Here are my tips to Catholics asking Bro. Eli Soriano in his program

I have no personal grudge against Bro. Eli. As a Catholic, I just want to help Filipinos whom he calls ignorant of the Bible. Bro. Eli often claims he knows the Bible very well. 

These are just some of the questions you can ask Bro. Eli and hopefully, he answers you honestly and without rancor.

First, he often mentions the Dead Sea Scrolls in his program. Ask him if he can read the Dead Sea Scrolls. Challenge him to read the manuscript of the Great Isaiah Scroll since the text is available at dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah. Why will we ask this? This is for us to know if Bro. Eli really knows the Bible as he claims because he always reads translations. I don’t have a problem if he reads translations. My point is, be humble if you’re only reading translations. Don't call other people "Bobo sa Bibliya" and only you are knowledgeable. Many people can read Hebrew and Greek but are not too arrogant like him. There was one time that I heard him read one verse of Greek text which he pronounced wrongly. 

Second, in once occasion, one of the members of Bro. Eli posted that Codex Sinaiticus is much better than Codex Vaticanus. Most probably, this member learned from their teacher, Bro. Eli. This is my question: Can you read the actual text of Codex Sinaiticus for you to give such a declaration? Can you demonstrate the difference between the two manuscripts in your live program? Most importantly, we want to see in your program if you really know when you discuss textual criticism using Codices to resolve textual variants between the Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Give at least 5 verses with variant readings between MT and DSS.

Third, you frequently use the King James Version in your program to answer questions. Were you able to discuss that King James Version has many extra phrases which cannot be found even in Codex Sinaiticus? 

"..the King James Version, based on the Textus Receptus, have all these extra verses, phrases, and words.  Those who read the King James Version (also the New King James Version) are reading a "leavened" version---that is, it is a text with thousand of extra words...In short, the additions were the result of scribal gap-filling wherein scribes added words as they read and copied a text. The sources for the additions came from their own minds, other gospels, other scriptures, and oral traditions" (A Commentary on Textual Additions to the New Testament, Philip W. Comfort, Kregel Academic (December 27, 2017), pp. 7-8) 

I hope the followers of Bro. Eli will not get mad at me since I only wanted to answer Bro. Eli honestly and we will know if it is true that only he knows the Bible and the others are ignorant.

The Three Important Information we can see in Papyrus 75 but are not seen in other Greek Manuscripts

Papyrus 75 or P75 is one of the most vital Greek manuscripts for New Testament scholars especially those who value textual criticism.  For Catholic and Protestant scholars, Codex Vaticanus, a 4th century manuscript is very important. 

Bear in mind that Vaticanus is very close to P75. Their closeness is deemed regarded very close to the "sibling" relationship and the "parent-child" relationship.

Papyrus 75 is included in the Alexandrian-text type, and for Bruce Metzger, one of the best New Testament scholars, it is considered superior by most critics. 

Papyrus 75 like Codex Vaticanus is found at the Vatican library and the website of Vatican library with 75,000 manuscripts. This manuscript was written in the 3rd century. At the Vatican Library, all types of manuscripts are kept like theological works from the early church and Middle Ages, secular documents, sermons and biblical manuscripts written in Hebrew, Syriac, Greek and Latin. Some are complete. Others are incomplete. If you can read ancient manuscripts and look at Papyrus 75, you will notice something different in some Greek manuscripts.

1. Staurogram

In this part of P75, we can read the Greek word, bastazei ton stauron meaning “carry the cross.” 

This manuscript is shaped like a cross. 

It looks like this: 

2. The Name of Rich man 

In some Greek manuscripts, we cannot find the name of the Richman in Luke 16:19 and even today’s translations in the Bible. But in this manuscript, we can see the name of Rich man and it is Neues.

 

3. Sacred Names or Nomina Sacra

In Papyrus 75, the scribe who wrote this manuscript used Nomina Sacra. For the sacred names, they don’t write the complete Greek words but just the first letter and last letter. One is the word, Theos meaning “God.” The scribe wrote Theta and Sigma which we will notice in John 1:18 of this manuscript. P75 confirms the ancient “Monogenis Theos” or “God the only Son” and not “Ho Monogenis Huios” or “The only begotten Son.” 

Although “Ho Monogenis Huios” is found in Codex Alexandrinus, a 5th century manuscript, P75 supported Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, both 4th century manuscripts. Even textual criticism scholars like Daniel Wallace (Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament, p. 74) and Comfort ”(Encountering the Manuscripts, p. 336) believe that “Monogenis theos” is original. For Larry Hurtado, the early manuscripts are better (The Earliest Christian Artifacts, p. 15). Even Bart Ehrman who doesn’t believe that Christ is God admit that the first reading is the one found in the manuscripts that are the oldest and generally considered to be the best—those of the Alexandrian textual family (Misquoting Jesus, pp. 161-162). 

________________

Note: Images in the manuscripts of this post are owned by Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.