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Originally Posted by Roger Pearse
Well, you are quite right. Indeed there could have been tendentious corruption of ANY copy of ANYTHING. Few texts will not pass through human hands at some point, and all humans have agendas. Pagan copyists had their views, you know. We all know this, I'm sure. (I'm sure we all know that 100% of all texts transmitted down the ages passed through Christian hands). But...
The question then becomes whether we take any notice of this a priori objection. If we do, then ALL books must be discarded on this same ground (which is absurd and obscurantist, surely) since every one of them is open to this objection; if we don't, then NONE of them must get this treatment.
Both of these are rational positions. Which do we adopt?
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I have not observed anyone advocating that
all books that 'pass through Christians hands' must be discarded. I have observed persons querying certain passages of writings for authenticity, interpolation, redaction or forgery. The early writers themselves were aware of the problem with regards to deliberate corruption of their own writings, and I see no malice if persons query certain passages if it appears problematic.
As you are aware, there is a difference between corruption and deliberate corruption as the 'TF' demonstrates, however the writings of Josephus have not been discarded.
Tertullian in 'Against Marcion' book 1 ch 1
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'My original track, as too hurriedly composed, I had subsequently superseded by a fuller teatise. This latter I lost, before it was completely published, by the fraud of a person who was then a brother, but became afterwards an apostate. He as it happened, transcribed a portion of it , full of mistakes and publish it. The necessity thus arose for an amended work; and the occasion of the new edition induce me to make a considerable addition to the treatise.
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See
www.tertullian.org/anf/index.htm
01-01-2007, 09:04 PM
