Editing Holy Bible (section)

== Ancient Manuscripts and Early Copies ==

=== Masoretic Text ===
The [[Masoretic Text]] represents the Hebrew Bible as standardized and preserved by Jewish scribes called [[Masorites]] (roughly 7th-10th centuries CE). Before this period, there was considerable variation in manuscript copies. The Masorites created a highly standardized version with vowel markings and notational systems to ensure accurate copying. Most Hebrew Bibles today derive from the Masoretic tradition.

=== Dead Sea Scrolls ===
The discovery of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] near [[Qumran]] in 1946-1956 revealed biblical manuscripts from approximately the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE. These texts, predating the Masoretic Text by over a thousand years, have proven invaluable for understanding the textual history of the Bible and confirming the general accuracy of later manuscripts.

=== Septuagint ===
The [[Septuagint]] (c. 3rd-2nd century BCE) was a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures produced for Greek-speaking Jews in [[Alexandria]]. It represents the earliest systematic translation of the Bible and became the primary biblical text for early Christians. Multiple manuscript copies of the Septuagint exist in various libraries today.

=== Old Latin and Italic Texts ===
Before [[Jerome]]'s [[Vulgate]], Old Latin translations circulated throughout the Roman Empire (2nd-4th centuries CE). These texts were often inconsistent and based on the [[Septuagint]] rather than the Hebrew original. The variation in these texts prompted the Church to commission a standardized version.