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(Lu 22:20), rather "New Covenant," in contrast to the old covenant of works, which is superseded.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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Likewise also he took and gave them the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed 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 the word which Moses, the slave of the LORD, commanded you, saying, The LORD your God has given you rest and has given you this land.
But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of the heavens, but my Father only.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him.
And very early in the morning the first of the sabbaths, they come unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? read more. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting to the right hand side, covered in a long white garment; and they were frightened.
And I appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father has appointed unto me;
Much in every way: first, certainly, that the oracles of God have been entrusted unto them.
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that ye should not trust in the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Brethren, (I speak after the manner of men) Even when a covenant is of man, once it is confirmed, no one cancels it or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He did not say, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. read more. And this I say that regarding the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot cancel it, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
The cloak that I left at Troas in the house of Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee and the books, but especially the parchments.
In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
but now a more excellent ministry is his, in that he is the mediator of a better testament, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place should have been sought for the second. read more. For finding fault with them, he said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new testament with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the testament that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my testament, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the testament that I will ordain to the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my laws into their soul and write them upon their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and no one shall teach his neighbour nor anyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will reconcile their iniquities and their sins, and their iniquities I will remember no more. In that he says, New, he has made the first old. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away.
how much more shall the blood of the Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from the works of death to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, so that death intervening for the redemption of the rebellions that took place under the first testament, those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. read more. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity intervene the death of the testator. For a testament is confirmed by the death: otherwise it is not valid as long as the testator lives.
For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
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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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus, the Christ, Son of God, as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. read more. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. John baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea and those of Jerusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel's hair and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he ate locusts and wild honey and preached, saying, There comes one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit. And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth a city of Galilee and was baptized of John in the Jordan. And as soon as he was come out of the water, John saw the heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove descending and resting upon him; and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my dear Son, in whom I delight.
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.
And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? for he commands the unclean spirits with power, and they obey him.
And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also, for truly I came forth for that purpose. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and cast out devils.
And he went up to the mountain and called unto himself whom he would, and they came unto him. And he established twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach read more. and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils: Simon, whom he gave the name Peter; and James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder; and Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus and Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him; and they came home.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him a man of the tombs, with an unclean spirit, read more. who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, no, not with chains, because many times he had been bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been broken in pieces by him, and the fetters shattered; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and hurting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him. Crying out with a loud voice, he said, What hast thou with me, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send him away out of that country. Now near unto the mountains there was a great herd of swine feeding, and all those devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine, and the herd fell over a cliff into the sea (they were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea. And those that fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people went out to see what it was that had happened. And they come to Jesus and see him that was tormented by the demon and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those that saw it told them what happened to him that had the demon and also concerning the swine. And they began to plead with him to depart out of their borders. And as he was entering into the ship, he that had been troubled by the demon besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus suffered him not but said unto him, Go home to thy friends and family and tell them what great things the Lord has done with thee and how he has had mercy on thee. And he went and began to publish in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done with him, and everyone marveled.
And he went out from there and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From where has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him and such mighty works that are wrought by his hands? read more. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and of Juda and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not dishonoured except in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house. And he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went through the villages round about, teaching. And he called unto him the twelve and began to send them forth by two and two and gave them power over the unclean spirits and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey except a staff only: no provision bag, no bread, no money in their purse; but be shod with sandals and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In whatever place ye enter into a house, there abide until ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you, when ye depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet in testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city. And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many that were sick, and they were healed.
For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife, for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. read more. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him and would have killed him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and respected him; and when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his princes and tribunes and to the principal people of Galilee; and when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it unto thee. And he swore unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it unto thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in with haste unto the king and asked, saying, I will that thou give me immediately in a platter the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry, yet for his oath's sake and for the sakes of those who sat with him, he would not reject her. And straightway the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought, and he went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head in a platter and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother.
and brought his head in a platter and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed; send them away that they may go into the country round about and into the villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. read more. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said unto him, Shall we go and buy bread for two hundred denarius and give them to eat? He said unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they said, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them, and the two fishes he divided among them all. And they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes. And those that ate were five thousand men.
And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret and drew to the shore. And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him read more. and ran through that whole region round about and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. And wherever he entered, into villages or cities or fields, they laid the sick in the streets and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment, and as many as touched him were saved.
In those days, as before, there was a great multitude, and they had nothing to eat; Jesus called his disciples unto him and said unto them, I have mercy on the multitude because they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat; read more. And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way, for some of them came from afar. And his disciples answered him, From where can anyone satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves and having given thanks, he broke them and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. And they also had a few small fishes; and he blessed them and commanded to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled; and they took up of the broken food that was left seven baskets. And those that had eaten were about four thousand; and he dispatched them.
And six days afterwards Jesus took Peter and James and John, and separated them apart by themselves unto a high mountain; and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them. read more. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answering, said unto Jesus, Master, it shall be good for us to remain here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for thee, and another for Moses, and another for Elijah. For he knew not what he was saying, for he was beside himself. And a cloud came that overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son; hear ye him. And suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one any more, except Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what things they had seen until the Son of man was risen from the dead. And they kept the word within themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should be.
And when they came near to Jerusalem unto Bethphage and Bethany at the mount of Olives, he sends forth two of his disciples and said unto them, Go to the place which is before you; and as soon as ye are entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, upon which no man ever sat; loose him and bring him. read more. And if anyone says unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord has need of him, and straightway he will send him here. And they went and found the colt tied by the door outside between two ways, and they loosed him. And some of those that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? Then they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded, and they let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on him, and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down leaves off the trees and spread them in the way. And those that went before and those that followed cried out, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And the Lord entered into Jerusalem and into the temple; and when he had looked around upon all things, and it being now late, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. And the next day when they left Bethany, he was hungry, and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing upon her; but when he came to her, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. Then Jesus, answering, said to the fig tree, Never again shall anyone eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. And they come to Jerusalem, and Jesus, entering into the temple, began to cast out those that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those that sold doves and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught them, saying, Is it not written that my house shall be called house of prayer by all the nations? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and the princes of the priests heard it and sought how they might kill him, for they feared him because all the multitude was astonished at his doctrine.
Two days after was the passover and the days of unleavened bread; and the princes of the priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, that they might kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will in man.
And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And having completed the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. read more. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, read more. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that are broken, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all those that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears. And all bore him witness and marvelled at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself; whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land, but unto none of them was Elijah sent, except unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a widow woman. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian. And all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him unto the brow of the hill upon which their city was built that they might cast him down headlong. But he, passing through the midst of them, went away.
And he came down with them and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those that were tormented with unclean spirits were healed. read more. And the whole multitude sought to touch him, for there went virtue out of him and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are those that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the sake of the Son of man. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers treated the prophets in the same manner. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers treat the false prophets. But I say unto you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you. And unto the one that smites thee on the one cheek offer also the other, and to the one that takes away thy cloak defend not thy coat also. Give to everyone that asks of thee, and of the one that takes away thy goods ask them not to return them. And as ye desire that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love those who love you, what grace shall ye have? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to those who do good to you, what grace shall ye have? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to those of whom ye hope to receive, what grace shall ye have? for sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again. But rather love ye your enemies and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great; and ye shall be the sons of the Most High, for he is kind even unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye measure out it shall be measured to you again. And he spoke a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the pit? The disciple is not above his master, but any one that is as the master shall be perfect. And why dost thou behold the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but not perceive the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself dost not behold the beam that is in thine own eye? Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush do they gather grapes. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil, for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like a man who built a house and dug deep and laid the foundation upon rock; and when the flood arose, the river beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it, for it was founded upon rock. But he that hears and does not do is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation against which the river beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
And it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem
After these things the Lord appointed another seventy also and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself would come. Therefore he said unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. read more. Go; behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse nor provision bag nor shoes, and greet no one on the way. And into whatever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if indeed there is a son of peace there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatever city ye enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you and heal the sick that are therein and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come near unto you. But into whatever city ye enter and they receive you not, go out into the streets of the same and say, Even the very dust of your city which cleaves on us we do wipe off against you; notwithstanding be ye sure of this that the kingdom of God is come near unto you. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they would have repented a long while ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. Therefore it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto the heavens, shalt be thrust down to Hades. He that hears you hears me, and he that despises you despises me, and he that despises me despises him that sent me.
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also called to the marriage. read more. And being short of wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, They have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not yet come. His mother said unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus said unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he said unto them, Draw out now and bear unto the butler. And they bore it. When the butler had tasted the water that was made wine and knew not where it was from (but the servants who drew the water knew), the butler called the bridegroom and said unto him, Every man at the beginning sets forth the good wine, and when they are well satisfied, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him.
And passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated; read more. and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overthrew the tables and said unto those that sold the doves, Take these things away from here; do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise. Then his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house has consumed me. Then the Jews answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Dissolve this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, This temple was forty-six years in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body. Therefore when he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
And they celebrated the dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. read more. Then the Jews came round about him and said unto him, Until when wilt thou hold our soul in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I have told you, and ye do not believe; the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we do not stone thee, but for blasphemy; and because thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), do ye say of him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do, though ye do not believe me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized, and there he abode. And many came unto him and said, John certainly did no sign, but all the things that John spoke of this man were true. And many believed in him there.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick.) read more. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that he said to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples said unto him, Rabbi, the Jews of late sought to stone thee, and goest thou there again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But he who walks in the night stumbles because there is no light in him. Having said that he said unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he shall be saved. But Jesus had spoken of his death, and they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then Jesus said unto them plainly, Lazarus has died. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, in order that ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then Thomas said, who is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us go also, that we may die with him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was near unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him; but Mary sat still in the house. Then Martha said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it unto thee. Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection in the last day. Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he is dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She said unto him, Yes, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into the world. And having said this, she went away and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calls for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came unto him.
As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came unto him. (Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.) read more. Then the Jews who were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goes unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping who came with her, he became enraged in the Spirit and stirred himself up and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have also caused that this man should not have died? Jesus therefore, becoming enraged again in himself, came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that had died, said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinks, for he has been dead four days. Jesus said unto her, Did I not say unto thee that if thou wouldest believe thou shalt see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus, lifting up his eyes, said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always, but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And having said these things, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Then he that had been dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there unto a country near to the wilderness into a city called Ephraim and there continued with his disciples.
And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast; the same came therefore to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Lord, we desire to see Jesus. read more. Philip came and told Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour comes in which the Son of man shall be clarified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it, and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If anyone serves me, let them follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; the one that serves me, will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this have I come in this hour. Father, clarify thy name. Then there came a voice from the heaven, saying, I have clarified it and will clarify it again. The people, therefore, that were present and heard it, said that it thundered; others said, An angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that the Christ abides for ever; and how sayest thou, It is expedient that the Son of man be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the Light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walks in darkness does not know where he goes. While ye have the Light, believe in the Light that ye may be the sons of light. Jesus spoke these things and departed and hid himself from them.
and casting him out of the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. read more. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the congregation which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. read more. As for Saul, he made havoc of the congregation ; entering into the houses and dragging out men and women, he committed them to prison. But those that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word of the gospel.
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what hinders me to be baptized?
And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple.
And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem;
And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem; and he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Greeks; but they went about to slay him, read more. which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him forth to Tarsus.
Then Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed and turned to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they came into Antioch, spoke unto the Greeks, preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass that for a whole year they gathered themselves together with the congregation and taught many people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
which they likewise did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) read more. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in the prison, and the congregation made prayer without unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the guards before the door that kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shone in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he said unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me. And he went out and followed him and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the people of the Jews who waited for me. And considering this, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the patio, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she recognized Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood at the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to be silent, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go make these things known unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers concerning what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him and found him not, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be taken away. Then he went down from Judaea to Caesarea and abode there.
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him because he did not give God the glory, and he expired eaten of worms.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
And he continued there a year and six months, teaching them the word of God.
And when he had landed at Caesarea and gone up to Jerusalem and after greeting the congregation , he went down to Antioch.
And he went into the synagogue and spoke freely for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
And this continued by the space of two years so that all those who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
And the same time there arose no small stir about the way.
And when he had gone over those parts and had exhorted them with much word, he came into Greece
And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days. And the first of the sabbaths, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart the next day, and continued his word until midnight.
And we sailed from there and came the next day over against Chios, and the next day we arrived in port at Samos; and having rested in Trogyllium, the next day we came to Miletus.
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the congregation .
And finding the disciples, we tarried there seven days, who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
And the next day Paul and those of us that were with him departed and came unto Caesarea; and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and abode with him.
And when we arrived at Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews, who were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people and laid hands on him,
And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night
But after two years Felix received Porcius Festus as successor; and Felix, wanting to win the grace of the Jews, left Paul bound.
And when he had tarried among them no more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, commanded Paul to be brought.
For if I am an offender or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if there are none of these things of which these accuse me, no one may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.
And the next day when Agrippa was come and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the tribunals and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment, Paul was brought forth.
But when it was determined that we should sail unto Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustus company.
And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the praetorian prefect, but Paul was allowed to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the principals of the Jews together, and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,
I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went from there into Macedonia.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me that I might preach him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood, read more. neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.
Even as I besought thee to remain at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that thou might charge some that they not teach diverse doctrine,
For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou should correct that which is lacking and set in place elders in every city, as I had commanded thee:
yet for the sake of charity I rather beseech thee, being such a one as Paul the aged and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
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
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Howbeit this lineage of demons does not go out but by prayer and fasting.
And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Now as Jesus rose early the first of the sabbaths, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
how much more shall the blood of the Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from the works of death to serve the living God?
Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.