Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament - manuscript, patristic and apocryphal evidence

Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament is the inaugural volume of The Text and Canon of the New Testament series, edited by Daniel B. Wallace. This first volume focuses on issues in textual criticism; in particular, to what degree did the scribes, who copied their exemplars by hand, corrupt the autographs? All but one of the chapters deals specifically with New Testament textual criticism. The other addresses textual issues related to an early apocryphal work, the Gospel of Thomas. The book begins with the full transcription of Wallace's presentation at the Fourth Annual Greer-Heard Forum, in which he and Bart Ehrman debated over the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts. Adam Messer looks at the patristic evidence of "nor the Son" in Matthew 24:36 in a quest to determine whether the excision of these words was influenced by orthodox Fathers. Philip Miller wrestles with whether the least orthodox reading should be a valid principle for determining the autographic text. Matthew Morgan focuses attention on the only two Greek manuscripts that have a potentially Sabellian reading in John 1:1c. Timothy Ricchuiti tackles the textual history of the Gospel of Thomas, examining the Coptic text and the three Greek fragments, using internal evidence in order to determine the earliest stratum of Thomas. Brian Wright thoroughly examines the textual reliability of the passages in which Jesus appears to be called God, concluding that the textual proof of the designation theos as applied to Jesus in the NT merely confirms what other grounds have already established. Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament will be a valuable resource for those working in textual criticism, early Christianity, New Testament apocrypha, and patristics.

Publisher: Kregal
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780825433382

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Daniel B. Wallace (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, and senior New Testament editor of the NET Bible. He has written Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament.

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Much of technical argument is above my pay grade, but from a trial lawyer's perspective, Wallace dismantles Bart D. Ehrman as an expert witness under the Daubert standard for admissibility of expert testimony. While Ehrman has educational qualifications, his handling of the data and his conclusions are mere ipse dixit. There is no peer review and his arguments are not connected with the data sufficiently to support his conclusions. In other words, in court, he would not be allowed to testify and his proffered testimony would not be considered evidence at all. This is of course a lawyer's attack on Ehrman based on legal evidentiary rules. But, the criticism is still valid, because making unsubstantiated arguments, even in academia and not the courts, basically moves Ehrman to the side of the debate. But, because of modern publicity machines and the Internet ("it is on the Internet so it must be true"), Ehrman continues to be sought out and heard. Eric