Rationale to choose the Traditional Text - a continuous Text within the Church of Christ:

  • Ample overwhelming support of early Papyri, Church Fathers and ancient Translations (Versions)

  • Carefully copied - by Believers with a very high view of the purity Scripture. 99% of Manuscripts are in overwhelming agreement with one another - this speaks volumes.

  • Geographically widespread usage and availability for the Saints to read and study.

  • Early Church, after persecution ended, weeded out corrupt, Gnostic manuscripts (Critical Text) by he end of the 4th Century. Having had ample evidence at that time to do so.

  • Continuous historical usage under God's providential preservation.

Rationale to reject the Critical Text - a reconstructed, always changing Text outside the Church of Christ:

  • Little support of early Papyri, Church Fathers and ancient Translations (Versions)

  • Sloppy copyist - by Unbelievers with no regard of Scripture. Codex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus disagree over 30% - this speaks volumes as well!

  • Geographically only local usage and limited availability for the Saints to read and study.

  • Early Church, after persecution ended, weeded out corrupt, Gnostic manuscripts (Critical Text) by he end of the 4th Century. Having had ample evidence at that time to do so.

  • No continuous historical usage. Can not be considered providential preservation.

  • Codex Vaticanus: 90% of the Text: corrected multiple times, last one in the 15th Century making exact identification of many earlier characters impossible; misses 2877 words in the Gospel, no historical usage; Reformers rejected using it; contains late classical Greek and not early Koine Greek .......

  • Codex Sinaiticus: 8% of the Text: latest count of 27,000 corrections to the text; really appears to be a fake. University refuses to do a chemical Analysis of Ink and Paper.

  • There is likely not a single manuscript in the World who reads exactly like it - not even for a single sentence.

  • They disagree with each other 30% AND of course disagree widely with the Traditional Text.

  • Modern Text Critics do not even agree with themselves.

  • This effort of Reconstructionism will lead to countless newly manufactured Greek texts every decade.

  • This outdated view of "oldest" is best - versus quality and interval of copies made.

  • Claiming it does not affect Doctrine - it does!

  • Academia claims ownership of the Text - however, it belongs to the Church.

  • Grouping manuscripts into Families - another one who has been disproved.

  • Modern Text Criticism is NOT science - see section of Archaic Mark

Think about this for a moment

The 4th Century Church, after persecution ceased:

  • was in the middle of the battle with various Gnostic Groups for the pure Scripture Text.

  • Had thousands of preserved Manuscripts available.

  • Did not involve modern arbitrary methods of creating constantly changing Greek Manuscripts.

  • This resulted in a settled, finalized Text preserved until today by the Providence of God himself.

The Modern Text Critics:

  • Is over 1500 Years after the early Church finalized the Traditional preserved Text.

  • Has only 2 highly questionable, corrupt Codices, with no historical usage.

  • Involves modern arbitrary methods of creating constantly changing Greek Manuscripts.

  • This results in a constantly changing Critical Text based on the whims and methods used whoever is the current Critical Text Editor. Nestle/Aland 29 is coming out in 2024. Wohoo, lot's of new changes ...