This book is about the transmission of the New Testament text in the second and third centuries of early Christianity. It explores the world of manuscripts, scribes, and early Christian textual culture.

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The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research provides up-to-date discussions of every major aspect of New Testament textual criticism. Written by internationally acknowledged experts, the twenty-four essays evaluate all significant advances in the field since the 1950s.

THE SCRIBE AND THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT is a comprehensive exploration of the critical role played by scribes in the transmission of the New Testament text throughout history. This book provides a fascinating and informative overview of the evolution of scribal practices and their impact on the New Testament text, revealing how scribal tendencies have led to the creation of variant readings. The book delves into the significance of studying scribal activities in textual criticism, explaining how understanding scribal errors can help scholars determine the original text of the New Testament. The book provides examples of the most common types of scribal errors and offers strategies for identifying and correcting them. With clear and accessible language, the book explains the historical and cultural context of scribal practices in the New Testament era. It highlights the importance of recognizing the impact of scribal activities on the transmission of the New Testament text and its continuing relevance to contemporary scholarship. THE SCRIBE AND THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT is an essential resource for anyone interested in textual criticism, the history of the New Testament, or the cultural context of the ancient world. It is an invaluable guide for scholars, students, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the New Testament and its transmission through history.

In "The Original Text of the New Testament," renowned conservative Christian New Testament Textual Criticism scholar delves into the rich and unparalleled manuscript evidence for the Greek New Testament. With a deep commitment to establishing the original words of the New Testament manuscripts, this comprehensive guide illuminates the essential principles and historical development of textual criticism while addressing common misconceptions and skepticism. With over 5,800 Greek New Testament manuscripts, more than 15,000 version manuscripts, and numerous church father quotations, the author demonstrates how the vast wealth of evidence surpasses any other ancient literature. The book examines the history of textual criticism since the 1500s, exploring the contributions of notable scholars, the discovery of key manuscripts, and the development of critical editions of the Greek New Testament. Through detailed analysis of textual variants and evaluation criteria, this scholarly work provides readers with the tools to confidently ascertain the original text of the New Testament. The author also highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in the transmission and preservation of God's Word, emphasizing the importance of faith in approaching the text. "The Original Text of the New Testament" serves as both a comprehensive introduction for students of textual criticism and a valuable resource for seasoned scholars. By demonstrating the reliability and trustworthiness of the New Testament text, this book emboldens Christian readers to engage with their faith on a deeper level, instilling confidence in the enduring quest for the original text.

The story of the woman taken in adultery features a dramatic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees over whether the adulteress should be stoned as the law commands. In response, Jesus famously states, “Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” To Cast the First Stone traces the history of this provocative story from its first appearance to its enduring presence today. Likely added to the Gospel of John in the third century, the passage is often held up by modern critics as an example of textual corruption by early Christian scribes and editors, yet a judgment of corruption obscures the warm embrace the story actually received. Jennifer Knust and Tommy Wasserman trace the story’s incorporation into Gospel books, liturgical practices, storytelling, and art, overturning the mistaken perception that it was either peripheral or suppressed, even in the Greek East. The authors also explore the story’s many different meanings. Taken as an illustration of the expansiveness of Christ’s mercy, the purported superiority of Christians over Jews, the necessity of penance, and more, this vivid episode has invited any number of creative receptions. This history reveals as much about the changing priorities of audiences, scribes, editors, and scholars as it does about an “original” text of John. To Cast the First Stone calls attention to significant shifts in Christian book cultures and the enduring impact of oral tradition on the preservation—and destabilization—of scripture.

There are over 5,000 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, over half of which are continuous text copies, the rest being lectionaries. They range in size from a scrap with parts of two verses to complete New Testaments. They range in date from the second century to the sixteenth. They come from all over the Mediterranean world. They contain several hundred thousand variant readings (differences in the text). The vast majority of these are misspellings or other obvious errors due to carelessness or ignorance on the part of the copyists—such are not proper variant readings and may be ignored. However, many thousands of variants remain which need to be evaluated as we seek to identify the precise original wording of the Text. How best to go about such a project? This book seeks to provide an answer.