Learn Textual Criticism from
Dr. Daniel B. Wallace

Is scripture reliable? The Bible used to reign supreme. But recent assaults by liberals, skeptics, and atheists have caused some to wonder. Now Dan shows you, how to read the Bible with confidence and strengthen your faith in the authenticity of the scriptures.

Hi, it's Michael Patton and I'll cut right to the chase.

Yesterday I was on an atheist forum and was amazed at what I saw. These atheists were discussing how the text of the Bible had changed so much that there was no way anyone in their right mind would believe it. They were even going so far as to question the very existence of Jesus as a historical figure. Why? Well, from their point of view the testimony of the Scriptures is unreliable since the manuscripts that the stories come from were corrupted and, therefore, beyond rational belief. They brought up many points of textual criticism made by Agnostic scholar Bart Ehrman.

You see, Bart Ehrman knows about textual criticism. In fact, he is the only person in the history of the world to write a bestselling book about this subject. But his conclusions are irresponsible, imbalanced, and outright wrong. But, as I saw on the forum, most Christians have never studied the subject so it becomes a prime target for atheists to attack. After all, if there are so many errors, changes, and lies about the story of Jesus presented in the text, where do we turn to to get the Gospel?

Have you ever heard someone say that the scribes who copied the Bible never made any mistakes? That they counted the words of each line, wrote in a certain color ink, and burned the manuscript if there was ever a single mistake? Well, this is not really true.

Often, I have wanted Christianity to be true so badly that I believed anything that confirmed my prejudice. This wasn't responsible. Dan Wallace taught me very early that we are seekers of the truth, not prejudice. And we have to be honest with the evidence, even if it does not support our faith.

The great thing about studying textual criticism is that, when all is said and done, our faith is strengthened a great deal. While the story about the scribes above may not be true, we don’t need it to be confident in the Bible. There are so many ways we can test the manuscripts and discover which best represents the original.

Disc 1

Lessons

1. Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism
2. How to Count Textual Variants
3. The Number of Variants
4. Weighing the Discrepancies
5. Recent Attempts to Change the Goals of NT Textual Criticism
6. Materials and Methods in Making Ancient Books

Disc 2

Lessons

1. The Materials Used for Making a Codex Manuscript
2. A Brief History of the Transmission of the Text
3. The Role of the Canon in Shaping the NT Text
4. The Emergence of Local Text Forms
5. Illustrations of Scribal Corruptions (Part 1)
6. Illustrations of Scribal Corruptions (Part 2)

Never heard of P52 (also known as Rylands Library Papyrus)? Don’t worry, most Christians haven't. P52 is the earliest known manuscript of the New Testament. It's a little piece of the Gospel of John that dates to the early second century.

Before its discovery in the early twentieth-century, most liberal theologians were dead set against dating the book of John anywhere before A.D. 150. This meant that John could not have been the author of this Gospel (much less an eye-witness). With P52 the dating of the Gospel of John was back to what orthodox Christians have always believed.

P52 is one of the great apologetic defenses of the origin of the Gospels. It may be a little fragment, but this fragment says so much. During this course with Dan Wallace, you will learn not only many more details about P52, but also of P66, Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and many more manuscripts that help build our faith. Their discoveries are amazing and, believe me, Dan Wallace has all the insight.

Disc 3

Lessons

1. Some Famous Manuscripts: Papyri (Part 1)
2. Some Famous Manuscripts: Papyri (Part 2)
3. Some Famous Manuscripts: Majuscules (Part 1)
4. Some Famous Manuscripts: Majuscules (Part 2)
5. Resources for NT Manuscripts
6. Resources for NT Manuscripts: CSNTM

Disc 4

Lessons

1. The Greek Text Behind the KJV
2. Textus Receptus/Doctrine of Preservation (Part 1)
3. Textus Receptus/Doctrine of Preservation (Part 2)
4. Tischendorf and the Discovery of Sinaiticus (Part 1)
5. Tischendorf and the Discovery of Sinaiticus (Part 2)
6. History of NT Textual Criticism Since the TR

Normally, we have to read about discoveries or watch them dramatized on the big screen. The Indiana Jones movies are among the most successful of all time because people love adventure. People love discovery. People love the possibility of possibilities.

Dr. Daniel Wallace is a real life adventure/scholar. He may not be swinging on a whip fighting Nazis, but he is traveling to old monasteries, being lifted over walls in baskets, and spending long hours in dusty basements looking at treasure that no one has laid eyes on in many years. By day he is a professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. By night, he is an adventurer traveling the world photographing ancient New Testament manuscripts with his organization The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

During this class on textual criticism, you'll hear amazing stories of how manuscripts are discovered, catalogued, and photographed from a real Indiana Jones.

Disc 5

Lessons

1. Who Were Westcott & Hort?
2. Reasoned Eclecticism (Part 1)
3. Reasoned Eclecticism (Part 2)
4. Reasoned Eclecticism (Part 3)
5. Some Famous Textual Problems (Part 1)
6. Some Famous Textual Problems (Part 2)

Disc 6

Lessons

1. Some Famous Textual Problems (Part 3)
2. Some Famous Textual Problems: Matthew 24:36
3. Some Famous Textual Problems: John 7:53-8:11
4. Is What We Have Now What They Wrote? (Part 1)
5. Is What We Have Now What They Wrote? (Part 2)

Textual criticism seeks to discover what the original manuscripts really said. This is not always easy. There are many ancient manuscripts that we look to when we are attempting to reconstruct the Bible. With the New Testament alone there are nearly 6,000 existing manuscripts that we use as evidence. In order to “decide” what the original said, we have to compare all of these manuscripts and make some very important decisions when they differ.

How do we do that? That is what this course is all about. Textual criticism is the first step in all Bible study and we want you to be skilled in this essential field of biblical studies.

Disc 7

Resources

• PowerPoint Files
• Keynote Files
• Advertising Posters
• Bulletin Inserts
• Leader Guide
• Vision of Credo Courses

Disc 8

Previews

• Church History Study
• Discipleship Program

8 DVDs: Get all 35 information rich sessions on 8 DVDs delivered right to your door.

78 Digital Downloads: Get all 37 sessions as a digital audio and HD video download instantly upon purchase. Get started before the DVD and printed workbook arrive with your digital course assets.

Textual Criticism Workbook (Printed + PDF): Whether you prefer a printed or PDF workbook we've got you covered. Take notes in your printed workbook and use the PDF workbook to instantly search for keywords and topics you're interested in.

24/7 Course Access: All of your audio and video files are available from anywhere you have an internet connection through the "Your Library" menu option once you've checked out.

Get the PowerPoint and Keynote Presentations. You'll get the same slides Dr. Wallace used in his presentation in two formats: PowerPoint (for PC) and Keynote (for Mac). There are perfect for a small group or other classroom type situation.

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Understand textual criticism. Learn what it is, what it isn't and why it matters to you today. Don't get caught off guard again when someone questions why you believe the Bible.

Know why the differences between manuscripts rarely matter. We hear it all the time, "there are more differences than words in the New Testament." See through this smoke screen tactic.

Were the scribes corrupt or just human? Sometimes scribes changed things on purpose but more often by mistake. Learn how to spot the difference.

Build your faith in the manuscript support of the New Testament. Learn all about the most famous manuscripts and how every discovery reinforces the orthodox Christian position.

Defend the doctrine of preservation against all comers. Learn how God preserved the Bible so you're not fooled by someone trying to get you to defend something that's not even historical.

Study famous manuscripts for free, instantly, online. There are little known websites and resources that make some of the best study tools available for free.

Explain the differences between the dozens of translations at the store. Have you ever wondered how there can be so many different translation for the exact same book? Dr. Wallace will show you how most of the differences have to do with the translational philosophy that was used, not because the underlying text is in question?

Sort through those pesky textual questions like a pro. Certain passages in the Bible have stumped Christians for a long time. Even the experts have questions. In this course Dr. Wallace will walk you through some of the most well known examples showing you how it can be done.

This is a FULL course on textual criticism. This course is perfect for those who want to get a seminary-level education on textual criticism but who want the flexibility of doing it on their own schedule.