Isn't claiming the "original autographs of the scriptures are inerrent and infallible" just a copout?

Question

voice_of_reason: you misunderstand... they claim that the original documents are perfect, and any errors of any kind were introduced over the years of copying; and that since the bible isn't intended to be a science text, and scientific errors are irrelevant... and yet some even claim it's a science text... it's really confusing how such things are be believed... in their view any parts proven true are proof that the whole is true, and any errors are just dismissed as copying problems.

BlessingSeeker: every major christian denomination that I'm aware of makes that claim. They apply it to the entire christian bible.

mrscottyl: "any one who points back to the original meanings is called a heretic because it is not what the present generation wants to hear" -- you got it

Answer 1

Actually, most christians make claims even more ridiculous than that. They actually claim that all the copies of those original texts were perfect as well.

We don't have ANY of the original autographs. The oldest copies of these texts that exist today were copies of copies of copies of copies. (etc), of the original texts. All of these copies were made by hand, often by people who were not even professional scribes. The early christian church didn't have the resources to hire professional scribes to copy the scriptures, so basically any amateur in their group that had even a vague knowledge of how to use a stylus was roped into making copies.

Remember, at that time, around 90% of the people were completely illiterate. People that actually knew how to read and write well were pretty rare. Amongst the initial christian converts, (who were often the poorest and least educated members of society), scribes would have been nearly non-existent.

To make copying those texts even more difficult, all of the letters in those scripts were all jammed together with no spaces between the words! ...and they used NO punctuation at all!
Trying to copy a text in that form would be like trying to accurately copy something that looked like this:

wedonthaveanyoftheoriginalautographstheoldestcopiesof thesetextsthatexisttodaywerecopiesofcopiesofcopiesof copiesetcoftheoriginaltextsallofthesecopiesweremadeby handoftenbypeoplewhowerenotevenprofessionalscribes

- unbroken lines of characters for pages and pages. If you lost your spot as you were copying, it could be quite difficult to find the right spot again. So, there were a lot of accidental omissions of parts of texts.

...and remember, these weren't even real scribes trying to do it. A lot of the people who were copying the texts could only just barely read what they were copying. Unless a person worked as a scribe, that person would very rarely have had contact with much writing, it wasn't like it is today where you can't look around a room without seeing a book or magazine. Texts were expensive to create and thus scarce. Few people got much practice at reading.

Of all the earliest texts that still exist, if you compare any two copies of the same passage, you willl always find differences. There is absolutely no way to know for sure what the original text said.

Problems with transcription errors became less common after Constantine became a patron of the early christian church. With the wealth he provided, professional scribes could be hired to make much more accurate copies of scriptures. However, that wasn't until the scriptures had been passed around, copied inaccurately, (and even sometimes changed on purpose), for hundreds of years. By the time the texts got into the hands of professional scribes, it was already too late.

The idea that the Bible represents the "perfect" word of God has got to be one of the most ridiculous beliefs commonly held in christianity today.

Answer 2

The cop out would be to just say yes or no. There have many thousands of faithful Scripbes that have faithfully reproduced the words of the Tanach for millineum. If God had completely obliterated the Jewish race, then how bad of shape would the Scriptures have been in since they would have fallen into Christian hands and the Christians have proven they can not copy word for word what the original text says.

Are the originals inerrent and infallible? Are the original writtings of Shakespeare by his own hand inerrent and infallible to its subject matter? Yes. Are J.K. Rolllings original writtings of the Harry Potter series inerrent and infallible when discussing Harry Potter? Yes. Over time, as the orignal writters disappear, there are those that seek to explain what is meant by those original writtings instead of taking them for what they mean. In these explinations, people change word meanings to fit the times that they are living in. So then the explinations are flawed and neither inerrent nor infallible. Then when you make transations into other languages based upon those fallicies of the explinations, only error and falsehood come from that. Then compound that error with another generation and subsequent changing of meanings to fit the newest times, and the rewrites of the translations to justify the newest changes of the explinations. Now we have gone further and further away from the original meanings that it seems hidden. And any one who points back to the original meanings is called a heretic because it is not what the present generation wants to hear.

Answer 3

Are you talking about the Jewish Tanach (Old Testament) and/or christian New Testament? There aren't any existing "autographs" ie original documents.

Which religious body said that ? I think different christian denominations take differing stands. (I read a methodist commentary on the Old Testament that thought most of it was invented many centuries later. Catholics and Anglicans certainly take a subtler position than the one you give, certainly "fundamentalists" would agree with what you wrote.)

I would say with regard to the New Testament that that the authors were very close to God, and so having grown in faith, and infused with the Holy Spirit, their teaching is exceedingly good and to-the-point about God's plan of salvation. Much of the content probably comes from direct revelation (in the New Testament letters) as well as the authors growth in spiritual insight or is from checking various witnesses (synoptic gospels).

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Actually, there are many Christians that believe this. They attribute their belief to faith. In my opinion it's blind faith.

The odd thing is that Christians claim to have all of this faith, but they are afraid to study or read about other religions for fear the devil will mislead them. What happened to their faith?

Chrisitians feel this justifies them to not increase their knowledge. Go figure.

By the way, I'm a Christian. I'm not like most Christians though. I live by the addage, Study to show thyself approved. This doesn't mean just study the Bible.

Answer 6

The truth of the Bible is perfect. The scribes who printed words were not. The prophets who passed God's word to us were not perfect. The Bible is a tool that is used to know God's truth. The Bible is not meant to be an Idol. The truth of God comes from revelation of God.

Answer 7

It's a cop out and it's wrong. It's a quick and easy -- and brainless and shakey -- foundation to base your belief system. Instead of thinking for yourself and approaching God with all your questions and doubts, you can skip the hard introspective work and just say "The bible says it, and Ah buhleeve it."

Answer 8

No, it makes perfect sense, I mean, what more proof do you need? It says it's the truth, so it must be!! God breathed his word into the original authors, don't you know!??!

Answer 9

Maybe not a cop out. But it is an easy answer.

Answer 10

it proves how far Christians will go to prevent people questioning there faith and coming out with the conclusion that it is a pile of rubbish.