Multiplicity In The Scriptures

Several years ago, Michael Keaton starred in a movie called, “Multiplicity.”  In the movie a scientist offers to clone Michael’s character.  This works out so well, that the clone (#2) makes another clone (#3)…and eventually that one makes yet another clone.  (#4)

There’s a line in the movie by #3 when referring to #4, who is basically an idiot, “You know how when you make a copy of a copy, it’s not as sharp as…well…the original…”

That basically is the situation we have today with respect to the New Testament.  While seminaries and colleges and churches affirm that they believe the Scriptures are error-free in their original writings, the problem is, NOBODY HAS THE ORIGINALS!

We don’t even have copies of copies of the originals!  What we have is a bunch of #4’s…and beyond.  And we have uncontested evidence that changes exist within the manuscripts.

We have approximately 5400 Greek copies of all or part of the New Testament.  And there are more differences among the manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament!

Now, most of these differences relate to orthography.  (e.g. spelling and punctuation changes.)  However, it is also abundantly clear that scribes (the cloners!) modified the texts in light of doctrinal controversies going on in the early history of Christianity.

For example: The oldest surviving manuscripts have God saying of Jesus at his baptism in Luke 3:22, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”

But that worried some of the scribes (largely monks) because Adoptionists at the time were teaching that Jesus was not divine by nature, but by adoption.  (i.e. He became divine at his baptism.)

So, pick up your Bible and read how it translates Luke 3:22.  It will say something like, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

This is not the way our oldest texts read.  It’s an altered form of the text that has survived and been reproduced in our English translations.

How many other alterations of the originals have been made?  We obviously don’t know for sure.  But realize that the oldest copy of the complete New Testament (Codex Sinaiticus) dates from the 4^th Century.  That’s a long time after the real events took place.

The irony in all this is that we have pastors and teachers today who break down each Greek word and analyze the grammar found in our texts….all to extract profound meaning to support their theological positions.  And many of them don’t even realize that they are working with materials that are copies of copies of copies of copies.....

And you know how when you make a copy of a copy, it’s not as sharp as…well…the original....