Confessional Bibliology and Ecclesiastical Text

Confessional Bibliology - a specific view of bibliology (the study of the Bible) that affirms God’s providential preservation of Scripture in the traditional Reformation-era texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. The view establishes as “authentical” the consistent text of this era and rejects modern text critical reconstructionism. Confessional Bibliology holds the Masoretic text in Hebrew and the Textus Receptus in Greek as the pure and authentic “ecclesiastical text” of the churches. The view is “confessional” through being rooted in and supported by confessions such as Westminster (1646, Reformed), Savoy (1658, Congregational), and 2nd London (1677, Baptist). Chapter 1 (Of The Holy Scriptures), section 8 of these Confessions states:

“The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of religion the church is finally to appeal unto them.”

Confessional Bibliology argues that the authentic text had been kept pure, already existed at the time these confessions were adopted, and therefore is not to be changed, discovered, or reconstructed through means of modern textual criticism.

Note 1. Paragraphs two & three of the confessions define the canon of Scripture. Note 2. Similar views, if not rooted in and supported by Reformation-era confessions, technically are not Confessional Bibliology but may be consistent with it. Note 3. Confessional Bibliology should not be conflated with so-called “King James Onlyism” (which itself is often caricatured by opponents through most extreme examples); Confessional Bibliology is rooted in the original languages of Scripture, while so-called “King James Onlyism” focuses on the English translation.

Ecclesiastical Text (also, Confessional Text, Received Text, Standard Sacred Text) - The standard biblical text that has been used over centuries in the mainstream churches (particularly or especially in those of Baptist, Congregational, Independent, Protestant, and/or Reformed heritage). These are the texts that were copied, preached, and used in these churches. For the New Testament Greek, this means the Byzantine manuscript tradition, most particularly the family of printed texts called the Textus Receptus (in practical terms, the 1881/1894 Scrivener text being most commonly used). For the Old Testament Hebrew, this refers to the Masoretic Text, especially the 1525 Daniel Bomberg Hebrew text.