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Textual criticism of the New TestamentHow We Can Verify The Reliability Of The New Testament Narratives Of Jesus
It is a common fact that the New Testament was written closer to the events than any other ancient event in history.
More copies (24,593) of the New Testament manuscripts have survived time and decay, than any other manuscript copies in existence, and this goes for secular and religious.
These surviving manuscripts were written closer to the actual events they write about than any other manuscript copies in existence, and this goes for secular and religious.
Remaining New Testament Manuscripts Dated 130-225AD:
P52 from 130AD, with the text of Jesus’ trial before Pilate in a Codex (text). It is for sure that there was an original writing that goes back much more in time. It would not be crazy to state that the original text was written somewhere in the middle of the first century, just after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
150-200AD, we have P66, P72, and P75, with most of P66 from the Gospel of John, from 200AD, known as a first copy. This is proof that an early first century original text was written for the Gospel of John immediately after Jesus death and resurrection.
P72 is the earliest copy of Jude’s epistle, with one mention to Jesus’ resurrection, and two letters of the apostle Peter, who illustrates Jesus’ death and resurrection in 12 references.
175-225AD, P75, has the Gospel of Luke, with 13 links to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Also, the earliest of the Gospel of John with 18 references to Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The Diatessaron, from 170AD, encloses all four Gospels, and has a total of 301 references to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Matthew: 30 times, Mark: 37 times, Luke: 32 times, John: 101 times)
From 200AD: P45, P46, and P47, contain intact manuscript copies from all four gospels, and Acts of the Apostles (P45), containing 30 notes to Jesus’ death and resurrection,
- Comparing with our new translations of the New Testament, you will find that the text from these surviving manuscripts are essentially identical in all its basic doctrines about Jesus.
- The claim that the text of the New Testament has been changed over the past 2,000 years by thousands of textual variants, is a deceitful fabrication. What is meant by a textual variant, is simple something like ‘misspelled words’, alternative but same meaning words, grammatical mistakes, and different ways of saying the exact same thing.
- It is important to understand that there are two classes of New Testament scholars: Liberal and Conservative. There are significant differences between the conclusions of these two groups that result in critical results.
- Liberal and atheist scholars classify the New Testament as ancient literature only, not the inspired word of God. Conservative scholars classify the New Testament as the word of God that was inspired, directed, and composed as a direct work of the Holy Spirit. These strong differences are observed by the comments of liberal scholars who do not regard the New Testament as the word of God. This in contrast to scholars who do regard the New Testament as a supernatural composition by the Living God.
- Because liberal scholars do not view the New Testament as authored by God, they treat the text differently than conservative scholars. Critical liberals scholars analyse the text for reliability based upon suppositions and hypotheses (guesswork) that is reflected in their comments and opinions, while failing to provide actual evidence to support their hypotheses.
- Liberal scholars insert their opinions that the synoptic Gospels were written late in the first century, by non-eyewitnesses. Conservative scholars insist that the synoptic Gospels were written early in the first century, by the men who saw and heard Jesus.
Original article: https://robertcliftonrobinson.com/new-testament-criticism/
Adapted by Jurgen Hofmann, 23-07-2020
