Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible (or Scripture), in its original manuscripts and interpreted according to the intended sense, does not affirm anything that is contrary to what is true.
Inerrancy: In its original manuscripts
The Bible is a collection of religious texts written by different authors over a period of around 1500 years. We do not have the original manuscripts due to various reasons such as the perishable nature of the materials and the long period of time that has passed.
Despite this, many scholars and believers maintain that modern copies are extremely close to the originals, due to the discipline of textual criticism, which examines thousands of ancient manuscript copies. Studies consistently show that while textual variants exist, most do not affect the overall meaning of the text.
The modern Protestant Bible that we have now can be divided into two main sections: Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT).
Modern English translations of the OT books are based on the Masoretic text which were compiled and codified by scholars between 6th and 10th century CE1The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Masoretic text.” Encyclopedia Britannica, March 22, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Masoretic-text.. There are other sources of the OT books including Septuagint (dated ~250BCE) and the Dead Sea Scrolls (dated around 250 BCE – 100 CE). However, we know that these manuscripts are copies of the original manuscripts based on the following observations
- The time the books were written, inferred by the contents, happened way before the date of the manuscripts measured using scientific dating methods
- The content of the manuscripts shows signs of being copied: orthographic variations, scribal errors and corrections
The New Testament is more recent, having been written between approximately 45–100 CE. However, none of the original New Testament manuscripts have survived either.
What we do have are over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, along with thousands of versions in other languages (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc.), with some fragments dating as early as the 2nd century CE.
Inerrancy: Interpreted according to the intended sense
Correct interpretation is essential to the doctrine of inerrancy. The same passage can affirm different things depending on how it is interpreted.
See Biblical Hermeneutics and Exegesis
Inerrancy: Affirm anything contrary to what is true
To understand what the Bible, or any statement, affirms, it is important to understand what the author intends to communicate and the surrounding context.
In this section, only truth-apt sentences in the Bible would be discussed. A sentence is truth-apt if it could be evaluated as truth or false. Categories of sentences that are not truth-apt includes questions and commands while categories of sentences that are truth-apt includes descriptive statements like “the sky is blue”.
The relevant category to be evaluated, w.r.t Biblical inerrancy, would be mainly descriptive accounts such as the reporting of history, genealogies, accounts of creation. Descriptive accounts would have to comport with what happened and not affirm anything that is contrary to it.
It is important to note that the following common types of “errors” should be excluded in evaluating the claim of biblical inerrancy
- Quotations of people’s words (e.g. praise, teaching, or reporting): Inerrancy applies to the accurate recording, not necessarily the truth of the content expressed by the speaker.
- Numerical imprecision: Reporting round numbers or approximations (e.g., 1.5 kg instead of 1.52 kg) is not considered erroneous if the context does not demand precision.
- Paraphrased or varied wordings in recorded speeches or events—if the meaning remains the same
- Copyist errors in manuscripts: Scribal mistakes or variations due to copying processes do not invalidate inerrancy, as the doctrine refers to the original manuscripts.
Arguments for / against Biblical Inerrancy
The typical justification / argument comes from within the Bible
- God cannot lie (or does not lie). See Did God lie
- The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Therefore, the Bible is true, without error.
However, it is important to note that the main supporting verse 2 Timothy 3:16 merely states that Scripture is God-breathed or divinely inspired. It is unclear on what this entails or mean
- Does inspiration involve guidance in choosing which events to record, or extend to guidance in the accurate reporting of the events?
- Does inspiration involve ensuring the truth of the general message or the truth of every statement?
To support full biblical inerrancy, one must argue that inspiration includes a level of divine intervention sufficient to prevent any errors—especially when the source of content comes from humans (e.g. the author records events based on eyewitness reports)