MYTHS

AND

MISTAKES

IN

NEW TESTAMENT

TEXTUAL CRITICISM

edited by

ELIJAH HIXSON and

PETER J. GURRY

foreword by

DANIEL B. WALLACE

An imprint of InterVarsity Press

Downers Grove, Illinois

InterVarsity Press

P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426

ivpress.com

email@ivpress.com

©2019 by Elijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are the authors’ translations.

Cover design and image composite: David Fassett

Images: Oxy.208 (J 16, 14-22).jpg: Wikimedia Commons / United States public domain

Papyrus 6 (John 10, 1-10).jpg: Wikimedia Commons / United States public domain

Papyrus 1- recto.jpg: Wikimedia Commons / United States public domain

ISBN 978-0-8308-5257-4 (print)

ISBN 978-0-8308-6669-4 (digital)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hixson, Elijah, 1985- editor. | Gurry, Peter J., editor. | Wallace, Daniel B., author of foreword.

Title: Myths and mistakes in New Testament textual criticism / edited by Elijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry ; foreword by Daniel B. Wallace.

Description: Downers Grove, Illinois : IVP Academic, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019029450 (print) | LCCN 2019029451 (ebook) | ISBN 9780830852574 (paperback) | ISBN 9780830866694 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. New Testament—Criticism, Textual.

Classification: LCC BS2325 .M98 2019 (print) | LCC BS2325 (ebook) | DDC 225.4/86—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029450

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029451

To our teachers

CONTENTS

List of Figures and Tables

Foreword by Daniel B. Wallace

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

1 INTRODUCTION

Peter J. Gurry and Elijah Hixson

2 MYTHS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS

WHAT THEY WERE AND HOW LONG THEY MAY HAVE SURVIVED

Timothy N. Mitchell

3 MATH MYTHS

HOW MANY MANUSCRIPTS WE HAVE AND WHY MORE ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

Jacob W. Peterson

4 MYTHS ABOUT CLASSICAL LITERATURE

RESPONSIBLY COMPARING THE NEW TESTAMENT TO ANCIENT WORKS

James B. Prothro

5 DATING MYTHS, PART ONE

HOW WE DETERMINE THE AGES OF MANUSCRIPTS

Elijah Hixson

6 DATING MYTHS, PART TWO

HOW LATER MANUSCRIPTS CAN BE BETTER MANUSCRIPTS

Gregory R. Lanier

7 MYTHS ABOUT COPYISTS

THE SCRIBES WHO COPIED OUR EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS

Zachary J. Cole

8 MYTHS ABOUT COPYING

THE MISTAKES AND CORRECTIONS SCRIBES MADE

Peter Malik

9 MYTHS ABOUT TRANSMISSION

THE TEXT OF PHILEMON FROM BEGINNING TO END

S. Matthew Solomon

10 MYTHS ABOUT VARIANTS

WHY ...

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About Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism

Since the unexpected popularity of Bart Ehrman’s bestselling Misquoting Jesus, textual criticism has become a staple of Christian apologetics.

Ehrman’s skepticism about recovering the original and inerrant text of the New Testament does deserve a response. However, this renewed apologetic interest in textual criticism has created fresh problems for evangelicals. An unfortunate proliferation of myths, mistakes, and misinformation has arisen about this technical area of biblical studies.

In this volume Elijah Hixson and Peter Gurry, along with a team of New Testament textual critics, offer up-to-date, accurate information on the history and current state of the New Testament text that will serve apologists and Christian students even as it offers a self-corrective to evangelical excesses.

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