The Books and the Parchments: How We Got Our English Bible

293 Pages·1963·24.1 MB·English

by  Frederick Fyvie Bruce

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THE BOOKS
47%! M26
PARCHMENTS
SOME CHAPTERS ON THE TRANSMISSION
OF THE BIBLE
REVISED EDITION
F. F. BRUCE
Fin: Publijlyed 1950
Second Edition 1953
Third and Rewind Edition 1963
COPYRIGHT MCMLXHI BY FLEMING H. REVELI. COMPANY ° ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WESTWOOD, NEW JERSEY ° PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ° 3.1
VXORI DILECTISSIMAE
COHEREDI GRATIAE VITAE
HORVM CETERORVMQVE LABORVM ADIVTRICI INDEFESSAE
HVNC LIBRVM
IN COMMEMORATIONEM ANNORVM XXV
D.D.D.
A V C T O R

FROM THE PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
THIS volume gathers together a number of articles written and
papers read at various times on the transmission of the Bible.
It15 intended for non- specialists like those who have read them or
heard them111 their earlier forms, and who have frequently expressed
a desire to have them in this form.
It is gratifying to mark the eagerness with which people of
widely divergent interests listen to a simple account of how the
Bible has come down to us. In revising these chapters I have tried
to bear in mind the questions which are most frequently asked
about these matters, and to answer them to the best of my ability.
I hope that the volume may thus prove interesting and useful to the
many who, without aiming at any specialist knowledg e of Biblical
learning, would welcome a handbook dealing with these questions.
The mixed origin of the contents no doubt betrays itself in a
certain haphazardness in the topics selected, though I have tried to
smooth out the worst roughnesses and cut down too much over-
lapping.
The three chapters on the Biblical languages are not intended
to teach readers the elements of these languages but simply to say
some interesting things about them.
There are many aspects of Biblical study which are not touched
upon here. Questions of higher criticism, introduction, exegesis,
and even of Biblical archaeology, interesting as they are, lie outside
the scope of the volume. So also does the theological approach
to the Bible (although theology has done its best to creep into
Chapters VI, VII, and VIII).
There is little that is original in these pages, and my debts to
others are acknowledged throughout the work. Mr. G. C. D.
Howley has given valued help in the reading of the proofs. Nor
should I omit a word of gratitude to all those whose keen interest
in the subjects here dealt with has encouraged me to present them
in this form. A teacher of any subject, and especially of Biblical
studies, can have no greater reward than to see others fired with
enthusiasm for his subject.
F. F. BRUCE
March, 19 50.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
N this second edition I have brought the contents up to date in
several respects. and corrected a number ofmaccuracies. I am
indebted for help1n these matters to various readers and reviewers.
In many subjects which are under debate, I may seem to have
expressed myself with more assurance than the present state of
knowledge warrants; this is perhaps inevitable in a work of this
kind.
F.F.B.
january 1, 1953.
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION
IN going through these pages and revising their contents afresh
after eight years, I have tried to resist the temptation to make so
many changes that the work would no longer be recognizably the
same. One thing that has impressed itself upon me time and a gain
has been the wealth of fresh discovery that has had to be recorgded
during these last years. Much more is now known about the Dead
Sea Scrolls, although even yet much remains to be known.
Publication has begun of the manuscripts from the Gnostic library
from Chenoboskion. The ancient Greek ‘Linear B’ script has been
deciphered, and perhaps also ‘Linear A’. A complete text of the
Palestinian Targum on the Pentateuch has been found; and the
Abisha‘ manuscript of the Samaritan Bible, if not exactly ‘found’,
has at any rate been ‘found out’. Other discoveries include the
Bodmer papyri of the Gospel of John and other New Testament
books, and the Syriac text of Ephrem’s commentary on the
Diatessaron. Some attention has been paid to all these in this
revision. And1n the year following Bible Year it is surely approp-
riate that a new chapter should be added, taking some preliminary
account of the New English Bible.
April, 1962. F.F.B.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE .. .. .. .. .. ..
I THE BOOKS AND THE PARCHMENTS
II THE BIBLE AND THE ALPHABET
III THE HEBREW LANGUAGE . .
IV THE ARAMAIC LANGUAGE . . . . . . . .
V THE GREEK LANGUAGE
VI THE TWO TESTAMENTS
VII THE FORM OF THE BIBLE
VIII THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE
114
IX THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT . . . . . .
125
x THE SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH
I33
XI THE TARGUMS
146
XII THE OLD TESTAMENT 1N GREEK
163
x111 THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS . . . . . . . .
176
XIV THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
191
xv THE SYRIAC BIBLE . .
xv1 THE LATIN BIBLE . .
212
xvn OTHER EARLY VERSIONS
219
xvm THE ENGLISH BIBLE
xrx 11113 NEW ENGLISH BIBLE
239
APPENDICES:
255
I LOST BOOKS . . . . . .
II THE NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA AND OTHER
EARLY CHRISTIAN BOOKS 259
265
III SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
271
INDEX OF NAMES AND SUBJECTS
284
INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

ILLUSTRATIONS
A PORTION OF THE CODEX SINAITICUS SHOWING
JOHN 6. I4, I 5 .. .. .. . . . . Frontispiece
A PORTION OF THE CODEX ALEXANDRINUS SHOWING
LUKE 12. 54-58 .. .. .. .. .. Frontispiece
Facing Page
11-113 MOABITB STONE .. .. .. .. .. .. 4o
ISAIAH SCROLL cor. 33 = ISA. 40. 2-28 .. .. .. 116
RECTO OF THE PAPYRUS FRAGMENT OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL . . 184