Tag: development

Charles E. Hill on Developments in New Testament Textual Criticism

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

A common assumption among critics of Christianity is that the New Testament was standardized after a long period of textual flux. Only by the fourth century A.D., it is argued, were the competing texts consolidated into standard recensions that became the Alexandrian text and later the Byzantine text. This two to three hundred year period of textual flux gives skeptics room to assume that along with the text, received doctrines such as the deity of Christ and the role of subsitutionary atonement  were also only lately agreed upon.

While there had been textual evidence that seemed to suggest great textual fluidity in the first two centuries after Christ, the more we study the early NT papyrii (over 60 significant portions of NT manuscripts that date from the apx. A.D. 125 to the 400s) the shorter any period of textual flux becomes. Last year, Dr. Charles E. Hill delivered the Spring academic lecture at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando on the topic of the early development of the New Testament text. And his lecture which is available online, does much to clear up this question (see the lecture description here). In 53 minutes (he begins at the 6 minute mark) he gives an overview of the history of textual criticism and details how the scholastic consensus from textual critics familiar with the evidence has shifted in the last few decades. The takeaway from his lecture is that the New Testament text is much more solid than skeptics would have us believe.

If you are interested in textual debates, the new atheism, or textual criticism, this lecture will be informative. Even for those who may be majority text proponents, the recounting of the current state of textual criticism today will prove instructive. Hill is the John R. Richardson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, and has graduate degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary California (M.Div.) and the University of Cambridge (Ph.D.). He is the author of several books, and was co-editor and contributor to The Early Text of the New Testament (Oxford University Press, 2012).

Book Briefs: “The Praise of Folly: The Enigmatic Life and Theology of C.I. Scofield” by David Lutzweiler

~ Bob Hayton ~ 16 Comments

The Praise of Folly: The Enigmatic Life and Theology of C.I. Scofield is a title that may raise some eyebrows. Scofield, of course, is most famous for his Scofield Reference Bible, with its doctrinal notes.

The book is a fascinating read, no matter what side of the dispensational-covenantal divide you find yourself on. Lutzweiler presents a well-researched, historical account of Scofield’s life, and sprinkles in some thoughts on the rise of dispensationalism and its deficiencies as a theological system, to boot.

At times, I felt that Lutzweiler may have been encouraging his readers to jump to conclusions too quickly. And it is also quite true that even if Scofield is shown to be a dishonorable man, in certain respects (such as his treatment of his ex-wife and his children), still that should not necessarily invalidate the teaching of dispensationalism. Still at the end of the day, I think Lutzweiler’s depiction of Scofield and the history of the Plymouth Brethren movement should give a reason to pause in one’s evaluation of dispensational theology. A modernistic, self-centered, everyone-can-do-their-own-theology may be behind the rise of this system of thought. And while ultimately the arguments have to go to Scripture, this nevertheless weakens the dispensational claims to historic support for their particular doctrinal emphases.

In any case, this book by Lutzweiler deserves to be read and considered. You can pick up a hard copy of the book direct from Apologetics Media Group (a division of, The Nicene Council), or from one of the following online retailers: Christianbook.com, or Amazon. There is also a DVD available based on this book (get it at the publisher). You can also purchase the ebook at a low price here.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Apologetics Media Group. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

About Book Briefs: With limited time available to give every book sent my way a full review, I’ll be offering short-form book reviews called Book Briefs. Book Briefs are book notes, or my impression and informed evaluation of a book, but they stop short of being a full book review.