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Reconstructing the New Testament: Ancient Versions
In addition to the 6,000 or so Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, there are tens of thousands of other New Testament manuscripts written in different languages. These early translations are known as Ancient Versions (VSS). Oftentimes, these Ancient VSS of the New Testament are the same sources as the Old Testament. This is because the early church recognized the complementary place of the New Testament to the Old Testament, both sharing divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and like us, they would often bind the two together and/or develop these manuscripts in tandem with one another.
While there are numerous VSS in a plethora of languages, there are three standouts that are especially worth noting: the Syriac VSS, the Latin VSS, and the Coptic (Egyptian) VSS. As translations, these can only ever hold secondary place, but their early composition, widespread circulation, and more literal renderings make these three advantageous in the reconstruction of the New Testament. Oftentimes, these particular VSS can be traced back to as early as the second century, making them the first translations of the New Testament canon.
The Syriac VSS deserve first mention as they were written and shared from the same basic region in which the gospel was first broadcast – Israel, Syria, and Mesopotamia. Syriac is nearly identical to Aramaic and as such would be a reliable translation whose quality could be overseen and validated by early Christians, who were predominantly Jewish in background. Among the earliest Syriac VSS was the Diatessaron, developed by Tatian, an early Christian who studied under Justin Martyr. The Diatessaron was a harmony of the four Gospels which was later translated into Greek and Armenian. Key examples of this are the Armenian commentary of Ephraem and the Greek Diatessaron manuscripts found at Dura-Europas. In addition to the Diatessaron is the Old Syriac Version. Two chief manuscripts of this version include the Curetonian Syriac (5th century, 80+ leaves) and the Sinaitic Syriac (4th century, a palimpsest, found at the same monastery where Tischendorf found Codex Sinaiticus). A third Ancient Syriac Version is the Syriac Peshitta which has been preserved in about 350 manuscripts and is a revision of the Old Syriac that has been in use since the 5th century.
The Coptic VSS refer to those manuscripts used in Egypt and surrounding areas, one of the early regions which received the gospel after Pentecost. Two sub-versions well represent the good quality of the Coptic VSS: the Sahidic Version and the Bohairic Version. The former used the dialect of Upper Egypt whose main city was Thebes and the latter used the dialect of Lower Egypt whose main city was Alexandria. These VSS date back to as early as the 3rd century and preserve the more literal and more accurate Alexandrian text type that prioritizes the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus.
A third and pivotal resource used to faithfully reconstruct our New Testament text is the massive collection of manuscripts reflecting Latin VSS. These are of especially great importance as they were used to reconstruct the first translation of the English Bible! Also important to note is that there was an early need to translate the entire Bible into Latin since the Roman Empire was still in its zenith. We see Old Latin VSS which translated the New Testament at least as early as 160 A.D. and perhaps earlier for the Old Testament. The Old Latin VSS were independently made and over time included a number of variant readings due to differing translation philosophies of those who made them. As a result, Jerome was commissioned by Bishop Damasus of Rome to draw together the various Old Latin translations into one “official edition.” After years of work and much resistance from those accustomed to their own preferred VSS, Jerome completed his work. Although it was not until 1546 at the Council of Trent that Jerome’s revision received the title of “Vulgate,” it was generally received within a few centuries of his completion. In the thirteenth century, Stephen Langton arranged Jerome’s Vulgate into the modern chapter divisions still in use in English Bibles today. While there are over 10,000 manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, some of the best are Codex Amiatinus (1,040 leaves and it weighs about 75 lbs!), the Lindisfarne Gospels, and the Book of Kells. The influence of the Latin Vulgate cannot be understated. It was THE Bible for nearly a millennium; many of our modern English Bible words come from the Vulgate (e.g., congregation, justification, sanctification, etc.); and it was the first book Johan Gutenberg printed with his movable type printing press. Neil Lightfoot says that it “ranks next to the Septuagint as the most important translation ever made” (How We Got the Bible, 3rd ed, 73).
Remember that the texts of ancient non-biblical books are universally accepted when they are reconstructed from a fraction of the evidence available for the Bible. Can we trust our New Testaments? Undoubtedly, the answer must be a resounding yes!
