Is it true that the earliest copies of the New Testament were around 125 AD, only about 25 years later than the date it was written? Is it also true that earliest copies of works of Aristotle are around 1100 AD, or about 1400 years later than the time Aristotle lived? -- Kevin
The oldest New Testament manuscript does date to around 110-125 A.D. (I have seen it with my eyes, and touched it with my hands!) As the New Testament was completed somewhere between 70 and 95 AD (give or take), the gap is only about one or two generations. In Aristotle's case, from 340 BC to 1100 AD (date of manuscripts), the gap is over 1400 years. This is not a span of 1 or 2 generations, but perhaps 50 generations! The textual evidence is one reason we can trust in the accuracy of the scriptures. For more on this, please see my book Compelling Evidence.
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