The New Testament Manuscripts Compared to Other Ancient Texts

The New Testament Manuscripts Compared to Other Ancient Texts

Author Book Date Written Earliest Copies Time Gap No. of Copies
Homer Iliad 800 B.C c. 400 B.C c. 400 yrs. 643
Herodotus History 480-425 B.C c. A.D.900 c. 1,350 yrs. 8
Thucydides History 460-400 B.C c. A.D.900 c. 1,300 yrs. 8
Plato   400 B.C c. A.D.900 c. 1,300 yrs. 7
Demosthenes   300 B.C c. A.D.1100 c. 1,400 yrs. 200
Caesar Gallic Wars 100-44 B.C c. A.D.900 c. 1,000 yrs. 10
Livy History of Rome 59 B.C-A.D. 17 c. 4th cent. (partial)
mostly 10th cent.
c. 400 yrs.
c. 1,000 yrs.
1 partial
19 copies
Tacitus Annals A.D. 100 c. A.D.1100 c. 1,000 yrs. 20
Pliny Secundus Natural History A.D.61-113 c. A.D.850 c. 750 yrs. 7
Various New Testament A.D.50-100 c. 114 (fragment)
c. 200 (books)
c. 250 (most N.T.)
c. 325 (complete N.T.)
+50 yrs.
100 yrs.
150 yrs.
225 yrs.
24,970