How do theists justify the translations of the scriptures?

[Drich]

never said there where 25,000 copies from the first century. I said this message has been preserved for over two thousand years. out of that preservation during that time period we have over 25,000 hand written copies of text that all tell the same message.

What you actually said was:

the fact that there are over 25,000 copies of the bible hand written and preserved over 2000 years

This is patently untrue.  There is, in fact, NO copy of the Bible that has been preserved for over 2000 years.  The oldest copy of the New Testament is the Codex Sinaiticus, which was most likely written around the middle of the 4th century.

So... I reworded it to now read correctly. I did not mean to say all 25,000 copies came from the first century because I knew 5000+ complete NT bibles where not available till the 200+ years after the fact. that's complete, that does not include the 1 first century orginal letters written by the apostles themselves.

My emphasis was on the message being kept intact for 2000 years, meaning everything written in those 25,000 manuscripts all say the same thing, they all teach the same God and Same salvation.

That is what a discourse/conversation is. it is the introduction of an idea and the refinement over a discussion. Why are you afraid to allow me the ability to refine my ideas? why do you insist that I maintain what you only THOUGHT my position was?

I'll try again, since you appear to have missed it.  A 'copy' is not the same as a 'manuscript'.

Smart guy... look up the words before you keep using them wrong. A manuscript is a hand written text as apposed to being printed. That is all manuscript means.

As I pointed out in Isaiah there are only 25 discernable differences between the oldest version of the book and the second oldest which all other copies of the book are made. there is a 800 year span between thee two books. In the ancient world only two copies f a given text need to corroborate each other before the text is a certified historic text concerning any other document other than the bible. here again we have 5000+ completed text just 3 generations away from the recorded events and for closed minded people this is still not enough. we even have individual accounts/books 50 to 75 years away, and this is still not enough.

yet something like the history of herodias which the earliest copy is 1300 year separated with only 8 total fragments in known existence... no that for you is undeniable history.

  If I write out all the words of  'Moby Dick' by hand, that's a copy AND a manuscript.  If I write 'Call me Ismael' and nothing else, that's not a copy, but it's still a manuscript. Prior to Codex Sinaiticus, what we have are manuscripts in fragment form, some more substantial than others.  But none of these are 'copies of the bible'.

that's not how codacees work sport. a codex is a collection of manuscripts. now a codex may be compiled in say 1000AD but it may contain books from the 2nd century and still yet be credited as a 1000 AD codex.

No one had the mind to compile codacees till the formation of what would become the RC church. which is why you have such a later date. there was a push to bring all of the separate denominations under one authority. Seperate denominations like the church peter strted verse the churches paul started ext..

I'll happily grant that the New Testament has over 25 000 extant manuscripts. Big deal.

it is a very big deal when on is intellectually honest with themselves as no other document of that time period even comes close.

what do you think is happening when we go to the greek texts?

I think that I admire the scholarship and the effort by Christians who do that, but I'm unconvinced that this is something that Christians 'generally' do.  Until it is demonstrated otherwise, I'm going to hold to the notion that the great majority of Christians don't engage in any serious scholarship regarding scripture,


Boru

to each one of us has been given a gift by the holy Spirit. For some that is to study and teach of those who have been such a gift I can honestly say I have never ever met one who has NOT studied the greek in some form or fashion.

they simply 'eat what is set before them'.

You have clearly never taught a sunday school class. even the children are sharks and will question everything because that is a mandate we have.

You seem to only be aware of faith based christians. while they are blessed they seem to be the more rare breed now a days.