The Manuscript Reliability of the Bible
December 18, 1999
Criticism of the Bible
Many claim the Bible has been copied so many times it is no longer accurate.
Is this claim really true?
Let's compare the Bible's manuscript quantity, age & accuracy to other literature.
Manuscript Quantity
The table below compares copy age & quantity of the Bible to other literature.
The greater the quantity, the better the document has been preserved.
The second best preserved piece of ancient literature is Homer's Iliad.
The quantity of Bible manuscripts surpasses the Iliad by a factor of 38.
This attests to the reliability of the Bible & God’s preservation of His Word.
Manuscript Age
Consider the time span between the original writing & the oldest existing copy.
The shorter the time span, the better the document has been preserved.
The dates & time spans are shown in the last three columns of the table above.
The best OT manuscript (Isaiah) is roughly the same as the Iliad (500 years).
The time span of a complete NT manuscript is 250 years, half that of the Iliad.
The best of the NT (parts of John) has a time span of 50 years.
The time bar below compares the manuscript time span of the Iliad to John.
The best Bible manuscripts surpass the Iliad by a factor of 10.
This attests to the reliability of the Bible & God’s preservation of His Word.
Manuscript Accuracy
Copy accuracy is determined by the variation between old & new manuscripts.
Manuscript variations are those which put the textual meaning in question.
The table below compares the accuracy of copying the original manuscripts.
The Bible surpasses the Iliad in copy accuracy by a factor of 10.
What about the integrity of the ½% of the lines in question?
Did God not preserve His Word?
Where textual meaning varies, other Biblical passages clarify.
So again, God has preserved His Word the Bible is reliable.
Conclusions
Biblical manuscript reliability surpasses other documents by a factor of 10.
The manuscript reliability of the Bible supports its authenticity.
The Bible’s manuscript reliability attests to God’s preservation of His Word.
