Spiritual Maturity TrainingUpper Midwest Family of Churches
FALL 2013
• Session 1 - 10:10-10:53 – Can We Trust Our Bibles• Break - 10:53-11:00
• Session 2 - 11:00-11:45 – Important Themes in the NT• Break – 11:45-12:00
• Session 3 - 12:00-12:45 – The Gospels• Lunch - 12:45-2:15
• Session 4 - 2:15-3:00 – Hard Questions from the New Testament• Break - 3:00-3:10
• Session 5 - 3:10-3:55 – Paul and the New Humanity
• Today’s ScheduleSpiritual Maturity Training
• Biblical Interpretation Spring 2012 Mke/MnplsBurns
• Core Doctrines & Church Life Fall, 2012Mnpls./Mke Saindon/ Burns
• Reading the Old Testament Spring, 2013 Mke/MnplsAlexander/Stevens
• Reading the New Testament Fall, 2013 Mad/ECBurns/ Alexander
• Defending the Gospel Spring, 2014 TBA TBA• Evidences of the Faith Fall, 2014 TBA TBA• What we Believe About God Spring, 2015 TBA TBA• The Kingdom of God Fall, 2015 TBA TBA
• Course ScheduleSpiritual Maturity Training
Can We Rely on the New Testament?
4 Common Attacks on the New Testament
1. NT Writers didn’t intend to write Scripture(Power Struggles produced Scripture)
2. NT Canon wasn’t established until the 4th century (or later)
3. There were many contenders to be part of the NT
4. The texts aren’t reliable (copies of copies of copies)
EXPECTING CANON
Canon is Covenant• The Old Testament is organized as a
Covenant document
“Biblical canon is covenantal canon”
– Meredith Kline, The Structure of Biblical Authority
Jeremiah 31:31• “The days are coming,” declares the
LORD, “when I will make a new covenantwith the people of Israel and with the people of Judah”
Luke 22:20• 20 In the same way, after the supper
he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
A Completely New Covenant• 15 For this reason Christ is the
mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
– Hebrews 9
Get rid of the Old Covenant• 24 These things are being taken
figuratively: The women represent two covenants. . . . 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”[f] 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
- Galatians 4
The Fulfillment of the Law• 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish
the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear [a common 1st century figure of speech meaning “it’s not going to happen], not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands [the beatitudes that were coming with the New Covenant as Jesus fulfilled the Law] and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
The Apostolic Authority• John 16:13• Matthew 10:1• John 20:21• Acts 1:8; 2:42; 10:41-42• 1 Corinthians 12:28• Ephesians 2:19-20; 3:4-6• 2 Peter 3:2
Apostles’ Covenant Authority• 1 Corinthians 14:37-38• Mark 1:1• Luke 1:1-4• John 21:24• 1 Corinthians 7:12• 1 Thessalonians 2:4, 13
Publicly Read as Scripture• Colossians 4:16• 1 Thessalonians 5:27• Revelation 1:3
Covenantal Curses for Altering• Revelations 22:18-19 (see
Deuteronomy 4:2)
The New Testament as Scripture• 2 Peter 3:16• 1 Timothy 5:18 (Luke 10:7)
Attacking New Testament Reliability
1. NT Writers didn’t intend to write Scripture(Power Struggles produced Scripture)
2. NT Canon wasn’t established until the 4th century (or later)
3. There were many contenders to be part of the NT
4. The texts aren’t reliable (copies of copies of copies)
The Standard - Canon Criteria
•Written by an apostle or companion; Dating to the 1st CenturyApostol
ic•Doctrinally sound with OT and apostolic teachingOrthod
ox
•Universally used and read in the churchesCatholi
city
The Standard – Received • 3 For what I received I passed on to you
as of first importance – 1 Cor. 15:3• you accepted it not as a human word,
but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. – 1 Thess. 2:13
• “Do not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but guard what you have received, neither adding to them nor taking away.” – Didache (c. 100 AD)
The Standard - Rejected• “Hermas composed The Shepherd
quite recently—in our times, in the city of Rome, while his brother Pius the overseer served as overseer of the city of Rome. So, while it should indeed be read, it cannot be read publicly for the people of the church—it is counted neither among the Prophets (for their number has been completed) nor among the Apostles (for it is after their time)” – Muratorian Fragment (c. 170 AD)
Development of CanonSource Year NT Books Cited Other Works
Fully Accepted as New Covenant Scripture
Justin Martyr c. 150 Quotes from 13 NT books
None
Irenaeus c. 185 21 (including all 4 Gospels)
None
Muratorian Fragment
c. 170 22 (including all 4 Gospels)
None
Origen c. 245 Mentions all 27 NT books
None
Eusebius Early 4th Cent. 22 (including all 4 Gospels)
Ahtanasius 367 Lists the 27 books of the NT as canon
None
Muratorian Canon Categories
Accepted
Gospels/Acts
Paul’s Letters
Solomon of Wisdom
1 & 2 John, JudeRevelatio
n
Disputed
Apocalypse of Peter
Rejected but to be
read privately
Shepherd of
Hermas
Heretical
Paul to LaodiceaPaul to
Alexandria
ArsinousValentinusBasilidesMarcion
Montanists
Eusebius Canon CategoriesAcknowle
dged Books
Gospels/Acts
Paul’s Letters
1 John1 Peter
Revelation
Disputed Books
James
Jude
2 Peter
2/3 John
Spurious Books
Apocalypse of Peter
Acts of PaulShepherd of
HermasEpistle of Barnabas
Apocalypse of JohnDidache
(Hebrews)
Rejected Books
Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of MatthiasActs of AndrewActs of John
Canon of Athanasius• 325 AD - Attended Council of Nicea• 328 AD - Bishop of Church in Alexandria• 367 AD - 39th Festal letter
“In these alone, the teaching if godliness is proclaimed. Let no one add to these; let nothing be taken away from them.”
– Athanasius finally had enough of the Gnostic “gospels” and put his foot down, confirming them to be heretical and no longer being patient with the Gnostics and their teachings
Athanasius Canon Categories“Books of the
New Testament”
Gospels/Acts
Paul’s letters/ Hebrews
General Epistles
Revelation
To Be Read
Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Sirach
Esther, Judith, Tobit
Shepherd of Hermas
Didache
Heretical Books
“there should be
no mention of all of
apocryphal books
created by heretics”
Other Significant DocumentsThe Shepherd of Hermas
The Didache
The Diatessaron
The Epistle of Barnabas
1 Enoch
The Apocalypse of Peter
The Letter of Clement
Wisdom of Solomon
Attacking New Testament Reliability1. NT Writers didn’t intend to write
Scripture(Power Struggles produced Scripture)
2. NT Canon wasn’t established until the 4th century (or later)
3. There were many contenders to be part of the NT
4. The texts aren’t reliable (copies of copies of copies)
The Pretenders - Canon• There were disputed books through
the first 4 centuries (and beyond) but there is amazing and overwhelming agreement as the NT cannon developed−Only the 4 Gospels were ever accepted−Paul’s letters were overwhelmingly
accepted−No book that is not in the 27 was ever
widely accepted as a NT book
Other WritingsWork Approximate Year Written
Gospel of Thomas 150-200 ADGospel of Truth 3rd centuryGospel of May 150-180 ADGospel of Philip 180-350 ADGospel of Judas Late 2nd – Early 3rd centuryGospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate)
Late 4th century
The Gnostic “Gospels”• Denied the OT• Believed an evil god named Demiurge created the
world• Salvation was not who you know but what you know• Elitist and intellectual-focused (self-help for those in
the “know”)• Mixed the religious and philosophic beliefs of the day
with a bit of gospel (with the Cross almost entirely removed)
• Removed the Jewishness of Jesus and the Gospels• Denied the goodness of creation and the material
realm• Modern claims of the Gnostics that they believed
Jesus was married—they would have been the last ones to claim that (they believed that you could transfer knowledge through a holy kiss on the cheek)− Gospel of Phillip implies that Mary was enlightened by
Jesus not married to him
Reasons for Rejecting these Other Writings• Clashed with Old Testament
Teaching• Did not have apostolic connections• Were written too late to be approved
by the apostles• Contained aberrant doctrines about
Christ and the gospel• Were never widely accepted by the
Orthodox churches
Confirming Canon• The Church went through a careful
process of sifting out the canon• There was never any real debate
over the four gospels and Paul’s writings
• The Gnostic gospels were never on any canon list—Ever!
Attacking New Testament Reliability1. NT Writers didn’t intend to write
Scripture(Power Struggles produced Scripture)
2. NT Canon wasn’t established until the 4th century (or later)
3. There were many contenders to be part of the NT
4. The texts aren’t reliable (copies of copies of copies)
Textual Criticism(Lower Criticism)
• Concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of ancient biblical manuscripts.
Common Claims• We have no surviving original autographs of the
New Testament• Of the 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, no two are
identical• There are over 400,000 transcriptional variants
in the New Testament manuscripts• There are only about 138,000 words in the
whole New Testament• The texts have been copied so many times and
so riddled with errors that it is impossible to know what the original autographs actually said
Papyrus
Parchment
Scroll vs. Codex
Greek Manuscript Text-TypesAlexandrian•Library•Scholastic•Most
accurate
Western•Loose•Many
variants•One or many
introductions
Caesarean•Conflation
text•True text-
type?
Byzantine•Late date•Majority
Text
Types of Greek Manuscripts
papyri• 116
MSS• 2nd –
8th century
• ½ early
• 4th or earlier
uncials• 310
MSS• Also
called majuscules
• 3rd – 8th century
minuscules
• 2877 MSS
• Byzantine
lectionaries
• 2432 MSS
• Byzantine
Common Claims• We have no surviving original autographs of the
New Testament• Of the 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, no two are
identical• There are over 400,000 transcriptional variants
in the New Testament manuscripts• There are only about 138,000 words in the
whole New Testament• The texts have been copied so many times and
so riddled with errors that it is impossible to know what the original autographs actually said
No Twin• Although it is true that there are no
two manuscripts that are identical:−This is an unrealistic expectation before
the printing press−You would not expect two hand-written
manuscripts of that size to be identical−There is no precedent for such a thing in
the ancient manuscript world
Common Claims• We have no surviving original autographs of the
New Testament• Of the 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, no two are
identical• There are over 400,000 transcriptional variants
in the New Testament manuscripts• There are only about 138,000 words in the
whole New Testament• The texts have been copied so many times and
so riddled with errors that it is impossible to know what the original autographs actually said
What About All Those Variations?
400,000 Variants (errors)
What About All Those Variations?
400,000 Variants (errors)
138,000Words in the EntireNT
What About All Those Variations?
5,800 Manuscripts
Average of 69 variants per manuscript
400,000 Variants (errors)
Minor Variations• Minor spelling differences• Confusing similar letters• Skipped words or lines• Repeated words or lines• Changes in word order in a sentence• Dropping an article like “the” before
a proper noun
What About All Those Variations?
Minor Variations69 Variants
per Manuscripts
99%of allVariants
What About All Those Variations?
What’s Left?Less than 1%
69 Variants per Manuscripts
Other Variations• Intentional explanation notes inserted:
− John 5:3-4− Mark 1:2
• Other Scriptural references inserted− Matthew 6:13 (1 Chronicles 29:11)
• Inserted sections:− John 7:53-8:11− Mark 16:9-20
• Unresolved variants (.002% of NT text)− An extremely small handful of passages are left
(and we know what they are!− They make NO difference in our understanding
of any biblical doctrine, belief, or practice
How Do the NT Manuscripts Stack Up?
How Far Away?
Your House
How about at1,400 m.How
about at1,200 m.
60 m. – Could you hear your mom?
How about at500 m.
Gap between original and earliest copies
Your House
Year the Text Was Written
Aristotle1,400 m.Plato
1,200 m.NT60 m.
Homer500 m.
How Many Candy Bars?
Candy Bars
What about 5,800? You would be set for life
Would you be happy with 7 Candy bars?
How about 643?How about
49?
How Many Manuscripts?
Number of Manuscripts
NT 5,800+manuscriptsPlato
7 manuscripts
Homer643 manuscripts
Aristotle 49 manuscripts
How Does the NT Stack Up?Author2 Date
Written Earliest Copy Approximate Time Span between original & copy
Number of Copies
Accuracy of Copies
Pliny 61-113 A.D. 850 A.D. 750 yrs 7 ----
Plato 427-347 B.C. 900 A.D. 1200 yrs 7 ----
Herodotus 480-425 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 ----
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 (I liad) 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%
Reliability – A Case Study• Muhammad solely records revelations
from “Gabriel” over a period of 23 years (even Muhammad questioned this process at first)
• He wrote down some of the revelations on palm fronds, bones and tablets but the majority was entrusted to certain individuals to be memorized
• After Muhammad’s death, Abu Bakr decided to collect all of the revelations into one volume partly because many of the men who had memorized portions had been killed in battle and there was a fear of losing the majority of the revelations
Reliability – A Case Study• Abu Bakr decided what would be
included (during this process several new verses were found and accusations were made that some were changed)
• Throughout the ensuing years, the Caliph of Islam completely controlled the Qur’an and all copies made
• There were other copies with different verses and different orders that were seized and destroyed
• Because of this, there is no guarantee that the Qur’an as it is today is what Muhammad originally revealed
Reliability – A Case Study• On the other hand, from the earliest
days, copying the Bible was freely encouraged so that people could read it and encounter God
• The manuscripts were spread so quickly and widely that despite there being minor manuscript variants, large-scale changing of the text would be rendered impossible because manuscripts could be compared against one another
• It would appear that God once again used human beings (in a slightly messy way) to bring about the best possible circumstances and display his glory
Common Claims• We have no surviving original autographs of the
New Testament• Of the 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, no two are
identical• There are over 400,000 transcriptional variants
in the New Testament manuscripts• There are only about 138,000 words in the
whole New Testament• The texts have been copied so many times and
so riddled with errors that it is impossible to know what the original autographs actually said
The Encouraging News• God always uses human beings in his
plans• This leads to a bit of messiness but
God’s plans are never thwarted−What if some were unfaithful? Will their
unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. – Romans 3:3-4
• God always leaves room for faith• The New Testament Texts that we
have are incredibly reliable