Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] OT Manuscripts

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] OT Manuscripts
  • Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:51:52 +1100

There are a number of reasons, Steve:


1. The Hebrew texts are much older than the NT texts, and so are less
likely to survive the ravages of time.
2. The Hebrew texts were not as widely dispersed as the NT texts.
3. Most of the Hebrew Bible circulated in Greek translations for quite a
while, leaving the Hebrew texts a small circulation area.
4. Only Hebrew scribes could copy the Hebrew texts, and there were not many
of them when compared to the constituency of Greek writers/scribes who could
copy texts.
5. The Hebrew texts are bulkier than the NT, so there were probably much
fewer of them produced.
6. More lay people would have owned NT documents than Hebrew texts or Greek
OTs. Hebrew texts would have been largely confined to synagogues and the like.
7. Christian numbers eclipsed Jewish numbers at an early point, and
Christians generally read the NT documents far more than the OT. So not as
many OT documents were around.


Regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page