Quote:
The last twelve verses of the commonly received text of Mark are absent from the two oldest Greek manuscripts, from the Old Latin codex Bobiensis, the Sinaitic Syriac manuscript, about one hundred Armenian manuscripts, and the two oldest Georgian manuscripts (written a.d. 897 and a.d. 913).
*Renowned text-critic & Greek grammarian Dr. Daniel Wallace - whom I have interacted w. many times regarding text-critic & Greek issues - and his expert committee for the NET TN:
The Gospel of Mark ends at this point in some witnesses (א B 304 sys sams armmss Eus Eusmss Hiermss), including two of the most respected mss (א B). The following shorter ending is found in some mss: "They reported briefly to those around Peter all that they had been commanded. After these things Jesus himself sent out through them, from the east to the west, the holy and imperishable preaching of eternal salvation. Amen."
This shorter ending is usually included with the longer ending (L Ψ 083 099 0112 579 al); k, however, ends at this point. Most MSS include the longer ending (vv. 9-20) immediately after v. 8 (A C D W [which has a different shorter ending between vv. 14 and 15] Θ f13 33 2427 lat syc,p,h bo); however, Jerome and Eusebius knew of almost no Greek mss that had this ending. Several MSS have marginal comments noting that earlier Greek MSS lacked the verses, while others mark the text with asterisks or obeli (symbols that scribes used to indicate that the portion of text being copied was spurious).
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As a young convert maybe 2 months serving Christ, I was reading a "Christian" book about the Bible. Thats when I first heard the terrifying "truth" about higher criticism. I was so wounded. I was thinking the Bible was inspired by God and transmitted to the nations fully reliable! Now I learned that people made careers out of mocking and discrediting the Bible.
The thing that held me to Jesus in the next few days was what is known as "grace". God had already shown himself real to me in showing me his FAVOR! I walked around in a daze for a short time but Jesus had actually made HIMSELF known to me.
As I continued soaking up Bible truth my goal was to believe that God had indeed given us his truth in written form. I sought God and it was many years later before I stepped into the battles over which are the best and most reliable texts and manuscripts. I would say probably great multitudes of people have had their faith destroyed by such wranglings.
I have had several experiences in my lifetime that lead me to hold to the inspiration of scripture against all attacks. My mother told me when I was 2 years old I pointed to the Bible and said "Thats a Spirit".
Thats the way I take the Bible. Its deeper than men and the exacting words they wrote. God is in it creating faith in mens hearts.
I was about a year old in my faith and had a dream one night. In the dream I saw that my family and I were going to be divided. I saw specifically a Bible verse in the dream.
Rev. 1:17. But I didnt see the words to it. When I awoke I turned to the verse and it was talking about Jesus being the first and the last.
Now I had no idea how this would be manifested. In the next day or so I visited a Church by invitation and asked my backslidden (from the Baptist faith) parents to go which they did. I had a bad feeling about the Church and told them I felt something was wrong there.
They had really enjoyed it and wound up becoming members of it. In short order I discovered the main doctrine of their group was that Jesus was NOT GOD. Upon thinking about this I recalled the dream.
Rev. 1:17 was showing us Jesus WAS GOD while they were teaching he was not. So just like I saw in the dream my family was divided over the deity of Christ.
So later on down the road when I heard it taught that the Book of Revelation was a mere forgery and should not be in the Bible I could cling to the fact God spoke to me from a verse that they were saying did not even exist!
Now many years down the road I understand the problems concerning scribal errors, omissions, deletions, interpolations and such things. I understand such battles as the Masorite vs the LXX text. The Byzantine Text vs the Alexandrian text and so on.
I have my preferences from my studies and defend them to the degree I can. Yet in the end thats why I believe at least somewhat in what is called by denominations and organizations across the entire spectrum of believers in Jesus as "the light doctrine".
The fact that Jesus the righteous judge will be seated on the throne....
Romans 2:16 In the day God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
While we battle over whether verses like
John 3:13 or
1 Tim 3:16 should be in the Bible multitudes of believers world wide HAVE NO BIBLE. While I believe we all should have Bibles I cant make it to be so. I cant insure that all of their Bibles are absolutely pure.
But there is this thing called "grace". Gods favor. Manifested in things such as as tongues, dreams and visions. Answered prayers, healings and such like that we may be assured of the reality of Christ in our lives.
Until Jesus comes our I die I will believe in the Bible. God is able to reveal himself and his truth to a truly sincere believer. I believe in Jesus and the Bible more than I believe in the "higher criticism".
1ofthechosen 
Hybrid Mode
