Is it possible to see the original version of the Bible anywhere? If not, how do we know that what it says is accurate?
In this video we look at these questions:
- why there aren’t any original copies of the Bible left?
- how did the Bible come down to us through the years?
- how can we be confident that we have the Greek New Testament accurately?
Key facts
- We have about 5,800 copies of the New Testament in Greek
- The earliest fragment of the New Testament is from about 150AD, a small part of John’s Gospel, called Papyrus 52
- The earliest complete New Testament is from about 300AD called the Codex Vaticanus
- The New Testament has far more manuscripts available than any other ancient writing
- There are very few places in the New Testament where we’re really not sure what the original version said – e.g. ‘we have peace’ or ‘let us have peace’ (in Romans 5:1)
- There are only two well-known fragments of the New Testament which look like they have been added since the Bible was written, which most modern Bibles bracket out
Your questions answered
This is the first of a new feature called Your questions answered. (This particular video was originally recorded for my own church).
If you have a question about Christianity or the Bible, please send them in or comment below.
