Reference: New Testament
Easton
(Lu 22:20), rather "New Covenant," in contrast to the old covenant of works, which is superseded. "The covenant of grace is called new; it succeeds to the old broken covenant of works. It is ever fresh, flourishing, and excellent; and under the gospel it is dispensed in a more clear, spiritual, extensive, and powerful manner than of old" (Brown of Haddington). Hence is derived the name given to the latter portion of the Bible. (See Testament.)
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He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood, which is being poured out for you.
Fausets
(See BIBLE; CANON; INSPIRATION.) hee kainee diatheekee. See Heb 9:15-17; 8:6-13. The Greek term diateeeekee combines the two ideas "covenant" and "testament," which the KJV gives separately, though the Greek is the same for both. "Covenant" expresses its obligatory character, God having bound Himself by promise (Ga 3:15-18; Heb 6:17-18). "Testament" expresses that, unlike other covenants, it is not a matter of bargaining, but all of God's grace, just as a testator has absolute power to do what he will with his own. Jesus' death brings the will of God in our favor into force. The night before His death He said "I appoint unto you by testamentary disposition (diatitheemi) a kingdom" (Lu 22:29). There was really only one Testament - latent in the Old Testament, patent in the New Testament. The disciples were witnesses of the New Testament, and the Lord's Supper was its seal. The Old and New Testament Scriptures are the written documents containing the terms of the will.
TEXT. The "Received Text" (i.e. the "Textus Receptus" or TR) is that of Robert Stephens' edition. Bentley (Letter to Wake in 1716 A.D.) said truly, "after the Complutenses and Erasmus, who had very ordinary manuscripts, the New Testament became the property of booksellers. R. Stephens' edition, regulated by himself alone, has now become as if an apostle were its compositor. I find that by taking 2,000 errors out of the Pope's Vulgate (i.e. correcting by older Latin manuscripts the edition of Jerome's Vulgate put forth by Sixtus V, A.D. 1590, with anathemas against any who should alter it 'in minima particula,' and afterwards altered by Clement VIII (1592) in 2,000 places in spite of Sixtus' anathema) and as many out of the Protestant pope Stephens' edition, I can set out an edition of each (Latin, Vulgate, and Greek text) in columns, without using any book under 900 years old, that shall so exactly agree word for word, and order for order, that no two tallies can agree better. ... These will prove each other to a demonstration, for I alter not a word of my own head."
The first printed edition of the Greek Testament was that in the Complutensian Polyglot, January, 10, 1514 A.D. Scripture was known in western Europe for many ages previously only through the Latin Vulgate of Jerome. F. Ximenes de Cisneros, of Toledo, undertook the work, to celebrate the birth of Charles V. Complutum (Alcala) gave the name. Lopez de Stunica was chief of its New Testament editors. The whole Polyglot was completed the same year that Luther affixed his 95 theses against indulgences to the door of the church at Wittenberg. Leo X lent the manuscripts used for it from the Vatican. It follows modern Greek manuscripts in all cases where these differ from the ancient manuscripts and from the oldest Greek fathers. The Old Testament Vulgate (the translation which is authorized by Rome) is in the central column, between the Greek Septuagint and the Hebrew (the original); and the editors compare the first to Christ crucified between the impenitent (the Hebrew) and the penitent (the Greek) thief!
Though there is no Greek authority for 1Jo 5:7, they supplied it and told Erasmus that the Latin Vulgate's authority outweighs the original Greek! They did not know that the oldest copies of Jerome's Vulgate omit it; the manuscript of Wizanburg of the eighth century being the oldest that contains it. Owing to the Complutensian Greek New Testament not being published, though printed, until the Polyglot was complete, Erasmus' Greek New Testament was the first published, namely, by Froben a printer of Basle, March 1516, six years before the Complutensian. The providence of God at the dawn of the Reformation thus furnished earnest students with Holy Scripture in the original language sanctioned by the Holy Spirit. Erasmus completed his edition in haste, and did not have the scruples to supply, by translating into Greek front the Vulgate, both actual hiatuses in his Greek manuscripts and what he supposed to be so, especially in the Apocalypse, for which he had only one mutilated manuscript.
To the outcry against hint for omitting the testimony of the three heavenly witnesses he replied, it is not omission but non-addition; even some Latin copies do not have it, and Cyril of Alexandria showed in his Thesaurus he did not know it; on the Codex Montfortianus (originally in possession of a Franciscan, Froy, who possibly wrote it, now in Trinity College, Dublin) being produced with it, Erasmus INSERTED it. So clumsily did the translator of the Vulgate Latin into Greek execute this manuscript that he neglects to put the necessary Greek article before "Father," "Word," and" Spirit." Erasmus' fifth edition is the basis of our "Received Text." In 1546 and 1549 R. Stephens printed two small editions at Paris, and in 1550 a folio edition, following Erasmus' fifth edition almost exclusively, and adding in the margin readings from the Complutensian edition and from 15 manuscripts collected by his son Henry, the first large collection of readings. The fourth edition at Geneva, 1551, was the first divided into modern verses. Beza next edited the Greek New Testament, generally following Stephens' text, with a few changes on manuscript authority.
He possessed the two famous manuscripts, namely, the Gospels and Acts, now by his gift in the university of Cambridge; "Codex Bezae" or "Cantabrigiensis," D; and the epistles of Paul, "Codex Clermontanus" (brought from Clermont), now in the Bibliotheque du Roi at Paris; both are in Greek and Latin. The Elzevirs, printers at Leyden, published two editions, the first in 1624, the second in 1633, on the basis of R. Stephens' third edition, with corrections from Beza's. The unknown editor, without stating his critical principles, gravely declares in the preface: "texture habes ab omnibus receptum, in quo nihil immutatum aut corruptum damus"; stranger still, the public for two centuries has accepted this so-called "Received Text" as if infallible. When textual criticism was scarcely understood, theological convenience accepted it as a compromise between the Roman Catholic Complutensian edition and the Protestant edition of Stephens and Beza. Mill (1707) has established Stephens' as the Received Text in England; on the continent the Elzevir is generally recognized.
Thus, an uncritical Greek text of publishers has been for ages submitted to by Protestants, though abjuring blind assent to tradition, and laughing at the claim to infallibility of the two popes who declared each of two diverse editions of the Vulgate to be exclusively authentic. (The council of Trent, 1545, had pronounced the Latin Vulgate to be the authentic word of God). Frequent handling and transmission soon destroyed the originals. If the autographs of the inspired writers had been preserved, textual criticism would not have been necessary. But the oldest MSS, existing, Codex Sinaiticus ('aleph) Codex Vaticanus (B), Codex Alexandrinus (A), are not older than the fourth century. Parchment was costly (2Ti 4:13). Papyrus paper which the sacred writers used (2Jo 1:12; 3Jo 1:13) was fragile. No superstitious or antiquarian interest was felt in the autographs which copies superseded. The Diocletian persecution (A.D. 303) attacked the Scriptures, and traditores (Augustine, 76, section 2) gave them up.
Constantine ordered 50 manuscripts to be written on fair skins for the use of the church. God has not seen fit (by a perpetual miracle) to preserve the text from transcriptional errors. Having by extraordinary revelation once bestowed the gift, He leaves its preservation to ordinary laws, yet by His secret providence furnishes the church, its guardian and witness, with the means to ensure its accuracy in all essentials (Ro 3:2). Criticism does not make variations, but finds them, and turns them into means of ascertaining approximately the original text. More materials exist for restoring the genuine text of New Testament than for that of any ancient work. Whitby attacked Mill for presenting in his edition 30,000 various readings found in manuscripts. Collins, the infidel, availed himself of Whitby's unsound argument that textual variations render Scripture uncertain.
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"Remember what Moses commanded you when he said, "The LORD your God will provide you rest, as well as this land.'
"No one knows when that day or hour will come not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,
Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just come up, they were going to the tomb. They kept saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" read more. Then they looked up and saw that the stone had been rolled away. (It was a very large stone.) As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were utterly astonished.
And I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred a kingdom on me,
There are all kinds of advantages! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the utterances of God.
You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified?
Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life. Once an agreement has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant," referring to one person, who is the Messiah. read more. This is what I mean: The Law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified. For if the inheritance comes about through the Law, it no longer comes about through the promise. But it was through a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham.
When you come, bring the coat I left with Carpus in Troas, as well as the scrolls and especially the parchments.
In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us.
However, Jesus has now obtained a more superior ministry, since the covenant he mediates is founded on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one, read more. but God found something wrong with his people when he said, "Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant, I ignored them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Never again will everyone teach his neighbor or his brother by saying, "Know the Lord,' because all of them will know me, from the least important to the most important. For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins." In speaking of a "new" covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead actions so that we may serve the living God! This is why the Messiah is the mediator of a new covenant; so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance promised them, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the offenses committed under the first covenant. read more. For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is in force only when somebody has died, since it never takes effect as long as the one who made it is alive.
For there are three witnesses in heaven the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.
Hastings
Morish
For the general contents of the New Testament see BIBLE. See also COVENANT. The chronology of the principal events recorded in the New Testament is given in the following tables, with approximate dates. The dates of the Epistles of Peter, James, John, and Jude are according to the A.V. For the date of the crucifixion see SEVENTY WEEKS: other dates are reckoned from that.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
B.C.
27 Augustus emperor of Rome
6 Census in Judaea. Birth of John the Baptist
5 Birth of Jesus (Four full years before A.D.) Presentation in the temple.
4 Visit of the magi. Flight into Egypt, Massacre of infants. Death of Herod;
Archelaus made ethnarch of Judaea, Samaria and Idumaea
Herod Antipas tetrarch of Peraea and Galilee. Philip tetrarch of Ituraea, Trachonitis. etc.
A.D.
6 Quirinis (Cyrenius) governor of Syria the second time
Archelaus banished, and Judaea made a province of Syria.
7 Enrolment, or taxation, under Cyrenius. Annas made high priest
8 Jesus at Jerusalem. Lu 2:42-46
Lu 2:14 Tiberias emperor of Rome: reigns alone
17 Caiaphas made high priest
26 Pontius Pilate procurator of Judaea
John commences his ministry. (See TIBERIUS.) Mr 1:1-11
Baptism of Jesus. The Temptation
Miracle of the water made wine at Cana. Joh 2:1-11
Jesus visits Capernaum
The first Passover. Jesus cleanses the temple. Joh 2:13-22
John cast into prison. Jesus preaches in Galilee Mr 1:14-15
Jesus at the synagogue at Nazareth: cast out of the city. Lu 4:16-30
Jesus visits the towns of Galilee Mr 1:38-39
Mr 1:27 Jesus visits Jerusalem (probably the second Passover). John 5. 1
The twelve Apostles chosen Mr 3:13-19
Sermon on the Mount. Matt. 5.- 7; Lu 6:17-49
Miracles in the land of the Gadarenes. Mr 5:1-20
The Jews offended at Jesus at Nazareth. Mr 6:1-5
Jesus again visits the villages around. Mr 6:6
Jesus sends forth the twelve. Mr 6:7-13
Death of John the Baptist. Mr 6:17-29
Feeding the five thousand. Mr 6:35-44
Miracles in Gennesaret. Mr 6:53-56
Mr 6:28 Approach of the third Passover Joh 6:4
Feeding the four thousand. Mr 8:1-9
The Transfiguration. Mr 9:2-10
Feast of Tabernacles. John 7.
Journey towards Jerusalem. Lu 9:51
The seventy disciples sent out. Lu 10:1-16
Feast of Dedication (winter). Joh 10:22-39
Jesus goes away beyond Jordan. Joh 10:40-42
The raising of Lazarus at Bethany. Joh 11:1-44
Jesus retires to Ephraim. Joh 11:54
Joh 11:29 Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Cleanses the temple Mr 11:1-18
The Greeks visit Jesus. Voice from heaven. Joh 12:20-36
The last (fourth) Passover. The Lord's supper Mr 14:1-2
The Crucifixion. Ascension. Pentecost
30-34 The events from Pentecost to Stephen. Acts 2
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This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way. read more. He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'" John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins. Now John was dressed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey. He kept proclaiming, "The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. I baptized you with water, but it is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!"
Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God. He said, "The time is now! The kingdom of God is near! Repent, and keep believing the gospel!"
All the people were so stunned that they kept saying to each other, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He tells even the unclean spirits what to do, and they obey him!"
"Let's go to the neighboring town," he replied, "so I can preach there, too, because that's why I came." So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Then Jesus went up on a hillside and called to himself those whom he had decided on, and they approached him. He appointed the Twelve, whom he called apostles, to accompany him, to be sent out to preach, read more. and to have the authority to drive out demons. He appointed the Twelve: Simon (whom he named Peter), Zebedee's sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
They arrived at the other side of the sea in the territory of the Gerasenes. Just as Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. read more. He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. He had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but had snapped the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one could tame him. He kept screaming night and day among the tombs and on the mountainsides, and kept cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell down in front of him, screaming in a loud voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!" Jesus had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" Then Jesus asked him, "What's your name?" He told him, "My name is Legion, because there are many of us." He kept pleading with Jesus not to send them out of that region. Now a large herd of pigs was grazing on a hillside nearby. So the demons begged him, "Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!" So he let them do this. The unclean spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned there. Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they reported what had happened in the city and countryside. So the people went to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. The people who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. So they began to beg Jesus to leave their territory. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging him to let him go with him. But Jesus wouldn't let him. Instead, he told him, "Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you." So the man left and began proclaiming in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was utterly amazed.
Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were utterly amazed. "Where did this man get all these things?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What great miracles are being done by his hands! read more. This is the builder, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, isn't it? His sisters are here with us, aren't they?" And they were offended by him. Jesus had been telling them, "A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home." He couldn't perform a miracle there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around to the villages and continued teaching. He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they went and preached that people should repent. They also kept driving out many demons and anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.
because Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom Herod had married. John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." read more. So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't do it because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John, he did much of what he said. In fact, he liked listening to him. An opportunity came during Herod's birthday celebration, when he gave a banquet for his top officials, military officers, and the most important people of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king told the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you." He swore with an oath to her, "I'll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom." So she went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother replied, "The head of John the Baptist." Immediately the girl hurried back to the king with her request, "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her. So without delay the king sent a soldier and ordered him to bring John's head. The soldier went and beheaded him in prison. Then he brought John's head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
Then he brought John's head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John's disciples heard about this, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb.
When it was quite late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and it's already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go to the neighboring farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat." read more. But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." They asked him, "Should we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" He asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see." They found out and told him, "Five loaves and two fish." Then he ordered them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. All of them ate and were filled. Then the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of leftover bread and fish. There were 5,000 men who had eaten the loaves.
When they had crossed over, they came ashore at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. read more. They ran all over the countryside and began carrying the sick on their mats to any place where they heard he was. Wherever he went, whether into villages, towns, or farms, people would place their sick in the marketplaces and beg him to let them touch even the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was healed.
At that time, after a large crowd again had gathered together with nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and told them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they've already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. read more. If I send them away to their homes hungry, they'll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance." His disciples answered him, "Where could anyone get enough bread to feed these people out here in the wilderness?" He asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" "Seven," they said. So he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks. He broke them in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to distribute. So they served them to the crowd. They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that the fish should also be distributed. The people ate and were filled. Then the disciples picked up the leftover pieces seven large baskets full. Now about 4,000 men were there. Then he sent them on their way.
Then he told them, "I tell all of you with certainty, some people standing here will not experience death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power."
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone with him. His appearance was changed in front of them, and his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. read more. Then Elijah appeared to them, accompanied by Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter told Jesus, "Rabbi, it's good that we're here! Let's set up three shelters one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Peter didn't know how to respond, because they were terrified.) Then a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I love. Keep on listening to him!" Suddenly, as they looked around, they saw no one with them but Jesus alone. On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves but argued about what "rising from the dead" meant.
When they came near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead and told them, "Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you go into it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along. read more. If anyone asks you, "Why are you doing this?,' say, "The Lord needs it,' and he will send it back here at once." So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it, some men standing there asked them, "What are you doing untying that colt?" The disciples told them what Jesus had said, and the men let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and he sat on it. Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, "Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! How blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany. The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus became hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves because it wasn't the season for figs. So he told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" Now his disciples were listening to this. When they came to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. He wouldn't even let anyone carry a vessel through the Temple. Then he began to teach them: "It is written, is it not, "My house is to be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you've turned it into a hideout for bandits!" When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death, because they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."
"Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his favor!"
When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual. When the days of the festival were over, they left for home. The young man Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. read more. They thought that he was in their group of travelers. After traveling for a day, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching desperately for him. Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and posing questions to them.
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, read more. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free, and to announce the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. While the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him, he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you've heard it read aloud." All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, "This is Joseph's son, isn't it?" So he told them, "You will probably quote this proverb to me, "Doctor, heal yourself! Do everything here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.'" He added, "I tell all of you with certainty, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. I'm telling you the truth there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when it didn't rain for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land. Yet Elijah wasn't sent to a single one of those widows except to one at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha's time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." All the people in the synagogue became furious when they heard this. They got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off. But he walked right through the middle of them and went away.
Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, along with many of his disciples and a large gathering of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were being tormented by unclean spirits were being healed. read more. The entire crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing all of them. Then Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "How blessed are you who are destitute, because the kingdom of God is yours! How blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied! How blessed are you who are crying now, because you will laugh! "How blessed are you whenever people hate you, avoid you, insult you, and slander you because of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your reward in heaven is great! That's the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets. "But how terrible it will be for you who are rich, because you have had your comfort! How terrible it will be for you who are full now, because you will be hungry! How terrible it will be for you who are laughing now, because you will mourn and cry! "How terrible it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you, because that's the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets!" "But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you. If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either. Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back. Whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them. "If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect to get something back, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind even to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." "Stop judging, and you'll never be judged. Stop condemning, and you'll never be condemned. Forgive, and you'll be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap, because you'll be evaluated by the same standard with which you evaluate others." He also told them a parable: "One blind person can't lead another blind person, can he? Both will fall into a ditch, won't they? A disciple is not better than his teacher. But everyone who is fully-trained will be like his teacher. "Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you don't see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you'll see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye." "A good tree doesn't produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree doesn't produce good fruit, because every tree is known by its own fruit. People don't gather figs from thorny plants or pick grapes from a thorn bush. A good person produces good from the good treasure of his heart, and an evil person produces evil from an evil treasure, because the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." "Why do you keep calling me "Lord, Lord,' but don't do what I tell you? I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. They are like a person building a house, who dug a deep hole to lay the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house but couldn't shake it, because it had been founded on the rock. But the person who hears what I say but doesn't act on it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. When the floodwaters pushed against it, that house quickly collapsed, and the resulting destruction of that house was extensive."
When the days grew closer for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he was determined to continue his journey to Jerusalem.
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. So he instructed them, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. read more. Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!" "How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. It will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you! And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
On the third day of that week there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. read more. When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother told him, "They don't have any more wine." "How does that concern us, dear lady?" Jesus asked her. "My time hasn't come yet." His mother told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars used for the Jewish rites of purification, each one holding from two to three measures. Jesus told the servants, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them up to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the banquet." So they did. When the man in charge of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine (without knowing where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called for the bridegroom and told him, "Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheap kind when people are drunk. But you have kept the best wine until now!" Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
The Jewish Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as moneychangers sitting at their tables. read more. After making a whip out of cords, he drove all of them out of the Temple, including the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the moneychangers and knocked over their tables. Then he told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." Then the Jewish leaders asked him, "What sign can you show us as authority for doing these things?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will rebuild it." The Jewish leaders said, "This sanctuary has been under construction for 46 years, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?" But the sanctuary he was speaking about was his own body. After he had been raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made.
Now Hanukkah was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking around in the Temple inside the open porch of Solomon. read more. So the Jewish leaders surrounded him and quizzed him, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you're the Messiah, tell us so plainly." Jesus answered them, "I have told you, but you don't believe it. The actions that I do in my Father's name testify on my behalf, but you don't believe, because you don't belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, they'll never be lost, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is more important than anything, and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." Again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to stone him to death. Jesus replied to them, "I've shown you many good actions from my Father. For which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jewish leaders answered him, "We are not going to stone you for a good action, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, are making yourself God!" Jesus replied to them, "Is it not written in your Law, "I said, "You are gods"'? If he called those to whom a message from God came "gods' (and the Scripture cannot be disregarded), how can you say to the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, "You're blaspheming,' because I said, "I'm the Son of God'? If I'm not doing my Father's actions, don't believe me. But if I'm doing them, even though you don't believe me, believe the actions, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he slipped away from them. Then he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he remained there. Many people came to him and kept saying, "John never performed a sign, but everything that John said about this man is true!" And many believed in Jesus there.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the woman who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was the one who was ill. read more. So the sisters sent word to Jesus and told him, "Lord, the one whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness isn't meant to end in death. It's for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was for two more days. After this, he told the disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." The disciples told him, "Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death, and you are going back there again?" Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours in the day, aren't there? If anyone walks during the day he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks at night he stumbles, because the light is not in him." These were the things he said. Then after this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm leaving to wake him up." So the disciples told him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well." Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was speaking about resting or sleeping. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died. For your sake I'm glad that I wasn't there, so that you may believe. But let's go to him." Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, told his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too, so that we may die with him!" When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha told Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, he will give it to you." Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha told him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The person who believes in me, even though he dies, will live. Indeed, everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that?" "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was to come into the world." When she had said this, she went away and called her sister Mary and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you!" As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet arrived at the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. read more. When the Jews who had been with her, consoling her in the house, saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she had gone to the tomb to cry there. As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet and told him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died." When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was greatly troubled in spirit and deeply moved. He asked, "Where have you put him?" They told him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus burst into tears. So the Jews said, "See how much he loved him!" But some of them said, "Surely the one who opened the eyes of the blind man could have kept this man from dying, couldn't he?" Groaning deeply again, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying in front of it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, told him, "Lord, there must be a stench by now, because he's been dead for four days." Jesus told her, "I told you that if you believed you would see God's glory, didn't I?" So they removed the stone. Then Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." After saying this, he shouted with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The man who had died came out, his hands and feet tied with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a handkerchief. Jesus told them, "Untie him, and let him go."
As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews. Instead, he went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness. There he remained with his disciples.
Now some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival. They went to Philip (who was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and told him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." read more. Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus told them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain. The one who loves his life will destroy it, and the one who hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." "Now my soul is in turmoil, and what should I say "Father, save me from this hour'? No! It was for this very reason that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!" The crowd standing there heard this and said that it was thunder. Others were saying, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus replied, "This voice is for your benefit, not for mine. Now is the time for the judgment of this world to begin. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was about to die. Then the crowd answered him, "We have learned from the Law that the Messiah remains forever. So how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus replied to the crowd, "The light is among you only for a short time. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The person who walks in the darkness is in the darkness and does not know where he is going. As long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he went away and hid from them.
ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" read more. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" After he had said this, he died.
Now Saul heartily approved of putting Stephen to death. That day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except for the apostles was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him. read more. But Saul kept trying to destroy the church. Going into one house after another, he began dragging off men and women and throwing them in prison. Now those who were scattered went from place to place preaching the word.
As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's some water. What keeps me from being baptized?"
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they all were afraid of him because they wouldn't believe he was a disciple.
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they all were afraid of him because they wouldn't believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, introduced Saul to the apostles, telling them how on the road Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how courageously he had spoken in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
Barnabas, however, introduced Saul to the apostles, telling them how on the road Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how courageously he had spoken in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So he freely circulated among them in Jerusalem, speaking courageously in the name of the Lord.
So he freely circulated among them in Jerusalem, speaking courageously in the name of the Lord. He kept talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were bent on murdering him. read more. When the brothers found out about the plot, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
Peter made them all go outside. After kneeling down, he prayed, turned to the body, and said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began proclaiming the Lord Jesus even to the Hellenistic Jews.
When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
by sending it through Barnabas and Saul to the elders.
He even had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword. When he saw how this was agreeable to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter, too. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. read more. When he arrested Peter, Herod put him in prison and turned him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, planning to bring him out to the people after Passover season. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God for him was being offered by the assembly. That very night, before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, and guards in front of the door were watching the prisoners. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on his side, woke him up, and said, "Get up quickly!" His chains fell from his wrists. Then the angel told him, "Tuck in your shirt and put on your sandals!" He did this. Then the angel told him, "Put on your coat and follow me!" So Peter went out and began to follow him, not realizing that what was being done by the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened by itself for them, and they went outside and proceeded one block when the angel suddenly left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I'm sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!" When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying. When he knocked at the outer gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she didn't open the gate but ran back inside and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. The other people told her, "You're out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. Then they said, "It's his angel." Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking and knocking. When they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet, and then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He added, "Tell this to James and the brothers." Then he left and went somewhere else. When morning came, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. Herod searched for him but didn't find him, so he questioned the guards and ordered them to be executed. Then he left Judea, went down to Caesarea, and stayed there for a while.
Immediately the angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Paul and Barnabas had quite a dispute and argument with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question.
This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,
So Paul lived there for a year and a half and continued to teach the word of God among the people there.
When he arrived in Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem, greeted the church there, and then returned to Antioch.
He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him about the kingdom of God.
This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
Now about that time a great commotion broke out concerning the Way.
He went through those regions and encouraged the people with everything he had to say. Then he went to Greece
After the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we sailed from Philippi, and days later we joined them in Troas and stayed there for seven days. On the first day of the week, when we had met to break bread, Paul began to address the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he went on speaking until midnight.
We sailed from there and on the following day arrived off Chios. The next day, we crossed over to Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The day after that, we came to Miletus.
From Miletus he sent messengers to Ephesus to ask the elders of the church to meet with him.
So we located some disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem,
The next day, we left and came to Caesarea. We went to the home of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him.
When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, seeing Paul in the Temple, stirred up a large crowd. They grabbed Paul,
Then he summoned two centurions and ordered, "Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight, along with 70 mounted soldiers and 200 soldiers with spears.
After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Since Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison.
Festus stayed with them no more than eight or ten days and then went down to Caesarea. The next day, he sat on the judge's seat and ordered Paul brought in.
If I'm guilty and have done something that deserves death, I'm willing to die. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to the emperor!"
The next day, Agrippa and Bernice arrived with much fanfare and went into the auditorium along with the tribunes and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were transferred to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the emperor's division.
When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who was guarding him. Three days later, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. When they assembled, he told them, "Brothers, although I haven't done anything against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn't find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being at any time, read more. nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus. Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.
Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.
Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.
When I was on my way to Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain people to stop teaching false doctrine
The reason I left you in Crete was to complete what still needed to be done and to appoint elders in every city, as I myself commanded you.
I prefer to make my appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner of the Messiah Jesus,
Smith
New Testament.
It is proposed in this article to consider the text of the New Testament. The subject naturally divides itself into-- I. The history of the written text; II. The history of the printed text. I. THE HISTORY OF THE WRITTEN TEXT.--
1. The early history of the apostolic writings externally, as far as it can be traced, is the same as that of other contemporary books. St. Paul, like Cicero or Pliny often employed the services of an amanuensis, to whom he dictated his letters, affixing the salutation "with his own hand."
The original copies seem to have soon perished.
2. In the natural course of things the apostolic autographs would be likely to perish soon. The material which was commonly used for letters the papyrus paper, to which St. John incidentally alludes.
comp. 3Joh 1:13 was singularly fragile, and even the stouter kinds, likely to be used for the historical books, were not fitted to bear constant use. The papyrus fragments which have come down to the present time have been preserved under peculiar circumstances as at Herculaneum or in the Egyptian tombs.
3. In the time of the Diocletian persecution, A.D. 303, copies of the Christian Scriptures were sufficiently numerous to furnish a special object for persecutors. Partly, perhaps, owing to the destruction thus caused, but still more from the natural effects of time. no MS. of the New Testament of the first three centuries remains but though no fragment of the New Testament of the first century still remains, the Italian and Egyptian papyri, which are of that date give a clear notion of the caligraphy of the period. In these the text is written in columns, rudely divided, in somewhat awkward capital letters (uncials), without any punctuation or division of words; and there is no trace of accents or breathings.
4. In addition to the later MSS. the earliest versions and patristic quotations give very important testimony to the character and history of the ante-Nicene text; but till the last quarter of the second century this source of information fails us. Only are the remains of Christian literature up to that time extremely scanty, but the practice of verbal quotation from the New Testament was not yet prevalent. As soon as definite controversies arose among Christians, the text of the New Testament assumed its true importance.
5. Several very important conclusions follow from this earliest appearance of textual criticism. It is in the first place evident that various readings existed in the books of the New Testament at a time prior to all extant authorities. History affords a trace of the pure apostolic originals. Again, from the preservation of the first variations noticed, which are often extremely minute, in one or more of the primary documents still left, we may be certain that no important changes have been made in the sacred text which we cannot now detect.
6. Passing from these isolated quotations, we find the first great witnesses to the apostolic text in the early Syriac and Latin versions and in the rich quotations of Clement of Alexandria (cir. A.D. 220) and Origen (A.D. 1842~4). From the extant works of Origen alone no inconsiderable portion of the whole New Testament might be transcribed; and his writings are an almost inexhaustible store house for the history of the text. There can be no doubt that in Origen's time the variations in the New Testament MSS. were beginning to lead to the formation of specific groups of copies.
7. The most ancient MSS. and versions now extant exhibit the characteristic differences which have been found to exist in different parts of the works of Origen. These cannot have had their source later than the beginning of the third century, and probably were much earlier. Bengel was the first (1734) who pointed out the affinity of certain groups of MSS., which as he remarks, must have arisen before the first versions were made. The honor of carefully determining the relations of critical authorities for the New Testament text belongs to Griesbach. According to him two distinct recensions of the Gospels existed at the beginning of the third century-the Alexandrine and the Western.
8. From the consideration of the earliest history of the New Testament text we now pass to the era of MSS. The quotations of Dionsius Alex. (A.D. 264), Petrus Alex. (cir. A.D. 312), Methodius (A.D. 311) and Eusebius (A.D. 340) confirm the prevalence of the ancient type of tent; but the public establishment of Christianity in the Roman empire necessarily led to important changes. The nominal or real adherence of the higher ranks to the Christian faith must have largely increased the demand for costly MSS. As a natural consequence the rude Hellenistic forms gave way before the current Greek, and at the same time it is reasonable to believe that smoother and fuller constructions were substituted for the rougher turns of the apostolic language. In this way the foundation of the Byzantine text was laid. Meanwhile the multiplication of copies in Africa and Syria was checked by Mohammedan conquests.
9. The appearance of the oldest MSS. have been already described. The MSS. of the fourth century, of which Codex Vaticanus may be taken as a type present a close resemblance to these. The writing is in elegant continuous uncials (capitals), in three columns, without initial letters or iota subscript or adscript. A small interval serves as a simple punctuation; and there are no accents or breathings by the hand of the first writer, though these have been added subsequently. Uncial writing continued in general use till the middle of the tenth century. From the eleventh century downward cursive writing prevailed. The earliest cursive biblical MS, is dated 964 A.D. The MSS. of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries abound in the contractions which afterward passed into the early printed books. The oldest MSS. are written on the thinnest and finest vellum; in later copies the parchment is thick and coarse. Papprus was very rarely used after the ninth century. In the tenth century cotton paper was generally employed in Europe; and one example at least occurs of its use in the ninth century. In the twelfth century the common linen or rag paper came into use. One other kind of material requires notice --re-dressed parchment, called palimpsests. Even at a very early period the original text of a parchment MS. was often erased, that the material might be used afresh. In lapse of time the original writing frequently reappeared in faint lines below the later text, and in this way many precious fragments of biblical MSS. which had been once obliterated for the transcription of other works, have been recovered.
10. The division of the Gospels into "chapters" must have come into general use some time before the fifth century. The division of the Acts and Epistles into chapters came into use at a later time. It is commonly referred to Euthalius, who, however, says that he borrowed the divisions of the Pauline Epistles from an earlier father and there is reason to believe that the division of the Acts and Catholic Epistles which he published was originally the work of Pamphilus the martyr. The Apocalypse was divided into sections by Andreas of Caesarea about A.D. 500. The titles of the sacred books are from their nature additions to the original text. The distinct names of the Gospels imply a collection, and the titles of the Epistles are notes by the possessors, and not addresses by the writers.
11. Very few MSS. certain the whole New Testament --twenty-seven in all out of the vast mass of extant documents. Besides the MSS. of the New Testament, or of parts of it, there are also lectionaries, which contain extracts arranged for the church services.
12. The number of uncial MSS. remaining. though great when compared with the ancient MSS. extent of other writings, is inconsiderable. Tischendorf reckons forty in the Gospels. In these must be added Cod. Sinait., which is entire; a new MS. of Tischendorf, which is nearly entire; and Cod. Zacynth., Which contains considerable fragments of St. Luke. In the Acts there are nine: in the Catholic Epistles five; in th
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But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting."
He told them, "This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting."
After Jesus had risen early on the first day of that week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.
This greeting is written with my own signature "Paul." Remember that I remain imprisoned. May grace be with you! Amen.
how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead actions so that we may serve the living God!
Although I have a great deal to write to you, I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.