Daniel Wallace

From Textus Receptus

Hatred for the Textus Receptus

Wallace's hatred for the Textus Receptus can be seen in a 1994 article:

For the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, NT textual critics could speak with one accord: The textus receptus (TR) had finally been laid to rest. In 1899 Marvin Vincent referred to it as an "historical monument" that "has been summarily rejected as a basis for a correct text." A. T. Robertson in 1926 declared: "The Textus Receptus is as dead as Queen Anne." Eight years later Leo Vaganay similarly pronounced last rites over the corpse. And just three decades ago Bruce Metzger could justifiably dismiss the contemporary defense of the Byzantine text in a mere footnote.

The situation today is disturbingly different. Gone is the era when KJV/TR advocates could be found only in the backwaters of anti-intellectual American fundamentalism. A small but growing number of students of the NT in North America and, to a lesser degree, in Europe (in particular the Netherlands and Great Britain) are embracing a view that was left for dead more than a century ago—namely, that the original text is to be found in a majority of MSS. ([ http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/37/37-2/JETS_37-2_185-215_Wallace.pdf The Majority-Text Theory - History, Methods, and Critique ]. Daniel B. Wallace.)

Rejection of biblical and historical preservation

"Up until the last few years, I would say—and have said—that the practice of textual criticism neither needs nor deserves any theological presuppositions. For example, I am not convinced that the Bible speaks of its own preservation. That doctrine was first introduced in the Westminster Confession, but it is not something that can be found in scripture." —Dan Wallace

[3]

“Scholars are not sure of the exact words of Jesus. Ancient historians were concerned to get the gist of what someone said, but not necessarily the exact wording. A comparison of parallel passages in the Synoptic Gospels reveals that the evangelists didn’t always record Jesus’ words exactly the same way. The terms ipsissima verba and ipsissima vox are used to distinguish the kinds of dominical sayings we have in the Gospels. The former means ‘the very words,’ and the latter means ‘the very voice.’ That is, the exact words or the essential thought. There have been attempts to harmonize these accounts, but they are highly motivated by a theological agenda which clouds one’s judgment and skews the facts. In truth, though red-letter editions of the Bible may give comfort to believers that they have the very words of Jesus in every instance, this is a false comfort.” (Dr. Daniel Wallace, “Fifteen Myths About Bible Translation”)

Uncertainty about scripture

I have never said in our debates that we are absolutely certain of the wording of the text of the New Testament. So, I would agree with him that “we really don’t have any way to know for sure” . . . . He is right that classical scholars do not ‘know exactly’ what these classical authors wrote. This is what I have said regarding the New Testament, too! We may have a high level of confidence, but it never rises to the point where we know exactly with absolute confidence what the text said. – Dan Wallace [4]

Published works

Books

“Laying a Foundation: New Testament Textual Criticism,” in Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis (a Festschrift for Harold W. Hoehner), ed. Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006) 33-56.
Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture's Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ with Darrell L. Bock. Thomas Nelson, 2007. ISBN 978-0785226154
Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture, with J. Ed Komoszewski and M. James Sawyer. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006. ISBN 0-8254-2982-X
Who’s Afraid of the Holy Spirit? An Investigation into the Ministry of the Spirit of God Today, Ed. Daniel B. Wallace and M. James Sawyer. Biblical Studies Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7375-0068-9. Two articles in this book were written by Wallace: “The Uneasy Conscience of a Non-Charismatic Evangelical,” and “The Witness of the Spirit in Romans 8:16: Interpretation and Implications.”
New English Translation/Novum Testamentum Graece. Senior Editor of New Testament Translation. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2004. ISBN 3-438-05420-5
The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Grammar. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. ISBN 0-310-23229-5.
A Scripture Index to Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament in the reprint of Moulton and Milligan (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997).
Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of New Testament Greek. [ExSyn] Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
“The Majority Text Theory: History, Methods, and Critique,” in a Festschrift for Bruce M. Metzger entitled, The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research: Essays on the Status Quaestionis, in Studies and Documents, volume 46 (ed. B. D. Ehrman and M. W. Holmes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994) 297-320.
“Inspiration, Preservation, and New Testament Textual Criticism,” in New Testament Essays in Honor of Homer A. Kent, Jr. (ed. Gary T. Meadors; Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1991): 69-102.

Journal Articles

“The Gospel according to Bart: A Review Article of Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49 (2006) 327-49.
“Greek Grammar and the Personality of the Holy Spirit,” Bulletin for Biblical Research (the journal of the Institute for Biblical Research) 13.1 (2003) 97-125.
"Innovations in Text and Translation of the NET Bible, New Testament." Bible Translator (Ja, Jl Technical Papers) vol 52:3, 2001. 335-349.
"Was Junia Really an Apostle? a Re-examination of Rom 16.7." New Testament Studies vol 47:1, 2001. 76-91.
"Granville Sharp : A Model of Evangelical Scholarship and Social Activism." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society vol 41, 1998. 591-613.
"Review of 'Levels of Constituent Structure in New Testament Greek.'" Critical Review of Books in Religion vol 9, 1996. 249-251.
"Historical Revisionism and the Majority Text Theory : The Cases of F H A Scrivener and Herman C Hoskier." New Testament Studies vol 41, 1995. 280-285.
"Who's Afraid of the Holy Spirit? The Uneasy Conscience of a Noncharismatic Evangelical." Christianity Today vol 38, 1994. 34-38.
"A Review of The Earliest Gospel Manuscript? by Carsten Peter Thiede." Bibliotheca Sacra vol 151, 1994. 350-354.
"The Majority-Text Theory : History, Methods and Critique." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society vol 37, 1994. 185-215.
"7Q5 : The Earliest NT Papyrus?." Westminster Theological Journal vol 56 is 1, 1994. 173-180.
"Reconsidering "The Story of Jesus and the Adulteress Reconsidered"." New Testament Studies vol 39, 1993. 290-296.
“Inspiration, Preservation, and New Testament Textual Criticism,” in Grace Theological Journal 12 (1992) 21-51 (reprint of article in Homer Kent’s Festschrift [see above]).
"The Majority Text and the Original Text : Are They Identical?." Bibliotheca Sacra vol 148, 1991. 151-169.
"Inspiration, Preservation, and New Testament Textual Criticism." Grace Theological Journal vol 12, 1991. 21-50.
"A Textual Problem in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 : Ek Tēs Orgēs Vs Apo Tēs Orgēs." Bibliotheca Sacra vol 147, 1990. 470-479.
"Galatians 3:19-20 : A Crux Interpretum for Paul's View of the Law." Westminster Theological Journal vol 52, 1990. 225-245.
"John 5,2 and the Date of the Fourth Gospel." Biblica vol 71 is 2, 1990. 177-205.
"Some Second Thoughts on the Majority Text." Bibliotheca Sacra vol 146, 1989. 270-290.
"Orgizesthe in Ephesians 4:26 : Command or Condition?." Criswell Theological Review vol 3, 1989. 353-372.
"The Majority Text : A New Collating Base?." New Testament Studies vol 35 is 4, 1989. 609-618.
"The Semantics and Exegetical Significance of the Object - Complement Construction in the New Testament." Grace Theological Journal vol 6, 1985. 91-112.
"The Relation of Adjective to Noun in Anarthrous Constructions in the New Testament." Novum Testamentum vol 26, 1984. 128-167.
"The Semantic Range of the Article-Noun-kai-Noun Plural Construction in the New Testament." Grace Theological Journal vol 4, 1983. 59-84.

References

1. His mentor at Biola was Greek scholar Dr. Harry A. Sturz. Sturz influenced Wallace to adopt a text critical position of Byzantine primacy. Over the years, however, Wallace's textual views have evolved to be classified as 'reasoned eclecticism,' the view that each variant is to be considered on its own apart from text-type priorities.[5]
2. Bock, Darrell L. and Daniel B. Wallace (2007) Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 078522615X
3. Wallace's review of Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus: The Story of Who Changed the Bible and Why [6]

External links

Jeff Riddle’s Analysis of Dr. Dan Wallace’s paper parts 1 to 5 - Inspiration, Preservation, and New Testament Textual Criticism Audios
Staff page at DTS
Center For The Study of New Testament Manuscripts, Daniel B. Wallace, Executive Director
March 2006 Interview with Dr. Wallace regarding his text critical work
April 2008 Interview with Dr. Wallace
Bible.org, a website on which that Wallace maintains and publishes writings of his own and of his students
Choosing a Bible Translation - by Wallace
What are the fundamental principles involved in modern textual criticism? on the John Ankerberg show.

The King James Version 2023 Edition New Testament is now complete and in print format here.

Internal Links

Old Testament - New Testament KJV 1900

New Testament KJV 2016

Scrivener's 1894 Textus Receptus

2016 Urdu New Testament (TR Based)

Russian Synodal Version (TR Based)

Reina Valera Gómez Spanish (TR Based)

Marginal Notes in the 1611 Authorized Version

Ephesians 3:9

Why We Should Not Passover Easter 1, 2, & 3

Will Kinney

List of TR/KJV based foreign bibles

List of New Testament minuscules

List of New Testament lectionaries

List of New Testament Papyri

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