Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Polycarp66 AT aol.com]

In a message dated 3/4/2004 4:18:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
phil-eng AT ighmail.com writes:
It would appear that the LXX could be older than DSS. Using the criteria
that the oldest text is usually more authentic, DSS fails as an
independent witness authenticating either MT or LXX.
_______

Others have responded to various parts of your post.  I therefore direct 
attention to your assumption that the oldest text is usually more authentic.  
Since you state "usually", this is most likely true; but it is not 
necessarily 
true that older texts are more authentic than later texts.  Errors can enter 
the 
transmission process at any point -- including in the original production.  
How often have I written something only to discover on picking it up again 
that 
I misspelled a word or even omitted a word?  This is the reason that there 
are 
a number of criteria in textual criticism and not simply that of the age of 
the manuscript.

gfsomsel