Scribes, Theology, and Apologetics

This book is a companion volume to Scribes, Motives, and Manuscripts. In this volume Alan Mugridge provides an assessment of two major studies which claim that scribes of New Testament manuscripts changed the text in their copies from what they found in those they were using as models, either to further their own theological convictions and hinder opposing views from finding support in those manuscripts, or to respond to criticism of Christ and Christians in wider society. In both cases, the thesis examined is that copyists did not just reproduce the manuscripts given to them but changed their copies to say what they wanted them to say. These theories are tested by an examination of the manuscripts with their textual variants, arguing that the variant readings can usually be explained as the result of scribal carelessness or simple piety. The idea that copyists deliberately changed the text in their manuscripts is found to have little basis. Mugridge concludes that the text of the New Testament has not been affected nearly as much as some contend, because variant readings are generally errors that can be isolated and the original text established with some confidence.