Blog (1) Allegra Hartman

Some of the questions introduced at the beginning of this reading stuck out to me as major themes that should be addressed and contemplated when studying the New Testament from a textual concept. Because the authors of the New Testament are not identifiable, how does this affect the legitimacy of such a text as a resource for Christianity? An interesting aspect concerning the origin and formation of the canon were how scribes play a vital part in transmitting such history down onto paper. Accidentally and intentionally, scribes were responsible for the editions and changes that took place to such writings throughout time[1]. Linguistically, scribes working with such texts made the content of such material vulnerable to various interpretations, and misinterpretations. As our text pointed out, “it is impossible to know what a New Testament author meant if you don’t know what he said[2].” I found it essential to understand the series of rules which religious scholars have laid out which include taking into consideration the time period of such manuscripts, the language it was written in, and the cultural characteristics consistent with other known facts about the author. I think that it is vital to be aware of the differences between such interpretations because they can radically change a person’s definition of ‘Christianity.’

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[1] B.D. Ehrman. The New Testament. (4; New York; Oxford; 2008) 492.

[2] B.D. Ehrman. The New Testament. (4; New York; Oxford; 2008) 495.