Has the Bible been accurately preserved and transmitted to us over the centuries? Have we accepted the proper books in the canon of Scripture, or have books been lost or added improperly? What about the apocrypha? Do ancient manuscripts contradict one another? A study of the preservation, transmission, ancestry, and accuracy of the Bible: textual criticism.
Introduction:
People sometimes question the accuracy of the Bible as we have received it.
The Bible claims to be the standard of right and wrong in morals and religion, revealed by God Himself to tell us how to live. But can we be sure that the text of the original message has been accurately preserved and transmitted to us over the centuries?
Textual critics sometimes doubt the preservation of Scripture, claiming that “hundreds of errors” have crept into ancient manuscripts over the years. Others question the canon of Scripture, saying books are missing or others should be added. What about the apocrypha?
In this study we will consider the preservation, ancestry and transmission of the original text of the Bible to see if it has been accurately preserved for us over the centuries.
Have parts been lost? Have uninspired parts been added?
Note: it is not in the scope of this study to consider the evidence that the Bible was inspired by God to begin with. That question can be answered for those who sincerely wonder, but we must refer such people to other studies on that topic (see the links at the end of this study). In this study we will assume that the Bible was originally revealed by God. We consider here only the preservation, ancestry and transmission of the original text of the Bible to see if it has been accurately preserved for us over the centuries.
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