I have heard an argument that says that there are no extent manuscripts of the father. All are from the 9th century onward. Maybe there are scholars that would date this back to the 2nd-3rd centuries but that would just be an argument from authority. Are there any article or any works that tackles about textual criticism of the patristic works or even the bible? Thank you!
Yes, but would one would need to understand either Latin and/or Greek, and frequently French and German as well, as most patrological textual criticism is conducted in those languages. For e.g. Corpus Christianorum (CCSL for Latin, CCSG for Greek) and Sources Chretiennes are two contemporary series that publish critical texts with a textual apparatus that notes variances and such in the manuscript tradition.
Textual criticism of the bible is an enormous discipline. Countless tomes have been published on both the OT and the NT. But it’s very inaccessible as much of the literature presumes a high degree of fluency in Hebrew and/or Greek.
I have heard an argument that says that there are no extent manuscripts of the father. All are from the 9th century onward. Maybe there are scholars that would date this back to the 2nd-3rd centuries but that would just be an argument from authority.
The manuscript tradition of most apostolic texts (Didache, I Clement) is incredibly messy due to their scattered and somewhat fragmentary nature. For example, a significant reason for the Didache being dated so early is due to the discovery, in the 19th century, of a 11th century manuscript that had a 2nd century Latin translation of the Didache. This translation was dated very early as it was a very literal translation that reflected all the characteristics of 2nd (or 3rd) century Vulgar Latin.
I don’t know about specific articles but the Codex Sinaiticus already contains the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas and is dated 4th century.
If you were asked to name one of the most important books in the world, your first choice isn’t likely to be Codex Sinaiticus. But if it were you’d be correct! Sinaiticius is a codex representing one of the best witnesses of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by early Christians.
Handwritten in the fourth century, it also contains the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. The codex is also significant as an authoritative text for Christian communities for the content and arrangement of the Bible—a written witness to the Christian construction of the Bible.
The surviving codex is split into four parts. The largest portion of the manuscript is at the British Library in London, a partner of the Sinaiticus Project, which is a joint collaboration to preserve and engage with this book of all books! The Book Minute | Museum of the Bible
The British LIbrary had the Codex on display when I was there a few years ago.
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