Connecting Singles^® Forums100% Free Online Dating

Your ignorance is showing my friend. Reliability does not have anything to do with whether you agree with the content or not.

Continuity of content between manuscripts is one of the chief indicators of reliability in regards to ancient documents. Since as far as we know the scroll Isaiah put his hand to is gone forever, we must rely on copies. In order to determine the reliability of an ancient text, textual critics judge by age, and quantity.

The older a copy is, the closer it is to Isaiah's lifetime, the more reliable. Then reasoning is that odds are less errors, or deliberate changes, have occurred during manuscript transmission in the time span between Isaiah, and the oldest known copy.

Quantity is important, because copies can be compared for continuity. Copy A says, "this" and Copy B says, "this", and Copy C says, "that" by a process of comparison, textual critics can determine when and where discrepencies are introduced.

This is one of the reasons "the dead sea scrolls" were such an important find.

No other ancient text even comes close to the reliability of the New Testament in terms of textual criticism.

Some examples in terms of quantity of manuscripts, and time span between earliest copy and date written:

New Testament 24,300 / 30, 50, 100yrs
Homer's Iliad 643 / 500 yrs
Demosthenes 200 / 1,300 yrs
Plato Tetralogies 7 / 1,200 yrs
Caesar 10 / 1,000 yrs
Thucydides History 8 / 1,300 yrs
Herodotus History 8 / 1,300 yrs
Aristotle 49 / 1,400 yrs
Euripides 9 / 1,500 yrs





No ancient document even comes close to the New Testament for reliability in the science of textual criticism.

That's true. The majority of Americans believe they single handedly won WWII. It is a matter of who writes history, and often it's biased. Other books are denied, omitted or even destroyed to further a particular "truth".

We did single handedly win WWII.....literally....the other hand was tied behind our back

Exodus 22:18 "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"

witches (pagans) were persecuted. only one so far dude, I am sure there are many more.

Deuteronomy 13:6-10
If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, `Let us go and serve other gods' (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him.
"But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
"So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the LORD your God


Lots of killin people who dont like the one god.

Geeeez dude, are you sure you read the book like you said, I am finding all kinds of verses here, no need to post them all I'm sure ... there's plenty of verses about killing anyone who deosn't believe or worship the one and only one god.

maybe you skipped those pages

Diogenes said:

Continuity of content between manuscripts is one of the chief indicators of reliability in regards to ancient documents.

Also said something about my "ignorance showing." (which is funny in itself.)

So then in that respect, the Book of Mormon is right and so is the Qua'ran, Eddas, The Book of the Dead, etc. Because the continuity is there, Hell there is only one version of these, so there is NO QUESTION of continuity, and "continuity of content betweem manuscripts is one of the chief indicators of reliability in regards to ancient documents."


"No ancient document even comes close to the New Testament for reliability..."

Continuity of content....Acutually, The fewer number of copies, the more reliable. Bible Scholars have continually found mistranslations in the Bible from version to version starting with one of the oldest, the Septuagint translation in Hebrew. Then there the gothic, the coptic, etc etc....Different versions, different languages, HUGE chance of mistranslation and variences in text. WHich I could post if you ask me nice.

The cylander seals of ancient Sumeria are Older Only one copy. No chance of mistranslation.

The Qua'ran. One copy, no chance for mistranslation.

The Book f Mormon. One copy. No chance for mistranslation

The Eddas . One copy. No chance for mistranslations.

The Book of THe Dead. One Copy. No chance for mistranslations.

But still, rather that continue off topic....

Anyone found a contemporary writer yet?

sorry for going off OP jim ...

Maybe they just didn't know Jesus.

Or even moreso, maybe they were just like all the others who thought it was a crock of crap.

I mean, all those writer-like folks from back in the day would really tend to try to find a scientific explanation for things (sometimes... sometimes I don't think even THEY knew what they were thinking) and probably just thought he was some magician that didn't bare mentioning.

no, sorry, I have looked and looked - all I can find is people muddying the waters there is so much disagreement on all of this it is beyond me how anybody at all cam claim their version to be the 'truth'.........

my own theory is that because education was kept from people for so long, the biblical ethic of 'frighten them into submission' was allowed to prevail.

Being as 'education' was in the hands of the church it suited their purpose. After all, they also closed down the education availble still at the time from the Greeks - no wonder it was/is referred to as the 'dark ages'...........

and no - before anybody asks me for the quote on education - I dont think it actually was quoted in anything public - but it was implicit

I have found some stuff about writers of the time - apparenty - poetic license was all the rage and, unlike nowadays where everything anybody says has to prove its source - in those days, it was quite ok to dress stuff up - especially so as to get into favour with the 'ruling classes'

I'm sorry.

What I thought you said was, "as it says in the bible you're in the wrong if you're not with the original Roman dictated texts and church of god."

The Old Testament Law that you are quoting does not apply to me, because I am not a Hebrew. I'm not saying that I wouldn't kill witch, because I would....especially if the witch tried to eat my daughter.

The Bible doesn't say that the "Church" is Roman, the term "church" doesn't even appear in the text.

Anyway....even Jesus said that Christians are not bound by the Law of Moses.

What is your special made up definition of contemporary again?

Seriously, they probably hated Jesus more than you do....what kind of writings are you expecting to find?

Something from the Jerusalem Daily Herald?

To hell with the OP!

Does anyone know the start up cost for an Apiary?

Its not what jesus says, its what god says, right. I think thats the point of the bible, the word of god right? Regardless of moses, daniel, mathew,....or the OT or NT. Its all the word of god.... ?

This para. is a huge statement which reflects the most up-to-date scientific research. I don't normally believe in Science per se, but, this community is, now, constantly revising what it believes is actually going on around us.

The result is distilled in five small words...

Whatever you believe,
is true.

Cheers people, this is a great thread.
kris

exactly - isnt it all just hearsay - are there actually any words directly from Jesus in the whole book - as I uderstand it, its all what he is reported to have said - its all hearsay........ what other people say he said