Textual corruption of the Bible?

There is material dealing with this topic on my pages too:

  • The Qur'an & the Bible in the Light of History & Science
  • The Textual History of the Qur'an and the Bible

    And here some literature dealing with the topic in depth:

    F.F. Bruce
    Are the New Testament Documents Reliable?
    Eerdmans

    Craig Blomberg
    The Historical Reliability of the Gospels
    InterVarsity 1987

    J. Harold Geenlee
    Scribes, Scrolls & Scripture
    A Student's Guid to New Testament Textual Criticism
    Eerdmans, 102 p., ISBN 0-80280082-3
    which deals with the different variant reading in the New Testament and is a great introduction to understand the issues and implications

    Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix
    From God to Us.
    Moody 1974. 302p. $12.99 ISBN 0-8024-2878-9.

    Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix
    General Introduction to the Bible.
    Moody 1968. $29.99 ISBN 0-8024-2916-5.

    Norman L. Geisler, Abdul Saleeb
    Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross.
    Baker Books 1993. 336p. $17.99 ISBN 0-8010-3859-6.

    McDowell, Josh.
    The Best of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense.
    Nelson, 1993, 566p., $16.99
    ISBN 0-8407-4419-6.

    McDowell, Josh. Han, Paul, Translator. Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Vol. I. 425p., (Vol. II. 544p.)

    There are some differences (a very few verses) which appear in the King James Version (Authorized Version) and do not appear in the more modern translations. And there are some Christian groups who put up a big fuss and war about it, claiming that the newer translations are corruption of the true Bible (KJV). If you have heard about that, here two books that deal with this issue and how the science of textual criticism works to determine which are the earliest variants of the texts.

    D.A. Carson
    The King James Version Debate

    and

    James White
    The King James Only Controversy

    both of which will give you a great presentation of what most Christians believe, and they explain clearly the issues involved. And there some web pages on this issue as well: [1], [2], [3], [3],

    How and why which books made it into the Bible and others not:

    F.F. Bruce
    The Canon of Scripture
    InterVarsity Press, 1988, 349p., ISBN 0-8308-1258-X

    R. Laird Harris
    Inspiration and Canonicity of the Scriptures
    A Press, 1995, 347p., ISBN 0-8884416-10-1

    About the dating of the New Testament or parts of it:

    A.T. Robinson (an author in the 'God is dead' movement, and rather distinguished theologian, though NOT a believer) wrote a book Redating the New Testament (some similar title) and dates ALL Gospels as written before 70 A.D. and several of them around 40-50 A.D. i.e. 10 - 20 years after it happened! With most of the people who saw it, still around.

    There is also a another book I found very interesting (early dating proponent) by

    John Wenham
    "Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke: A Fresh Assault on the Synoptic Problem"
    1992 Intervarsity Press

    This book is not only on the dating, but also throws some fresh light on the question of in(ter)dependency of the various gospels.

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