Give a reason · 1 Peter 3:15
Hasn't the Bible been changed over time?
The objection
The Bible was copied by hand for centuries and translated again and again. No original survives. How can anyone know what it first said?
What the evidence shows
- 01The copies differ, and scholars count the differences.
Estimates run from 200,000 to 400,000 variants across about 5,700 Greek and 10,000 Latin New Testament manuscripts.
- 02Comparing copies exposes later additions.
That is how scholars reached a broad consensus that the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11) was added later.
- 03The Dead Sea Scrolls pushed the Old Testament back a thousand years.
The Great Isaiah Scroll is about 1,000 years older than the previous oldest Hebrew manuscripts, and most of its differences are minor, like spelling and word order.
The Christian case
- 01More copies mean more variants, and more checks.ArgumentThe textual-criticism case
Because thousands of copies survive, scholars can compare them to find where scribes changed the text.
What Scripture says
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”Isaiah 40:8 (KJV)MeaningThe Bible claims God's word lasts.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”Matthew 24:35 (KJV)MeaningJesus makes the same claim for his own words.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)MeaningThe early church's view of Scripture's source.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1769 Authorized Version), public domain.
Where Christians differ
The KJV New Testament rests on the Textus Receptus, first printed by Erasmus from six Greek manuscripts, all from the 1100s or later. Most scholars prefer older manuscripts; some Christians still defend the Received Text.
What skeptics say
Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus (2005) argues scribes changed the New Testament in ways that matter, and we don't have the originals.
Did you know?
The oldest known scrap of the New Testament, papyrus P52, is about the size of a credit card and holds lines of John 18.
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“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)
Sources
- Textual variants in the New Testament, Wikipedia
- Jesus and the woman taken in adultery, Wikipedia
- Isaiah Scroll, Wikipedia
- Textus Receptus, Wikipedia
- Misquoting Jesus (2005), Wikipedia
- Rylands Library Papyrus P52, Wikipedia