Subject: Re: Rev 12:18

From: Jim West <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 20:51:41 -0500 (EST)

At 04:09 AM 3/29/97 -0800, you wrote:

>I wish to thank Dr. Robinson for his sensible and clear reasoning regarding 
>Revelation 12:18 and his faithful advocacy of the Byzantine Text!
>

I too am thankful for Maurice; yet I am hesitant to ascribe too much to a
textual tradition that is simply centuries later than the "alexandrian"
type.   If we are simply talking about external evidence the papyri predate
the miniscules by centuries.  What is the logic of suggesting that "later is
better because it is closer to the time of composition"?

>There certainly is not too much of this kind of textual criticism on this list.

Perhaps because there is an inherent problem with ascribing significance to
documents that are centuries after the fact (of composition).

>I´m sure it´s needed!

Maybe.  Maybe not.  It is nontheless useful!  For that I too am grateful.

>-- 
>- Mr. Helge Evensen

Jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
Adjunct Professor of Bible, Quartz Hill School of Theology
[email-masked]

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From: Maurice Robinson <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 01:27:08 -0500 (EST)

> documents that are centuries after the fact (of composition).

It is peculiar that the assertion is continually made that it is not the
age of MSS which is important, but the type of text they contain.  

Those who favor the Alexandrian and Western texts as "early" nevertheless
appreciate those few "late" minuscules which have a significant number of
readings reflecting traditions other than the Byzantine.  Those of us who
happen to favor the Byzantine Textform (since we consider it to reflect
the "early" text of the autograph) similarly maintain that the age of
documents in which a text is preserved says nothing necessarily about the
age of the text contained in them, and there also are good reasons why one
can readily postulate an early uncial origin for (at the very least) the
earliest 9th and 10th century minuscules.  (I have no need within my
text-critical praxis to make any major issue out of the minuscules
following the 10th century, just in case anyone was wondering how many
noses I needed to count as they prepare so to caricature the pro-Byzantine
position).

_________________________________________________________________________
Maurice A. Robinson, Ph.D.           Professor of Greek and New Testament
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary     Wake Forest, North Carolina
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From: John van der Hoek <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 01:58:58 +1030 (CST)

Dear Prof Robinson,

What is the details of the reference by Ehrman on Orthodox Corruption...

--
  Dr John van der Hoek                  l  e-mail:
  Department of Applied Mathematics,    l  [email-masked]
  University of Adelaide,               l 'phone: +61-(0)8-8303-5903
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