HOW WE GOT THE

BIBLE
Lesson 5
 THE TEXT
OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT
NOTE:
1. We no longer have the original
“autographs” of inspired men
2. If God’s written Word was to
be spread, COPIES must be
made from the originals
3. It would be natural for new
copies to be made to replace the
“timeworn” originals
 WHEN COPIES ARE
MADE,
IT IS CERTAIN
THAT
MISTAKES WILL BE MADE
FOR EXAMPLE:
WHEN THE KING JAMES BIBLE

WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, 400

MISTAKES WERE
CORRECTED IN THE NEXT
EDITION TWO YEARS LATER!
 IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO

UNDERSTAND HOW COPYING

MISTAKES WERE NOT
OBSERVED
IN
NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS
“TEXTUAL CRITICISM” IS
THE SCIENCE OF COMPARISON
AND STUDY OF MANUSCRIPTS
TO RECOVER

THE EXACT WORDS

OF THE ORIGINAL WRITER
 IT IS NECESSARY
TO “WEED OUT”
THE “CHAFF”
THAT MAY HAVE SLIPPED
INTO
THE ORIGINAL TEXT
 THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF
ERRORS
IN BIBLICAL COPIES:

1. UNINTENTIONAL
MISTAKES

2. INTENTIONAL MISTAKES
UNINTENTIONAL MISTAKES
1. They are mistakes of the “hand,
eye, and ear”

2. These are rather easy to see

3. Sometimes, a scribe would

write down the wrong word
4. Sometimes, he would NOT
hear correctly
EXAMPLES:
1. In ENGLISH:
--- The words “can” and
“can’t”
--- The words, “affect” and
“effect”
2. GREEK EXAMPLES:
a. In Revelation 1:5, is it, “that
‘loosed’ us from our sins”
or ‘washed’ us …” In
Greek, the words are
“lusanti” and “lousanti”
THE PRONUNCIATION WAS
EVIDENTLY QUITE SIMILAR,
PERHAPS, IDENTICAL
“…. Unto him that loveth us, and
loosed us from our sins by his
blood;”
(American Standard Version)

“…. Unto him that loved us, and

washed us from our sins in
his own blood,”
(King James Translation)
 b. In Romans 5:1, is it, “let us
have peace with God” or
“we have peace with
God?”
THE DIFFERENCE IN GREEK IS
THAT THE “O” IN ONE GREEK
WORD IS LONG, AND IN
ANOTHER IT IS A SHORT “O”
 “Standing then acquitted as the
result of faith, let us enjoy peace
with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1)
(Weymouth Translation)

“Therefore, since we have been

justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
(English Standard Version)
 SOMETIMES, OMISSION
WOULD
OCCUR WHEN THE SCRIBE’S
EYE WOULD JUMP FROM
PERHAPS LINE 8 TO LINE 10
AS HE COPIED
 SOMETIMES, AN
EXPLANATORY
NOTE WOULD BE PLACED IN
THE MARGIN, AND THEN
LATER COPIED INTO THE
TEXT ITSELF
This did NOT happen often!
 INTENTIONAL ERRORS
1. Unintentional errors can
usually be corrected easily and
present no problem
2. INTENTIONAL errors may be
more serious
3. The scribe may honestly have
wanted to “clarify” a verse.
So, he added something
 AN EXAMPLE OF “ADDING:”
In LATER MANUSCRIPTS, the
word, “ekklesia” (“church”) was
added to Acts 2:47

“praising God and having favor

with all the people. And the Lord
added to their number day by day
those who were being saved.”
(Revised Standard Version)
“Praising God, and having favour
with all the people. And the Lord
added to the church daily such
as should be saved.”

(Acts 2:47 – King James Version)

NOTE: Certainly, these people are

later called the “CHURCH”
(Acts 5:11)
 NOTE:
GOD INSPIRED THE NEW
TESTAMENT WRITERS, BUT HE

DID NOT MIRACULOUSLY

GUIDE THE HANDS
OF THE COPYISTS
--- Bro. Neil Lightfoot
“All Scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in
righteousness,”

“that the man of God may be

competent, equipped for every
good work.”
(II Timothy 3:16, 17)
HOW WE GOT THE
BIBLE
Lesson 6
“TEXTUAL VARIATIONS”
When ONE MANUSCRIPT
has a DIFFERENT
READING FROM
ANOTHER MANUSCRIPT
 WHAT IS THE
SIGNIFICANCE OR
IMPORTANCE OF
THESE VARIATIONS?
AN IMPORTANT TRUTH:
TO GUARANTEE EXACT,
CORRECT, COPYING, GOD
WOULD NEED TO PERFORM
A MIRACLE EVERY TIME A
MANUSCRIPT WAS COPIED!!
 THERE ARE MANY MORE
MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BIBLE
THAN OF ANY OTHER BOOK
FROM THE ANCIENT PAST!
About 5,300
Partial and More Complete
Manuscripts
NOTE:
1. Because there are many
manuscripts, there are more
variations BUT,
2. At the same time, there is the
means available (many
manuscripts) to check them and
bring out the original text
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS
1. “Trivial” variations
a. Omission or addition of
words such as “and,”
“for,” and “but”
b. Or, “the one who has
ears….” versus “the one
who has ears to hear”
 c. “Apollos” or “Apelles”
(Acts 18:24)
d. “the birth of Christ
Jesus” or “the birth of
Jesus Christ” (Matthew
1:18)
THESE “TRIVIAL” VARIANTS DO
NOT AFFECT THE ORIGINAL
MEANING OF THE TEXT!
2. “SUBSTANTIAL” VARIANTS
These may involve one verse or
several verses
a. The “adulterous woman”
(John 7:53-8:11)
The only early manuscript that
has it is CODEX BEZAE of the
FIFTH CENTURY
The “adulterous woman” may
have been handed down orally
from the early church
Codex Bezae was the only
“early” uncial manuscript
available at the time of the
KING JAMES TRANSLATION
“the story itself has justly
seemed to vouch for its own
substantial truth” --- Hort
 b. The CONFESSION of the
EUNUCH (Acts 8:37)
NO EARLY GREEK MANUSCRIPT,
BEFORE THE SIXTH CENTURY,
HAD THIS VERSE
NOTE: Confession of faith in
Christ is taught in many Biblical
texts
Please RECITE SOME!
 c. The THREE that bear
record in heaven (I John
5:7)
ERASMUS and TYNDALE
included this verse
BUT, only 2 manuscripts had it,
one from the 14th or 15th century
and one from the 16th
Give verses that teach about the
GODHEAD --
d. The ENDING of the gospel
of MARK (Mark 16:9-20)
The SINAITIC and VATICAN
manuscripts of the FOURTH
CENTURY do NOT have these
verses

These are important

manuscripts!
OTHER EARLY TEXTS DO NOT
INCLUDE MARK 16:9-20
The OLD SYRIAC translation
The earliest manuscript of the
LATIN VULGATE
ARMENIAN language
manuscripts, etc.
 OTHER FACTORS ---
Some vocabulary in Mark 16:9-20
is not found elsewhere in Mark or
the other gospels
Verses 8 and 9 do not seem to
connect well with each other
Mary Magdalene is introduced
into the text in BOTH verses one
and nine
A NUMBER OF WITNESSES IN
FAVOR OF MARK 16:9-20
The ALEXANDRIAN manuscript
(Fifth Century)
EPHRAEM manuscript (Fifth
Century)
CODEX BEZAE (Fifth Century)
Other early UNCIALS

OLD LATIN authorities

The SYRIAC PESHITTA

(Common) version
NOTE:
IRENAEUS, in the latter part
of the SECOND CENTURY
refers to this text and states
that MARK is the author
NOTE AGAIN:

The LAST LEAF of the

SINAITIC MANUSCRIPT of the
gospel of MARK may have been
“TORN AWAY” from the
CODEX
NOTE AGAIN:

The TRUTHFULNESS of what

is taught in Mark 16:9-20 IS NOT
IN QUESTION
The MAIN EVENTS of this text
are also confirmed by the other
gospel accounts
NOTE AGAIN:
The SCRIBE who copied this part
of Mark in the VATICAN
MANUSCRIPT LEFT MORE
THAN A COLUMN OF
BLANK SPACE AT THE END
OF MARK before beginning his
copy of LUKE
 “… not one principle of
faith or command of the
Lord is involved” with
respect to these
TEXTUAL VARIATIONS
--- Bro. Neil Lightfoot