Tyndale House Podcast S5E4: How did the early church handle differences between manuscripts?
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Feb 6, 2025 Dirk Jongkind and Nelson Hsieh, experts in New Testament studies at Tyndale House, dive into the fascinating world of early church manuscript variations. They discuss the challenges faced by early scribes and how church fathers like Irenaeus and Origen addressed textual discrepancies, highlighting early textual criticism and its evolution. The conversation also touches on Origen's Hexapla and Irenaeus's defenses against heresies. Their insights reveal the significance of careful manuscript integrity and the foundational efforts that shaped biblical texts.
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Early Awareness of Manuscript Variations
- The early church was aware of manuscript variations because texts were copied by hand and subject to errors.
- Corrections and scholarly systems for textual issues were already in existence before Christianity.
Belief in Original Text and Corruption
- Early Christians believed in the existence of an original text and acknowledged corruption of manuscripts.
- They used strong language, including accusations of corruption and heresy, regarding alterations.
Church Fathers' Engagement With Variants
- Many church fathers encountered textual differences during their theological and scriptural writings.
- Notable figures like Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius wrestled with textual variations as part of their work.
