The Relationship between Existing Manuscripts and the Original Compositions
* The best extant manuscripts of the Gospels are likely to differ in some measure from the autographs.
* Even though scribes were professional copyists, they were not 100% accurate. Sometimes they would make intentional changes like correcting what they believed to be a misspelling, or sometimes they made unintended mistakes.
* Because of the rapid expansion of the the early church, there was a need for many copies of authoritative Christian documents like the Gospels. It is therefor probable that nonprofessional copyists stepped in to fill this need.
Standards for Evaluating the Reliability of Gospel Manuscripts
1. Antiquity
* The oldest manuscript of the Gospels is P52 dated to around AD 125.
* The next oldest comes from the latter part of the second century and early part of the third, P4, P45, P64, P66, and P75
2. Multiplicity
3. Textual Criticism
4. Textual Variants
Did the Evangelist Know Jesus Personally?
When Were the Gospels Written?
What Sources Did the Gospel Writers Use?
Did Early Christian Oral Tradition Reliably Pass Down the Truth about Jesus?
Argued for the reliability of the oral tradition by arguing against the use of the Telephone Game analogy.
What are the New Testament Gospels?
- Knowing the genre of the Gospels will help in interpreting them appropriately.
1. Problems arise when the Gospels are inappropriate compared to contemporary genres.
2. The Gospels fit within the genre of Hellenistic biography and Luke/Acts within the genre of Hellenistic history.
What Difference Does It Make That There Are Four Gospels?
Are There Contradictions in the Gospels?
If the Gospels Are Theology, Can They Be History?
Do Miracles Undermine the Reliability of the Gospels?
Do Historical Sources from the Era of the Gospels Support Their Reliability?
Does Archeology Support the Reliability of the Gospels?
Did the Political Agenda of the Early Church Influence the Content of the Gospels?
Why Do We Have Only Four Gospels in the Bible?
Can We Trust the Gospels After All?
Book Info:
| Author | Mark D. Roberts |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Crossway Books |
| Publication date | 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 216 (US paperback) |
| ISBN | 1581348665 |