Building Bible Confidence: Part 2

Part 2: The Evidence of ‘Unity of Thought’ and ‘Manuscript Consistency’

We have begun a study of Building Bible Confidence by considering evidence that the Bible is reliable for what it claims. We began with a study considering ‘Self-Claim.’ The Bible writers claimed that their messages and the other messages contained in the Scriptures were inspired. But this evidence alone would be what some call circular reasoning. We need to consider additional evidence to corroborate the claims found with the document. In this article, we will consider the unity of thought within the documents as well as the manuscript consistency.

Unity of Thought

The conditions by which unity was achieved add significant credibility to this book's claim of divine inspiration. Consider the timeline of the Bible. The sixty-six books were written over a span of 1600 years, yet they flow with grace and unity. Consider the geographical location of the Bible. The books were written across parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe; yet they are consistent in the universal message of hope.

Consider the scribes who wrote down God's message: There were more than forty men from a variety of cultures and social positions; yet they wrote with a consistent voice. Consider the languages used to record the Scripture: it was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek; it yet translates beautifully into any language on Earth.

Consider the writing surfaces: the Scriptures were preserved on paper scrolls, stone tablets, and parchments of animal skins. Even though these materials waste away with time, the Scriptures were preserved and copied to last beyond the materials and reach new generations. How could so many people from so many different cultures, places, times, and languages unite to create an account of God’s love for mankind? The evidence points to a Source greater than man.

Manuscript Consistency

Some, however, may not be satisfied. Such a person may believe that the documents have been corrupted or ask how we can know that we have the same thing that was written down originally. Others may point to councils or dates such as Nicaea (circa AD 325) to show that it was only a council of men who determined what was Scripture and what was not. We don't have to fear councils that only affirmed what God had already authorized. Nor must we learn Greek and Hebrew in order to understand the uniformity of the Scriptures. The manuscripts (handwritten documents) we have today provide additional evidence that demonstrates the Bible is the inspired word of God.

The manuscripts that we have are copies. None of the original documents (called “autographs”) of the Bible have survived. (This may be for the best. Imagine the temptations to idolize such documents.) Since the Scriptures were written by hand, copies were constantly made and passed from church to church. New Testament manuscript fragments come from as early as 125AD and Old Testament manuscripts from as early as 200BC. These manuscripts that have survived were written by scribes. It was their job to copy exactly what the original autograph said. Copying the Scriptures was not like the children's game of Telephone (a group of children whisper a phrase, passing it along one at a time, and by the end the message is completely different). Professional scribes had access to the source material and copied the message with accuracy and skill.

The quantity of the manuscripts. As of 2025, there are more than 5,800 Greek partial manuscript copies of the New Testament, including fifty-nine full New Testament manuscripts. There are also more than 10,000 manuscripts in Latin (a contemporary language of Greek). All of these documents, from different times and places, have been placed along one another. All record the same message and thus validate the message itself.

The quality of the manuscripts. There are 138,162 words in the Greek New Testament. There are more than 400,000 textual variants between the manuscripts. A variant is a variation between two texts. Some conclude that so many variants prove the Bible is full of contradictions. There is, however, more than this one piece of data.

If we were to look up each textual variant, 99% would be simple spelling differences and transliterations (non-translatable words that are simply written phonetically in a new language.) Approximately 1% are called meaningful variants, which means two texts may phrase a word differently. When systematically compared, they are not viable as contradictions. Not one out of the 400,000 textual variants affect Christian doctrine or practice.

*This article was taken from The Bible Series, a twelve part study written by Jonathan Edwards. This study is available for free PDF download at www.pureandsimplebible.com

**Sources referenced include the following. Consider them for further study:

Bruce, Frederick F. The Canon of Scripture. InterVarsity Pr, 1997.

Miller, David. “3 Good Reasons to Believe the Bible Has Not Been Corrupted.” Apologetics Press, 22 Apr. 2024, www.apologeticspress.org/3-good-reasons-to-believe-the-bible-has-not-been-corrupted-5196/ 

Rogers, Justin. “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible.” Apologetics Press, 13 Jan. 2023, www.apologeticspress.org/the-dead-sea-scrolls-and-the-bible-5741/ 

Stuart, Ben. Has the Bible Been Corrupted? www.subsplash.com/breakaway/messages/mi/+9efb1f8