How the New Testament was Preserved

Some question as to whether or not the New Testament has been properly preserved.  Critics state that the earliest full copies of the New Testament that we have are the Codex Vaticanus & the Codex Sinaiticus, both are dated in the early 300’s, around 300 years after the death of Christ.  Many question that if the message of the New Testament could have changed drastically between the time of Christ and the time of the Codex Vaticanus & Sinaiticus.  However, a scholarly study done by many, including Cold Case Homicide Detective J. Warner Wallace, shows that during the chain of transmission during this time period between the death of Jesus and the two Codex's is very strong.  We must consider the overwhelming manuscript evidence.  We have 24,000 New Testament Manuscripts from the 2nd & 3rd centuries in a variety of languages plus 36,000 New Testament manuscripts from early Church Fathers that quote directly from the New Testament.  

No other ancient manuscript in the world even comes close  to this.  When analyzed, the teachings of these manuscripts match up to what is taught in the two Codex's.  However, for J. Warner Wallace and other skeptics, this still wasn't enough to satisfy their answer.  They had to see how the teachings were passed down over the generations, from the time of the Apostles all the way to the time of the Codex's.

First, let us look at the Gospel of John.  The Apostle John was the youngest of the Disciples of Christ, and the only one who died a natural death at the age of 94.  Having lived from A.D. 6-100, John personally taught two important Church Fathers, one of which was Ignatius (A.D. 35-117), who became the Bishop of Antioch.  Scholars who examine the letters of Ignatius, reveal that he affirmed in his letters all of the major points described in the Gospels (Ex. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, he was the Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit & Born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified & killed on a Roman Cross & rose from the dead, he was a perfect man, etc.).  A second Church Father who was a pupil of the Apostle John was Polycarp (A.D. 69-155).  Polycarp became the Bishop of Smyrna.  Polycarp's letters likewise match up the what the Gospels taught about Jesus, affirming the exactly same thing that Ignatius also verified.  Both Ignatius and Polycarp became the mentors of Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyons in Gaul (now France).  Ireaneaus, who lived from A.D. 120-202 wrote an important work called Against Heresies.  In his book, Irenaeus identified 24 books in the New Testament and affirmed their scriptural authority.  Ireanaus in turn taught Hippolytus (A.D. 170-236) who published a 10-volume treaties called Refutation of All Heresies.  Like Irenaeus, he cited 24 books of the New Testament and affirmed their authority.  The works of all these scholars throughout the ages shows that the transmission of the Gospels from the Apostle John to the days of the Codex's is very strong.  

Now we move on to Peter, considered the first Disciple of Jesus.  John Mark and his cousin Barnabas, both are mentioned in the Books of Acts and other New Testament Letters, were very close to Peter.  John Mark wrote his Gospel (Mark) based on Peter's account.  Mark established a church in Alexandria and taught a number of Disciples: Anianus (died A.D. 82), Avilius (died A.D. 95), Kedron (died A.D. 106), Primus (A.D. 40-118), and Justus (died A.D. 135).  When Mark was still alive, he appointed Justus to head the Catechetical School of Alexandria.  Justus in turn taught Pantaenus, a renowned teacher and missionary who evangelized from Egypt to India.  Pantaenus in turn taught Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215).  Clement of Alexandria wrote several books on the authority of the New Testament, repeatedly citing the Gospels and Letters of the New Testament.  Clement of Alexandria later taught Origen (A.D. 185-254) who focused on preserving all the ancient eyewitness claims of the Apostles & Church Fathers, citing the reliability of the New Testament Gospels & letters and passing on the teachings to many students to ensure their preservation.  Origen wrote many books, including the five-volume Apology for Origen, which was carefully preserved by his pupil, Pamphilus of Caesarea.  Pamphilus then taught Eusebius (A.D. 263-339), who was a prolific writer that authored many works that still survive, including Church History, and confirmed the books of the New Testament as authentic.  

Finally, we conclude with the Apostle Paul (A.D. 5-67), who wrote a good deal of the New Testament.  Luke, the historian who was a friend of Paul, wrote his Gospel on Paul's Account as well as the Book of Acts. Paul taught Linus (A.D. 10-76), who became Pope of Rome after Peter's Death (Linus is specifically mentioned in the New Testament).  Clement (A.D. 35-101) was also a pupil of both Peter and Paul, and would succeed Linus as Pope of Rome in 88 A.D.  Clement wrote a number of letters, all of which match the description of Jesus that was given by both Ignatius & Polycarp.  Clement and Linus both passed on the accounts to Evaristus (died A.D. 109), Alexander I (died A.D. 115), Sixtus I (died A.D. 125), Telesphorus (died A.D. 136), Hyginus (died A.D. 140), and Pius I (A.D. 90-154).  These men in turn passed their teachings on to other renowned Apologists, one of which was Justin Martyr, a pupil of Pius I.  Justin wrote five books and quoted the all the Gospels as well as Revelation in his works.  He also became a teacher of Tatian the Assyrian (A.D. 120-180) who wrote 20 books.  The writings of all these teachers match up to the Gospel's of the Codex's.

These chains of transmission make it very clear that the Apostles took great lengths to ensure that their scriptures would be well protected and preserved for subsequent generations.  Their pupils maintained this practice, as did those who succeeded them.  Throughout Jewish history, its been proven that the religious scribes and teachers went to great effort to ensure the preservation of their scriptures, and the early Church maintain that practice.  The fact that there is such a vast number of surviving manuscripts from the New Testament and from the writings of the early Church Fathers attests to the determination of Church leaders to ensure that the scriptures were carefully preserved and properly passed down.  Thus, from our study we reach the following conclusions:

The students of John, Paul, and Peter confirm the accuracy of the Gospels.  The Eyewitnesses were conscientious and protective.  The Copyists and Scribes were meticulous.  We can therefore conclude that based on the chain of transmission and the overwhelming document preservation that the essential teachings of the Gospels have remained unchanged for two thousands years.  

Sources:

Brooks, Rice.  Man, Myth, Messiah.  Nashville: W. Publishing Group, 2016.

Limbaugh, David.  Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel.  Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 2014.

McDowell, Josh.  More Than a Carpenter.  Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1973.

McDowell, Josh & Jim Walker.  Understanding Islam & Christianity: Beliefs that Separate Us & How to Talk About Them.  Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2013.

Strobel, Lee.  The Case for Christ.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998.  

Wallace, J. Warner.  Cold Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels.  Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013.

White, James R.  What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur'an.  Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2013.