Freethought & Rationalism Archive

SwoleMan · 08-15-2004, 09:59 AM

Two questions: Are there any original biblical manuscrips left today, and if so, are there any grammatical or spelling errors in them?

Give me answers quick!

SLD · 08-15-2004, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andreas83

Two questions: Are there any original biblical manuscrips left today, and if so, are there any grammatical or spelling errors in them?

Give me answers quick!

NO.

SLD

Toto · 08-15-2004, 10:41 AM

To clarify, there are no original manuscripts of the Bible, but if there were, they would predate grammar books.

Peter Kirby · 08-15-2004, 11:02 AM

Grammatical errors also predate grammar books.

best,
Peter Kirby

Toto · 08-15-2004, 11:14 AM

But then how would you know that they are errors and not "usage"? How could you tell if a key word is mispelled?

WCH · 08-15-2004, 11:57 AM

As I recall, Revelation is extremely poorly written. Comparing the Greek translation of it against other Greek documents at the time clearly shows it to be less than perfect... in fact, the author comes off as only barely literate.

Do I have proof of this? No, but I heard it first from a Christian who believes in the divine authority of the text (and he was working on his doctorate at the time, so he knows his stuff), so I have no reason to doubt him.

Peter Kirby · 08-15-2004, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

But then how would you know that they are errors and not "usage"? How could you tell if a key word is mispelled?

It's easier than you think. For example, on the first page of the NT part of the Codex Sinaiticus, the first scribe spelled the name Isaac in Mt 1:2 as "ISAK." A later scribe put in the other alpha between the lines to make it "ISAAK." On the same page, the word EGENNHSEN ("sired") is spelled EGNNHSEN, so the later scribe inserted the eta in tiny script. Joram's name is missing the final mu, so it is added at the end of the line by a later scribe. On the first page of John, the word AUTOU was spelled AUTU, so a later scribe put in the omicron. Misspelling by omitting a letter is just one type of common scribal error that is easily detectable, and we can see when it was done even if the manuscript wasn't looked over by another scribe, based on our knowledge of the language. AUTOU is never correctly spelled AUTU.

best,
Peter Kirby

Toto · 08-15-2004, 12:38 PM

Those are spelling errors, clearly inserted by a sloppy clerk when copying the originally inerrent manuscript.

IrishGuy · 08-15-2004, 12:45 PM

Sorry, there's just some small mistakes.

The Bible kicks ass, you see. :thumbs:

Vinnie · 08-15-2004, 12:52 PM

Raymond Brown highlighted a grammatical error in Luke:

Quote:

"""By way of example, one may note Luke does not report a scourging of Jesus by Roman soldiers as do Mark/Matt; accordingly, in Luke 23:26 the antecedent of the "they" who led Jesus away to be crucified is grammatically "the chief priests and the rulers and the people" of 23:13. Many commentators would read this passage as a deliberate Lucan attempt to make the Jews the agents of the crucifixion and to exculpate the Romans. Yet careless use of antecedents is not infrequent in writing. 34 Eventually Luke makes clear that there were (Roman) soldiers involved in the crucifixion (23:36), and elsewhere he indicates that the Gentiles killed Jesus (18:32-33; cf. Acts 4:25-27). From other NT evidence one may suspect that all or most Christians would have heard and known of the Roman role in crucifying Jesus, and so Luke's audience would have understood the "they" of Luke 23:26 in that sense (as have Christian audiences ever since). Most likely, then, the grammatical sense of what Luke wrote was not what he intended to convey.

p. 39 Intro to NT.

Vinnie

08-15-2004, 09:59 AM	#1
SwoleMan Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,190	Grammatical errors in ze Bible? Two questions: Are there any original biblical manuscrips left today, and if so, are there any grammatical or spelling errors in them? Give me answers quick!

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08-15-2004, 10:41 AM	#3
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	To clarify, there are no original manuscripts of the Bible, but if there were, they would predate grammar books.

08-15-2004, 11:02 AM	#4
Peter Kirby Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: the reliquary of Ockham's razor Posts: 4,035	Grammatical errors also predate grammar books. best, Peter Kirby

08-15-2004, 11:14 AM	#5
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	But then how would you know that they are errors and not "usage"? How could you tell if a key word is mispelled?

08-15-2004, 11:57 AM	#6
WCH Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 6,290	As I recall, Revelation is extremely poorly written. Comparing the Greek translation of it against other Greek documents at the time clearly shows it to be less than perfect... in fact, the author comes off as only barely literate. Do I have proof of this? No, but I heard it first from a Christian who believes in the divine authority of the text (and he was working on his doctorate at the time, so he knows his stuff), so I have no reason to doubt him.

08-15-2004, 12:38 PM	#8
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	Those are spelling errors, clearly inserted by a sloppy clerk when copying the originally inerrent manuscript.

08-15-2004, 12:45 PM	#9
IrishGuy Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 347	Sorry, there's just some small mistakes. The Bible kicks ass, you see. :thumbs:

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