Lecture on the Reliability of New Testament Documents

Addressing Scribe Errors in the New Testament

Existence of Errors: Errors in the manuscript copies of the New Testament are known due to the ability to compare various copies.
Reconstruction: By comparing different copies, scholars can reconstruct the original text.
- Example: If four copies have errors in different places, these can be identified and corrected.

No Original Documents: We do not have original New Testament documents; only copies exist.
Veneration and Alteration:
- Originals might be venerated or altered if they existed.
- Having multiple copies allows preservation through comparison.
Error Complexity: Even complex errors are manageable as no significant theological doctrine is affected by variants.

Bart Ehrman's Position:
- Despite skepticism expressed in his popular book "Misquoting Jesus," Ehrman admits that the New Testament documents are reliable in an academic context.
- Public vs. Academic Statements:
  - Popular claims target lay audiences, potentially for sales and media attention.
  - Academic claims align with scholarly consensus.
Quotation from Ehrman:
- Ehrman admits agreement with Bruce Metzger, a top manuscript scholar, that essential Christian beliefs are not affected by textual variants.

Language and Quotation Marks:
- Jesus likely spoke Aramaic, but documents are in Greek.
- Greek lacks quotation marks, leading to uncertainty in verbatim quotes.
Communication of Truth:
- Truth can be communicated across languages and through paraphrasing.
- Jesus, as an itinerant preacher, likely repeated similar teachings differently in various locations.
Oral Culture and Memory:
- People of that era had highly developed memories, capable of memorizing large texts due to the oral culture.