![]() For example, although apologists rightly claim that there are well over five thousand Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, they have reported the number of manuscripts for Homer’s Iliad to be 643, but the real number of Iliad manuscripts is actually 1,757.įurther, the numbers of manuscript counts for the New Testament’s translation into other languages has not remained static. However, although apologists have stayed abreast of the dates of the earliest extant manuscripts and latest New Testament Greek manuscript counts, we haven’t kept up with the increasing numbers of manuscripts for other ancient authors that are recognized by classical scholars. Since the New Testament manuscripts outstrip every other ancient manuscript in sheer number and proximity to the autographs, the New Testament should be regarded as having been accurately transmitted. The bibliographical test compares the closeness of the New Testament’s oldest extant manuscripts to the date of its autographs (the original handwritten documents) and the sheer number of the New Testament’s extant manuscripts with the number and earliness of extant manuscripts of other ancient documents such as Homer, Aristotle, and Herodotus. The bibliographical test examines manuscript reliability, and for more than a generation Christian apologists have employed it to substantiate the transmissional reliability of the New Testament. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: Small fragment of John’s Gospel dated to the late 2nd centuryĮarly fragments containing portions of Luke 1-6 Considered by many scholars to be part of the same manuscript as P 64 and P 67Įarly fragments containing portions of Matthew 3-5 Considered by many scholars to be part of the same manuscript as P 4 and P 67Įarly fragments containing portions of Matthew 25-26 Considered by many scholars to be part of the same manuscript as P 64 and P 4Ĭontains portions of most of Paul’s letters Includes the Book of HebrewsĬontains portions of each of the four gospels and of Acts Oldest surviving manuscript of the Gospel of MarkĬontains significant portion of RevelationĬontains the majority of the New TestamentĬontains the entire New Testament Manuscript is a palimpsest (original text was erased and the pages reused, though technology allows us to see the original).Ĭontains portions of Luke and John Has the text in both Greek and Sahidic CopticĬontains Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and the General EpistlesĬontains the Gospels and Acts Has the text in both Latin and Greek, in parallel columns Shares an abbreviation with Codex ClaromontanusĬontains the Pauline Epistles Has the text in both Latin and Greek, in parallel columns Shares an abbreviation with Codex Bezae CantabrigensisĬontains the Book of Acts Shares an abbreviation with Codex BasilensisĬontains the Pauline Epistles Shares an abbreviation with Codex Seidelianus II and Codex MutinensisĬontains the Gospels The pages of this manuscript were decoratively dyed purpleĬontains Matthew In addition to the text, this manuscript also contained illustrations.Ĭontains Luke Manuscript is a palimpsest (original text was erased and the pages reused, though technology allows us to see the original).This article first appeared in Christian Research Journal, volume 35, number 03 (2012). Small fragment from John’s Gospel Usually dated around 125 AD, making it the oldest known manuscript ![]() ![]() Still, it is helpful to familiarize ourselves with some of the copies that come up most often in text-critical discussions and some that provide especially early attestation of particular New Testament books. ![]() There are thousands of Greek New Testament manuscripts, hundreds of which are from the earliest centuries, so this list is far from exhaustive.
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