The Manuscripts

The distribution of New Testament manuscripts shows a clear pattern: very few early manuscripts exist, with the vast majority coming from much later centuries:

Data from Institute for New Testament Textual Research

This data shows a significant gap between the events described in the New Testament (c. 30-100 CE) and our earliest manuscript evidence. The vast majority of manuscripts date from medieval times, over 700 years after the events they describe.

Earliest Gospel Manuscripts

The four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) form the core of the New Testament and are the primary sources for information about Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

Manuscript Date Type Content
P104 c. 150-200 CE Fragment Matthew 21:34-37, 43, 45
P137 c. 150-250 CE Fragment Mark 1:7-9, 16-18
P75 c. 175-225 CE Partial Portions of Luke 3-18, 22-24
P52 c. 125-175 CE Fragment John 18:31-33, 37-38
Codex Sinaiticus c. 330-360 CE Complete First complete manuscript of all four gospels

Earliest Pauline Manuscripts

The letters attributed to Paul constitute a significant portion of the New Testament and provide crucial insights into early Christian theology and community formation.

Manuscript Date Type Content
P46 c. 175-225 CE Partial Contains portions of Romans, Hebrews, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians
P32 c. 200 CE Fragment Contains Titus 1:11-15, 2:3-8
P87 c. 250 CE Fragment Contains Philemon 13-15, 24-25
Codex Sinaiticus c. 325 CE Complete Contains all of Paul's letters in the modern canon

Earliest Other Manuscripts

Beyond the gospels and Pauline epistles, the New Testament contains several other important texts, including Acts, the general epistles, and Revelation.

Manuscript Date Type Content
P29 c. 175-225 CE Fragment Acts 26:7-8, 20
P47 c. 250-300 CE Partial Revelation 9:10-17:2
P72 c. 300-350 CE Complete Contains complete text

Textual Changes

The New Testament manuscripts contain numerous textual variants and later interpolations, showing that the texts evolved over time. These changes have been separated into two detailed analyses:

Textual Variants

Different readings of the same passages across manuscripts, showing how texts changed during transmission.

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Interpolations

Passages added to the texts after original composition, representing later theological developments.

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These changes demonstrate that the New Testament texts were not perfectly preserved but underwent modifications during transmission. The later the manuscript evidence, the more opportunity existed for alterations, embellishments, and theological adjustments.