Can you explain the manuscripts of the Bible?
Introduction. The original New Testament letters (Ephesians, Colossians, etc.) were initially circulated in the latter half of the first century. In their original form they were probably written on papyrus sheets. Since papyrus was fragile, copies of these letters were made by the early Christians (the early Christians viewed God's word as essential, cf. Rom. 1: 16). These copies of the New Testament in Greek are known as manuscripts.
There are two major types of manuscripts. The form of the letters supply the means of determining the type. Some of the oldest manuscripts are written in capital letters and are known as uncials. The handwriting of the larger group is smaller and in a running hand-style. This second type of manuscripts are known as cursives. Many of the cursives did not become known until about the ninth century.
There are about 4,500 manuscripts. All of these manuscripts are not complete New Testaments. Nonetheless, the New Testament is said to be the best attested book of antiquity. Out of the 4,500 manuscripts about 300 are considered to be uncial. For the most part, the oldest vellum or uncial manuscripts are complete or almost complete copies. Three well known are the Vatican (Codex B), Sinaitic (Codex Aleph), and the Alexandrian. These date back to about A.D. 300-450.
The number of copying mistakes. Most of the mistakes in the history of the Bible have occurred since the advent of the printing press. Some have said there are 200,000 scribal errors. If one word were misspelled in 4,000 manuscripts, then they count it as 4,000 errors. The so called mistakes are relatively trivial. There are far more manuscripts of the New Testament than of any other book from the ancient world. The abundant manuscript proof for the New Testament is in harmony with, "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever" (1 Pet. 1: 25).
There are two major types of manuscripts. The form of the letters supply the means of determining the type. Some of the oldest manuscripts are written in capital letters and are known as uncials. The handwriting of the larger group is smaller and in a running hand-style. This second type of manuscripts are known as cursives. Many of the cursives did not become known until about the ninth century.
There are about 4,500 manuscripts. All of these manuscripts are not complete New Testaments. Nonetheless, the New Testament is said to be the best attested book of antiquity. Out of the 4,500 manuscripts about 300 are considered to be uncial. For the most part, the oldest vellum or uncial manuscripts are complete or almost complete copies. Three well known are the Vatican (Codex B), Sinaitic (Codex Aleph), and the Alexandrian. These date back to about A.D. 300-450.
The number of copying mistakes. Most of the mistakes in the history of the Bible have occurred since the advent of the printing press. Some have said there are 200,000 scribal errors. If one word were misspelled in 4,000 manuscripts, then they count it as 4,000 errors. The so called mistakes are relatively trivial. There are far more manuscripts of the New Testament than of any other book from the ancient world. The abundant manuscript proof for the New Testament is in harmony with, "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever" (1 Pet. 1: 25).