CHAPTER 1. The New Testament Canon

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 1 In this chapter, we will study The New Testament Canon What we mean by Bible and testament How the books of the New Testament are organized A general overview of the timeline of these writings in the first century world Why the writings were undertaken, and how the tasks were accomplished Views about how the writers were inspired by God as they wrote How the writings came to have chapters and verses How the writings came together in its current form i.e. the process of canonization Criteria used by early Christians to establish canonicity The purpose of the New Testament Modern translations of the Bible The Bible Bible The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblia 1 a plural word referring to a collection of writings When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. (2 Tim. 4:13) Scripture The word Scripture comes from the Greek word grammata (Latin is scriptura) in the context of the religious writings, these are also called Holy Scriptures (NIV) or sacred writings. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, 1 In Greek, biblia comes from a word that referred to parts of the Papyrus plant that were used to make the paper-like writing material used in the ancient world.

2 which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. 3:15 see also Dan. 9:2) The Bible is a collection of writings The collection is referred to using the singular nouns Bible, Scripture, or Canon The plural noun Scriptures can also be used to refer to the collection The words Bible and Scripture are proper nouns and should always be capitalized 2 THE CONCEPT OF TESTAMENTS The concept of testament as a record of God s promise and work comes from Jeremiah "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34) (NASV) 3 THE TERM CANON Canon literally means rod or bar Refers to a standard by which one measures something Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) 2 The capitalization of these words is not because of reverence but because all proper nouns in English are capitalized. 3 See also Hebrews 8 2

3 Organization of the Books of the New Testament (with abbreviations) Gospels Titus (Ti) Synoptic Gospels Philemon (Phlm) o Matthew (Mt) General Epistles o Mark (Mk) Hebrews (Heb) o Luke (Lk) James (Jas) Non-Synoptic Gospel 1 Peter (1 Pt) o John (John) 2 Peter (2 Pt) History 1 John (1 Jn) Acts (Acts) 2 John (2 Jn) Epistles of Paul 3 John (3 Jn) Romans (Rom) Jude (Jude) 1 Corinthians (1 Cor) Prophecy 2 Corinthians (2 Cor) Revelation (Rv) Galatians (Gal) Ephesians (Eph) Philippians (Phil) Colossians (Col) 1 Thessalonians (1 Thes) 2 Thessalonians (2 Thes) 1 Timothy (1 Tim) 2 Timothy (2 Tim) 3

4 Figure 1 A chronology of New Testament Writings

5 The Writing of the New Testament Quote of Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, c. AD 100 The New Testament Canon Matthew compiled the sayings in the Aramaic language and each one interpreted them as the best they could... Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter wrote down accurately everything that he had remembered... taking care not to omit anything he heard nor to set down any false statement therein. 4 WHY THE WRITINGS WERE UNDERTAKEN The delayed return of Jesus - and the consequent death of the eyewitnesses, To provide an orderly account of Jesus life (Lk 1:1) To answer questions regarding doctrine and church order (1 Corinthians) To encourage the persecuted (1 Pt) To preserve the history of the church (Acts) To deal with the growing misunderstandings about Jesus and the gospel (John) Figure 2 Greek uncial on Papyrus THE WRITING OF THE DOCUMENTS Manuscripts (means written by hand ) Papyri From the papyrus plant John Ryland s Fragment (Figure 3) John 18:31-34, Commonly used in scrolls Parchment Figure 3 John Ryland s Fragment 4 From Stephen Carlson The Synoptic Problem Home Page: External Evidence, Papias. 5

6 Latin: pergamenum (associated with Pergamum in Asia Minor) Sheets made from animal skins (Codex Amiatinus is the oldest complete copy of the Vulgate and required the skins of 1,550 calves) Fine parchment (high quality) was called vellum made from calf and goat skins Parchment differs from leather parchment is not tanned Scrolls Either papyrus or parchment Sections were sewn together into long sheets Ends were rolled between two rods Disadvantages Bulky Figure 4 Scroll of Isaiah from Dead Sea Scrolls The rolling process restricted writing to only one side of the material Dead Sea Scrolls Discovered in 1947 near Qumran, west of the Dead Sea Probably an Essene community Manuscripts have been found in eleven caves Writings range from 250 BC to AD 70 Contains nearly all of the books of the canonical Old Testament (except Esther) Includes much of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Includes the complete text of Isaiah copied c. 100 BC (see Figure 4 5 ) Figure 5 Qumran cave of the Dead Sea Scrolls 5 Figure 4 was copied from 6

7 Codex (plural is codices ) Literally means tree trunk - but refers to binding in book form Either papyrus or parchment Pages and covers were sewn together along one edge Advantages Compact Both sides could be written upon Examples Codex Vaticanus Codex Sinaiticus Nag Hammadi Gnostic writings Date to AD 350 Found in 1945 in Egypt Figure 6 Papyrus 46 Sheets of papyrus bound in leather 6 Written in Coptic Personal Colophons o o Colophons are brief personal remarks written by a scribe in the margins or at the end of a manuscript Examples found on ancient documents He who does not know how to write supposes it to be no labor; but though only the fingers write, the whole body labors. Writing bows one s back, thrusts the ribs into one s stomach, and fosters a general debility of the body. 6 Figure 5 was copied from 7

8 As travelers rejoice to see their home country, so is the end of a book to those who toil in writing. The end of the book; thanks be to God. Whoever says, God bless the soul of the scribe, God will bless his soul Fool and knave, can t you leave the old reading alone and not alter it! I adjure you who shall copy out this book, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by his glorious advent when he comes to judge the living and the dead, that you compare what you transcribe, and correct it carefully against this manuscript from which you copy; and also that you transcribe this adjuration and insert it into a copy. Inspiration of the writings THE TERMS REVELATION, INSPIRATION, AND ILLUMINATION Revelation - God s self-disclosure to us Inspiration The Holy Spirit s work of helping the writers express God s revelation in terms that we can understand Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pt 1:20-21) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17) Illumination- The Holy Spirit s work in helping each of us understand and apply Scripture We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (1 Cor 2:6-13) 8

9 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (John 16:13-14) General Revelation TYPES OF REVELATION For since the creation of the world God s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Rom 1:20) Special Revelation Surely you have heard about the administration of God s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God s grace given me through the working of his power. (Eph 3:2-7) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Heb 1:1-2) Dictation Theory THEORIES OF INSPIRATION The personality of the writer is not important God dictated every word of Scripture Example: the Ten Commandments Problems Most of the Bible does not contain the claim of direct dictation like the Ten Commandments The personalities of the different writers are clearly seen in their writings Dynamic Theory This view claims that the Bible is theologically reliable However, the view denies the historical or scientific reliability of the Bible (i.e. the Bible is not a book of science) 9

10 Problem - Who is to say when the Bible is teaching theology or something else? Proponent- Clark Pinnock Plenary/Verbal Theory God s supervision of the writer The supervision extends to the words without obscuring the personality of the writer Places importance on the specific words of scripture How the Canon Came To Be In Its Current Form CANON CONTROVERSY The terms Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical 7 Apocrypha The preferred term for Protestants when referring to writings that were not viewed as canonical The term apocrypha (meaning hidden ) means that something about the writings authorship, purpose, or teaching was suspicious i.e. inconsistent with the writings that were viewed as genuinely apostolic Deuterocanonical 8 The preferred term for Catholics when referring to the Apocrypha The term deuterocanonical means second canon suggesting that the writings are good for devotional reading, but are not of the same quality as the canonical books Council of Trent (AD 1546) accepted the Apocrypha as canonical (except for Prayer of Manasseh and 1 st and 2 nd Esdras) 7 From Oxford Annotated Bible, xxi-xxii; and AP, iii-xii 8 Sixtus of Sienna (AD 1566) coined the terms Protocanonical and Deuterocanonical 10

11 PRE-NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA 9 There are 15 writings that belong to the Intertestamental Period between the Old Testament and the New Testament Tobit Judith The Additions to Esther The Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus Baruch The Letter of Jeremiah The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews Susanna Bel and the Dragon 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 1 Esdras The Prayer of Manasseh 2 Esdras Eastern Orthodox Christians add three additional books to the Apocrypha 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Psalm 151 New Testament writers do not quote from any of the apocryphal writings These writings were never included in the Hebrew canon by Jewish scholars Jerome (c. AD ) rejected these as canonical NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA 10 These writings are sometimes referred to as the lost books of the Bible. However, they were never lost and they were never part of the canonical New Testament. Infancy gospels Protoevangelium of James Infancy Gospel of Thomas Passion gospels (from pathos, meaning suffering ) 9 These writings contain stories that relate more to the Old Testament and Intertestamental periods than to the first century AD 10 Written mostly between AD

12 Gospel of Peter Gospel of Nicodemus Jewish Christian gospels Gospel of Nazareans Gospel of Ebionites Gospel of Hebrews Heretical gospels Gospel of Truth Gospel of Thomas Apocryphal Acts Acts of John Acts of Peter Acts of Paul Acts of Andrew Acts of Thomas Apocryphal epistles Proclamation of Peter Epistle of Laodiceans Apocryphal apocalypses Ascension of Isaiah Apocalypse of Peter Pseudepigrapha Literally means false writings suggesting that they named author was not the actual author Refers to any writing of the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical and New Testament Apocrypha period whose authorship is a false claim Writings ascribed to someone other than the actual author 12

13 Criteria for Canonicity The early church did not establish formal rules about which writings would be included in the canon. Today, we rely upon observations made as we look back on the processes the early church used. In writings as early as 2 Thessalonians, Paul indicates concern to establish the legitimacy of his writing I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. (2 Thes 3:17) Paul taught that the Holy Spirit would enable believers to distinguish between truth and heresy (1 Cor 12:7-11) Apostolic authority EARLY TESTS FOR CANONICITY 11 Luke and Mark - not apostles, but authenticated by the apostles Many later writings claimed apostolic authorship, but were spurious 2 apocalypses - Peter and Paul 3 Gospels - Peter, Thomas, Philip Acts: of John, of Peter, of Andrew, of Thomas Pseudonymous writings were rejected Antiquity - the writing must have belonged to the Apostolic Age (AD ) Orthodoxy F. F. Bruce says By orthodoxy they meant the apostolic faith - the faith set in the undoubted apostolic writings and maintained in the churches which had been founded by apostles 12 The question of orthodoxy asked how a given writing preserved the apostolic teachings about Jesus: his humanity and deity, death by crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. 11 From F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture, Downers Grove; InterVarsity Press, F.F. Bruce, p

14 Catholicity The writing must have been authoritative for the entire Christian church and not limited in application only to a given church or individual Do not confuse catholicity with Catholic Catholicity - the Greek word katholikos means general, worldwide, or universal Catholic (with a capital C ) has become the term used by the church in Rome to describe the universal reach of that Christian denomination. Traditional use Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. (Jude 3) Inspiration (see Inspiration on page 9 ) only writings viewed as having been inspired by the Holy Spirit were included in the canon Other criteria that were considered Internal evidence Did the content of the book agree with other canonical writings? Some books in question James - two objections Some thought his teachings about works disagreed with Paul s teachings about grace The book of James was viewed as primarily practical and not doctrinal Jude - contains a reference to a non-canonical source (1 Enoch) Hebrews - anonymous 2 Peter - questions regarding authorship and dating Revelation - problems with millenarianism 13 and the apocalyptic genre 13 Millenarian views are those related to a period of 1,000 years (Rev 20: 1-7). This will be discussed in the last chapter of these notes. 14

15 External evidence What factors outside of the accepted writings cast doubt upon the writing Standard questions were examined Did the writing have clear apostolic authority? Was the work pseudepigraphic (were there questions about authorship)? How was the writing being received by other churches The Process of Canonization Canonization is described as a process to make the points that No person, council, or committee made the decision about the final form of the canon Decisions about which writings would be included in New Testament were made by believers in churches throughout the early Christian world over a period of about 300 years Believers needed time to Wait as the writings were copied and disseminated throughout the churches Read (or hear) the writings numerous times Pray about what they were learning Study and compare the various writings Get answers to questions they had about questions of authorship, etc. Dialog with believers in other churches BY THE MID-SECOND CENTURY C. AD Four gospels, the book of Acts, and the letters of Paul were found in most churches Other writings were also being read in the churches Epistle of Barnabas 15

16 Shepherd of Hermas First Clement to Corinth Apocalypse of Peter Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Heresies emerged that were directly related to the question of the canon (esp. Marcion and Montanus) Significant People in the Second Century Marcion of Sinope Died c. AD 160 Viewed as a second-century heretic ultimately excommunicated in AD 144 Proposed the first list of canonical writings - his attempt was to produce a complete Bible Marcion s motive was doctrinal Doctrinal presuppositions Father of Jesus Christ is a God of love He viewed Yahweh of the Old Testament as a god of wrath Thus, he concluded, the God of the New Testament could not be the God of the Old Testament Marcion taught God is love and cannot be capricious or harsh Grace is superior to law Marcion s canon Rejected all of the Old Testament Accepted only an edited version of Luke s gospel Rejected Acts since it authenticated the apostolic work of Peter Accepted only ten of Paul s letters 16

17 Montanus C. AD Viewed as a second-century heretic Was accompanied by two prophetesses, Prisca and Maximilla Taught that the Holy Spirit was continuing to disclose new revelations through him and his prophetesses, of course! This heresy was causing confusion with the churches original apostolic teachings were being confused with the stream of new teachings that Montanus taught were from God This heresy highlighted the need to establish that the canon was closed with the apostolic writings Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons c. AD Opposed Marcion Irenaeus motive was apologetic (a defense of the faith) Wrote Against All Heresies Used a rational approach to canonicity There are four points on the compass There are four winds coming from the four corners of the earth Therefore, there must be four and only four gospels Irenaeus canon Four gospels Acts (first Apostolic Father to specifically mention Acts) 1 Peter 1 and 2 John Revelation All of the Pauline epistles except Philemon 17

18 Muratorian Fragment Oldest extant list of New Testament writings 14 Discovered by L. A. Muratori Belongs to the end of the second century AD Listed all of the New Testament books except Hebrews James 1 Peter 1 John 3 John Also accepted the canonicity of The Apocalypse of Peter Wisdom of Solomon THIRD CENTURY First half of the third century saw continuing opposition to heresies Last half of the third century intense persecution of Christianity Significant Persons of the Third Century Tertullian C. AD Wrote from Carthage Opposed the heresies of Marcion 14 See translation at 18

19 Origin C. AD From Alexandria, but wrote mostly from Caesarea in Palestine Opposed heresies Reported that the churches were generally using most of the New Testament books Disputed books were: James, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and 2 Peter FOURTH CENTURY The canon was able to come together in the fourth century because of Legalization of Christianity by Constantine in AD 312 Better organization among the churches Improved communication Significant Persons and Artifacts from the Fourth Century Eusebius of Caesarea c. AD Father of Church History Wrote the Ecclesiastical History Eusebius motivation was historical Threefold division of canonical books Recognized books Four Gospels Acts Pauline Epistles (including Hebrews) 1 Peter 1 John Revelation (perhaps) 19

20 Disputed books James Jude 2 and 3 John Those not accepted as genuine Acts of Paul Shepherd of Hermas Apocalypse of Peter Epistle of Barnabas The Teachings of the Apostles Revelation ( perhaps) Heretical writings Pseudo gospels All Acts of any apostle Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria c. AD , Wrote his Thirty-ninth Easter Letter in AD 367 First to refer to the 27 books of the New Testament as canon Jerome c. AD Commissioned by Pope Damasus to translated the Old and New Testaments into Latin Translator of the Vulgate - the Latin version of the complete Bible Accepted the canonicity of the 27 New Testament books Jerome also included the Apocrypha, but not as canonical Jerome wrote prefaces to the Apocryphal books. However, later copyists failed to include the prefaces, giving these books apparent canonical status. 20

21 Third Council of Carthage AD 397 Affirmed the 27 books of the New Testament This was not a majority vote that settled all questions of the canon The council simply shows us that the modern canon was generally accepted by AD 397 The Purpose of the New Testament To show the Christocentric unity of both testaments You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39 see also John 20:31; Acts 18:28) To provide a selective presentation of the life of Jesus Christ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30 see also John 21:25) Didactic (instructional) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mt 28:19-20 see also 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 2:2) To encourage In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Pt 1:6-9) To record fulfilled prophecies After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:22) To show the relationship of the Old Testament to Christianity our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Pt 3:15b-16 see also John 2:22) 21

22 To help believers remember The New Testament Canon And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Pt 1:15) To Present the new covenant For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Heb 9:15 see also Mt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6; 2 Cor 3:14; Heb 7:22) Modern Translations of the Bible Any translation must consider these five issues Words Grammar Idioms Culture History Three types of translation Literal Takes all five issues as literally as possible Examples KJV- King James Version NAS- New American Standard NRSV- New Revised Standard Version - As literal as possible, as free as necessary Dynamic equivalent Will update everything except history The translation will be thought for thought and phrase for phrase not word for word No attempt is made to be literally accurate in anything but meaning Examples 22

23 NIV - New International Version NEB - New English Bible Free Will change #1 - #5 to tell a story Examples Cotton Patch version by Clarence Jordan The Living Bible (paraphrase) Chapter and verse divisions When studying the New Testament, it is important to ignore all chapter and verse divisions! None of the original writings included these arbitrary divisions. The original New Testament writings were written in sentence and paragraph form. It is best to look for paragraph divisions in order to keep track with where the writer decided to change thought. The NIV Study Bible does an excellent job of indicating paragraph divisions the way you would see them in normal English writing. Verse divisions are shown within paragraphs for reverence. Chapter Divisions Chapter divisions are attributed to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. AD 1228). Langton s work on chapter divisions was completed in AD His work was so popular that even the Jews adopted his chapter divisions for their Scriptures. Verse Divisions Jewish scholars divided the Hebrew Old Testament into logical sections as early as AD Many Hebrew passages include little marks that instruct the reader where to pause and breathe. The Greek New Testament was not as easy to divide into verses as the Hebrew Old Testament. Eph 1:3-14 is a classic example of Paul s grammar. All 12 verses of this passage are one sentence in Greek! On the other extreme is the grammar of 2 Peter. The author of 2 Peter appears to have had almost no knowledge of how to write using proper Greek grammar. 2 Peter is very difficult to read in Greek, and finding logical places for divide verses is very arbitrary. 23

24 For the New Testament, verse divisions are attributed to Robert Stephanus 15 (AD ). Stephanus was a Greek and Latin scholar who worked in Paris and Geneva. He published several editions of the New Testament in Greek. His famous edition in AD 1551 is the first to contain verse division. Catholic scholars in France were so critical of his work that Stephanus had to flee to Geneva, Switzerland. He converted to Calvinism in Geneva and continued his work as a Protestant. One of the most important things to remember about chapter and verse divisions is that you should never allow them to affect how you interpret the Bible! 15 Robert Stephanus is his Latin name. His birth name was Robert Estienne. 24

25 The Relative Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts Author # of Copies When Written Earliest Copy Time Span Caesar BC AD 900 1,000 years Plato BC AD 900 1,200 years Tacitus 20 AD 100 AD ,000 years Pliny 7 AD 100 AD years Thucydides BC AD 900 1,300 years Herodotus BC AD 900 1,300 years Sophocles BC AD ,400 years Euripides BC AD ,500 years Demosthenes BC AD ,300 years Aristotle BC AD ,400 years Homer BC 400 BC 500 years New Testament 25,000* AD AD years * The 25,000 manuscripts fall into three categories 1. 5,300 known Greek manuscripts 2. 10,000+ copies of the Vulgate 3. 9,300 other early versions Some of the Oldest New Testament Manuscripts 16 John Ryland s Fragment of John s gospel AD 130 Bodmer Papyrus 2 AD Chester Beatty Papyri Codex Vaticanus Codex Sinaiticus 17 Codex Alexandrinus AD 200 (contains most of the New Testament) AD (contains nearly all of the Bible) AD 350 ( contains almost all of the New Testament and half of the Old Testament) AD 400 (contains almost the complete Bible) 16 These and other manuscripts are viewable at htt:// 17 Viewable at 25