is the Bible reliable?

The New Testament is constantly under attack, its accuracy and reliability contested by critics. But if the New Testament is to be dismissed, so must other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. Why? Because New Testament documents are better preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writing. With copies being so numerous, they can be cross-checked for accuracy. By this process, biblical documents have been determined to be extremely consistent and accurate.

There are 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. In comparing the number of New Testament manuscripts to other ancient writings, we find that the New Testament manuscripts far outweigh others in quantity:

Author: Lucretius

Written: Died 55 or 53 B.C.

Earliest Copy: --

Time Between Original & Copy: 1100 yrs

Number of Copies: 2

Author: Plato

Written: 427-347 B.C.

Earliest Copy: 900 A.D.

Time Between Original & Copy: 1200 yrs

Number of Copies: 7

Author: Thucydides
Written: 460-400 B.C.

Earliest Copy: 900 A.D.
Time Between Original & Copy: 1300 yrs
Number of Copies: 8

Author: Aristotle

Written: 384-322 B.C.
Earliest Copy: 1100 A.D.

Time Between Original & Copy: 1400 yrs

Number of Copies: 49

Author: Homer (Iliad)
Written: 900 B.C.

Earliest Copy: 400 B.C.

Time Between Original & Copy: 500 yrs

Number of Copies: 643

Author: New Testament

Written: 1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D.)
Earliest Copy: 2nd Cent. A.D. (130 A.D.)

Time Between Original & Copy: less than 100 years
Number of Copies: 5600

The science of studying ancient literature and its accuracy of transmission to is called historicity. The Bible is so exceedingly accurate in its transmission from the originals to the present copies, that if you compare it to any other ancient writing, the Bible is light years ahead in terms of number of manuscripts and accuracy.