Biblical Criticism – The Corruption of the Holy Bible

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III responds to the claim of the Bible’s corruption with a logical question: when, how, and where did this corruption occur? He presents evidence that shows the firmness of the text and its spread in churches and peoples since the early centuries.

📖 Historical and Practical Evidence

• His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the Holy Bible was translated into many languages from an early time (Coptic, Syriac, Latin — the Vulgate — and others), so it is unreasonable that all translations would be corrupted by collusion.

• Christianity and the Holy Bible spread throughout the ancient world, and it was read in synagogues and churches regularly, therefore the text was available and widespread among the people and the church.

• There were many scribes and many copies of the sacred books in monasteries and churches, so the existence of multiple copies increases the difficulty of any comprehensive corruption.

• Heresies and divisions appeared within Christianity through the centuries, but these divisions show that the disputes were internal and did not contribute to a universal agreement to change the texts.

• The Church Fathers and books of interpretation (John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Cyril the Great, Didymus the Blind, and others) preserved the texts of the Bible and their explanations; if some manuscripts were lost they could be restored from the commentaries and translations.

• The Old Testament was preserved among the Jews and read in the synagogues, and there are old translations such as the Septuagint that prove the stability of the ancient text.

• Even in cases of persecution and burning of books, it was possible to re-copy the texts from translations, commentaries, and the readings circulated in the synagogues.

• Conclusion: there is no logical or historical evidence for a comprehensive corruption of the Holy Bible, and the text is practically preserved through copies, translations, and the reading by the people and the church.

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