The Copies of Copies Argument

The argument against the reliability of the Bible based on the absence of original manuscripts is critically flawed because it undermines our understanding of historical texts in general. Many ancient works, including those by Plato and Tacitus, also lack original copies, yet scholars successfully reconstruct their content through the study of available manuscripts. This is accomplished through textual criticism, which allows for high accuracy in understanding what these authors originally wrote. Thus, dismissing the Bible's reliability on these grounds is inconsistent and would require rejecting the reliability of numerous significant historical documents.