Manuscript Studies – Page 2

Why Are There Four Gospels? (4 of 6)

Irenaeus argued from the four winds and the four corners of the earth. The reasoning is weak and the fact behind it is not. What the argument was really doing.

Marcion’s Canon: The First Bible List (3 of 6)

The first fixed list of Christian Scripture was drawn up by a man the church excommunicated. What Marcion cut, why it mattered, and how he forced the question.

Did the Early Church Quote the Gospels? (2 of 6)

The generation after the apostles used the writings without arguing for them, which is stronger evidence than argument. Who quoted what, book by book.

When Was the New Testament Written? (1 of 6)

The documents existed and were being circulated before anyone drew up a list. What the letters say about their own reading, and where books cite other books.

Why Are So Many Early Christian Works Lost? (9 of 9)

Papias wrote five books and Hegesippus wrote five more. None survive. Why so much of the second century vanished, and what that does to the evidence we have.

Who Was Polycrates of Ephesus? (8 of 9)

A letter about the date of Easter, written to defend Asian custom against Rome, is where the claim that Philip is buried at Hierapolis comes from. What it says.

Who Was Hegesippus and What Did He Record? (7 of 9)

The fullest account of how James the brother of Jesus died comes from a lost second-century book. What Hegesippus wrote, and how much of it can be trusted.

Who Was Josephus and Can We Trust Him? (6 of 9)

A Jewish general who surrendered to Rome, then wrote the only full account of first-century Judea we have. What he is good for and where he defends himself.

How Reliable Is Eusebius as a Historian? (5 of 9)

Most of what survives from the second-century church survives because Eusebius quoted it. That makes him indispensable and puts one filter over most of it.

How Reliable Is Irenaeus as a Source? (4 of 9)

He heard Polycarp, who knew the apostles, which makes him our shortest chain to the first century. He also thought Jesus lived to nearly fifty. Both are true.