A few years ago, I was in Russia speaking at a conference for young leaders in an amazing church-planting movement. In the previous 20 years, they had planted over 2,000 churches, yet within living memory their leaders had been imprisoned. Getting ahold of a Bible had been nearly impossible. The government had even tried to persuade the children of Christian families that the Bible was filled with legends that only the most simple-minded people would believe.
The idea that the Bible is full of legends is not confined to the past; many people in the U.S. assume that the Bible is primarily mythological rather than reliable. Of course, when they do ask us questions about it, they are asking us about one book. They don’t know it is made up of 66 books written in different languages over 1,600 years by more than 40 authors on different continents who were from all kinds of different backgrounds.
The vast spread of the Bible’s social, geographical and cultural original contexts was then followed by a multiplication of these diversities as the manuscripts were copied and spread throughout the known world.
During the early Christian era, the writing material most commonly used was papyrus. This highly durable reed from the Nile Valley was glued together, then laid out to dry in the sun. However, it was relatively fragile, and with multiple usage over generations, it could wear out and break. This means that the very earliest manuscripts of the New Testament that survived came to us in fragmentary form.
So how did we arrive at the Bible we now have? Countless ancient manuscripts had to be examined and verified so that the actual text we have translated into English today is extremely well-attested to historically.
Last September I had the privilege of teaching at a conference in Egypt for global church leaders. We had the opportunity to visit both Saint Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai, and then climb the “Mountain of Moses” as it is known there, and watch the sun rise from the summit. We shared the Eucharist and prayed for the world in the 15 different languages represented in our group, in the place where it is believed the Ten Commandments were given.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery played a significant role in preserving the ancient manuscripts of the Bible and the early church. Until 1844, the monks of Saint Catherine’s preserved the earliest full copy of the New Testament in the Codex Sinaiticus. Having a document such as this, along with many other historical sources, gives us confidence that there was not time for legends or myths to be included in the text. The New Testament is early, reliable, stable and trustworthy.
Faithfulness makes an impact for generations. The monks of Saint Catherine’s have withstood political and religious upheaval over the years, worshiping daily with unchanged liturgy. Their steadfast commitment through the centuries has made a difference to any who ask whether the Bible can be trusted today. The faithfulness of those who have resisted the pressures of governments trying to stop them matter as the church continues to grow. As we face challenge and opposition in our contexts, let’s be encouraged to keep going with consistency, moral courage and confidence in the Scriptures as God’s Word for all time—including our time.
Amy Orr-Ewing is honorary lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and distinguished scholar at Wheaton College.