Since parts of the New Testament were first delivered orally, how do we know if we have a 100% accurate rendition of the original writings that were spoken by the Holy Spirit? I’ve heard that through oral teachings, details could be lost and distorted. For example, someone may deliver a story to 20 people of a person sitting on a well doing something spectacular, but then some of the 20 people tell other groups of people that the person doing something spectacular was standing on a rock rather than sitting on a well, and then years later that story’s details could be distorted even more whereas the person could be laying in the mud in another city doing something spectacular. I am curious to know how the Bible passes this test of oral transmission and possible errors in the words that we have in our current canonized Bible. Do we have the exact words that Jesus and the Apostles spoke and how do we get past this oral transmission issue?<\/p>\n\t
Because the ones who wrote the New Testament were the same people who gave the original oral teachings as well.<\/p>\n
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And\u00a0these things we write<\/strong>\u00a0to you that your joy may be full.<\/em>” (I John 1:1-4).<\/p>\n
“Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always\u00a0have a reminder of these things<\/strong>\u00a0after my decease<\/em>” (II Peter 1:13-15).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In addition, these men were guided by the Holy Spirit to remember and accurately write what God taught them.<\/p>\n
“But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual<\/em>” (I Corinthians 2:9-13).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Since parts of the New Testament were first delivered orally, how do we know if we have a 100% accurate rendition of the original writings that were spoken by the Holy Spirit? I’ve heard that through oral teachings, details could be lost and distorted. For example, someone may deliver a story to 20 people…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[568,225],"class_list":["post-17747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-inspiration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3680,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-oral-sex-before-marriage-ok\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":0},"title":"Is oral sex before marriage ok?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 10, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is oral sex before marriage ok? Answer: When people want to justify a behavior that deep down inside themselves they know they shouldn't do, they will redefine terms that cast their actions into a better light. I've noticed in recent years that people, young people especially, are making the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51578,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-exactly-is-sodomy\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":1},"title":"What exactly is sodomy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What exactly is sodomy? My understanding is that it is oral sex with either the same sex or between man and wife, but I have had many arguments with other people who say oral sex is OK between married people. This is such an embarrassing topic, but I really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23891,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-just-thinking-about-doing-oral-sex-with-a-woman-is-as-bad-as-doing-it-then-why-not-just-do-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":2},"title":"If just thinking about doing oral sex with a woman is as bad as doing it, then why not just do it?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If just thinking about doing oral sex with a woman is as bad as doing it, then why not just do it? Answer: To illustrate why your argument fails, let me make a similar one: \"If hatred is just as bad as murder (I John 3:15), then why not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33156,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-lied-to-my-boyfriend-about-having-oral-sex-with-another-man-what-do-i-do-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":3},"title":"I lied to my boyfriend about having oral sex with another man. What do I do now?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good evening, sir, I was reading information from your website. I have a little problem and need your help. My boyfriend is always busy with work, and I have complained several times. Unfortunately, I ended up cheating on him by engaging in kissing and oral sex. I apologized to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19057,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-think-this-web-sites-discussion-of-sex-and-the-bible-to-be-accurate\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":4},"title":"Do you think this web site’s discussion of sex and the Bible to be accurate?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'd like you to check out this web site\u00a0and advise me if you feel it is a \"false prophet\" kind of deal or if it indeed biblically founded.\u00a0Check it out! It's pretty interesting. Answer: It is nonsense of the worse sort. It is so ridiculous that I'm not certain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18216,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-the-trials-of-jesus-historically-accurate\/","url_meta":{"origin":17747,"position":5},"title":"Are the trials of Jesus historically accurate?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 25, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Are the trials of Jesus historically accurate? I ran across a web site that claims that some of the details of the trial were not historically accurate, but rather made up. The web site also claims that Pilate was not portrayed accurately and that the trial before the Sanhedrin\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17747\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}