I admit, I am a language nerd. I am currently on my fifth language that I have studied formally for at least 3 years. Of these languages, the two that fascinate me the most are Hebrew and Greek for not only are they biblical languages, but of the five, they are the most ancient.

The amazing factor in regard to studying these languages remains the incredible amount of scholarly work that has been poured into the transmission from papyri and manuscript to the easily readable Greek and Hebrew editions we currently possess. Thousands upon thousands of papyri and fragments have been compiled together and have been checked and rechecked with other fragments. Most of these fragments only contain 3-6 verses apiece. Many are illegible to any 3rd year Greek or Hebrew student because of the variety in handwriting between scribes. In the Greek, many manuscripts forsook spaces between words in order to conserve space therefore leaving the interpreter to decipher not only the letters but also the beginning and ending of words.

This initial process lies as only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to translation. Finally, when all the work has been accomplished to find the right text with its correct letters and words can the process of translation from one ancient language to a modern language begin.

This intricate, tedious, and voluminous endeavor is one which rarely receives attention especially in regard to the translation debate. One will hear of this manuscript family or that manuscript family without having ever seen a manuscript itself or understood the painstaking process of collecting and documenting a manuscript family. If we would understand this endeavor just slightly, our authoritative tone would be lessened and our humility before God would be advanced as we understand His goodness toward us. Not only has He given us a gospel which has lasted throughout the centuries, and not only has He preserved His words in thousands of fragments which have withstood the brutality of time and deterioration, but He has also given Christians the talents and abilities to decipher and compile incredible amounts of data so that pastors and laymen alike could know Him more. God has truly been good toward us.

To see some incredible images of these papyri and manuscript fragments, the following are exceptional: