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APOLOGETICS SESSION 11
Manuscript Integrity

Discussion Questions
  1. In your own words, how would you summarize (briefly) how we got our Bible?
  2. As a group, see if you can give a brief outline of the major historical events shared in this video related to the preservation of the Scriptures.
Discussion Questions
  1. Is the Bible reliable? Is it reasonable to believe that we have what the authors wrote? Explain.
  2. What is textual criticism? How would you explain it?
  3. How many Christian doctrines are dependent on (or changed by) a 'variant'? Why is this significant?
  4. Has the Bible been changed or corrupted?
Discussion Questions
  1. What language was the New Testament written in?
  2. In the year 1516 A.D., the first Bible was printed on a printing press; how were copies of the Bible made before that?  Why is this significant?
  3. Do we have the original manuscript (autograph) of any books of the Bible? Is that a good thing or a bad thing according to Piper? Explain.
  4. We have an abundance of manuscripts (copies) of the New Testament books. Why is this significant?
  5. How does the number of manuscripts we have of the Bible compare to those of other ancient books? Why is this important
  6. "The more you manuscripts you have, the more you can test which is the original."  How is this true?​

"You and I should be very thankful that in God's sovereign providence over the centuries, these thousands and thousands of manuscripts are so abundant today - that in the science of textual criticism, as they are compared one with the other, there is a high degree of certainty that we have the original wording. And were there isn't a degree of certainty, it affects no doctrine of the Christian faith." -John Piper

Discussion Questions
  1. Why does Frank Turek suggest that God might have sovereignly preserved numerous copies instead of the original?
  2. From what you learn from this short video, is the New Testament we have today accurate? Explain.​
Discussion Questions
  1. What is a variant?
  2. Are there really 200,000 to 400,000 variants?  Is this a problem that should concern us regarding our confidence in Scripture? Explain.​
Discussion Questions
  1. If someone argues that over the years, scribes added and changed things in Scripture, what would you say?
  2. "More manuscripts = more variants, and more manuscripts = more certainty." Explain.
  3. Dr Wallace said that we have 'an embarrassment of riches' in how many copies of the New Testament we have when compared to other ancient literature.  What does he mean?
  4. Strobel explains that the vast majority of variants are minor. What are some examples?​
Closing Questions​
  1. What stood out to you most from this session/discussion?
  2. Closing thoughts/comments?