7/22/2011
How to Do
Textual Criticism
1. Manuscripts in original languages
Manuscripts in Hebrew and Aramaic are the most
important sources, as the original Hebrew Bible was
written in the two languages
Generally, these manuscripts are quite reliable
As a general rule, older manuscripts are more reliable
than newer ones (though this is not always true)
3. Citations
Quotations by Jewish Rabbis, Church Fathers and
others can help us understand the early
transmission of the text
Sometimes they quoted from memory or from
different manuscripts with slightly different
readings
I. Basic Elements of TC
2. Translations
Translations are commonly known as versions
Some are made from the original languages, others
from versions
Versions are an indirect witness to what the original said
The Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch and
Targumim are important early OT Versions
4. Variant Readings
Readings that differ between one manuscript
and another are known as variant readings
Variant readings developed for a number of
different reasons
Usually due to errors in reading or errors in
hearing
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Excursus #1: Two Editions of Jeremiah

5. Text Types
MT LXX
Ancient manuscripts share certain common characteristics
which are thought to be related to each other 3097 307 words
words not found
They are grouped together and called text types more than in MT
As they bear similar characteristics, they are also said to LXX
belong to the same textual tradition of textual family.
Order of some
Some OT text types: chapters
Masoretic and DSS (Proto-masoretic) are different

LXX and other DSS

Both editions are found in DSS fragments
Samaritan Pentateuch

Excursus #2:
Different
versions of
Genesis 5
(K. Sparks, God’s
Word in Human
II. Steps of TC Analysis
Words, 81)

2. Turn to external evidence

1. OT TC begins by identifying textual difficulties
Textual critics focuses on anything that does not make
sense: grammatical problems, contradictions, strange
words and so on.
Believing that the inspired author would not have
written something meaningless, any senseless reading
must have happened during its transmission.
To verify if the "senseless" reading is not original,
experts turn to other manuscripts which contain the
same passage.
This external evidence must be of good quality.
(It does not help if its quality is inferior to that of
the text we are investigating).

2

Some criteria of good quality manuscript:
1. The date of the manuscript.
Theoretically, the older is more original. But….
2. The quality of the manuscript.
Though some mss are old, they are of poor quality
(many strange variants, many scribal corrections).
III. Principles of TC
How to assess the possibility of an intrinsic issue:
This process can lead to a subjective conclusion.
Two scholars may offer a completely different
theories about the issue.
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet
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3. Turn to internal evidence
This is necessary only when external evidence is
insufficient.
The expert would move to the following steps:
Is this a transcriptional issue?
Did the scribes make mistakes in their transcription of the
text?
Is this an intrinsic issue?
Is this reading due to the author's vocabulary, grammatical,
and writing style?
How to assess the possibility of a transcriptional
error:
1. The more difficult reading is likely to be original
2. The shorter reading is likely to be original
3. A text different from its parallel passages is likely to
be original
4. Rougher grammar is likely to be original
5. The variant that explains the others is likely to be
original
Emendation:
Sometimes, despite their efforts, experts fail to make
sense of the text.
This implies the text is obviously corrupt.
To make sense, some scholars suggest that the word
be changed (emended).
E.g. Ge 49:10
wyl'g_ r> : !yBeämi qqExß omW. hd"Wê hymi( ‘jb,ve’ rWsïy-" al{)
ÎAlêyviÐ ¿hl{yviÀ aboyå -" yKi( d[;…
{ until Shiloh comes; or until he comes to whom tribute belongs }
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Question that troubles Christians

Original: hly$
Does TC erode the credibility of God's word?
M. Trevor's suggested holyi$, The aim of the textual criticism of the Old Testament is to
vocalization:
enable the reader to hear and thus be able to respond to God’s
word accurately in spite of the varied history and sometimes
Westermann's emendation: hol$
a :m “his ruler.” varied wording of the transmission of that written revelation
through time.
De Hoop, Wenham's hol (“to him”) + ya$ (“tribute”). E. R. Brotzman, Old Testament Textual Criticism, 170.
emendation:
The scribal errors are not significant enough to alter the overall
theological message of the Bible.
M. Silva.