550 Read the Bible for Yourself 17: How to Choose a Bible Translation

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Sean Finnegan

This is part 17 of the Read the Bible For Yourself. After reviewing the resources you can use to learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, we delve into the sources that translators use for their work. Next, we’ll look at translation philosophies, including formal and dynamic equivalence. Lastly we’ll cover the controversial issues of gender accuracy Read more about 550 Read the Bible for Yourself 17: How to Choose a Bible Translation[…]

340 Bible 11 – Two Corrected Corruptions (1 Timothy 3.16 & 1 John 5.7)

Posted on July 7, 2020July 21, 2020 by Sean Finnegan

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 Read more about 340 Bible 11 – Two Corrected Corruptions (1 Timothy 3.16 & 1 John 5.7)[…]

339 Bible 10 New Testament Textual Criticism

Posted on July 4, 2020July 21, 2020 by Sean Finnegan

Last time we surveyed five hundred years of New Testament textual criticism. Today we address the process by which these scholars have done and continue to do their work. We’ll see how they weigh internal and external evidence. We’ll cover reasoned eclecticism, the refined documentary approach, and the computer-driven coherence based genealogical method. (Don’t worry Read more about 339 Bible 10 New Testament Textual Criticism[…]

338 Bible 9 Reconstructing the New Testament

Posted on June 30, 2020July 21, 2020 by Sean Finnegan

Before we can understand how textual scholars do their work today, it’s important to understand the history of how they have endeavored to reconstruct the Greek New Testament over the years. In this episode you’ll learn about the rich and important history of how our understanding of the Greek New Testament changed over the last Read more about 338 Bible 9 Reconstructing the New Testament[…]

335 Bible 6 – Greek New Testament Papyri

Posted on June 20, 2020July 21, 2020 by Sean Finnegan

Today we are shifting gears from the Old Testament to the New Testament, from Hebrew manuscripts to Greek ones. We’ll begin with the earliest evidence for the Greek New Testament, the papyri. Made from the papyrus plant, approximately 130 of these manuscripts survive today in museums around the world. In this lecture you’ll learn the Read more about 335 Bible 6 – Greek New Testament Papyri[…]

Theology 12 – Challenging Jesus’ Humanity

Posted on April 19, 2019April 25, 2019 by Sean Finnegan

Last time we considered Jesus’ identity as God’s messiah. Today, we’ll look at a number of texts that are sometimes misunderstood to teach that Jesus is God. We’ll go through three classifications of verses: (1) those with manuscript issues, (2) those with translation issues, and (3) those with interpretation issues. Here is the breakdown. Manuscript Read more about Theology 12 – Challenging Jesus’ Humanity[…]

Podcast 61: Is the New Testament Reliable? (Apologetics 11)

Posted on December 1, 2016November 8, 2018 by Sean Finnegan

Apologetics 11: New Testament Transmission With the New Testament we can’t argue for a reliable transmission on the basis of meticulous Hebrew scribes. More often, especially early on, the Christian scribes focused more on quantity than quality so they could get the word out as quickly as possible. However, the sheer number of manuscripts that Read more about Podcast 61: Is the New Testament Reliable? (Apologetics 11)[…]

The Story Behind The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5.7)

Posted on December 8, 2015November 6, 2015 by Sean Finnegan

by Sean Finnegan The most Trinitarian verse in the Bible is found in 1 John 5.7 where the text reads “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”[1] Recently in conversation with an acquaintance, I was challenged to accept the doctrine Read more about The Story Behind The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5.7)[…]