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Textual Criticism of the Bible
Textual Criticism of the Bible provides a starting point for the study of both Old and New Testament textual criticism.
In this book, you will be introduced to the world of biblical manuscripts and learn how scholars analyze and evaluate all of that textual data to bring us copies of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that can be used for translating the Bible into modern languages. d104ual Criticism of the Bible surveys the field, explains technical terminology, and demonstrates in numerous examples how various textual questions are evaluated. Complicated concepts are clearly explained and illustrated to prepare readers for further study with either more advanced texts on textual criticism or scholarly commentaries with detailed discussions of textual issues.
You may not become a textual critic after reading this book, but you will be well prepared to make use of a wide variety of text-critical resources.
In this book, you will be introduced to the world of biblical manuscripts and learn how scholars analyze and evaluate all of that textual data to bring us copies of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that can be used for translating the Bible into modern languages. d104ual Criticism of the Bible surveys the field, explains technical terminology, and demonstrates in numerous examples how various textual questions are evaluated. Complicated concepts are clearly explained and illustrated to prepare readers for further study with either more advanced texts on textual criticism or scholarly commentaries with detailed discussions of textual issues.
You may not become a textual critic after reading this book, but you will be well prepared to make use of a wide variety of text-critical resources.
252 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 20, 2024
This book excels in the quantity of information it includes and the clarity of its explanations. It would be helpful if it contained teaching about the theological assumptions and underpinning of the discipline though. An additional issue is that the authors make statements at points that are naturalistic in their assumptions and even inconsistent with a biblical doctrine of inspiration.
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November 14, 2025Just some light reading
January 21, 2026
I was surprised by how interesting this was, just all the cool ways they figure out what goes into the bible.
(And if anyone says "aha! I knew it was all made up!" this book shows how inconsequential most of the edits are, and no one would look at textual criticism to decry any of the points of the Apostle's Creed)
(And if anyone says "aha! I knew it was all made up!" this book shows how inconsequential most of the edits are, and no one would look at textual criticism to decry any of the points of the Apostle's Creed)
May 9, 2026
A book that provides the ins and outs of an under discussed part of Bible creation; textual criticism.
What is Textual Criticism? The authors define it as follows:
Definition: comparing ancient manuscripts to determine the earliest form of the text and study how the text was transmitted throughout history.
Variation unit: a place in the Bible where there is variation in the wording of the ancient manuscripts. And each translation of said place is a variant
This book does an excellent job of providing an exhaustive list of variation units, and why they occur.
I love how the authors also take time to provide examples of said variants like Omissions, Haplography , Conflation etc. Further , the authors prove that said variants exist, and show you what scriptures you can find them in.
I love how this book breaks down the internal and external evidence that is considered when people decide on manuscripts to use for Hebrew bibles and the NT.
Factors like the age of a manuscript, how many other witnesses attest to its reading, and the writing style of said author (Paul etc.) play a part in deciding manuscripts.
Further, the authors take time to showcase how Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew bibles were made
Hebrew bibles are typically used for the OT and each one had a different approaches to its creation.
The authors define the 2 main methods used in this way.
* Diplomatic edition: use a single manuscript as a base text and then adjust it when variants from other manuscripts provide more compelling readings:
* Electric edition: use all available manuscript evidence to create the best hypothetically original text called an electric edition.
This book also covers how manuscripts and manuscript families for the Old Testament and New Testament were made.
If you want an in depth introduction to how the Aramaic, hebrew, and Greek manuscripts that your Bible uses came together… read this.
It’s one thing to understand how translations are made, but it’s another thing to understand how the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that they translate was made.
Especially when you consider that a let’s say KJV relied on different manuscripts than the NLT.
I
What is Textual Criticism? The authors define it as follows:
Definition: comparing ancient manuscripts to determine the earliest form of the text and study how the text was transmitted throughout history.
Variation unit: a place in the Bible where there is variation in the wording of the ancient manuscripts. And each translation of said place is a variant
This book does an excellent job of providing an exhaustive list of variation units, and why they occur.
I love how the authors also take time to provide examples of said variants like Omissions, Haplography , Conflation etc. Further , the authors prove that said variants exist, and show you what scriptures you can find them in.
I love how this book breaks down the internal and external evidence that is considered when people decide on manuscripts to use for Hebrew bibles and the NT.
Factors like the age of a manuscript, how many other witnesses attest to its reading, and the writing style of said author (Paul etc.) play a part in deciding manuscripts.
Further, the authors take time to showcase how Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew bibles were made
Hebrew bibles are typically used for the OT and each one had a different approaches to its creation.
The authors define the 2 main methods used in this way.
* Diplomatic edition: use a single manuscript as a base text and then adjust it when variants from other manuscripts provide more compelling readings:
* Electric edition: use all available manuscript evidence to create the best hypothetically original text called an electric edition.
This book also covers how manuscripts and manuscript families for the Old Testament and New Testament were made.
If you want an in depth introduction to how the Aramaic, hebrew, and Greek manuscripts that your Bible uses came together… read this.
It’s one thing to understand how translations are made, but it’s another thing to understand how the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that they translate was made.
Especially when you consider that a let’s say KJV relied on different manuscripts than the NLT.
I
October 14, 2020
Very helpful introductory tool.
November 8, 2021
This is a wonderful overview of the discipline of textual criticism. If you’re looking for an in-depth overview and introduction into this area of study, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
March 5, 2019
An excellent introduction to the challenges and methods of biblical textual criticism, for both the OT and NT texts. The authors provide a clear summary of the field, lots of examples for the reader to practice with, and an up-to-date annotated bibliography for any readers who want to dive further in.
February 4, 2022
Lots of really good information and examples.
Read for Foundations in Bible class.
Read for Foundations in Bible class.
January 24, 2024
Hardly useful for the classroom. Better for a layman's guide.
December 21, 2024
This is a difficult read for anyone new to interpreting the original manuscript, but it does give a great overview of how that is done.
March 15, 2025
Fantastic intro to the subject. Not too technical, but also includes step-by-step examples.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews