Ancient Manuscripts of the Christian Scriptures
What materials were early manuscripts written on?
The earliest manuscripts are written on strips of a plant. The plant is a reed called papyrus. Other manuscripts are written on animal skin.
Occasionally, new manuscripts are still discovered. There have been many significant discoveries in the 20th century. New discoveries continue to the present time. The most recent papyrus was published only in 2009.
The John Rylands Fragment.
John 18:31-33, 18:37-38.
Early 2nd Century AD.
What are the most significant ancient manuscripts of the New Testament?
The John Rylands Fragment
This small fragment contains John 18:31-33 on the front. It contains John 18:37-38 on the back.
It is the earliest manuscript of the Christian Bible. It was located in Egypt. It was copied around 125 AD. The gospel of John was written only a few decades before.
It demonstrates that the gospel of John existed early. It shows that the early church made copies of its holy books. It proves that the first Christians distributed the scriptures among the churches. It is a faithful representative of the modern text.
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 4404 Fragment.
Matthew 21:34-37, 43, 45.
Mid 2nd Century AD.
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 4404 Fragment
During the early 20th century, two men found 1000s of ancient manuscripts. They were located at Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt.
Many fragments were small and difficult to identify. Over a century later, scholars are still identifying and publishing the fragments. Sometimes these manuscripts include biblical texts.
This is one example. It was published in 2000. It is likely that the list of early manuscripts will continue to increase.
This fragment demonstrates that Matthew existed very early. The early church copied and distributed it. The text matches the modern text.
Chester Beatty Manuscripts.
Letters of Paul.
2 Corinthians 11:33-12:9.
Late 2nd Century AD.
The Chester Beatty Manuscripts
This collection of manuscripts were acquired by Alfred Chester Beatty. They include manuscripts from the gospels, Acts, Paul's letters, and Revelation.
Many of the manuscripts are from the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries. Some of the manuscripts are extensive, containing large portions of the books. They include early examples of the booklet format, with folded and bound pages.
One book contains most of Paul's letters bound together. Remaining is about 80 out of 104 pages. It was copied in the late 2nd century.
One book contains the gospels and Acts. Remaining is 30 out of about 220 pages. It was copied in the early 3rd century.
One book contains several pages from the Revelation of John. It was copied in the early 3rd century.
These books existed before copied. These texts were bound together as a collected work. The early church had a well developed method of copying, preserving, and distributing the text. The text is consistent with the modern text.
The Bodmer Manuscripts.
The Gospel of John.
John 7:52; 8:12-16.
The adulterous woman story not present.
Late 2nd Century AD.
The Bodmer Manuscripts
These manuscripts were collected by Martin Bodmer in the 1950s. They are housed in museums in Switzerland and at the Vatican.
They include manuscripts from the gospels, Acts, and the general letters. Many are dated from the second and third centuries.
One book includes portions of Luke and John. 102 pages out of about 144 survive. It was copied in the late 2nd century.
One book contains an almost complete copy of the gospel of John. It was copied in the late 2nd century.
Another book contains portions of 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude. It is dated from the late 3rd century.
These documents show that these books existed early. The early church considered them important enough to copy and distribute. The text is the same as the modern text.
The Sinaiticus Manuscript.
Esther 2:3-8.
4th Century AD.
The Sinaiticus Manuscript
Constantin Tischendorf located the Sinaiticus manuscript. It was located at a monastery in the Sinai peninsula. It was recovered from 1844-46.
It contains all of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. It was copied by a professional scribe in the 4th century AD. It was written on sheep and goat skin. It contains 694 pages.
This demonstrates that the complete scriptures were collected together. The text is consistent with the modern text. The church by this time has a mature preservation and distribution system.
The Vaticanus Manuscript.
2 John.
4th Century AD.
The Vaticanus Manuscript
The Vaticanus Manuscript is located at the Vatican. It has been housed there at least since the 15th century. It is a complete copy of all of the Jewish and Christian scriptures.
It also is an example of the collection of the books as a complete work. The text matches the modern text. It demonstrates that the early church maintained, copied, and distributed the scriptures.
Other Manuscripts
There are many other important manuscripts not listed here. Consult the books for further reading at the end for more details.
How were ancient manuscripts located?
Prior to the 1800s, attempts to locate ancient materials were mostly treasure hunting. Treasure hunters were not careful. They only kept what they considered valuable, and destroyed the rest. They did not dig carefully, or use science to analyze what they found.
This began to change during the 1800s. By the 20th century, the method and science of archaeology developed. Many people worked together to carefully excavate archaeological sites. Today, specialists do archaeological research all over the world. Many of the manuscripts were discovered during the 20th century.
How do we know which readings are the original?
There is a special science which compares manuscript differences. It is called textual criticism. Textual criticism scholars compare the manuscripts. They use science to determine what is the original reading.
There are a small number of texts that are disputable. There are only a handful that are significant. In almost every case, the original reading is obvious.
Look at the next Section.