Papyrus manuscripts provide the earliest physical witnesses to the New Testament, anchoring the text in the second and third centuries C.E.
Why Papyrus Is Vital for Ascertaining the Original Words of the New Testament Text
Codex Vaticanus and Its Role in Preserving the Alexandrian Tradition
Codex Vaticanus offers an early, disciplined Alexandrian text of most of the New Testament, anchoring modern critical editions and confirming the stability of the original wording.
Papyrus 72 and the General Epistles of Peter and Jude
Papyrus 72 offers an early, Alexandrian-leaning text of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude, revealing a devout but fallible scribe and strongly supporting the letters’ stability.
The Relationship Between Papyrus 75 and Codex Vaticanus
Papyrus 75 and Codex Vaticanus form a tightly related Alexandrian line, showing that Luke and John were transmitted with exceptional stability from the second to fourth century.
Papyrus 66 and Its Witness to the Johannine Text
Papyrus 66, an early second-century codex of John, reveals a largely Alexandrian text and proves that the Johannine Gospel was stable and widely used soon after composition.
How Early Readers Used New Testament Codices: Understanding the Function and Use of Early Christian Manuscripts
Early Christians used codices for public reading, teaching, and preservation, ensuring faithful transmission of the apostolic writings.
The Transition from Scroll to Codex in the Early Church: The Shift That Preserved the New Testament Text
The early Church’s adoption of the codex revolutionized Scripture preservation, enabling the faithful transmission of the New Testament text.
Scribal Spacing and Word Division in Early New Testament Manuscripts: Scriptio Continua, Paratext, and the Documentary Evidence
Early papyri show scriptio continua with sparse sense markers. Spacing aids reading without altering wording, reinforcing the stability of the early text.
Scribal Habits in the Early New Testament Papyri
Early New Testament papyri reveal scribal habits that show remarkable accuracy, minimal errors, and faithful preservation of the text.
Why P46 Refutes Ehrman on the Pauline Epistles
P46, dated 100–150 C.E., preserves the Pauline Epistles in stable form, refuting Ehrman’s claims of late collection and theological corruption.
