By the ‘text’ of the New Testament is meant the ‘copy’ from which a translation is made. Of course all the originals were manuscripts; and copies continued to be written till about A.D. 1440, when printing was invented.
The originals are all lost, but there are many manuscripts in existence, and any printed Testament must have been copied from one or more of those manuscripts, or have been produced by comparing few or many of the manuscripts and selecting what was supposed to have been written at the first.
In the numerous MSS of the Greek Testament it would perhaps be impossible to find two that were exactly alike. Thousands of the differences, however, are of comparatively little importance (except that we value the very words of scripture), many of the discrepancies being the trivial errors of copyists. It has been estimated that the variations really worthy of notice and research represent only one-thousandth part of the whole New Testament.
In some few places it is difficult to tell what the original was; but God has so well guarded the manuscripts that not one of the fundamental truths of Christianity is in the slightest degree made uncertain, or in any way questionable.
At first the material on which books were written was papyrus, which was of so frail a nature that only small portions of the scriptures have come down to these days. Parchment was afterward used, and this was much more lasting. It is held that both these materials are alluded to by Paul in ‘the books' and ‘parchments' in 2 Tim. 4:1313The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13).
It is from the fourth century that the earliest Greek copies in existence date, and this leaves unrepresented a long period from the time when the books were written. This, however, is partially bridged over by the oldest of the Syriac and Old Latin translations, which date about the second century, and represent what was in the Greek copies from which those translations were made.
To judge of the age of a manuscript the material on which it is written is not the only guide, the style of writing also comes to our aid. The earliest copies were written all in capital letters (called uncial), whereas later ones were written in cursive, or running hand.
The words were also all joined together without any spaces between them, and with few if any points. Words were also at times divided at the end of a line without any regard to syllables. It is easy to see that mistakes might occur in copying such when the words were divided: as, for instance in English, the word ‘nowhere’ was once mistaken for ‘now here’.
ΛΠ’ ΛΡΧΗΣ from [the] beginning
ΑΠΑΡΧΗΝ [the] first-fruits.
The latter is found in many manuscripts, and was chosen by Lachmann; but the former is without doubt the correct reading.
Another source of error was the practice of contracting the words: thus instead of KΥΡΙΟΣ, Lord, only KΣ would be written, a line being placed over the letters to show that it was a contraction. The faint line at the top might become invisible in time, and lead to mistakes. An important passage will exemplify this. In 1 Timothy 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16) occur the words, "God was manifested in the flesh." Here the word ΘΕΟΣ for God' was contracted into ΘΣ, but in two of the principal manuscripts (now known as A and C) it cannot be told whether or not it was originally as above, or
ΟΣ, ‘who’ — ‘who was manifest in the flesh’.
Among the variations caused by the copyists there is a class of errors called Homœarkton, or “similar beginnings;" that is, when two or more lines or clauses begin with the same letters, the eye in copying is apt to skip from one to the other. Thus in Heb. 2:1313And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:13) there are two clauses commencing with καί πάλιν, ‘and again’; two manuscripts omit all between these words, the eye having wandered from the first to the second.
On the other hand there are errors called Homœoteleuton, ‘similar endings’; that is, when two lines or clauses end with the same word, the eye is apt to pass from one to the other, and omit the words intervening.
Another difficulty experienced in deciphering the manuscripts is the many corrections or additions that have been made. Of course the original scribe may have discovered that he had made a mistake, and then corrected the manuscript either by writing between the lines or in the margin; but now it is difficult to tell whether such is really the case, or whether the alteration was by a later hand. Tischendorf judged that the Codex Sinaiticus had passed through ten different hands. We give a facsimile of this Codex. It is John 6:14,1514Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (John 6:14‑15).
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As nearly as may be, it would stand thus in English without the corrections.
HEDIDASIGNTHEY
SAIDTHISIS
TRULYTHEPROPHET
WHOINTOTHEWORLD
ISCOMING.
JESUSTHEREFOREKNOWING
THAT
THEYWEREABOUTTO
COMEANDSEIZE
HIMANDTOPROCLAIM
KINGESCAPESAGAININTOTHE
MOUNTAINALONEHIMSELF.
In course of time parchment began to be scarce, and in some instances copies of the New Testament were rubbed out, and something else written on the parchment. In some of such the original reading can be deciphered by using chemicals. These manuscripts are called rescripts, ‘written again,' or palimpsests, ‘scratched or scraped again.' We give a specimen.
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It is from the Codex Nitriensis, now in the British Museum, which contains large portions of Luke's Gospel. The leaves have been folded in half, and have been covered over by a Syriac treatise of Severus of Antioch of no importance. The above is a portion of Luke 20:9:10.
No doubt some of the errors have been made with the idea of improvement, such as making one Gospel to agree with another. Quotations from the Old Testament into the New are at times added to or altered. The New Testament was also divided into sections to be read in the assemblies. If a portion commenced with "He said," it would be altered perhaps to "Jesus said." Such portions of scripture were called Lectionaries, or readings.
It will be seen by the foregoing that it is no easy matter to ascertain in every place what was the original reading; and it is certainly not a work for which many are qualified. The witnesses to be examined are:
1. The Greek Manuscripts themselves, both uncial and cursive, giving each and all their true weight: some of these are Lectionaries.
2. Versions, early translations of the Greek into various languages.
3. The Fathers. Their writings show what was in the copies of the New Testaments from which they quoted.