For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
(1 Corinthians 15:3)
The New Testament confirmation is just as strong as the Old Testament. The two tests for determining the accuracy of a critical edition of an ancient manuscript when there is no extant original are 1) the number of copies of manuscripts from which the critical edition is formed, and 2) the chronological gap between the original and the earliest copies. For instance, here is the data regarding the basis for what are regarded as accurate critical editions of the works of Aristotle and Plato:
| Author | Date Written | Earliest Copy | Time Span | No. of Copies |
| Aristotle | 384-322 BC | 1100 AD | 1,400 yrs | 5 |
| Plato (Tetralogies) | 427-347 BC | 900 AD | 1,200 yrs | 7 |
In contrast, consider the manuscript evidence for the New Testament. There are over 5,000 Greek manuscripts. Additionally, there are 10,000 more in cognate languages, that is, copies of Greek manuscripts in languages very closely related to Greek. By means of these 15,000 manuscripts scholars have identified every textual variant and have by consensus been able to determine the original reading in most situations. All of these could be listed on one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper! Biblical scholars assure that, “The variant readings about which any doubt remains among textual critics of the New Testament affect no material question of historic fact or of Christian faith and practice.”1
Then what about the dating of the nearest copies? The two most important complete Greek manuscripts are the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Alexandrinus. The first is housed in the Vatican Library in Rome and the second is in the British Museum. Both of them are dated around A.D. 350, which means they are within 300 years of the originals. But there are many other fragments such as the John Ryland’s and Bodmer papyri that were copied within 40 years of the original! The late scholar Sir Frederic Kenyon, whose authority on ancient manuscripts was unquestioned by his peers, summarized the import of this evidence:
The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.2
Many critical scholars judge the accuracy and reliability of the Bible only based on confirmation from other sources. However, because the Bible has been better preserved than any other ancient document, it seems we should judge all else based on the testimony of scripture. Indeed, that is what we must do as Christians.
Prayer
Confess ways you may sometimes scrutinize God’s Word based on other information and ask God to make His Word your first source of truth and reason.
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- F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
- The Bible and Archaeology, 288-89. Cf. Robert Gromacki, New Testament Survey, 391.