HOW WE GOT

the

BIBLE

THIRD EDITION

REVISED AND EXPANDED

Neil R. Lightfoot

© 1963, 1988, 2003 by Neil R. Lightfoot

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Book House Company

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lightfoot, Neil R.

How we got the Bible / Neil R. Lightfoot.—3rd ed., rev. and expanded.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

ISBN 0-8010-1252-X

1. Bible—History. I. Title.

BS445.L47 2003

220′.09—dc21

2003003625

Unless otherwise indicated Scripture is taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

Scripture marked nrsv is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

For Ollie

Contents

Preface to the Third Edition

1. The Making of Ancient Books

2. The Birth of the Bible

3. Manuscripts of the New Testament

4. The Sinaitic Manuscript

5. Other New Testament Manuscripts

6. Ancient Versions: The New Testament

7. Manuscripts of Special Interest

8. The Text of the New Testament

9. Significance of Textual Variations

10. Restoring the New Testament Text

11. Manuscripts from the Sand

12. The Text of the Old Testament

13. Ancient Versions: The Old Testament

14. The Canon of the Scriptures

15. The Apocryphal Books

16. The English Bible to 1611

17. Recent Translations of the English Bible

18. “My Words Will Not Pass Away”

Index

Preface to the Third Edition

This study seeks to be a factual and honest account of how the Bible has been preserved and handed down to our generation. The subject is vast and at times complex. It has been my constant aim, therefore, to simplify the material and to state it, so far as possible, in a nontechnical manner. On the other hand, I have tried to get down to the heart of the question, for too many studies of this kind have been content with the mere citing of superficial facts about the Bible. These facts are important and interesting, of course, but they do not tell us how we got the Bible.

The third edition of this book now appears, more than fifteen years after the second edition. Much has happened since that time. In order to bring matters up to date and include other related information, I have completely rewritten almost everything in the book. Additions and changes have been made in every chapter, and five chapters of new material have been added. Readers of this edition will find new material especially ...