luther s 95 theses were posted known as The Textus Receptus, this Greek text became the standard for Luther, Tyndale, and the King James translators friend of Luther originally, but Erasmus couldn t leave the confines of Roman Catholic Church. 4. Sola Scriptura One of the hallmarks of Luther s Reformation sola scriptura (only scripture) sola fide (by faith alone) sola gratia (through grace alone) sola Christus (in Christ alone) Luther held that the authority of Scripture exceeded that of the Popes and Church Councils he translated the New Testament into German in 1522 the Bible spread like wildfire. It transformed the Catholic Church and changed history through the advent of Protestantism based on the Bible. 5. The Father of the English Bible William Tyndale (1494-1536) known as the Father of the English language and also called The Father of the English Reformation and The Apostle of England developed a passion for a Bible in every hand one night he dined with a bishop who said it would be better to be without God s laws than without the Pope s Tyndale replied, I defy the Pope and all his laws, and if God spare my life, I will make it possible for the boy who drives the plow to know more Scriptures than you. After meeting with Luther in 1525, they both realized the Reformation had to continue in England Tyndale finished translating Erasmus Greek New Testament into English in 1525 and thousands of copies were smuggled into England in bags of flour and bales of cloth after condemning the divorce of Henry VII, he was hunted for 11 years by Henry VIII and later, Bloody Mary (burned 288 Christians at the stake in her last four years of life) and the Catholic Church betrayed by a friend, he spent the last 500 days of his life in a cold, dark cell in the Castle of Vilvorde. In 1536 he was strangled and then burned at the stake his last words were Lord, open the eyes of the King of England. Miles Coverdale continued Tyndale s work on the Old Testament and published the first full English Bible known as the Coverdale Bible in 1536 in 1539 Coverdale reached an agreement with Henry VIII to distribute the Great Bible to every church in England it was 13.5 x 7.5 Oliver Cromwell eventually issued a decree that it be read in every church in the land it became so 6

popular it had to be chained to the pulpit thus also called The Chained Bible because it had to be chained to church pillars to prevent theft continued when his son by third wife, Jane Seymour, Edward VI came to the throne he died prematurely and Mary, the daughter of first wife, Catherine of Aragon, became Bloody Mary killed over 300 Protestants in attempt to return England to Catholic Church (Lampe, The Forbidden Book) she would often shed their blood, then dip their Bible in their own blood some still exist called Martyr s Bibles (Mac Sufficiency) 6. The Geneva Bible After Bloody Mary, Coverdale and other English Reformers fled to Geneva there John Knox and John Calvin helped produce the Geneva Bible Tyndale s text with thousands of notes first study Bible the is the Bible of Shakespeare and the one carried to America by the Pilgrims in 1620. 7. The King James Bible King James I (1566-1625) father died when he was oneyear-old his mother was Mary Queen of Scots, cousin of Elizabeth I of England she was imprisoned by Elizabeth and held for 19 years in England eventually executed for her part in an assassination attempt of Elizabeth James was 13 months old when he became James VI of Scotland John Knox preached his coronation service. He was raised by four tutors one was George Buchanan, a staunch Calvinist James became one of the most learned and intellectually curious rulers ever on any throne spoke fluent Greek, Latin, French, English, Scots, Italian, and Spanish learned composition, math, cosmography, dialectics, rhetoric, and theology began to rule when he was 19 Anne of Denmark became his queen and they had nine children wrote Basilicon Doron, The Kingly Gift to give to his son it explained his understanding of Christian discipleship beautifully wove scripture with his advice told his son, Diligently read his word, and earnestly... pray for the right understanding thereof. Search the scriptures saith Christ for they will bear testimony of me. The whole Scriptures saith Paul are profitable to teach, to improve, to correct, and to instruct in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect unto all good works. King James ruled Scotland for 36 years when Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, he became King James I of England he had a true evangelist s heart, which made him an enemy of Rome the Jesuits tried to assassinate him several times His greatest accomplishment was the King James Bible. In 1604 he called the Hampton Court Conference to hear of the state of the church in England Dr. John Reynolds, a Puritan requested a new translation of the Bible because older ones were not as accurate as they could be King James appointed 54 men to the translation committee the best linguists and scholars of the day formed the basis for much of our study of linguistics today divided them into six groups met at Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford incredible group writers of foreign language dictionaries and lexicons they debated in Greek and knew Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic as well as other languages that shed light on them such as Arabic, Persian, Coptic, Syriac, Chaldee, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch they were thorough Christians who lived holy lives as well as being scholars after much opposition from the Catholic Church the translation was finished in 1611 it has become the standard of scholarship and readability for over 300 years the best selling book of all times. D. Modern translations Several modern translations are now used: 1901 American Standard Version revision of KJV in American English 1952 Revised Stand Version revision of ASV more liberal 1958 Phillips New Testament in modern English paraphrase 1965 Amplified Bible word-for-word ASV with added words for insight 1970 New American Standard Bible revised in 1995 word-for-word translation better readability than KJV 7

1971 The Living Bible paraphrase meant for children 1978 New International Version paraphrase 1982 New King James Version modernized KJV 1996 New Living Translation revised to make this paraphrase more of a translation 2001 English Standard Version accurate and readable 2005 Today s New International Version controversial, gender-corrected, changes hundreds of personal pronouns Satan's number-one objective is to destroy our joy of faith. We have one offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). But what many Christians fail to realize is that we can't draw the sword from someone else's scabbard. If we don't wear it, we can't wield it. If the Word of God does not abide in us (John 15:7), we will reach for it in vain when the enemy strikes. (Piper Desiring God 129) Luther said, The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me. The Bible is not antique, or modern. It is eternal. (Sola Scriptura 231) Vance Havner The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't. it is God s loveletter to man so that we may know Him. (Sola Scriptura! - Pg. 241) QUESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY 1. How do the early manuscripts or the New Testament compare with other writings of antiquity? 2. What does archeology tell us about the integrity of the Bible? 3. How did the Dead Sea Scrolls affirm the preservation of the Bible? 4. What is the significance of the Reformation in the preservation of the Bible? 5. How is William Tyndale significant in the development of the English Bible? 6. Briefly describe the steps of development from Tyndale s Bible to today. 8