Preservation and Canon
Textual Transmission
Bibliology · 6 verses
The science of textual criticism, far from undermining faith, demonstrates God's providential care in preserving His Word through thousands of manuscripts. Variant readings among manuscripts are typically minor and affect no essential doctrine, while the wealth of textual evidence enables scholars to establish the original text with remarkable confidence. The multiplicity of witnesses strengthens rather than weakens our assurance of possessing God's Word.
Scripture References
“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:”
“Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”
“And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.”
“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.”
“And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.”
“And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.”