THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Is the Old Testament text that we have in our Bibles today reliable? In what measure its content corresponds to the initial text? This issue is relevant because it deals with documents that are distant from us for more than three millennia, and of which we have no autograph (original manuscript of the author). This is the essence of a science which, when referring to biblical manuscripts, is called "Textual Criticism," and when dealing with ancient philosophical and literary texts it is called "Ecdótica".

The autographs were probably written on parchment that is animal skin prepared for writing. With constant use, they deteriorated and were ceremonially buried because they contained the sacred name of God. But before that, they were copied and here is where the problem arises. Scholars agree that no copyist would be able to faithfully reproduce the entire Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Yes, they made mistakes and it is for this reason that there is "Textual Criticism".

Some examples of errors: omission of letters or words, duplication of letters or words, inversion of the order of two letters or words, two words united as one, a word separated into two. This may sound disturbing, but experts point out that only a very small percentage of these errors implies a difference in the direction of the text without, however, changing points of doctrine. Thus, in order to the ordinary readers do not think that they are reading untrustworthy text, modern Bible versions bring significant textual variants in the footnotes.

The reliability of the Old Testament text is irrefutable. Just to compare, the oldest copy of the Greek poet Euripides (480-406) was written 1600 years after his death and no one questions its authenticity. In the case of the oldest manuscript that we have of Isaiah, found in the caves of the Dead Sea, is dated in about 450 years from the author time. It bears strict resemblance to Isaiah of the Leningrad Codex, the most primitive complete copy of the Old Testament that dates back to AD 1008 and which is one of the primary sources of the text we read today.

Although, a long time separates the present text from the autographs, the Textual Criticism of the Old Testament attests to its great accuracy in relation to those. This is due to the seriousness and reverence of the priests, and after the copyists, in the reproduction of the sacred writings. Thanks to these men, today we have authentic and uncorrupted Scriptures in relation to the original authors.

Antônio Maia – M.Div.

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