The Transmission and Preservation of the Bible

The Original Manuscripts (Autographs)

The very first books of the Bible were written on fragile materials like papyrus (a plant-based paper) and vellum (animal skin). These original writings, known as autographs, were created by the original authors—for instance, Moses for the Pentateuch or the Apostle Paul for his letters. Due to the materials’ fragility and the immense passage of time, none of these original autographs exist today. Instead, we rely on thousands of copies that were meticulously made by hand over many centuries.

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Transmission and Copying

After the originals were written, scribes painstakingly copied them to create new scrolls and books. This was a crucial step in preserving the text, but it also introduced the possibility of minor errors. For the Old Testament, the Masoretes were Jewish scribes who developed a system to preserve the Hebrew text with incredible accuracy between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. For the New Testament, we have an abundance of early copies—over 5,800 Greek manuscripts alone. Some of the most famous include:

• The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered in 1947): These ancient scrolls from around 250 BC to AD 68 contain nearly all the books of the Old Testament and provide a snapshot of the text a thousand years older than previous discoveries.
• The Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (4th century AD): These are two of the oldest and most complete manuscripts of the entire Bible.

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The Formation of the Canon

Before the Bible could be translated and printed, the books had to be officially recognized. The term canon refers to the collection of books accepted as authoritative and inspired scripture. The Old Testament canon was generally established by the time of Jesus, with the books accepted by the Jewish community. The New Testament canon was formed over several centuries as early Christians recognized and confirmed the books that had been written by the apostles or their close companions. By the 4th century, the 27 books of the New Testament were widely accepted.

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Translation into Common Languages

For many centuries, the Bible was primarily in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. A major turning point came when it was translated into the vernacular, or the language of the common people. This made it accessible to a much broader audience. Key figures in this movement include:

• John Wycliffe (14th century): Created the first complete English translation of the Bible, though it was copied by hand.
• Johannes Gutenberg (15th century): His invention of the printing press made it possible to produce Bibles on a massive scale for the first time.
• William Tyndale (16th century): He translated the New Testament into English directly from Greek and was a key figure in the English Reformation.

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Modern Translations and Textual Criticism

Modern Bible translation is a complex science called textual criticism. Scholars compare thousands of ancient manuscripts—including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the old codices—to piece together the most accurate and original reading of the text. Today’s translations fall into two main categories:

• Formal Equivalence: A word-for-word approach that tries to stay as close as possible to the original language (e.g., King James Version, New American Standard Bible).
• Dynamic Equivalence: A thought-for-thought approach that prioritizes readability and clarity of meaning in modern language (e.g., New Living Translation, The Message).

The Bible’s journey from an ancient scroll to a modern book is a testament to its preservation and the dedication of countless individuals who worked to make it accessible to everyone.