What is Textual Criticism?
Are there errors in the manuscripts?
How significant are the variants?
How do text critics make their decisions?
1. Date.
2. Geographic Distribution.
3. Number of manuscripts.
The shorter reading is usually closer to the original.
Conclusion
In the end, I believe because of the faithfulness of many text critics who tirelessly endeavor in this field, we can be more than confident that the Bible we read today accurately represents the original, even if it does not do so with technical perfection. The message of Scripture has been preserved due to men of the past whose names we do not know and because of men of the present who work with these men of the past to hand us the word of God in a reliable form.
