Interplanner
Well-known member
Sancoco,
I think you are wrestling with text criticism questions: are the originals accessible and are they valid?
In advanced theology, this is where the introductions to our published texts are necessary reading.
Let me give you a summary of how it works. There are about 5 originals that are in outstanding shape and quality and early. For the sake of symbolizing them for footnotes at the bottom of the pages of text publications, they are:
(A) Aleph (the 1st Hebrew letter)
B
C
D
p46 (Papyrus 46)
In my generation, we used American Bible Society's published text edited by B. Metzger. When there is a variation in a text, for ex., Acts 10:19, the first thing the note tells you at the bottom is what Aleph, B, C, D and p46 say. That's because of the general scholar and curator (museum) agreement that these are in the best original condition and completeness. If you look in the NIV for the same thing, it says "one early manuscript..." and then tells you the variation. That usually means there is one of the few variations between these 5.
Keep in mind that these main 5 have survived obnoxious people, fires, floods, earthquakes, etc. down through the years. It's in very good shape compared to many other records and writers.
The 2nd batch of footnote symbols will be all the secondary quality texts. There are about 2000 but they are all known to be later copies. They are still helpful because they show whether there was uniformity.
I hope that helps!
I think you are wrestling with text criticism questions: are the originals accessible and are they valid?
In advanced theology, this is where the introductions to our published texts are necessary reading.
Let me give you a summary of how it works. There are about 5 originals that are in outstanding shape and quality and early. For the sake of symbolizing them for footnotes at the bottom of the pages of text publications, they are:
(A) Aleph (the 1st Hebrew letter)
B
C
D
p46 (Papyrus 46)
In my generation, we used American Bible Society's published text edited by B. Metzger. When there is a variation in a text, for ex., Acts 10:19, the first thing the note tells you at the bottom is what Aleph, B, C, D and p46 say. That's because of the general scholar and curator (museum) agreement that these are in the best original condition and completeness. If you look in the NIV for the same thing, it says "one early manuscript..." and then tells you the variation. That usually means there is one of the few variations between these 5.
Keep in mind that these main 5 have survived obnoxious people, fires, floods, earthquakes, etc. down through the years. It's in very good shape compared to many other records and writers.
The 2nd batch of footnote symbols will be all the secondary quality texts. There are about 2000 but they are all known to be later copies. They are still helpful because they show whether there was uniformity.
I hope that helps!
