"THE WORD OF GOD ENDURES FOREVER"

Can these manuscripts be useful to Bible students today?  Undoubtedly!  Take as an example the so-called long conclusion of the Gospel of Mark, which in some Bibles follows Mark 16:8.  It appears in the Greek Codex Alexandrinus of the fifth century, the Latin Vulgate, and elsewhere.  However, the two authoritive fourth-century  Greek manuscripts-Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus-both end with Mark 16:8.  The Sinaitic Syriac does not have this long conclusion either, adding further evidence that the long conclusion is a later addition and was not originally part of Mark's Gospel.

Consider another example. In the late  19th century, almost all Bible translations had a spurious Trinitarian addition at 1 John 5:7. However,  this addition does not appear  in the Peshitta, thus proving that the addition at 1 John 5:7 is indeed a corruption  of the Bible text. 

Clearly, as promised, Jehovah God has preserved his Holy Word.  In it we are given this assurance:  "The green grass dries up the blossom withers, but the word of our God endures forever..." (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25)  The version known as the Peshitta plays a humble but important role in the accurate  transmission of the Bible's message to all humanity.

Next time: GOD'S KINGDOM  WHAT CAN IT MEAN FOR YOU?-Why Be Interested in God's Kingdom?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2014