This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The field of textual criticism remains an exciting one. Thousands of manuscripts have been recovered in recent years. Using the methods of textual criticism, translators have been able to discern from these manuscripts a probably reading of the original New Testament text, a difficult but important task. Several scholarly books describing the process of textual criticism have already been written, but Encountering New Testament Manuscripts is uniquely different in its approach. Here students have an opportunity to see and read portions of the chief manuscripts for themselves and to learn firsthand the principles of textual criticism. Included are twenty-four photographs of some of the oldest and most important manuscripts, including papyri, parchment, and paper texts with both uncial and miniscule script. Through the steps of transcribing the original manuscripts and organizing the various evidences presented, the student learns to develop conclusions about the reading of the original text. A comprehensive introductory chapter surveying the nature and history of textual criticism and a concluding chapter on the question of methodology make this book a complete course on the subject. Helpful indices and lists of important New Testament manuscripts make it an excellent resource volume as well.

Encountering the Manuscripts focuses on the most significant New Testament manuscripts from the perspective of paleography and textual criticism.

Comprehensive, up-to-date collection of primary source documents (creation accounts, epic literature, etc.) gives insight into the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament.

The manuscripts that form the Greek New Testament are scattered throughout the world and are usually only accessible to scholars and professionals. These were the manuscripts read by the earliest Christians, which comprised their "New Testament." In his volumes, Philip Wesley Comfort bridges the gap between these extant copies and today's critical text by providing accurate transcriptions of the earliest New Testament manuscripts, with photographs on the facing pages so readers can see the works for themselves. Comfort also provides an introduction to each manuscript that summarizes the contents, date, current location, provenance, and other essential information, including the latest findings. This allows students and scholars to make well-informed decisions about the translation and interpretation of the New Testament. Volume 1 includes manuscripts from Papyrus 1-72. Volume 2 includes manuscripts from Papyrus 75-139 as well as from the uncials. In addition, it features a special section on determining the date of a manuscript. This two-volume set replaces the previously published single volume Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, as it contains many new manuscripts, updated research, and higher quality images of all manuscripts previously covered.

A recognized expert in New Testament Greek offers a historical understanding of the writing, transmission, and translation of the New Testament and provides cutting-edge insights into how we got the New Testament in its ancient Greek and modern English forms. In part responding to those who question the New Testament's reliability, Stanley Porter rigorously defends the traditional goals of textual criticism: to establish the original text. He reveals fascinating details about the earliest New Testament manuscripts and shows that the textual evidence supports an early date for the New Testament's formation. He also explores the vital role translation plays in biblical understanding and evaluates various translation theories. The book offers a student-level summary of a vast amount of historical and textual information.

One of the daunting challenges facing the New Testament interpreter is achieving familiarity with the immense corpus of Greco-Roman, Jewish, and pagan primary source materials. From the Paraphrase of Shem to Pesiqta Rabbati, scholars and students alike must have a fundamental understanding of these documents' content, provenance, and place in NT interpretation. But achieving even an elementary facility with this literature often requires years of experience, or a photographic memory. Evans's dexterous survey-a thoroughly revised and significantly expanded edition of his Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation - amasses the requisite details of date, language, text, translation, and general bibliography. Evans also evaluates the materials' relevance for interpreting the NT. The vast range of literature examined includes the Old Testament apocrypha, the Old Testament pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, assorted ancient translations of the Old Testament and the Targum paraphrases, Philo and Josephus, the New Testament pseudepigrapha, the early church fathers, various gnostic writings, and more. the NT, and a comparison of Jesus' parables with those of the rabbis will further save the interpreter precious time.

A concise companion to Ellis Brotzman's Old Testament Textual Criticism. Introduces students to the process of comparing Greek texts and seeking the original wording.

An eight session curriculum to study the book by the same title. Includes eight 12 minute video clips. Explores the Old Testament.

A literary history of our most influential book of all time, by an Oxford scholar and Anglican priest In our culture, the Bible is monolithic: It is a collection of books that has been unchanged and unchallenged since the earliest days of the Christian church. The idea of the Bible as "Holy Scripture," a non-negotiable authority straight from God, has prevailed in Western society for some time. And while it provides a firm foundation for centuries of Christian teaching, it denies the depth, variety, and richness of this fascinating text. In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be read in its historical context--from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries. It is a book full of narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems, and letters, each with their own character and origin stories. Barton explains how and by whom these disparate pieces were written, how they were canonized (and which ones weren't), and how they were assembled, disseminated, and interpreted around the world--and, importantly, to what effect. Ultimately, A History of the Bible argues that a thorough understanding of the history and context of its writing encourages religious communities to move away from the Bible's literal wording--which is impossible to determine--and focus instead on the broader meanings of scripture.

This is the third and final book in an informal set on the New Testament's use of the Old Testament, written by a recognized authority on the topic. The work covers several New Testament books that embody key developments in early Christian understanding of Jesus in light of the Old Testament. This quick and reliable resource orients students to the landscape before they read more advanced literature on the use of the Old Testament in later writings of the New Testament. The book can be used as a supplemental text in undergraduate or seminary New Testament introductory classes.