Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!ames!sun-barr!rutgers!igor.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian
From: whheydt@pbhya.pacbell.com (Wilson Heydt)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Ancient Books
Message-ID: <Apr.10.05.32.47.1993.14396@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 93 09:32:48 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Lines: 21
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In article <Apr.9.01.11.35.1993.16957@athos.rutgers.edu>, cobb@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (Mike Cobb) writes:
> But, since the manuscripts are so close to the actual event, especially as 
> compared with ancient "non-Christian" history, could it help show that we have
> accurate copies of the original texts?  

That's a very weak argument--due the lack (with regard to critical
events) of independent supporting texts.

As for the dating of the oldest extant texts of the NT....  How would
you feel about the US Civil War in a couple of thousand years if the
only extant text was written about *now*?  Now adjust for a largely
illiterate population, and one in which every copy of a manuscript is
done by hand....

	--Hal

-- 
Hal Heydt                    |    
Analyst, Pacific*Bell        |  If you think the system is working,
510-823-5447                 |  Ask someone who's waiting for a prompt.
whheydt@pbhya.PacBell.COM    |    
