The Oxford Debate On The Textual Criticism Of The New Testament [Paperback]

Edward Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2009

This book is the record of a debate held at Oxford University in 1897 by noted scholars of the day. Edward Miller was the assistant to Dean John William Burgon. He printed the text of the debate with the approval of the participants. The debate was about the two methods of textual criticism: (1) the method of Bishop B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort, and (2) the method of Dean John William Burgon. Dean Burgon supported the Traditional Text and Westcott and Hort supported a text they constructed from two old manuscripts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: The Old Paths Publications, Inc. (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982223013
• ISBN-13: 978-0982223017
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,128,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oxford Bible Debate of 1897, October 10, 2009

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R. K. Anderson (Bremerton, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Debate On The Textual Criticism Of The New Testament (Paperback)

There are but two Bibles in the world today, one based upon the Textus Receptus, which the KJV and Geneva Bible follows, and the other upon a proverbial handful of texts that originated in Alexandria, Egypt, then the center of Gnosticism that Westcott and Hort followed in presenting their new text in 1881. Without verification of these new texts, modern Christendom was misled and abandoned the KJV and moved to the Gnostic texts where the leaven of disbelief and one world universal religion is even now taking shape. This book is a recounting of a famous Oxford debate in 1897, where the two camps debated as to what was the Word of God. There are over 8,000 differences between these two Bibles, with 356 critical differences in doctrine alone. The late Kurt Aland noted before he died, that the era of Westcott and Hort was definately over (Forward, pg. 9), and this quote by K.W. Clark is even more distinct and devestating to the modern texts: The textual history that the Westcott-Hort text represents is no longer tenable in the light of newer discoveries and fuller textual analysis. In the effort to construct a congruent history, our failure suggests that we have lost the way, that we have reached a dead end, and that only a new and different insight will enable us to break through (ibid).

This debate is that insight, it is a cogent, brief summation of faith and belief in the faith once delivered to the saints, and it is known as the Antiochan text (where men were first called Christain), the Byzantine text, and the majority text, all opposed to the Gnostic and error tainted texts of Egypt, particularly Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, which is known as the most corrupt manuscript extant. Mr. Miller champions the long line that preserved and maintained the Word of God through the long, dark centuries of persecution and martyrdom, and does so brilliantly. Highly recommended. The book comes with footnotes, charts, and a handy index.