Studying the Manuscripts

The early manuscripts have taught us a lot about the stability of the text, but there is an equal amount of value to be found in the later manuscripts. From the sheer wealth of information we learn about the things that go wrong in copying and the things that rarely go wrong. Knowledge of what copying is helps us to understand how the differences between the manuscripts arose and were transmitted. As some modern translations draw attention to the differences that exist between manuscripts it will be illuminating to see how and for what reasons textual decisions are made.