Textual Criticism, Canon, and Historical-Critical Method Flashcards
What is another name for the accepted works of scripture inspired by God?
Canon
What is a codex?
A set of bound pages; an early form of a book
What was the most common form of writing material in the first century?
Papyrus
What is papyrus?
A writing material made from the reed plant of the same name.
What is an amanuensis?
A scribe who writes something that is dictated or writes something given an outline.
What are variants?
All the different versions we have of the copies of written works, with deliberate or accidental changes.
What is the Vulgate?
An early translation of the New Testament into Latin.
Who wrote the Vulgate?
Jerome
During what century was the Vulage written?
4th
What is a lectionary?
A collection of Bible passages used in church liturgies.
Which early heretic taught that there were separate Gods in the Old and New Testaments?
Marcion
What did Marcion want to exclude from the canon?
Anything that was too Jewish
Who were the Monatists?
A movement that taught the millennium was coming soon in Asia Minor and who claimed new revelations from God.
Did the Monatists want to add or subtract to the canon?
Add; they claimed ongoing revelations from God
What was the Muratorian Fragment?
A list of the books allowed to be used in the church service
When is the Muratorian Fragment dated to?
End of the 2nd century
Why is Athanasius significant for the canon?
His Easter Letter enumerates the 27 books of the NT that were accepted as something that should be used
Describe the process of textual criticism.
- Look at all the variants in their time and geographical context
- Constructing genealogy back to the original autograph
What is the benefit of textual criticism?
Increases the certainty that we know the original inspired words
How reliably established is the text of the NT?
- Roughly 5300 copies of NT
- Compared to <= 10 of Caesar or Plato’s writing
- Only a few hundred years between original writing and earliest copies (compared to closer to a thousand)
When making textual criticism decisions, which criteria are usually preferred?
- Older over younger
- Best copied
- Best fits with other readings
- Is the most difficult
- Is shorter
What is the canon?
Books accepted by the church as God-inspired Scripture to be used as the basis for belief and Christian conduct
What were the criteria used to evaluate whether something should be considered canon?
- Recognized - read and preached on
- Especially churches founded by apostles recognized it
- Written by apostle or one of their associates, during apostolic time period
- Affirmed by Christ (OT)
- Doctrine in line with other recognized canonical works
How can the presuppositions of historical critical method be evaluated?
- Whether internally contradictory
- Whether devalue the text
How can one be critical and still maintain a high view of Scripture?
- Value Scripture by taking a high view of the text and give the benefit of the doubt
- Use thinking and reasoning to justify conclusions
- Take an approach that accommodates and evaluates the texts claims of supernaturality
- Use all available data about the text
How is historical critical method useful to a believer?
- Points out interesting observations
- Reminder to understand the original context
- Offers useful questions to ask
What was Hellenistic philosophy like?
- Individualistic
- Highly concerned with ethics
Give examples of Hellenistic philosophy being individualistic.
- Epicureanism believed goal is to achieve personal happiness
- Stoicism is accepting individual fate
Give examples of Hellenistic philosophy being concerned with ethics.
Cynics modeled a life of austerity
What were Hellenistic religions like?
- Longing for unity
- Concern with the individual
- Desire for salvation
- Superstitious and concerned with magic and mysteries
How did Hellenistic religions demonstrate a longing for unity?
Assumption that different cultures’ high gods were one and the same
How did Hellenistic religions demonstrate a concern with the individual?
- Sacrificing for the good of the individual rather than the state
- Concerned with individual salvation
How did Hellenistic religions demonstrate a desire for salvation?
- Looking for some communion in life of an eternal god
- Wanting the gods to share their power
