The Bible tells a story of a man who Jesus healed while he was waiting for healing by the pool of Bethesda. But in the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, the story is incomplete.
The Bible tells a story of a man who Jesus healed while he was waiting for healing by the pool of Bethesda. But in the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, the story is incomplete.
One of the two primary manuscripts claimed by textual critics to be "oldest and best" is the Codex Sinaiticus. Much evidence clearly points to this "ancient" book actually being a modern fraud. But that story is for another time. In this article, we're instead going to look at the textual critics' version of the story.…
In Ephesians 6, Paul describes "the whole armour of God." Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,…
In Psalm 100 we are called to be thankful: Psalms 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep…
People often say that "no major doctrines are affected" by the differences between the received text and the Alexandrian manuscripts. Of course, these are weasel words, since it is impossible to pin down a definition of exactly what "major doctrines" are or what "affecting" them would be. But the fact is that there is one doctrine that is always overlooked: the doctrine…
Are we employing circular reasoning when we use the teaching of extant scripture to argue that the Bible was preserved? After all, if the Bible wasn't preserved perfectly, then we can't trust fully what it says. In that case, even though the Bible teaches preservation now, that doesn't mean that it did so originally. Thus, when we point to verses that say…
Textual criticism is based on the underlying assumption that the Bible is corrupted. That it contains errors. That it is not inerrant. That it is not the word of God alone. That it suffers an indelible mark placed upon it by man.
The other day I was reading an article by some people whose work I greatly respect, which was encouraging Christians that we can trust that the Bible is the word of God, due to its remarkable preservation. (I’m not going to give the exact reference, because it isn’t really important.) While this might surprise you, I disagreed with most of what the…
In prior posts, we’ve discussed the fact that there are several different variations in the manuscripts containing the Biblical text. If you’ve ever used one of the modern versions of the Bible, you’ve probably seen a footnote referencing “the oldest and best manuscripts.” We’ve explained that the scholars’ views on this contradict the clear teachings of scripture, and that the readings they…