Dave the Web
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For what it's worth, following is a document I found elsewhere on the web and have saved to my computer which I found most interesting. I am profoundly fascinated by historical research into the development of the New Testament. I cannot call myself a scholar but I do enjoy reading on any aspect of the development of the NT canon.
Here is the article (and I have attempted full use of the tags mentioned in the site help file. Do not blame my inexperience if they do not work.):
MAJOR NT DISCOVERIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY
It is absolutely amazing to recount the significant Biblical discoveries that were made in the 20th century. The last hundred years have helped us to have a better understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity than at any other time since the first few centuries AD.
Prior to the 1900s, most NT Bible translations were taken from 4th century (or later) codices, dated 300 years or later after the time of Christ. In this last century, thousands of earlier ancient documents have been found and published, some dated within 50-150 years of the estimated dates of the original writings.
Here is an overview of some of the discoveries made in the 1900s and a brief explanation of the significance of each. Keep in mind that these findings are generally named after the person who discovered them, or the place where they were found.
1) The Oxyrynchus Papyri
In the early 1900s, B.P. Grenfell, Hunt, and Hogarth started excavating for papyri in and around Oxyrynchus Egypt. They discovered thousands of Greek texts including fragments of the Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation, church fathers' writings, and early non-canonical writings. In the village dumps, they literally found basketfuls of papyri.
So far, 3875 documents have been published in the series entitled Oxyrhynchus Papyri. These earlier versions of many familiar writings have prompted hundreds of changes in our modern Bible translations.
2) The Ryland Fragment
This tiny fragment (about the size of two postage stamps), discovered in 1932, consists of a few lines from the Gospel of John. It is currently the oldest fragment of any gospel in existence. Dated circa 125-150 AD, the fragment helps confirm the date of authorship of the original Gospel of John to the first century.
3) The Egerton Gospel
The second oldest fragment of a gospel in existence was discovered in 1935. Egerton is a copy of a previously unknown gospel. It tells stories about Jesus that have approximate parallels in the Gospels of Mark and John, although some of the details are dissimilar. Egerton also tells a miracle story unknown in any of the other gospels.
4) The Beatty Papyri
In 1930-31 Chester Beatty purchased papyri containing parts of the old and New Testaments. Together there is almost a complete copy of the epistles of Paul dating to about 200 AD. The Gospels and Acts are known as p45, the Pauline epistles as p46, and Revelation as p47. Some of these manuscripts predated existing copies by almost 200 years.
5) The Nag Hammadi Library
12 books were discovered in 1945 by 2 peasant brothers near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These books are collectively called the Nag Hammadi Library. The books were hidden in a sealed jar in a cave. They consist of writings in Coptic believed to belong to an early Gnostic Christian group. Some of these books were previously only known in earlier fragmentary form, others not at all. Many were thought to have been lost forever during the church's drive to preserve orthodoxy. This collection is now preserved in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The most famous book uncovered was the Gospel of Thomas.
6) The Dead Sea Scrolls
In 1947, young Bedouin shepherds in the Judean Desert entered a long-untouched cave and found jars filled with ancient scrolls. That initial discovery by the Bedouins yielded seven scrolls and began a search that lasted nearly a decade and eventually produced thousands of scroll fragments from eleven caves.
During those same years, archaeologists searching for a habitation close to the caves excavated the Qumran ruin, a complex of structures near the Dead Sea. The scrolls and the Qumran ruin dated from the third century B.C.E. to 68 C.E. Coming from the late Second Temple Period, a time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, they are older than any other surviving biblical manuscripts by almost one thousand years.
7) The Bodmer Papyri
In the early 1950's Martin Bodmer obtained 22 papyri in Egypt. They are longer in length and better quality than the Chester Beatty papyri. They contain segments of the Old and New Testaments, early Christian literature, and Homer. The most important ones for New Testament studies are p66 (John), p72 (I&2 Peter, and Jude), p74 (Acts and the General Epistles), and p75 (Luke and John). The oldest, p66 dates to about 200-250 AD.
8) The Gospel of Thomas and "Q"
Thomas was discovered in 1945 among the Nag Hammadi texts. Thomas is very important in two ways: It helped to confirm the historically accurate teachings of Jesus from a separate and independent non-canonical source. It also helped bolster the theory that an early sayings gospel was imbedded in the texts of Thomas, Matthew and Luke.
The version of Thomas discovered was a Coptic version, though parts of this Gospel had been found in earlier fragmentary form in Greek. There are 114 sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. Its genre, a "sayings" gospel was unknown prior to its discovery.
9) "Secret" Mark
In the spring of 1958 Morton Smith of Columbia University discovered a letter allegedly written by early church father Clement of Alexandria, while Smith was cataloging ancient documents at the Mar Saba monastery in Jerusalem.
In the letter, Clement refers to an expanded version of the gospel of Mark and quotes from it. The quotations provide text from this alternate so-called "secret" version of Mark.
This finding has been controversial because the original letter disappeared at the monastery after Smith photographed it. Scholars have been unable to confirm the authenticity of the letter and have to use a photograph rather than an original copy to work from.
10) The Gospel of Peter, The Gospel of Mary, Gospel 'p1224', Gospel of James, Gospel 'p840', Dialogue of the Saviour.
These previously unknown "narrative" and "sayings" Gospels, mostly in fragmentary form, have been discovered among the papyri unearthed during this past century. As more papyri continue to be discovered, we continue to get an expanded picture of the origins of early Christianity.
If our next century holds as many exciting discoveries as this last one, we may have a very clear picture indeed!
Here is the article (and I have attempted full use of the tags mentioned in the site help file. Do not blame my inexperience if they do not work.):
MAJOR NT DISCOVERIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY
It is absolutely amazing to recount the significant Biblical discoveries that were made in the 20th century. The last hundred years have helped us to have a better understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity than at any other time since the first few centuries AD.
Prior to the 1900s, most NT Bible translations were taken from 4th century (or later) codices, dated 300 years or later after the time of Christ. In this last century, thousands of earlier ancient documents have been found and published, some dated within 50-150 years of the estimated dates of the original writings.
Here is an overview of some of the discoveries made in the 1900s and a brief explanation of the significance of each. Keep in mind that these findings are generally named after the person who discovered them, or the place where they were found.
1) The Oxyrynchus Papyri
In the early 1900s, B.P. Grenfell, Hunt, and Hogarth started excavating for papyri in and around Oxyrynchus Egypt. They discovered thousands of Greek texts including fragments of the Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation, church fathers' writings, and early non-canonical writings. In the village dumps, they literally found basketfuls of papyri.
So far, 3875 documents have been published in the series entitled Oxyrhynchus Papyri. These earlier versions of many familiar writings have prompted hundreds of changes in our modern Bible translations.
2) The Ryland Fragment
This tiny fragment (about the size of two postage stamps), discovered in 1932, consists of a few lines from the Gospel of John. It is currently the oldest fragment of any gospel in existence. Dated circa 125-150 AD, the fragment helps confirm the date of authorship of the original Gospel of John to the first century.
3) The Egerton Gospel
The second oldest fragment of a gospel in existence was discovered in 1935. Egerton is a copy of a previously unknown gospel. It tells stories about Jesus that have approximate parallels in the Gospels of Mark and John, although some of the details are dissimilar. Egerton also tells a miracle story unknown in any of the other gospels.
4) The Beatty Papyri
In 1930-31 Chester Beatty purchased papyri containing parts of the old and New Testaments. Together there is almost a complete copy of the epistles of Paul dating to about 200 AD. The Gospels and Acts are known as p45, the Pauline epistles as p46, and Revelation as p47. Some of these manuscripts predated existing copies by almost 200 years.
5) The Nag Hammadi Library
12 books were discovered in 1945 by 2 peasant brothers near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These books are collectively called the Nag Hammadi Library. The books were hidden in a sealed jar in a cave. They consist of writings in Coptic believed to belong to an early Gnostic Christian group. Some of these books were previously only known in earlier fragmentary form, others not at all. Many were thought to have been lost forever during the church's drive to preserve orthodoxy. This collection is now preserved in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The most famous book uncovered was the Gospel of Thomas.
6) The Dead Sea Scrolls
In 1947, young Bedouin shepherds in the Judean Desert entered a long-untouched cave and found jars filled with ancient scrolls. That initial discovery by the Bedouins yielded seven scrolls and began a search that lasted nearly a decade and eventually produced thousands of scroll fragments from eleven caves.
During those same years, archaeologists searching for a habitation close to the caves excavated the Qumran ruin, a complex of structures near the Dead Sea. The scrolls and the Qumran ruin dated from the third century B.C.E. to 68 C.E. Coming from the late Second Temple Period, a time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, they are older than any other surviving biblical manuscripts by almost one thousand years.
7) The Bodmer Papyri
In the early 1950's Martin Bodmer obtained 22 papyri in Egypt. They are longer in length and better quality than the Chester Beatty papyri. They contain segments of the Old and New Testaments, early Christian literature, and Homer. The most important ones for New Testament studies are p66 (John), p72 (I&2 Peter, and Jude), p74 (Acts and the General Epistles), and p75 (Luke and John). The oldest, p66 dates to about 200-250 AD.
8) The Gospel of Thomas and "Q"
Thomas was discovered in 1945 among the Nag Hammadi texts. Thomas is very important in two ways: It helped to confirm the historically accurate teachings of Jesus from a separate and independent non-canonical source. It also helped bolster the theory that an early sayings gospel was imbedded in the texts of Thomas, Matthew and Luke.
The version of Thomas discovered was a Coptic version, though parts of this Gospel had been found in earlier fragmentary form in Greek. There are 114 sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. Its genre, a "sayings" gospel was unknown prior to its discovery.
9) "Secret" Mark
In the spring of 1958 Morton Smith of Columbia University discovered a letter allegedly written by early church father Clement of Alexandria, while Smith was cataloging ancient documents at the Mar Saba monastery in Jerusalem.
In the letter, Clement refers to an expanded version of the gospel of Mark and quotes from it. The quotations provide text from this alternate so-called "secret" version of Mark.
This finding has been controversial because the original letter disappeared at the monastery after Smith photographed it. Scholars have been unable to confirm the authenticity of the letter and have to use a photograph rather than an original copy to work from.
10) The Gospel of Peter, The Gospel of Mary, Gospel 'p1224', Gospel of James, Gospel 'p840', Dialogue of the Saviour.
These previously unknown "narrative" and "sayings" Gospels, mostly in fragmentary form, have been discovered among the papyri unearthed during this past century. As more papyri continue to be discovered, we continue to get an expanded picture of the origins of early Christianity.
If our next century holds as many exciting discoveries as this last one, we may have a very clear picture indeed!
