The coincidental textual nature of the collections of ancient scriptures

We set out to test our working hypothesis according to which the collections of authoritative Scripture, in Hebrew and translation, are textually heterogeneous because their contents were often not planned in the modern sense of the word. The major reason for this diversity is connected to the fact that the collections were composed from single scrolls of a different nature and background. We attempted to base this assumption on various examples relating to the LXX, Peshitta, and MT. Also the Qumran corpus is heterogeneous, but that collection did not contain a sealed corpus of authoritative writings so that its heterogeneity is not reflected in any one final group of writings. Lack of planning should be expected in antiquity, but since several collections of ancient Scripture became the basis for Judaism and various Christian denominations, we have to delve into their prehistory. MT has become the basis for Judaism. It is a rather good text, but we cannot close our eyes to the fact that at an earlier time the collection now named MT was composed from scrolls of a different nature. The LXX translation has become hallowed Scripture within Christianity, but we should realize that the collection of ancient Jewish Greek Scripture formed a very diverse and unplanned collection. From a textual point of view one could even say that the fact that this specific group of Greek translations, and not another, has become Christian Scripture is coincidental. For example, had the Greek translators found a different form of Daniel and Esther, without the so-called Additions, the Christian canon would have been different. Coincidence was an important factor in the compilation of the archetypes of the collections, and this factor has to be taken seriously into consideration. Textual transmission is likewise plagued by coincidence, as are all archeological excavations.70.