Most extensively, Origen engaged in it in the construction of his Hexapla, a six-column edition that featured parallel texts of the consonantal Hebrew text, its Greek transliteration, and four Greek translations: Aquila, Symmachus, a recension of the Septuagint/LXX with marks indicating additions or omissions compared to the Hebrew, and Theodotion. I will also include here a text-critical analysis I have done before of Zech 14:3–5 as a demonstration of that practice.Īs noted in my previous post, OT textual criticism was already practiced among the early Christians. For this introduction, I will only be addressing what I consider the highlights he draws attention to, particularly where the practice of OT textual criticism differs from NT textual criticism. The standard resource for OT textual criticism remains Emanuel Tov’s Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, which I recommend for those who wish to study this subject in much greater detail. Due to this factor and the scarcity of early and fuller manuscripts relative to the NT, the importance of the versions for OT textual criticism is generally given more weight than the versions for NT textual criticism. Additionally, there are manuscripts of versions in other languages that are older than this. There are of course much older manuscripts and fragments in Hebrew, including from among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which often (but not entirely) comport with the MT.

Our most complete Greek NT codex dates from the fourth century, while our most complete Hebrew OT codex, the Leningrad Codex-containing what we call the Masoretic Text (MT)-dates from the eleventh century.

Compared to the NT, there is a larger gap between when the OT texts are thought to be written and the oldest manuscripts we find of them. But there are enough differences in practice between textual criticism in the NT and OT that the latter requires its own exposition. Some of what I said there will also apply to OT textual criticism, particularly in terms of the applicability of the canons (including harmonization of parallel texts). In the process you will gain an appreciation for the vast work that has been accomplished in preserving the text of Scripture and find a renewed confidence in its reliability.Last time I provided an introduction for textual criticism of the NT. Wegner gives you an overview of the history and methods, aims and results of textual criticism. In plain language and with ample illustration, Paul D. But if you are one of those interested in a general understanding of textual criticism, this book introduces you to textual criticism of the whole Bible-the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. That is why nearly every book on the subject focuses on the textual criticism of either the Old or New Testament.

In fact, the task of textual criticism is so daunting and detailed that it is divided between Old Testament textual critics and New Testament textual critics. Sorting out the errors and determining the original wording is the task of textual criticism. And despite the most careful and painstaking efforts of scribes and publishers down through the centuries, errors of one sort or another have crept in and have been reproduced. The Bible has been on a long historical journey since its original composition.

Old testament textual criticism