tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17859011.post4766949886340099211..comments2024-03-29T07:11:17.775+00:00Comments on Evangelical Textual Criticism: Pierpont: Requisites and Basics for Textual Criticism of the Greek New TestamentP.J. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04388225485348300613noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17859011.post-38185699886553802922022-08-25T15:43:25.558+01:002022-08-25T15:43:25.558+01:00Thanks again, Dr. Hixson (and thanks for commentin...Thanks again, Dr. Hixson (and thanks for commenting Dr. Robinson). I see my own thought processes in Pierpont's essay, will look for the RP2005 preface and continue my journey to settling my questions about the CT and MT- more pointedly finding true confidence again in God's Word.Charles Doylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17859011.post-73578009692169700332022-08-23T03:09:04.974+01:002022-08-23T03:09:04.974+01:00One should keep in mind that this is a very early ...One should keep in mind that this is a very early essay by Pierpont, of uncertain date (ca. 1972 or so?). His (and my) more developed views on whatever "providential preservation" should be understood to mean can be found in the RP2005 preface, "Concluding Observations," pp., xxi-xxiii. Maurice A. Robinsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17859011.post-86217980814676404372022-08-22T16:49:08.954+01:002022-08-22T16:49:08.954+01:00"Scripture makes it plain that God would pres..."Scripture makes it plain that God would preserve His Word, and infers that He would do so verbally...[W]e are not told how, nor how the true is to be distinguished from the erroneous reading."<br /><br /> The other day my hard drive crashed and I feared I had lost all of my data. But then I saw an advertisment for a computer shop that specialised in data retrieval; it said that if they couldn't save my data, then I wouldn't have to pay!<br />Eagerly I took the computer in to them, and an hour later they informed me they were all done. As he slid the computer back across the counter to me I asked him "were you able to retireve all my data?" <br /><br />He smiled, "oh yes, we were able to save all of your data. Not one jot or tittle was lost!"<br /><br /> "Excellent!l I said, " I can't wait to finish reading that Peter Head essay I was in the middle of." <br /><br />"Oh no," the man replied, "you won't be able to actually read any of your data. We may have saved it, but it's all quite inaccessible."<br /><br /> "What do you mean?"<br /><br /> "Well, when your hard drive crashed, all of this garbage code was generated, flooding the files with bits and bytes of random characters. The processor has no way to tell your data from the erroneous data, so it has no way to reconstruct your files."<br /><br /> "I'm confused: did you save my data or not?"<br /><br /> "Oh, most assuredly, all your data is still there, it has been 100% preserved, we just have no way to access it."<br /><br />That seemed like a job well done to me, so I went ahead and paid the man and tipped generously! <br /><br />Going home, I couldn't read the bus schedule either; it was still posted well enough, but some vandal had painted graffiti over it and I couldn't read it. Not a problem! The walk home gave me a chance to train for the olympic speedwalking event. <br />Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10915737233077999632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17859011.post-84008558348879576002022-08-22T14:41:20.739+01:002022-08-22T14:41:20.739+01:00He writes about preservation:
"Scripture make...He writes about preservation:<br />"Scripture makes it plain that God would preserve His Word, and infers that He would do so verbally."<br /><br />This may be a reasonable theological conclusion for Christians to draw. But doing so would require theological reasoning that goes well beyond any plain statements made in any passages of Scripture, at least if the referent of "His Word" is taken to be the entirety of the Bible, and if "preserve" is taken to mean permanently.<br /><br />However, after having said that, I think what Pierpont then goes on to say is very insightful:<br /><br />"[W]e are not told how, nor how the true is to be distinguished from the erroneous reading. The simple fact that over a period of almost 2000 years more than 7/8 of the total wording is agreed upon by all is evidence to preservation. Let us be careful how we treat this issue!"<br /><br />Amen to that!Eric Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13379106188046530722noreply@blogger.com