Critical History of the Text of the New Testament: Wherein Is Established the Truth of the Acts on Which the Christian Religion Is Based

Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Preface
Richard Simon (1638-1712): Sketch of Life & Career
Chapter One. Disproof of Early Heretics' Arguments against the Validity of the Books in the New Testament. Remarks on the Premise Applied by Church Fathers to Prove the Books' Genuineness
Chapter Two. Titles Heading the Gospels and Other Books in the New Testament. Whether the Titles Are by the Authors of those Books or Whether they Were Added
Chapter Three. Books Published in the Name of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Of Several Forgeries by Early Heretics. Remarks on this Whole Question
Chapter Four. The first Fathers did not produce the originals of the New Testament in their disputes with heretics. Discussion of evidence used to show that churches retained such originals
Chapter Five. The books of the New Testament starting with the Gospel of St Matthew. The original of this Gospel was written in the Hebrew spoken by the Jews in Jerusalem at that time. Rejoinder to reasons contrary to this view
Chapter Six. In the time of Jesus Christ and the apostles, Jews in the area of Jerusalem spoke Chaldaic or Syriac. Mr Voss's arguments against this view. Clarification of problems pertaining to this question
Chapter Seven. The Nazarene sect and their Hebrew or Chaldaic version of the Gospel of St Matthew
Chapter Eight. The Ebionites. Their Version of the Gospel of St Matthew. Other early Heretics who Used this Gospel
Chapter Nine. The Greek text of St Matthew. Its status. Comparison with the Hebrew or Chaldaic text. Rejoinders to Heretics' objections to this gospel
Chapter Ten. The dates and order of the Gospels. Greek manuscript copies of St Mark cited in this regard. His Gospel generally believed to be the second. His role as St Peter's interpreter
Chapter Eleven. In which language did St Mark write his Gospel? The last twelve verses of his Gospel are lacking in several Greek Manuscripts
Chapter Twelve. The Gospel of St Luke. What made him publish it, given the existence of two others published before his. Of Marcion and his text of the Gospel of St Luke. The Catholics also made some alterations to this Gospel
Chapter Thirteen. The Gospel of St John. Heretics by whom it was rejected. Their reasons. Response to those reasons. Discussion of the twelve verses from this Gospel which are absent from some early manuscripts. Several Greek manuscripts cited to overcome this difficulty. Critics who falsely believed that the final chapter of this Gospel is not by St John
Chapter Fourteen. Acts of the Apostles as accepted within the Church. Acts ascribed to other apostles are of doubtful authenticity
Chapter Fifteen. St Paul's Epistles in General. Marcion and his text of those Epistles. Forged letters ascribed to St Paul
Chapter Sixteen. The Epistle to the Hebrews: is it by St Paul, and is it Canonical? Views of the early Eastern and Western Churches; views on this Epistle from more recent times
Chapter Seventeen. The Catholic or Canonical Epistles in general and in detail: clarification of problems pertaining thereto
Chapter Eighteen. Exegetic discussion of 1John 5:7, not present in most Greek manuscripts or other Western texts, nor in the earliest Latin manuscripts. The preface to the canonical Epistles ascribed to St Jerome in certain Latin Bibles is not by him. The impossibility of proving that the text of St Cyprian contained the self-same passage from the first Epistle of St John
Chapter Nineteen. Revelation: early views on this book; heretics who rejected it; their reasons; discussion of their reasons. Learned Catholics in the early Church also ascribed it to Cerinthus. Modern views on this book
Chapter Twenty. Objections raised to the books of the New Testament by the Jews and other enemies of the Christian religion. Did the Evangelists and the apostles use the Greek Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament? St Jerome's view on the matter. His misplaced preference for the Jewish Hebrew text over the Septuagint
Chapter Twenty-One. Discussion of further doubts about the books of the New Testament. Part of the Evangelists' and apostles' interpretative method was to apply passages of the Old Testament to the Messiah, a common Jewish practice. This, and an accepted Jewish tradition, provide the only possible explanation for various words having a wider meaning in the New Testament than the Old
Chapter Twenty-Two. Analysis of various Old Testament passages seemingly quoted by the apostles in an incorrect sense. Verification of criticisms made of their writings. Establishment of basic principles for refuting the Jews and the Emperor Julian
Chapter Twenty-Three. Were the books in the New Testament inspired? Refutation of the opinions of Grotius and Spinoza. Cardinal Du Perron's mistaken explanation of the words referring to inspiration in 2Timothy 3:16. Quarrel on the subject of inspiration between the Jesuits and the theologians of Louvain. Three Jesuits' propositions condemned by the doctors of Louvain and Douai. Defence of the propositions against their censuring by those theologians
Chapter Twenty-Four. Analysis of the arguments put forward by Louvain and Douai scholars in censuring the propositions of the Louvain Jesuits concerning scriptural inspiration. One learned Paris theologian's highly independent view of the matter
Chapter Twenty-Five. Spinoza's arguments against inspiration in the Books of the New Testament
Chapter Twenty-Six. The Evangelists' and apostles' styles. Views held on this subject by modern writers and early Church scholars, followed by critical observations
Chapter Twenty-Seven. The Hellenistic language: is there such a thing? Most disagreements on the matter are purely nominal. The arguments adduced by Claude Saumaise to disprove the existence of this language serve rather to substantiate it. The Greek in the New Testament can be described as "synagogical" Greek. The Hellenistic Jews, like all other Jews, used the Hebrew Bible in their congregations
Chapter Twenty-Eight. A fuller discussion of Saumaise's arguments against the "Hellenistic" language, with incidental explanations of various problems pertaining to the subject
Chapter Twenty-Nine. Overall view of Greek manuscripts, including sources already mentioned. Compilations of the diverse readings found in those manuscripts. Observations on New Testament exegesis in general. Heretics wrongly accused of corrupting the New Testament text
Chapter Thirty. Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. The oldest surviving manuscripts were the work of Latin writers, intended for use in their communities. Printed versions came from the Greek Churches. The Old Latin text used in Western Churches before St Jerome was based on early manuscripts containing inaccuracies. The Cambridge manuscript, and why it differs so markedly from other Greek sources
Chapter Thirty-One. The Second Part of the Cambridge Manuscript, containing the Epistles of St Paul: examples of the variant readings it presents: exegetic observations
Chapter Thirty-Two. Other Greek manuscript sources of the New Testament. Variants contained in those manuscripts, with critical observations
Chapter Thirty-Three. Presentation and appearance of Greek New Testament manuscripts. Separating of verses, chapters, and other textual elements. The Canons appended to the Gospels by Eusebius, and their use
Index