THE BIBLE - A STORY OF SURVIVAL

ESTABLISHING THE HEBREW AND GREEK TEXTS FOR TRANSLATION

Not all copies of ancient Bible manuscripts contain identical wording.  How, can we know what the original text contained?

The situation could be likened to that of a teacher who asks 100 students to copy a chapter of a book.  Even if the original chapter was later lost, a comparison of the 100 copies would still reveal the original text. While each student might make some errors, it is highly unlikely that all the students would make exactly the same ones. Similarly, when scholars compare the thousands of fragments and copies of ancient Bible books available to them, they can detect copyist error and determine the original wording. 

How confident can we be that the thoughts contained in the original Bible texts have been accurately transmitted to us?  Commenting on the text of the Hebrew Scriptures, scholar William H. Green stated:  "It may be safely said that no other work of antiquity has been so accurately transmitted."  Regarding the Christian Greek Scriptures, or so-called New Testament, Bible scholar F.F.Bruce wrote:  "The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for may writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one drams of questioning."  He also said:  "If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt."

Note: The New Testament was written because  Jehovah saw that some things were not quite working out in the earlier days - Hebrew Scriptures, so he wrote in changes to the Christian Greek Scriptures.  For example:  He saw that polygamy was not going to work, so he decided to make it a monogamous thing.  

Next time: THE BIBLE - A STORY OF SURVIVAL/ESTABLISH THE HEBREW AND GREEK TEXTS FOR TRANSLATION -HEBREW TEXT

From The Watchtower magazine