Synopsis "Considerations Of New Testament Textual Criticism (in English)"
My thanks go to many previous students; in particular Dr. Paul Losiewicz (circa 1974), who encouraged me to include textual criticism as part of our course of study; Mark Morris and Bob Keith, more recent students, who encouraged me through our course of study while I was preparing five previous textbooks and the first few pages of this synopsis; the Systems Research Group who scanned and prepared for inclusion, the page containing Ephesians 1:1-11 from P46, the Chester Beatty Papyri. In the days when this original manuscript was written, personal scanners were not economically feasible. Thanks goes to the staff of the Online Bible for providing a valuable tool for the three texts used in Figures 2-3. My thanks also go to Dr. Greg Enos for checking this synopsis for accuracy and my seminary Greek Professor, Dr. Duane Dunham for his encouragement. Finally, Thanks go to the University of Michigan University Library, Ann Arbor, MI, for the photograph of the leaf containing Ephesians 1:1-11 from p46, (Figure 1. and the cover). This is a short synopsis of the large field of Textual Criticism. It was prepared to give a beginning Greek student some insight into the purpose and possible benefits of this subject. There is nothing original in these considerations. The student should realize that there are few people who have the knowledge, skill, and gift to really make original contributions to the subject. It is hoped that the student will purchase some of the books mentioned in the Reference section. They should become some of your better "friends". You are free to copy and distribute diskettes containing this pamphlet, or my others, at no charge. Please contact me for future updates. There are more than 4800 extant manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. There are more than 8000 old Latin translations, and more than 1000 translations into other languages such as Syriac, Gothic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Georgian, or Nubian. The earliest known Greek Manuscript (ms., pl mss.) is a fragment (p52) from chapter 18 of the Gospel according to John. It is housed in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, England . According to Dr. H. Guppy, the late Rylands Librarian, it is described as having been copied 'when the ink of the original autograph can hardly have been dry.' The latest manuscripts were copied up until the 15th century when the printing press was invented. There are many times more old copies of the Greek New Testament than any other ancient document. The job of the textual critic is to attempt to determine what was the contents (wording) of each New Testament canonical (autograph) book. We therefore define textual criticism as: Textual Criticism: The art and science of determining the original text of a document. The English translations used herein are either the KJV, the version by J. N. Darby (DBY) or that of the author. The abbreviations for various books referenced herein may be found in the parenthesis following the book title in the section titled References.
