Who were the Masoretes?

Genesis 1:1 in English Standard Version, Dead Sea Scrolls, Leningrad Code and Modern Hebrew.

The Masoretes were
Jewish scribes and scholars who made it their life's work to accurately copy
the Hebrew Bible. They worked approximately from the A.D. 600's to A.D. 950,
primarily in the areas of Jerusalem, Tiberius and Babylonia. The name Masoretes
comes from the Hebrew word masorah,
which means "tradition" or "to hand down".

During the first century A.D. Rome ruled over Israel. In A.D. 66, the first...

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Could the Gospel Message have been Accurately Transmitted Orally?

Pastor and theologian Rainer Riesner concludes in his doctoral dissertation Jesus as a Teacher the disciples could have received Jesus's teachings orally, and passed those lessons on to others without corrupting the message.

  1. Jesus spoke with authority to command respect and concern to safeguard his teachings.
  2. Jesus's claim to be the ...

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What is “Aunt Sally’s Secret Sauce”?

I've heard Greg Koukl from the Christian organization Stand to Reason use an analogy he calls "Aunt Sally's Secret Sauce" to show how the New Testament was likely transmitted in the early church.

  • Aunt Sally has a secret elixir to make herself look younger
  • Aunt Sally decides to share the recipe for the elixir with friends
  • Each friend shares the recipe for the elixir with their other...

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