NT308 The Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts
Overview
In this course, distinguished scholar Dr. Craig A. Evans answers a question commonly asked about the New Testament—can we trust the manuscripts? Because the answer has serious consequences, Dr. Evans clearly outlines the history of these important documents. He discusses the quality, quantity, and age of the manuscripts and how these elements compare to nonbiblical ancient texts. Numerous text examples as well as descriptions of the practices of ancient writers and scribes also contribute to his argument for reliable manuscripts.
Top Highlights
“We have 5,800 handwritten manuscripts of the Greek nt. That is, these are manuscripts that predate the Gutenberg press, predate the first printed Greek nt produced by Erasmus in 1516.” (source)
“a fragment of the Gospel of Mark that could even date to the end of the first century, maybe even to the 80s” (source)
“most of these books fell in the 200- to 300-year range before being retired or discarded or thrown out” (source)
“Tertullian, writing around the year 190, in a tractate called Prescription against the Heretics—in chapter 36, he complains of the heretics who mutilate the text, and he says, ‘If you don’t believe me, then check out the autographs of Paul’s Letters,’ and he mentions a few letters by name, ‘which you can find in Hierapolis, in Asia Minor.’” (source)
“the oldest one is 900 years removed from when he wrote the original” (source)
- Title: NT308 The Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts
- Author: Craig A. Evans
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Bible. N.T. › Criticism, textual; Education › Bible. N.T.--Criticism, textual
- Resource ID: LLS:NT308EVANS
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-23T05:58:55Z
Craig A. Evans earned his PhD in biblical studies at Claremont Graduate University and received his decretum habilitationis from Budapest. He is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament; Acadia Divinity College Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada; John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins (Houston Theological Seminary); a New Testament scholar; and a prolific author and popular teacher/speaker.
Evans is well-known for his work on the Gospels, the Historical Jesus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the archaeology of the New Testament. His passion for archaeology has him frequently participating in Middle East digs and leading Holy Land tours. He has regularly appeared in television and radio interviews, such as the History Channel, BBC, and Dateline NBC, served as a consultant on the National Geographic Society's Gospel of Judas project and for The Bible television miniseries, and is featured in documentaries like Fragments of Truth and the Archaeology and Jesus series.
He's written hundreds of articles and reviews and published more than 70 books, including Jesus and His Contemporaries, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies, Mark in the Word Biblical Commentary, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, God Speaks, and Jesus and the Remains of His Days: Studies in Jesus and Archaeology. He coauthored Jesus, the Final Days with N. T. Wright.