Bruce Metzger on his faith

     in chapter three of case for christ, Lee Strobel interviewed now a man named Bruce Metzger. the main purpose of His visit is that he wanted to know if the Gospels were carefully and accurately passed down to modern time, and if what we have now is what we will find if we were to look at the original text. And to always formally introduce the people i am quoting, i have to give their background.

background of Bruce Metzger
     Bruce Metzger has already authored or edited more than fifty books. he has a master's degree from princeton theological seminary and both a master's degree and a doctorate from princeton university. he has been awarded honorary doctorates by five colleges and universities, including St. Andrews University in Sotland, the University of Munster in Germany, and Potchefstroom university in south africa.

     served as a resident scholar at tyndale house, cambridge, england. he was a visiting fellow at clare hall, university of cambridge, in 1974 and at wolfson college, oxford, in 1979. he is currently professor emeritus at princeton theological seminary after a forty-six year career teaching the new testament.

     he is a chairman of the new revised standard version bible commitee, a corresponding fellow of the british academy, and serves on the kuratorium of the vetus latina institute at the monastery of Beuron, Germany/ He is the past president of the society of biblical literature, the international society for New Testament studies, and the north american patristic society (Strobel 73-4).


and this is what he has to say

it (my study) has increased the basis of my personal faith to see the firmness with these materials have come down to us, with a multiplicity of copies, some of which are very, very ancient.

it (my study) has built it (my faith). i've asked questions all my life, i've dug into text, i've studies this thoroughly, and today i know with confidence that mu trust in Jesus has been well placed. very well placed (Strobel 92).

other quotes from chapter 3


     "there was in fact no comparison: the manuscript evidence for the new testament was overwhelming when juxtaposed against other revered writings of antiquity- works that modern scholars have absolutely no reluctance treating as authentic."- Bruce Metzger

     "there is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the new testament." - F.F. Bruce, eminent professor at the university of manchester, england, and author of The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?


     "in no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of earliest manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament... The last foundation for any doubt that the scriptures have come down to us substantially a they were written has now been removed." - Sir Fredric Kenyon, former director of the british museum and author of The Palaeography of Greek Papyri.


     "The New Testament, then, has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in a purer form than any other great book - a form that is 99.5 percent pure." -  Norman Geisler and William Nix, scholars

     "If we compare the present state of the new testament text with that of any other ancient writing, we must... declare it to be marvelously correct. such has been the care with which the new testament has been copied - a care which has doubtless grown out of true reverence for its holy words... the new testament [is] unrivaled among ancient writings in the purity of its text as actually transmitted and kept in use." - Benjamin warfield, one of Metzger's distinguished predecessors at princton theological seminary, who helo four doctorates and taught systematic theology until his death in 1921.