The Manuscripts

  • January 22, 2012
  • Speaker: Pastor Aaron Smith
  • Series: Self-Revelation
  • Category: Topical

 

     We stand between the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus and His Resurrection from the dead.  Two huge claims.  So, is there empirical evidence for such claims?  Has God revealed Himself in human history?  It wasn't too long ago when people began to question the historicity of King David.  It seems this question was answered when an inscribed stone with the name "David" on it was found in 1993.  

    Last week, we saw that there was about 25 years between the events surrounding Jesus and the recording of those events in the Gospels.  So, there was eyewitness testimony to confirm those events - and many, many hostile witnesses at that.  So, today we will survey the written Gospels and see how they compare to other ancient literature. 

     The original writings were called autographs.  We do not have any of these.  The copies of the autographs are called manuscripts.  We have many of these.  In fact, we have over 5,760 New Testament Greek manuscripts.  They contain all or part of the New Testament.  We have a dozen from the 2nd century.  And, we have more manuscripts from the 3rd century than the 4th century!  

     Here is a comparison of the New Testament manuscripts as they compare to other ancient literature:

 
When Written
Earliest
Copy
Time Span
Total Copies
Homer’s Illiad
900 BC
400 BC
500 yrs.
643
Plato’s Tetralogies
400 BC
900 AD
1300 yrs.
7
Aristotle’s Poems
350 BC
1100 AD
1400 yrs.
49
Caesar’s Gallic Wars
75 BC
900 AD
975 yrs.
10
New Testament
1st Century AD
125 AD
about 50 yrs.
5,760 Greek MSS

     As you can see, the amount of documentary evidence of the New Testament far outweighs any evidence of other ancient literature.  It has been said that if we throw out the New Testament, we must also throw out our entire knowledge of Greco-Roman history!  No New Testament, no Plato.  Notice the time span between the writings of the documents and the earliest copies we have.  Notice the total copies we have.  In fact, the total copies of Homer's Illiad is really extraordinary when compared to Plato, Aristotle, and Caesar.  Of course, it is nowhere close to the total copies of the New Testament!

     Next, we have a fragment of the Gospel of John.  This fragment is from John 18:31-33, the famous interaction between Jesus and Pontius Pilate.  This fragment is 3.5" by 2.5".  It is dated somewhere around 100-150 AD.  It can currently be seen at the John Rylands University Library in Manchester, UK.  Think about it!  This fragmentary manuscript is from the early 2nd century!  Incredible!

    But, what about the alleged errors?  Isn't the Bible full of errors?  Actually, it has been estimated that there is between 200,000 - 400,000 errors (called variants) in the NT manuscripts.  Before we get nervous, please hear some important facts.  First, the amount of errors are due to the 22,000 manuscripts of the New Testament.  "Wait, I thought you said there were just under 6,000 manuscripts!"  Yes, there are over 5,760 Greek NT manuscripts.  But, when we count manuscripts of other languages - especially Latin - there are over 22,000 manuscripts of the NT!  Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian known as the "Father of History," does not have this "problem" because we only have 8 of his copies.  How many possibilities are there for 8 copies compared to the 22,000 copies for the NT?  So, our "problem" exists because we have too much documentary evidence!  I say "problem" because it is not really a problem.  Second, these variants (errors, problems) include the following: spelling differences, articles with proper nouns, changes in word order, etc.  Let me give you some examples of the variants in the Gospel manuscripts.  In Matthew 1:10, we have the geneology of Jesus.  "...Manasseh was the father of Amos..."  However, there is a variant that reads "Amon" instead of "Amos."  Error.  In Matthew 13:2, "And great crowds gathered about Him [Jesus], so that He got into a boat and sat down."  However, there is a variant that reads "He got into the boat and sat down."  Error.  In Matthew 15:30, "And great crowds came to Him [Jesus], bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others..."  However, there is a variant that reads "bringing with them the lame, the blind, the mute, the crippled..."  One manuscripts reads "the crippled, the mute" and another read "the mute, the crippled."  Error.  One more example here.  In Matthew 8:25, "And they went and woke Him [Jesus], saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing.'"  However, there is a variant that reads "the disciples woke."  Error.  Wait, there is another variant that reads "His disciples woke."  Error.  They woke.  The disciples woke.  His disciples woke.  Error.  Error.  Error.  Next time you watch The History Channel and they talk about all the errors in the NT manuscripts, think of these examples, smile, and rest easy.  These are the vast majority of the variants.  Surely, there are some significant questions regarding parts of the New Testament, but none that touch the core doctrines of the Christian faith and the main teachings of the New Testament.  Our manuscripts evidence is incomparable and our New Testament documents are very, very reliable.  

     One last Greek example.  Take the phrase: Jesus loves Paul.  In Greek, this can be written in many ways.  The Jesus loves the Paul.  The Jesus loves Paul.  Jesus loves the Paul.  Jesus loves Paul.  In fact, there are 16 different ways to write "Jesus loves Paul" in Greek!  Sixteen!  And yes, all these would be considered variants.  

    So, the Gospels are eyewitness testimonies.  There was about 25 years between the events and the recording of the events.  The Gospel manuscripts are very reliable.  So, what do these documents say about Jesus?  Who did Jesus claim to be?  How did He demonstrate that claim?  We will look at all that and more in the weeks to come.  We pray.

     "Holy Spirit, Only you can bring us to faith.  In our baptism, You placed upon us the death and resurrection of Jesus by water and the Word.  You sustain us in faith and urge us to give a reason for the hope that we have in Jesus, our Incarnate and Risen Lord.  Deepen our faith and trust, that we might be bold witnesses within and without Your Church.  Give grace to scholars and researchers that they might fulfill their vocations well and equip us, Your body.  To God be the glory.  Amen!"