Why Trust the Bible When it has Changed Over Time?
When skeptics ask, Hasn't the Bible changed over time? they often raise concerns about potential errors, alterations or inconsistencies that might have occurred during the centuries of copying, translation, and transmission. They may wonder whether the Bible we read today accurately reflects the original writings. The good news for those who seek the truth is that the core message of the Bible has not only remained remarkably consistent, but it has also been remarkably well-preserved through history. This article explores why the Bible's message has not changed, emphasizing the evidence from manuscript counts, discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls, fulfilled prophecies and historical verifications that support its integrity.
The Abundance of Ancient Biblical Manuscripts
One of the strongest proofs that the Bible has not changed over time is the incredible number and age of its manuscripts. The New Testament, for example, boasts over 5000 Greek manuscripts alone. This number dwarfs the manuscript counts of virtually every other ancient work, such as the writings of Caesar or Plato. Caesar's Gallic Wars survives in just about ten manuscripts, and Plato's works are preserved in fewer than seven. In contrast, the New Testament, whose earliest fragments date back to within a mere 100 years of the original writings, has over 24000 manuscript witnesses when you include those in other ancient languages like Latin, Syriac, and Coptic.
This overwhelming number of manuscripts gives scholars an unparalleled ability to cross-check and compare texts. The result is that the New Testament has been preserved with 99.5% textual purity, and the few variations that do exist - often minor spelling differences or copyist errors - don't affect the meaning or theological message of the text. This level of preservation would be unthinkable for most ancient writings, where surviving manuscripts are often much more limited and much farther removed from the original autographs.
Early fragments like the Rylands Papyrus (P52), dated to around 125 AD, preserve portions of the Gospel of John, and these texts were copied only a few decades after the original Gospel was written. This close proximity between the original texts and the earliest copies strengthens the case that the Bible has remained remarkably faithful to its original form.
No other ancient text has so many early, independent copies. The sheer volume and closeness of these manuscripts to the originals make the Bible the most historically attested document in antiquity.
Dr. Bruce Metzger, one of the foremost New Testament academic scholars says "The textual variations in the New Testament manuscripts are relatively insignificant in terms of the substance of Christian doctrine." Even Dr. Bart Ehrman, a non Christian and a New Testament scholar and well known critic of the textual scholarship of the New Testament says that he agrees with Dr. Metzger, in his book Misquoting Jesus.
If he and I were put in a room and asked to hammer out a consensus statement on what we think the original text of the New Testament looked like, there would be very few points of disagreement ... The position I argue for in Misquoting Jesus does not actually stand at odds with Prof. Metzger's position that the essential Christian beliefs are not affected by textual variants in the manuscript tradition of the New Testament.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Role in Preservation
One of the most significant archaeological discoveries in biblical history came in 1947 with the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls near Qumran. These ancient scrolls, some of which date back to the 3rd century BC, contain copies of almost every book of the Old Testament. The importance of these scrolls lies not only in their age but in the incredible consistency they show with later manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were written nearly a thousand years before the oldest known Hebrew manuscripts that existed prior to their discovery. Yet, when scholars compared the scrolls to later texts, they found an astonishing word for word agreement between the two such, with the small differences being mostly minor spelling variations.
The Isaiah Scrolls proved to be word-for-word identical with the standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95% of the text, confirming the accuracy and reliability of the Masoretic Text.
This finding shattered the assumption that the Hebrew Bible might have undergone significant changes or corruption over the centuries. In fact, it showed that the texts had been copied with incredible care and consistency. The message of the Old Testament, as preserved in the scrolls, remained remarkably intact over the course of a millennium. These scrolls are also important because they include prophetic writings like the Book of Isaiah, which show that prophecies written long before their fulfillment remain unchanged. Such discoveries strongly suggest that the Bible has been faithfully transmitted across generations.
The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa) from the Dead Sea Scrolls, via Wikimedia Commons. This image is in the public domain.
The Prophetic Accuracy
A defining feature of the Bible is its prophetic nature. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies, many of which were fulfilled long after they were written. Skeptics often question whether these prophecies were written after the events they predict, but the discovery of ancient texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, conclusively refutes this notion.
For example Daniel's Prophecy of the Rise and Fall of Empires. The book of Daniel, written around 600–530 BC, contains prophetic visions of world empires that align precisely with post-Daniel history. In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a statue made of different metals, representing successive kingdoms. Even the secular atheistic scholars widely agree that these represent:
- Babylon (gold head) - circa 609-539 BC
- Medo-Persia (silver chest) - circa 539-331 BC
- Greece (bronze thighs) - circa 331-63 BC
- Rome (iron legs) - circa 63 BC-476 AD
These empires rose and fell in the exact order prophesied. 6 centuries of history laid out in the exact order of the empires that rule the earth! Thats not coincidence.
Another one is Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy Daniel 9:24–27, which gives a time prophecy: "From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One (Messiah) comes, there will be seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'... " (v.25)
Using Jewish prophetic reckoning (a 'week' is 7 years), this gives:
7 + 62 = 69 weeks = 483 years
Starting point: decree to rebuild Jerusalem (~457 BC, Ezra 7:11–26)
483 years later = AD 27, the approximate start of Jesus' public ministry
Many scholars (e.g., Gleason Archer, Josh McDowell) affirm that this prophecy predicts the arrival of the Messiah to the year.
Coincidence? With this much of accuracy - is that even possible?
Similarly, Micah's prophecy (Micah 5:2) foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem - a detail fulfilled in the birth of Jesus 700 years later.
The Bible contains over 2,500 prophecies, and approximately 2,000 of them have already been fulfilled. This is an extraordinary record, especially when the odds of these prophecies being fulfilled by chance are astronomically low. For example, the mathematical probability of one person fulfilling just eight of the Bible's messianic prophecies is estimated to be 1 in 1017, yet Jesus fulfilled more than 350 prophecies. The Bible's ability to accurately predict future events is one of the strongest arguments for its divine inspiration.
Many critics, however, suggest that these prophecies may have been written after the events they describe. Yet the existence of the Dead Sea Scrolls and their dating to a period before many of these prophecies were fulfilled shows that this theory is unfounded. The scrolls contain many of the prophecies that would later be fulfilled in the life of Jesus, and their pre-fulfillment dating confirms the Bible's prophetic accuracy.
Archaeological Evidence - The Bible's Historical Reliability
Archaeology has also played a significant role in affirming the Bible's accuracy. Numerous archaeological discoveries have confirmed the historical accuracy of biblical events, places and people. For instance, the Mesha Stele, discovered in Jordan, contains a reference to King Omri of Israel and his son Ahab, figures mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament. The Pool of Bethesda, once thought to be a biblical legend, was uncovered in Jerusalem, aligning perfectly with the description found in the Gospel of John. Similarly, excavations at sites like Megiddo, Hazor and Gezer have unearthed ancient ruins that match the biblical timeline, corroborating the historical events recorded in Scripture.
Moreover, inscriptions such as the Tel Dan Stele, which mentions the House of David, provide external confirmation of the existence of King David, a central figure in biblical history. These discoveries provide tangible evidence that the people, places, and events described in the Bible were real and historically accurate. Archaeology does not contradict the Bible; rather, it consistently affirms its trustworthiness.
The Bible's Core Message Has Remained Unchanged after 2000 years
Given the overwhelming manuscript evidence, the accuracy of biblical prophecy, the preservation of texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the corroboration of historical and archaeological findings, we can confidently assert that the Bible has not changed over time in any meaningful way. While there are minor textual variations - none of which affect the essential theological or historical message - the Bible we read today remains faithful to the ancient texts.
This consistency of message across millennia is a testament to the careful transmission of Scripture by scribes and the providential preservation of God's Word. From the earliest manuscripts to the most modern translations, the core truths of the Bible - the message of salvation, grace and hope - have remained unchanged. And this is why the Bible continues to be a source of profound spiritual guidance and historical reliability for believers and seekers alike.
In a world where truth is often questioned, the Bible stands as an enduring testament to the faithfulness of God, not only in the message it communicates but also in the way He has preserved it across time. Whether through prophecy, manuscript evidence, or archaeological discoveries, the Bible's integrity remains unshaken, proving that the Word of God is as reliable today as it has always been. The core message - of Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration - is the same message God preserved across time. That's why Christians from every era and language can still share the same story and hope.
We invite you to explore the Bible, compare the manuscripts for yourself. Don't take our word for it - thanks to the internet the world is a very small place today! We encourage you to read Isaiah, Daniel and the Gospels yourself. Engage with fulfilled prophecy and historical excavations. Because when you see how meticulously God preserved His Word, you'll understand why its message stands firm today.
The Bible can be trusted, not because men wrote it, but because the Holy Spirit inspired it. And those who know its Author find in its pages not just information, but transformation!
When skeptics question the Bible, they often do so without ever asking the true Author what He meant. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures, is still present today to guide, convict, and reveal truth to those who seek it.
Rather than dismissing the Bible as an old book, why not ask God to open your eyes as He did ours and many more? Just as we were taken from darkness into light, so too can you encounter the living Word - Jesus Christ - and the written Word that testifies of Him.
Suggested Additional Resources
- How can the Bible be trusted if it was written by mere men?
- Aren't the Gospels Full of Contradictions?
- The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
- The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus edited by Gary Habermas & Michael Licona
- Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham