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Textual
Criticism
The reliability of the Greek
text we use for Bible translation is central
to our study of the Tetragrammaton
(יהוה) in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. Since
textual criticism is the
process used by Bible scholars to determine
the exact words written by the original
authors, a study of textual criticism is
important. It is only as we understand how
the Greek text was reconstructed so many
years after it was written, that we can
determine whether or not it is a faithful
reproduction of the words written by the
apostolic authors.
Before we go further, let's
look at a succinct definition of textual
criticism from "All Scripture Is Inspired
of God and Beneficial". On page 318 the
authors say, "Textual criticism is the
method used for reconstruction and
restoration of the original Bible
text."
(There is a great difference
between textual criticism and
higher criticism. Textual criticism is
concerned with the reconstruction of the
original text. Higher criticism is a literary
study of the Scriptures. Higher criticism has
often been used to discredit the reliability
and inspiration of Scripture. Textual
criticism, however, is an important ally of
those who love Scripture and desire to know
what Jehovah said in the Bible.)
About this Page
This page will give you a
great deal of information regarding textual
criticism. Some of the material is taken from
our published books which are found in the
Downloadable
Books section on this site.
However, most of the material will come from
web site links. There is a surprising amount
of material on the web concerning textual
criticism. If you wish to do your own search,
go to www.google.com
and use textual
criticism new testament for the key
words. However, to simplify your task, we
have organized topics relating to textual
criticism under the headings below.
We have used material from
other sites in the paragraphs below. Full
credit is given through the links in the
paragraphs. When using the material which
comes from other publishers or web sites,
please remember that it is protected by their
copyrights.
I. A General
Introduction to Textual
Criticism:
What
is Textual Criticism?
Textual Criticism Illustrated With an English
Text When you get on the
www.earlham.edu site, click on the
Exercise in Textual Criticism icon
(icon number six from the left).
Dating the Oldest New Testament Manuscripts
Read through the Glossary and its
annotations for explanations of many of the
important terms and concepts on which textual
criticism is based.
II. Specific
Issues in Textual
Criticism:
All the material in this
section is taken from www.earlham.edu. Go to their site
for more complete explanations.
Paleography is the study of ancient
writing. It technically involves the analysis
of the handwriting (script) of the ancient
manuscripts. The paleographer studies such
things as the angles of strokes, density of
ink and its composition, and the general
style as compared with other handwriting. By
comparing handwriting styles and other
features of a manuscript, the paleographer
may be able to date a manuscript.
Manuscript Replication The task of
writing was primarily the occupation of
professional writers generally known as
scribes. In order to preserve an aging and
deteriorating document or to make an
additional copy, a scribe was employed to
copy the contents of the original onto a new
surface. A single scribe most likely read
aloud to himself as he copied from the
exemplar (the original) to the new document.
In a scriptorium, there could be a group of
scribes who make multiple copies as a lector
(reader) reads the exemplar for them to
duplicate.
Transmission Errors The
identification of transmission errors may
help determine the relationship of one
manuscript to another or, even more
importantly, determine the textual variant
which most likely represents the reading of
the original manuscript. The work of the
copyists of the NT was, on the whole, done
with great care and fidelity. It has, in
fact, been seriously estimated that there are
substantial variations in hardly more than a
thousandth part of the entire text (an
estimate by Fenton J. A. Hort).
Unintentional Variants Scribal
errors created variants in the textual
tradition. One type is referred to as
unintentional variants. Some errors seem to
have been caused by a visual difficulty
during the copy process. Others by
difficulties in correctly hearing the words
when the text was being copied by a number of
scribes as a lector (reader) was reading.
Intentional Variants However, some
scribal errors occurred intentionally. These
occurred when inappropriate attempts were
made to "correct" a text's spelling or
grammar, or when an attempt was made to
reconcile the text to current theological
beliefs.
Consult the Glossary and its
annotations for more terms and concepts
regarding textual criticism.
III. Useful Links
to Textual Criticism Topics:
The Final
Result; a More Accurate Text A number
of Bible passages are listed. You can click
on an individual passage to see how the best
reading of the text was derived from variant
manuscripts.
A Catalog of Early Manuscripts
Papyri
and Codices Manuscripts
Inspiration and
Textual Criticism
Codex Vaticanus B/03
Papyrology and the Dating of the New
Testament
New Manuscripts Found in 1975
Textual Criticism in the Field of Bible
Evidence
IV. Textual
Criticism Links and Resource
Pages:
Papyrology
Reference Links
TC Links: Other Sites Dealing with Textual
Criticism
Textual Criticism Resource
Pages
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