Textual criticism refers to a method of analyzing multiple versions of a text in order to study how it was copied, preserved, and altered across generations. By comparing manuscripts, translations, or quotations, this approach identifies variations in wording, omissions, and additions that arose through scribal and copyist activity. The goal is not simply to recover an original form, but to understand the history of transmission and the choices made by copyists and editors. Textual criticism provides insight into how texts functioned within the communities that preserved and used them.
References
- Marlow, Hilary, "The Human Condition" in Barton, John (ed.) The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Companion
- Dinkelaker, Veit, "Marginal Notes on a Peculiar Variant in Samaritan, Greek, and Other Manuscripts" in Hensel, Benedikt; Nocquet, Dany; Adamczewski, Bartosz (ed.) Yahwistic Diversity and the Hebrew Bible: Tracing Perspectives of Group Identity from Judah, Samaria, and the Diaspora in Biblical Traditions
- VanderKam, James C., "Uses of Earlier Literature in Some Second Temple Texts" in Flint, Peter W., et al. (eds.) Scribal Practice, Text and Canon in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Essays in Memory of Peter W. Flint
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