Look What They Found!

A team from the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) just returned from a month-long trip to Greece and Romania. And remarkably, during this expedition they discovered at least ten New Testament manuscripts. Every time a new manuscript is discovered it provides one more piece in the puzzle of the genealogical tree to which all manuscripts are connected. Each tells its own story, and every handwritten manuscript is a unique document—a witness to the original text.

Among the manuscripts CSNTM discovered on this expedition is a seventh-century majuscule (think capital letters) codex. There are a little more than three hundred extant majuscule manuscripts of the New Testament, so this codex is in rare company. And manuscripts from the seventh century (600s) are few in number. Any manuscript from before AD 1000 is a real find.

Another manuscript previously unknown to New Testament scholars was a large lectionary (list of scriptural texts recommended for use in worship or study on a particular day--see photo) from the eleventh century. Housed at the Museum of Art in Iasi, Romania, it is a magnificent volume. Weighing in at over 20 lbs., with exactly 800 pages of text, it’s no lightweight. In fact, this manuscript is the fourth longest and third largest lectionary from the eleventh century that exists today.

Each of these discoveries helps New Testament scholars piece together the transmission of the text. CSNTM leads the world in discovering New Testament manuscripts. Since their inception, they have discovered more manuscripts than all the individuals and institutes combined have done in the same time. Ultimately, all the data together will help them gain insights and confidence regarding the exact wording of the original text.

To learn more about CSNTM's work, go here.