Are all the original writings of the bible still available?

[Desta]

1. Are all the original writings of the bible still available?
2. When the bible is written in any language is it translated from the these original scripts (if they still exist)?

 

[porthos11]

1. Are all the original writings of the bible still available?

The originals are gone, but there are many ancient manuscripts in both the original languages and ancient translations.

1. When the bible is written in any language is it translated from the these original scripts (if they still exist)?

Today, they are translated from the best available and oldest manuscripts in the original languages. But because some parts are obscure or known to have suffered during transmission, reference is made to the other ancient versions.

 

[po18guy]

Unfortunately, scripture is an assemblage of writings from various languages, written in different times by a wide variety of scribes. Some have had to be pieced together from fragments. There is no “complete set”, since scripture encompasses thousands of years of writings in many different cultures, and under many different rulers. The simple passage of time has long ago deteriorated much of what was written on fragile papyrus. Perhaps more complete examples of individual writings may one day be found, or even previously unknown scripture by Apostles that were not thought to have written. That would be particularly fascinating, as the Church (you know which one!) would then need to convene a council to test the writings for inspiration. This would cause many non-Catholic hospitalizations, if not funerals.

It would also demolish the sand foundation of Protestantism and (eventually) lead to Christian unity. Imagine that…

 

[porthos11]

Unfortunately, scripture is an assemblage of writings from various languages, written in different times by a wide variety of scribes. Some have had to be pieced together from fragments. There is no “complete set”, since scripture encompasses thousands of years of writings in many different cultures, and under many different rulers. The simple passage of time has long ago deteriorated much of what was written on fragile papyrus. Perhaps more complete examples of individual writings may one day be found, or even previously unknown scripture by Apostles that were not thought to have written. That would be particularly fascinating, as the Church (you know which one!) would then need to convene a council to test the writings for inspiration. This would cause many non-Catholic hospitalizations, if not funerals.

It would also demolish the sand foundation of Protestantism and (eventually) lead to Christian unity. Imagine that…

I don’t think it’s likely the Church will canonize any more scripture. Not only has the canon been definitively closed, but it would be impossible for any newly discovered books to meet certain criteria, one of which was continual liturgical use.

 

[po18guy]

I don’t think it’s likely the Church will canonize any more scripture. Not only has the canon been definitively closed, but it would be impossible for any newly discovered books to meet certain criteria, one of which was continual liturgical use.

Still tantalizing to think about, though.

 

[Desta]

The originals are gone, but there are many ancient manuscripts in both the original languages and ancient translations.Today, they are translated from the best available and oldest manuscripts in the original languages. But because some parts are obscure or known to have suffered during transmission, reference is made to the other ancient versions.

Since the Bible is translated from manuscripts other than the originals, is it not possible that the “ancient manuscripts” could have deviations from the original manuscripts?

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Since the Bible is translated from manuscripts other than the originals, is it not possible that the “ancient manuscripts” could have deviations from the original manuscripts?

It’s not possible - it’s a fact. Two seconds of looking at the variant readings in an edition of the Greek NT will show this.​

No Church apart from the “KJV-only” ones is in the least threatened by this; what is threatened, & destroyed, is any insistence on the total inerrancy of the Bible.

 

[porthos11]

Since the Bible is translated from manuscripts other than the originals, is it not possible that the “ancient manuscripts” could have deviations from the original manuscripts?

Oh, there are deviations, all right. They’re called variant readings, and are indeed present. However, textual criticism allows us to reconstruct to a high degree of accuracy the original text. No one today doubts the accuracy of Homer or Ovid, and they are older texts than the New Testament, with less manuscript evidence. The New Testament alone has several fragmentary and intact manuscripts numbering in the thousands, plus other ancient translations that help verify variant readings in the Greek.

 

[COPLAND_3]

A theory that I believe in is that the authors of the Bible, some of them that is, wrote some of the books of the Bible more than once. This would also count for some of the variant readings among the ancient manuscripts. I have no doubts that Daniel wrote his account at least twice. I would not be surprised if the Gospel writers wrote down their accounts more than once in order to publish them that much more, I would have. And if one was going to do that then it would be very likely that one copy would have very minor variant readings from the other. Most variant readings that you find in the manuscripts do not change the meaning whatsoever, so some of the variants could very well have come from the original authors themselves simply by writing their accounts more than once.