Reading The Bible on Its Own Terms Episode 3

New Testament

Unbelievably well attested material, 1000’s of manuscripts (compared to 30ish for Homer)

Jesus’ dates? Primary language?

NT written 45-100 AD/CE (almost everyone agrees) in Greek except “Abba”

5 narratives, other people’s mail, apocalypse (more normal to them then than to us now)

Gospels: (Q3+1) (Thomas)

Matthew 1:1

Mark 1:1

Luke 1:1-4

John 1:1, 20:30,31; 21:24,25

Tension, differences, but coherent witness to main events

Letters:

Romans 1:1, 7; 16:1-2, 22

Colossians 4:16, 18  (Galatians 6:11)

1 Peter 5:12

Growth

Letters go viral and spread and multiply with church

4 main and distinct  “copy centres”:  Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, Rome  -  allows for tracking of changes or errors – eliminates chance for conspiracy theory

1 John 5:7,8

300’s  Diocletian persecution – after that major writing boost, predominantly in Asia minor

Majority Text – because the majority of texts were from this stream, not the same as most accurate

Erasmus, prelude to Reformation and printing press, Latin Vulgate

William Tyndale – did the illegal act of translating into English

1612 – KJV, also known as?

Matthew 6:13

Nestle-Aland NOVUM TESTAMENTUM GRAECE

(handout)

Case Study: Mark 16  John 8

Canon (why these books included?)

Was actually a very organic and fluid process.

Books were included because they were commonly in use by people, the community discerned by use.

Example of letters…letters that people kept sharing and reading got copied…no committee work

By the time any Council/Synod/Committee approved anything they were simply stating what was the common practice and assumption

Case Study:  Esther, James

What are your “go to” books?

Translation

Now that we have all the books collected in BHS and NTG and everyone is using the same source material, why can’t we get the translation right, once and for all?

Translation is by definition interpretive…like dance interprets music.

Read Genesis 1 from the Analytical Key (interlinear)

Amplified (many options)

NASV more wooden and direct

ESV moderate

NIV “dynamic equivalency”

NLT

Message   - paraphrase – intentionally interpretive

RSV old English

KJV old English from less rigorous manuscript tradition

So which is best?  Depends on what you are trying to do.

Language evolves, manuscript work continues, culture changes, interpretation happens in this changing context.

Can we trust the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to continue to manifest?  That is what preaching and all it’s prep work is all about.