Today we move from learning about manuscripts and textual criticism to actually doing textual criticism. I’ve chosen two well-known corruptions to illustrate the process of textual criticism: 1 Timothy 3.16 and 1 John 5.7. In each of these cases scribes have altered the text of scripture and we have the manuscript evidence to show exactly what happened.
—— Books ——
- New Testament Text and Translation Commentary by Philip W. Comfort
- Textual Commentary of the Greek New Testament by Bruce Metzger
- The NET Bible with 60,932 Translators’ Notes (online here)
- The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture by Bart Ehrman
- Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament by Daniel Wallace et al.
- The King James Only Controversy by James White
—— Links ——
- Read my more thorough treatment of 1 John 5.7-8: “The Story behind the Comma Johanneum“
- For background on textual criticism see part 10 New Testament Textual Criticism as well as 6 Greek New Testament Papyri, 7 Greek New Testament Uncials, and 8 Other New Testament Manuscripts
- Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible
- See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed)
- If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here.
- Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library
Great presentation. Besides the textual history of 1 Timothy 3:16, it’s another case where “diety of Christ” folks slip back and forth between a “oneness” (modalist) concept of God, and a “trinitarian” concept. If “God were manifest in the flesh” as those Latin versions and Erasmus’ 3rd edition would have it – hold on a second. God is (supposed to be) a Trinity. So the Trinity manifested itself in flesh? Isn’t it only one person of the tri-personal god who supposedly manifested himself in the flesh? Paul doesn’t say “one person of God” or “God the Son” was manifest in the flesh.
For Paul, “God” means the Father (Gal. 1:1, 1:3, Rom. 15:6, 1 Cor. 1:3, Eph. 1:3, 1 Timothy 1:2, etc., etc.). Is Paul saying the Father, who for Paul is God, was manifest in the flesh? Nice argument for “oneness” or “modalism” (I guess), but a terrible argument for trinitarianism.
Great point William.
Another good question to ask:
Which Person of the Trinity is speaking in verses like Isaiah 44:24?
“I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by Myself. Who else was with Me?”