Textual Criticism & the method of textual criticism
1/21/2014
Textual Criticism
Textual Criticism tries to identify the original text of the Bible (Lower Criticism).Textual criticism is the discipline that requires the exegete to know not only the languages, but all the information about the manuscripts and the versions.
A. the Hebrew Manuscripts
I. 1900-300 B.C. Scroll and Leather
II. 300 B.C. - 135 A.D. Greek LXX(Septuagint) - the
III. 135 A.D. -1000 A.D.
/ BHS is based on leningrad codex, Kittel
/ BHQ - Biblia Hebraica Qiunta,
- the earliest Hebrew text -400 b.c.
- The standard Hebrew text -70 A.D.
- The Dead sea Scrolls - 200 B.C.
- The Masoretic Text(MT) -900 A.D.(textus receptus)
- The Samaritan Pentateuch(SP)
B. The Ancient Versions
The LXX- translated between 295-132 bc
Receptus
The Aramaic Targums - Aramaic translations of certain books or larger sections of the OT
- Targum Onqelos - the official Targum of the Pentateuch
- Targum Jonathan - the prophets minus Daniel and the Minor Prophets
The Old Latin and the Vulgate - the Old is probably a Jewish translation based on the LXX.
= the Vulgate was translated by Jerome from the Hebrew text.
[The method of textual criticism]
External evidence
- Assessment of the manuscripts and versions(do not assume that the MT is always correct)
- Understand the problem
- Make a preliminary judgment
Internal evidence
- Scribal tendencies considered
- Scribal errors?
- The most difficult reading is preferred shorter
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Textual Criticism
