The Bible was written over many centuries, copied by hand for more than a thousand years, translated into numerous languages, and distributed throughout the ancient world.
That naturally raises an important question:
How can we know the Bible we read today accurately reflects what the original authors wrote?
Some assume that centuries of copying must have hopelessly corrupted the text. Others point to the remarkable number of ancient manuscripts, the careful work of Jewish scribes and early Christian copyists, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the science of textual criticism as reasons for confidence.
The accompanying Apples of Gold article explores how God preserved His Word throughout history and why Christians believe the Bible has been faithfully transmitted across the centuries.
Questions for Discussion
-
What first convinced you that the Bible has—or has not—been accurately preserved?
-
Does the large number of biblical manuscripts increase your confidence in the Bible’s reliability? Why or why not?
-
What significance do you think the Dead Sea Scrolls have for our understanding of the Old Testament?
-
How should Christians respond when someone says, “The Bible has been copied too many times to know what it originally said”?
-
Does the existence of minor manuscript differences weaken your confidence in Scripture, or do you see them differently?
-
Why do you think God chose to preserve His Word through ordinary human means, such as scribes and copyists, rather than through continual miracles?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Related Apples of Gold article: