New Testament Canon

1Co 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

others 500 123 70

1Co 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Oral and written traditions behind the gospelsOral and written traditions behind the gospels

Collected, memorized and Collected, memorized and (perhaps) recorded:(perhaps) recorded:

Sayings of JesusSayings of Jesus Miracle storiesMiracle stories Passion narrativePassion narrative

from the German Quelle, "source"

Various Source HypothesesVarious Source Hypotheses

2SH holds that Mark was the first gospel to be composed and became the primary narrative source for Matthew and Luke (Markan priority). In addition, Matthew and Luke independently supplemented their Markan material with sayings of Jesus from a lost sayings collection, termed "Q".

4SH: Matthew's and Luke's own special sources are postulated to be distinct, written sources

posits three sources for Luke: Mark, Q, and to a lesser extent Matthew

Matthew and Luke used the first version of Mark (pMk), which was revised into Secret Mark (dMk). Our Mark then comes an edited version of Secret Mark.

Markan Hypothesis

Proto gospel and Q

The Logia Translation Hypothesis from Hebrew and Greek stories

the early church gathered for a meal and remembered the life, works and

the words of Jesus

Memories fadeMemories fade People People who witnessed the event who witnessed the event diedie The The 4 gospels4 gospels were written were written very very

earlyearly after Jesus’ death and after Jesus’ death and resurrection:resurrection: MarkMark: around : around 70 A.D. 70 A.D. MatthewMatthew: around : around 80 A.D.80 A.D. LukeLuke: around : around 80 A.D.80 A.D. JohnJohn: around : around 90 A.D.90 A.D.

Luk 1:1-2 “many people have attempted to write an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning, “

Collecting the booksCollecting the booksCanonization of the New Testament

Phase I

About 50 A.D. – 100 A.D.

The Apostles Consider their Writings to be scripture.

• Paul – Colossians 4:16, I Thessalonians 5:27, II Thessalonians 2:15

• Peter – II Peter 1:15, 3:1-2

• Paul – I Timothy 5:18

• Peter – II Peter 3:15-16

It was the Apostolic witness that formed the core of the faith of Christians

all around the World

ca. 51-100 AD: The ca. 51-100 AD: The New Testament New Testament books are written.books are written.

But during this same period But during this same period other early Christian other early Christian writings are produced:writings are produced:

The Didache (ca. 70)The Didache (ca. 70) 1 Clement (ca. 96)1 Clement (ca. 96) The Epistle of Barnabas (ca. The Epistle of Barnabas (ca.

100)100) 7 Letters of Ignatius of 7 Letters of Ignatius of

Antioch (ca. 110)Antioch (ca. 110) The Shepherd of Hermas The Shepherd of Hermas

(ca. 100)(ca. 100) If you want to read them: If you want to read them:

www.earlychristianwritings.www.earlychristianwritings.comcom

Oldest MS of John 125 AD

Development of the New Testament Development of the New Testament CanonCanon

incorporates Christian

ideas.(mid-second century)

Proliferation of Gnostic writings Gospels Acts Apocalypses

Gospels

Gospel of Mary Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Truth Gospel of Philip Gospel of Judas

Apocalypse

The Apocryphon of John The Apocalypse of Adam

Thomasine works

Hymn of Jude Thomas the Apostle in the Country of IndiansThe Gospel of Thomas

The Book of Thomas: The Contender Writing to the Perfect

Valentinian . ca 153 AD/CE, Bishop of Rome

The Divine Word Present in the Infant On the Three Natures

Adam's Faculty of Speech To Agathopous: Jesus' Digestive System

Annihilation of the Realm of Death On Friends: The Source of Common Wisdom

Basilides (132–? CE/AD).

The Octet of Subsistent Entities The Uniqueness of the World

Election Naturally Entails Faith and Virtue The State of Virtue (Fragment D)

The Elect Transcend the World (Fragment E) Reincarnation

In India this generated new Iswaras in the place of

Isa

This gave rise to Hinduism

ca. 140AD: ca. 140AD: He was a He was a businessman in businessman in Rome. Rome.

Marcion donated 200,000 sesterces to the Church of Rome after Pope Hyginus died in 143, an impressive sum of money.

Many have conjectured that this "gift" was actually a calculated bribe on the part of Marcion and his adherents in order to obtain the bishopric of Rome.

(c.110-160)

ca. 140AD:ca. 140AD:

There are two Gods: There are two Gods: Yahweh, the cruel Yahweh, the cruel

God of the Old God of the Old TestamentTestament

Abba, the kind Abba, the kind father of the New father of the New TestamentTestament

MarcionMarcion,,(c.110-160)

Marcion’s Canon

Gospel according to Luke Romans I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians (Laodiceans) Colossians Thessalonians I Thessalonians II Philemon

Marcion's "New Testament“—the first to be compiled forced other Christian leaders, like Irenaeus, to decide on a core canon:

Tests for inclusion

three main criteria were used

1.Early date Was it written within a 100 years of the death of Jesus? Written

during the life time of Apostles. John died in AD 100

2. Apostolic connections What eye witness corrobation is behind it?

3. Intrinsic soundness Quality of theological reflection Is it Good Theology?

The Incarnation and historicity of Jesus of Nazareth

Canonization of the New Testament

Phase II

About 100 A.D. – 170 A.D.

• First collection of New Testament books showed up in Rome.

• Other areas held some collections of New Testament books

• Each region or area would have a different collection of books

• The church had no council, meeting, or conference to bring all the apostolic writings together.

• Distance kept the New testament canon very diverse.

• Each church used and read the writings it had.

Irenaeus’ list ca. 180 AD

Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians

Thessalonians I Thessalonians II I Timothy II Timothy Titus James (?) 1 Peter 1 John Revelation of John Shepherd of Hermas


Phase III

About 70 A.D. – 200 A.D.

Early Church Fathers consider the Apostolic letters to be scripture

• Clement of Rome – refers to Matthew, Luke, Romans, Corinthians, Hebrews, I Timothy, I Peter.

• Polycarp – Quotes Philippians, and nine other of Paul's Epistles.

• Ignatius – Quotes Matthew, I Peter, I John, and nine of Paul’s Epistles.

• Papias (pupil of John) – Quotes John and talks about the origin of Matthew and Mark

Others

Tatian, Justin Martyr, Basilides, Marcion, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen

All considered the Apostolic letters to be scripture

But the periphery of the canon is not But the periphery of the canon is not yet determined. yet determined.

According to one list, compiled at According to one list, compiled at Rome around 200 (often called the Rome around 200 (often called the Muratorian Canon), the NT consists Muratorian Canon), the NT consists of:of:

The 4 Gospels (though first 2 are The 4 Gospels (though first 2 are missing)missing)

ActsActs 13 letters of Paul 13 letters of Paul (Hebrews is not included) (Hebrews is not included)

1-2 John 1-2 John JudeJude The Apocalypse of Peter.The Apocalypse of Peter. But not Hebrews, James, 3 John, 1 & But not Hebrews, James, 3 John, 1 &

2 Peter, or Revelation2 Peter, or Revelation

AD 200 Muratorian fragment ListAD 200 Muratorian fragment List


Phase IV

About 300A.D. – 340 A.D.

• Constantine accepts Christianity.

• He orders 50 Bibles to be prepared for all the churches in his city Constantinople.

• Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea was given the job of preparing the 50 Bibles.

•

300 AD Eusebius of CaesareaChurch Historian

Eusebius A.D. 260 - 340

Eusebius lived through the Great Persecution under Diocletian

and

served as the bishop of Caesarea during the reign of Constantine.

He was one of the bishops present at the Council of Nicaea.

He is best known for writing his Ecclesiastical History.



Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History

When he wrote his History, Eusebius' vital concern was to record facts before they disappeared and before eyewitnesses might be killed and libraries might be burned during the next persecution. He faithfully transcribed the most important existing documents of his day, enabling later generations to have a collection of factual history about the first three centuries of Christianity.

Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is one of the classics of early Christianity and stands in equal stature with the historical works of Josephus.

“recognized,”

“disputed,”

“spurious”

and

“heretical”



Recognized:Recognized: The four Gospels, The four Gospels, Acts, Acts, Paul’s letters, Paul’s letters, 1 John, 1 John, 1 Peter 1 Peter and “if it really seems and “if it really seems

right,” Revelationright,” Revelation


Disputed:Disputed: James, James, Jude, Jude, 2 Peter 2 Peter and and 2 & 3 John2 & 3 John


Spurious:Spurious: Acts of Paul, Acts of Paul, Shepherd of Hermas, Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, Apocalypse of Peter, Letter of Barnabas, Letter of Barnabas, the Didache, the Didache, the Gospel of the the Gospel of the Hebrews and,Hebrews and,

“ “if it seems right,” if it seems right,” RevelationRevelation



Heretical:Heretical: Gospels of Peter, Gospels of Peter,

Thomas, Matthias, etc., Thomas, Matthias, etc., Acts of Andrew, John or Acts of Andrew, John or

other apostlesother apostles



Using groups 1and 2, he made his list of accepted books. Which happen to be identical to our modern day list of New Testament books.

367AD : Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria,in his Easter letter.

The earliest extant list of the books of New Testament, in exactly the number and order in which we presently have them

in his Easter letter of 367

We must remember that the whole process was rather fluid andtook place over a long period of time.

At one stage certain books that are now in were out and others that are now out were in.

Eusebius wrote a list of books in AD 320 and

Bp Athanasius in AD367 makes the first record of what we recognise as the New Testament

Many strands forms the thread


Phase V

About 397A.D.

The Council of Carthage

• Gave formal approval to canonize 27 books of the New Testament.

• These books were the same 27 listed by Eusebius research.

• All 27 books had already been accepted by the churches through the years.

• These same 27 books now make up our modern New Testament.

397AD: The North African Council of Carthage

reproduces the same list and declares:

397AD: The North African Council of Carthage

reproduces the same list and declares:

“apart from the canonical Scriptures nothing is to be read in church under the name of the divine Scriptures … Let the church across the sea be consulted for the confirmation of this canon.”

Closing of the Canon

settled to mark out against Heresy,

That which the Church considered to be a true and genuine reflection of Christian Teaching,

covering the life and work of Jesus,

how to live the Christian Faith,

useful for teaching and encouraging the church

to witness and persevere in the face of persecution.

Non-canonical Christian WritingsNon-canonical Christian Writings

““Apocryphal” works – Apocryphal” works – not accepted into NT not accepted into NT CanonCanon Why not?Why not? – written later; different theology; – written later; different theology; used by used by

heretical groups?heretical groups? More “Gospels”: More “Gospels”: Gospels of Thomas, Peter, Judas, Gospels of Thomas, Peter, Judas,

etc. etc. More “Acts”: More “Acts”: Acts of Paul, of Peter, of Thomas, etc.Acts of Paul, of Peter, of Thomas, etc. More “Apocalypses”: More “Apocalypses”: Apoc. of John, of Peter, etc.Apoc. of John, of Peter, etc.

Non-canonical Christian WritingsNon-canonical Christian Writings

““Patristic” works –Patristic” works – also not in NT, but different reasons also not in NT, but different reasons Why not?Why not? – not “apostolic” (i.e., written later, but theology – not “apostolic” (i.e., written later, but theology

acceptable)acceptable) More “Letters/Epistles”: More “Letters/Epistles”: by Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius of by Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius of

Antioch, etc.Antioch, etc. More “Homilies/Sermons”: More “Homilies/Sermons”: by later bishops & teachersby later bishops & teachers Other Genres: Other Genres: Biblical commentaries; theological treatises; Biblical commentaries; theological treatises;

etc.etc. 44thth & 5 & 5thth Cent. “Creeds”: Cent. “Creeds”: summary statements of Christian summary statements of Christian

beliefsbeliefs

1536: Martin Luther 1536: Martin Luther translates the Bible from translates the Bible from Hebrew and Greek to Hebrew and Greek to German. German.

He assumes that, since He assumes that, since Jews wrote the Old Jews wrote the Old Testament, theirs is the Testament, theirs is the correct canon. correct canon.

He puts the extra 7 He puts the extra 7 books in an appendix books in an appendix that he calls the that he calls the "Apocrypha." "Apocrypha."

This is the Old This is the Old Testament that most Testament that most Protestants use Protestants use (Anglicans also use the (Anglicans also use the Apocrypha devotionally).Apocrypha devotionally).

AD 1536 Martin LutherAD 1536 Martin Luther

1536: In his translation of the Bible from Greek into German, Luther removes 4 NT books

•Hebrews,

•James,

•Jude, and

•Revelation

from their normal order and places them at the end, stating that they are less than canonical.

Most other Protestants do not agree with him.

Martin Luther

AD 1546:

The Catholic Church council which made a formal claim about the extent of the Christian canon

Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and other Christians do not consider this council universal

reaffirms the canonicity of all 46 books of OT. and 27 books of NT

The Reliablity The Reliablity

of Transmissionof Transmission

II

Is the Bible reliable in transmission?Is the Bible reliable in transmission?

By the end of the 1 9th century, however, archaeological discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament manuscripts. Discoveries of early papyri bridged the gap between the time of Christ and existing manuscripts from a later date.

Those findings increased scholarly confidence in the reliability of the Bible.

William F. Albright,

"We can already say emphatically that there is no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80, two full generations before the date between 130 and 150 given by the more radical New Testament critics of today."

The importance of Time of The importance of Time of writingwriting

There are still people There are still people ALIVEALIVE in in 70 A.D.70 A.D. who who were alive in were alive in 30-33 A.D.30-33 A.D.

If Mark was lyingIf Mark was lying, he would be , he would be correctedcorrected for sure for sure

30-33 A.D.

Jesus’ deathand resurrection

70 A.D.

Mark’sgospel

40 years

Bible Bible vsvs Julius Caesar’s bio Julius Caesar’s bio

Caesar died

44 B.C.

Jesus died

30 A.D.

Mark

EarliestSurvivingCopy Mark

Tacitus

70 A.D.60 A.D.

100 yrs

40 yrs

350 A.D.

EarliestSurvivingCopy Tacitus

950 AD

Writing Bible vs Alexander’s bioWriting Bible vs Alexander’s bio

Alex died323 BC

Jesus died

30 AD

Mark

EarliestSurvivingCopy Mark

Plutarch

70 AD60 AD

400 yrs !!!

40 yrs

350 AD

EarliestSurvivingCopy Plutarch

950 AD

Work When Written

Earliest Copy

Time Span

No. of copies

New Testament

A.D. 40-100

A.D. 125

25 yrs 24,000

Homer (Iliad)

900 B.C. 400 B.C

500 yrs

643

Sophocles 496-406 B.C

A.D. 1000

1,400 yrs

193

Aristotle 384-322 B.C.

A.D. 1100

1,400 yrs

49

Caesar (Gallic Wars)

100-44 B.C.

A.D. 900

1000 yrs

10

Author Date

WrittenEarliest Copy

Approximate Time Span between original & copy

Number of

CopiesAccuracy of Copies

Lucretiusdied 55 or 53

B.C. 1100 yrs 2 ----

Pliny 61-113 A.D. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7 ----

Plato 427-347 B.C. 900 A.D. 1200 yrs 7 ----

Demosthenes 4th Cent. B.C. 1100 A.D. 800 yrs 8 ----

Herodotus 480-425 B.C. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs 8 ----

Suetonius 75-160 A.D. 950 A.D. 800 yrs 8 ----

Thucydides 460-400 B.C. 900 A.D. 1300 yrs 8 ----

Euripides 480-406 B.C. 1100 A.D. 1300 yrs 9 ----

Aristophanes 450-385 B.C. 900 A.D. 1200 10 ----

Caesar 100-44 B.C. 900 A.D. 1000 10 ----

Livy 59 BC-AD 17 ---- ??? 20 ----

Tacitus circa 100 A.D. 1100 A.D. 1000 yrs 20 ----

Aristotle 384-322 B.C. 1100 A.D. 1400 49 ----

Sophocles 496-406 B.C. 1000 A.D. 1400 yrs 193 ----

Homer (Iliad) 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 yrs 643 95%

New Testament

1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D.

2nd Cent. A.D. (c. 130 A.D. f.)

less than 100 years 5600 99.5%

Comparision of the Survival of New Testament texts and other ancient documents

Comparision of Survival of New Testament texts and other ancient doc. of that time

New Testament texts

Work Author's Lifespan

Date of Events

Earliest surviving fragment

Time between fragment and event

Matthew 0-70? 0 - 30 A.D. ~150 A.D. < 130 years

Mark 15-90? 27 - 30 A.D. ~50 A.D. < 20 years !!!

Luke 10-80? 0 - 30 A.D. ~400 A.D. < 400 years

John 10-100? 27 - 30 A.D. ~130 A.D. < 100 years

Non-New Testament Contempory texts

Josephus (War)

37-100 200 BC - 70 A.D. ~1050 A.D. > 1000 years

Jesephus (Antiquities)

37-100 200 BC - 65 A.D. ~1050 A.D. > 1000 years

Pliny's letters 60-115 97 - 112 A.D. ~850 A.D. > 700 years

The New Testament has survived in more manuscripts than any other

book from antiquity

(i.e., there are many more copies of the New Testament from ancient

times in the world today)

24,000 partial and complete manuscripts

There are now more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.

Add over 10,000 Latin Vulgate

and at least 9,300 other early versions (MSS) and

So we have more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence today.

MANUSCRIPT RELIABILITY

SUPPORTED BY

VARIOUS LANGUAGES AND VERSIONS

Syriac versions Old Syriac Syriac Peshitta.

150-250 AD. 4th C. 350

MSS Palestinian Syriac. 400-450 AD Philoxenian 508 AD By Polycarp

Harkleian Syriac. 616 AD

Coptic (or Egyptian) versions Sahidic. 3rd C. Bohairic 5th C Middle Egyptian 4-5th C.

Latin versions Old Latin. 4th – 13th CAfrican Old Latin - 400 AD. Codex Corbiensis 400-500 AD four Gospels. Codex Vercellensis 360 AD. Latin Vulgate 366-384 AD by Jerome

Other early versions Armenian 4th C Gothic. 4th C Georgian. 5th C Ethiopic. 6th C Nubian. 6th C

Accuracy of Transmission86,000 quotations from the early church

fathers

and

several thousand Lectionaries

(church-service books containing

Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity).

New Testament has survived in

a purer form

than any other book –

a form that is 99.5% pure.

(i.e., 99.5% of the New Testament that we read today is exactly the same as

the orignal copy that was written almost 2000 years ago !!!)

Some TermsSome Terms

Papyrus – Ancient writing paper made from the papyrus plant.

MS – Two letters used to denote a handwritten copy of the scriptures.

Parchment – Animal skins that have been prepared to be used like paper.

Vellum – Calf-skin that has been prepared to be used like paper.

Codex – Means book form. Papyrus sheets put together to make reading easier.

Canon – An official list, group, or segment of accepted books.

Scrolls – Papyrus sheets glued together and rolled around a stick, usually 20-30 feet long.

Septuagint – The Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Dead Sea Scrolls – Scrolls found in the caves of Qumran which contained many old testament books. These scrolls were 1000 years older than the MS we had.

Ancient Writing MaterialsAncient Writing Materials Papyrus (reed plant)Papyrus (reed plant)

Cut in strips, flattenedCut in strips, flattened Less expensive, durableLess expensive, durable

Papyri refers to the material the text is written on, papyrus. Papyrus manuscripts are the earliest witness to the New Testament. extant papyrus manuscripts of the New Testament ranges from the second century CE to the eight century CE. Papyrus manuscripts are designated using the letter "P" followed by numerals in superscript (e.g. P1, P52 etc). There are about 96 papyrus manuscripts.

PP5252 - Oldest NT fragment - Oldest NT fragment Ca. 125 – 150Ca. 125 – 150 C.E.C.E. (now in John Rylands Library, Manchester)(now in John Rylands Library, Manchester)

front: John 18:31-33front: John 18:31-33 back: John 18:37-38back: John 18:37-38

PP4646

Oldest manuscript of the Oldest manuscript of the Pauline letters.Pauline letters. Originally part of the Originally part of the

Chester Beatty PapyriChester Beatty Papyri

Written ca. AD 200Written ca. AD 200

Total of 104 pages, but Total of 104 pages, but several are now missingseveral are now missing

Included at least ten of Included at least ten of the Pauline lettersthe Pauline letters

This image shows the This image shows the text of 2 Cor 11:33–12:9text of 2 Cor 11:33–12:9

Ancient Writing MaterialsAncient Writing Materials Vellum / ParchmentVellum / Parchment

Animal skins, preparedAnimal skins, prepared More expensive, durableMore expensive, durable

Ancient Writing FormatAncient Writing Format

ScrollScroll Rolled, sealed on outsideRolled, sealed on outside Written on one side onlyWritten on one side only Papyrus or VellumPapyrus or Vellum

CodexCodex Sheets stacked, boundSheets stacked, bound Written on both sidesWritten on both sides Papyrus or VellumPapyrus or Vellum

Uncials, refers to the formal capital letters used in the writing of the text.

Uncial manuscripts are normally written on parchments (animal hides). extant New Testament uncial manuscripts ranges from the turn of the third century CE to the 11th century CE.

There are 299 extant uncial manuscripts.

Minuscules refer to the small letters written with a running hand.

Minuscules form the bulk of the manuscripts (approx 2,800)

but are also the latest and furthest removed from the original manuscripts.

The earliest minuscule manuscripts date from 9th century.

How we got our New Testament Text

Early Versions of the New Testament

Old Latin (OL) versions, end of the

2C AD available copies date from the fourth to the thirteenth century. There are, extant,

about 50 manuscript fragments of OL, none of which contains the complete

New Testament

Latin Vulgate translation of Jerome

(c342-420). Today the more than 8,000 extant manuscripts of the Vulgate show

numerous cross contamination of all

textual types.

The Old Syriac 4th -5th C AD called the

Curetonianus The Peshitta, of Syrian Churches

extant 350 manuscripts, contains 22 books of the New Testament but lacks II & III John, II Peter, Jude and Revelation-

which the Syrian Church does not accept as canonical.

Coptic, written with Greek

alphabets (with additional letters). 4C AD

Pre-Constantine EraPre-Constantine Era (1 (1st st – 3– 3rdrd Cent.) Cent.) Christians were poor, persecuted, minorityChristians were poor, persecuted, minority NT texts: only few papyrus scraps surviveNT texts: only few papyrus scraps survive

Biblical TextsBiblical Texts Emperor ConstantineEmperor Constantine

Edict of MilanEdict of Milan (312 C.E.) (312 C.E.)

Imperial support of ChristianityImperial support of Christianity Construction of ChurchesConstruction of Churches Full Bible Codices on VellumFull Bible Codices on Vellum

some survive from 4some survive from 4th th / 5/ 5thth Cent.: Cent.: Codex SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus Codex VaticanusCodex Vaticanus Codex Alexandrinus, etc.Codex Alexandrinus, etc.

It has been accurately transmitted over time through the copying of its documents

There are more than 5,000 complete or partial manuscripts of New Testaments books available today in Greek,

let alone other ancient manuscripts in Latin and other languages

and distributed all around the world.

The wealth and antiquity of the documents established the basic trustworthiness of their transmission. Portions of the New

Testament that are textually uncertain — which are noted in the marginal notes of a good Bible — are rare; further, they

bring into question no Christian doctrine.

Codices

The Oldest Codex’s

These were MS’s. they were all hand written

• Codex Sinaiticus

• Made in 4th century

• Only MS with the entire New Testament

• Located in the British Museum

• Codex Vaticanus B 03


• Located in the Vatican Library

• Codex Alexandrianus A 02


• Located in the British Museum

The Vaticanus is arguably the most important and probably the earliest (early fourth century) of all the New Testament manuscripts. The New Testament is not complete however, as everything after Hebrews 9:14 is lost.

01 Constantine Tischendorf (1815-1874) found the manuscript in 1844 in the monastery of St. Catherine in Mount Sinai.


Other Codex’s

These were MS’s. they were all hand written

• Codex Ephraem C 04


• Located in Paris

• Codex Beza D 05


• Located in the University of Cambridge

• Codex Washington W 032


• Located in the Smithsonian Library

• Codex Koridethi, Q 038.

• Made in the ninth century It contains the four gospels with some gaps

III

Translations

John Wycliffe 1320 – 1384

1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible in English (80 Books).

Wycliffe had no access to Greek or Hebrew manuscripts and was thus totally reliant on the fourth century Latin translation of St. Jerome - the Vulgate.

John Wycliffe 1320 – 1384

He is considered the founder of the Lollard movement, a precursor to the Protestant Reformation

The Council of Constance declared Wycliffe (on 4 May 1415) a stiff-necked

heretic and under the ban of the Church. It was decreed that his books be burned

and his remains be exhumed.

Twelve years afterward, at the command of Pope Martin V they were

dug up, burned, and the ashes cast into the River Swift, which flows through

Lutterworth

John CAP 11 In the bigynnyng was the word, and the word was at God, and God was the word.2 This was in the bigynnyng at God.3 Alle thingis weren maad bi hym, and withouten hym was maad no thing, that thing that was maad.4 In hym was lijf, and the lijf was the liyt of men; and the liyt schyneth in derknessis,5 and derknessis comprehendiden not it.6 A man was sent fro God, to whom the name was Joon.7 This man cam in to witnessyng, that he schulde bere witnessing of the liyt, that alle men schulden bileue bi hym.8 He was not the liyt, but that he schulde bere witnessing of the liyt.9 There was a very liyt, which liytneth ech man that cometh in to this world.10 He was in the world, and the world was maad bi hym, and the world knew hym not.11 He cam in to his owne thingis, and hise resseyueden hym not.12 But hou many euer resseyueden hym, he yaf to hem power to be maad the sones of God, to hem that bileueden in hisname; the whiche not of bloodis,13 nether of the wille of fleische, nether of the wille of man, but ben borun of God.

Bible in the language of the people unto salvation

Johannes Gutenberg Discovers Printing Press

He started printing Bibles 1855

Born 1394-99? - Died 1468

The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg's

Bible in Latin.

Machine-printed, hand-painted Gutenberg Bible in Latin

Gutenberg Bible, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

The first printed edition of the New Testament in

English

was the translation by

William Tyndale,

probably printed by

Peter Schoeffer, the Younger,

at Worms, Germany, in 1525 or 1526.

Only one complete copy of that first printing still exists.

The translation had been officially condemned by the

English bishops, and all copies that could be found

were burned. Tyndale

himself was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake

in 1536,

In 1526, Tyndale finally completed the first-ever printed New Testament in English. Translating the Bible into English without permission was a serious crime, punishable by death.

Infuriated, the bishop of London confiscated and destroyed as many copies of Tyndale's New Testament as he could. Meanwhile, English authorities called for Tyndale's arrest. He went into hiding, revised his New Testament, and (after learning Hebrew) began translating the Old Testament, too. Tyndale was burned in 1563

Historical TranslationsHistorical TranslationsEnglish Translations

A.D. 676 – Parts of the Bible translated into Anglo-Saxon by Caedmon, Bede, Alfred the Great

A.D. 1382 – The Wyclif Bible, the first English Bible, translated from the Vulgate Bible

PRINTING

A.D 1525 – Tyndale’s Bible, Translated from the original

A.D. 1535 – Coverdale Bible, translated from Dutch and Latin sources.

A.D. 1560 – Geneva Bible, translation based on the Tyndale Bible.

A.D. 1611 – Ordered by King James

A.D. 1881 – Anglo-American Revision, follows the King James version.

KJV translationKJV translation

1607 King James commissioned a group to translate the Bible.1607 King James commissioned a group to translate the Bible. Enlisted the best men to work with only the Hebrew and the Greek Enlisted the best men to work with only the Hebrew and the Greek

texttext Men were divided into 6 groups to do the translatingMen were divided into 6 groups to do the translating

3 groups worked on the Old Testament 3 groups worked on the Old Testament 2 groups worked on the New Testament 2 groups worked on the New Testament 1 group worked on the Apocrypha (later dropped) 1 group worked on the Apocrypha (later dropped)

When these 12 men finished, another group of men reviewed their When these 12 men finished, another group of men reviewed their workwork

This group added works to make the text flow better in English, these are This group added works to make the text flow better in English, these are the Italicized words in your Bible.the Italicized words in your Bible.

The work of the first two groups took 2 years to complete.The work of the first two groups took 2 years to complete. The new translation was then submitted to another group for review.The new translation was then submitted to another group for review. The work was finished by this group in nine months.The work was finished by this group in nine months. The work employed over 54 translatorsThe work employed over 54 translators The Authorized Version then published in 1611.The Authorized Version then published in 1611. Authorized by King James, not written by him.Authorized by King James, not written by him. This work was a literal translation, word for word.This work was a literal translation, word for word. More then 5,000 manuscripts were reviewed to complete this work.More then 5,000 manuscripts were reviewed to complete this work.

Modern TranslationsModern Translations Amplified New TestamentAmplified New Testament Amplified Old TestamentAmplified Old Testament Twentieth Century New TestamentTwentieth Century New Testament Weymouth’s New TestamentWeymouth’s New Testament Fenton’s BibleFenton’s Bible Moffat’s TranslationMoffat’s Translation Montgomery CentenaryMontgomery Centenary New Testament in Basic EnglishNew Testament in Basic English Berkeley VersionBerkeley Version Norlie’s New TestamentNorlie’s New Testament New English BibleNew English Bible Amplified BibleAmplified Bible Living BibleLiving Bible New Living TranslationNew Living Translation New International versionNew International version Good News BibleGood News Bible Revised Standard VersionRevised Standard Version

NASU New American Standard Bible updated AMP Amplified Bible ESV English Standard Version KJV King James Version NRSV New Revised Standard Version HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible NIV New International Version NLT New Living Translation NCV New Century Version GNT Good News Translation CEV Contemporary English Version TLB The Living Bible TM The Message

Word For Word TranslationsWord For Word Translations Interlinear BibleInterlinear Bible English Standard VersionEnglish Standard Version New American Standard BibleNew American Standard Bible Amplified BibleAmplified Bible King James VersionKing James Version New King James VersionNew King James Version New American BibleNew American Bible

Thought for Thought TranslationsThought for Thought Translations

New International VersionNew International Version New Living TranslationNew Living Translation New revised standard versionNew revised standard version Holman Christian Standard BibleHolman Christian Standard Bible The Message BibleThe Message Bible Contemporary English VersionContemporary English Version Good News TranslationGood News Translation Today’s New International VersionToday’s New International Version

Malayalam Translations

The first printing press in Kerala has been established by Benjamin Bailey at Kottayam in 1821.

Bailey published

• The Gospel according to Mathew at Kottayam in 1825.

• The New Testament was published in 1829

• Psalms in 1839

• and the entire Malayalam Bible in 1841.

John Keats’s closest and most influential friend.

C.M.S High School and the C.M.S College were founded by Benjamin Bailey in 1817 in Kottayam. Bailey was the first Principal of the CMS College

1821

CMS Press

1825 MathewNew Testament

1829

Psalms

1839 1841

Whole Bible

The History ofMALAYALAM BIBLE

1983

New India Bible Version

Vishudha Sathyaveda pusthakam

Revised Modern Malayalam

Version 1997 2000

These are based on King James Version

Peshitta omits • 2 Peter• 2-3 John• Jude• RevelationThey were later added in later translations

There was an earlier translationinto Old Syriac Evangelion Dampharshe meaning 'Gospel of the Separated'

Diatessaron, 'Gospel of the Mixed'.

To this day, readings from these books are not read in Syriac Churches.

The word Peshitto in Syriac means 'simple' or 'clear'

1811

Gospel of LukePublished in Bombay

ByTimapay Pillai& Fr.Phillipose

Following the talks betweenBuchanan and Mar Dionysius

Translated into Malayalam from Syriac Peshitta

1908

Gospel of MathewBy

Konnattu Matthan MalpanBritish Bible Society

1928-1940

Manikathanaar’sTranslations of New Testament And eccl. Pro. &

TobitSt.Joseph Press,

Mannanam

1987

New Testament

By

Fr. Thomas Kayyalaparampil

St.Thomas Seminary

Vadavatur, Kottayam

1997

Entire Bible

Fr. Mathew Uppanni

Based on Mosul

Peshitta

but different order of books

The Bible in the Syriac Tradition By Sebastian P. Brock

So, what do you think ?

New Testament Canon

Documents

Transcript of New Testament Canon