I answered someone above that is relevant to your recent comment here: https://poal.co/s/AskPoal/369513/85d83d4b-8293-499f-8943-3a945687612e#cmnts
On another note, I remember reading a fascinating discussion on reddit once with a theological researcher who actually had access to the Vatican Library. He was answering a lot of questions from people. Someone had asked which version of Christianity is the closest to the original form (I.e the least bastardised) and he mentioned Greek Orthodox. Whatever, just thought I should throw that out there.
Interesting. I'm rather surprised, but I hadn't heard of it as 616 before. It's even more interesting because six in Hebrew looks like a 1 does in Arabic numerals. Yet I'm not surprised either. There is actually quite a bit of evidence that Matthew was originally written in Hebrew and not Greek. Even translations from latin or Greek to Hebrew lend themselves to alliteration and the repetition of sounds that Hebrew writing is so fond of. Then there is the obvious one where the last few chapter of mark weren't in the earliest copies discovered.
Either way I don't think the NT has been redacted to anywhere near the extent the OT was. There is textual evidence in the OT that Abraham actually sacrificed Israel in the original story. Then there is the bit about how elohim is plural and how the early books call him El rather than Yahua. Plus the people who wrote it have quite the propensity for fibbing and rewriting history to make themselves look like heros and victims instead of the sowers of division and exploiters of others.
(post is archived)