Text History and Canon Flashcards
manus scriptus
Hand Written (latin)
Biblical text from before 300 BC
Silver Scrolls
What form was OT copied?
a collection of scrolls on leather or papyrus
Two tendencies in transmitting of the text
1) A tendency to preserve the text
2) A tendency to update the text
Examples of fixed official document in the ANE
- Code of Hammurapi (200 years prior to time of moses)
- Hittite Suzerain-Vassal Treaties (Treaty between King and feudal tenant, 1350 BC).
Examples of updating of the text
- Updating the script to Aramaic
- Updated in spelling (such as adding vowels)
- Updating the grammar
Establishment of an Authoritative text
- Standard view is that by 50 AD Jewish leaders had chosen a particular text as authoritative
- More probable is that it was before this but that the destruction of the temple left only the pharisees so it seems like at this time it became standard
Division of text into verses
between 135-500ad
Masoretes
- Jewish scholars who conserved the consonantal text and the vocalization and accentuation
- derived a system to represent vowels
What do the samaritans recognize
Only the penteteuch
Reasons for canonical consciousness
1) ANE practice (ex. Code of Ham.)
2) Biblical evidence - parallels to ANE practice
3) Citations of OT before the time of Jesus in prophets
4) Lists of books of the Bible
5) Rabbinical Terms
6) Canonical form (books had definite titles, structure and order)
Liberal view of Canon
formed in three stages
1) Pentateuch - beginning of the the 4th century BC
2) Prophets - around 200 BC and does not include Daniel
3) writings - around 100 ad
Evangelical View of canon
books of the OT differ in authorship, content and time of writing. three part division was a deliberate decision made when it was realized the canon was closed (prophecy ceased) around the 2nd century BC
When was apocrypha declared “holy scripture”
1546 in reaction to the reformers - prior to this not included.
