圣经的手抄本那么多，怎么知道哪个是准确的？
With so many manuscripts, how do we know which Bible text is accurate?
简答 Short Answer
新约现存5800多份希腊文手抄本，远超任何古代文献。通过文本鉴别学的比较分析，我们可以高度确信今天的圣经文本与原文几乎一致。
The New Testament has over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, far surpassing any ancient document. Through textual criticism, we can be highly confident today's Bible text is virtually identical to the originals.
详细解答 Detailed Answer
很多人以为圣经经过几千年传抄一定面目全非了。但事实恰恰相反。
手抄本数量惊人：新约现存希腊文手抄本超过5800份，拉丁文手抄本超过10000份，总数超过24000份。相比之下，荷马的《伊利亚特》现存约1900份，凯撒的《高卢战记》只有不到10份。
时间跨度极短：最早的新约手抄本残片（P52，约翰福音片段）距原作仅约25-50年。而大多数古典文献最早的抄本距原作800-1000年。
文本鉴别学：学者通过比较不同手抄本之间的差异，可以高度准确地还原原始文本。新约学者梅茨格指出，新约文本的确定性约为99.5%。剩下的0.5%差异主要是拼写变体和词序差异，没有任何一处影响核心教义。
死海古卷的印证：1947年发现的死海古卷包含了几乎完整的以赛亚书，比此前最早的旧约手抄本早了约1000年。两者对比，文本几乎完全一致。
圣经是人类历史上文本传承最可靠的古代文献。
Many assume the Bible must be distorted after millennia of copying. The opposite is true.
Astonishing manuscript count: Over 5,800 Greek NT manuscripts, 10,000+ Latin manuscripts, and 24,000+ total. Homer's Iliad has about 1,900 copies; Caesar's Gallic Wars fewer than 10.
Extremely short time gap: The earliest NT manuscript fragment (P52, from John) dates within 25-50 years of composition. Most classical texts have gaps of 800-1,000 years.
Textual criticism: By comparing manuscript variations, scholars reconstruct the original text with remarkable precision. Metzger noted NT textual certainty at approximately 99.5%. The remaining 0.5% involves spelling variants and word order, none affecting core doctrine.
Dead Sea Scrolls confirmation: Discovered in 1947, containing a nearly complete Isaiah scroll 1,000 years older than the previous oldest OT manuscript. Comparison showed virtually identical text.
The Bible is the most reliably transmitted ancient document in human history.
📖 经文引用 Bible Verses
📚 推荐阅读 Related Readings
- •布鲁斯·梅茨格，《新约文本》；Bruce Metzger, The Text of the New Testament