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God's Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts
A provocative book from a highly original scholar, challenging much of what we know about early Christian manuscripts
In this bold and groundbreaking book, Brent Nongbri provides an up-to-date introduction to the major collections of early Christian manuscripts and demonstrates that much of what we thought we knew about these books and fragments is mistaken. While biblical scholars have expended much effort in their study of the texts contained within the earliest Christian manuscripts, there has been a surprising lack of interest in thinking about these books as material objects with individual, unique histories. We have too often ignored the ways that the antiquities market obscures our knowledge of the origins of these manuscripts.
Through painstaking archival research and detailed studies of the most important collections of early Christian manuscripts, Nongbri vividly shows that the earliest Christian books are more than just carriers of texts or samples of handwriting. They are three-dimensional archaeological artifacts with fascinating stories to tell, if we’re willing to listen.
In this bold and groundbreaking book, Brent Nongbri provides an up-to-date introduction to the major collections of early Christian manuscripts and demonstrates that much of what we thought we knew about these books and fragments is mistaken. While biblical scholars have expended much effort in their study of the texts contained within the earliest Christian manuscripts, there has been a surprising lack of interest in thinking about these books as material objects with individual, unique histories. We have too often ignored the ways that the antiquities market obscures our knowledge of the origins of these manuscripts.
Through painstaking archival research and detailed studies of the most important collections of early Christian manuscripts, Nongbri vividly shows that the earliest Christian books are more than just carriers of texts or samples of handwriting. They are three-dimensional archaeological artifacts with fascinating stories to tell, if we’re willing to listen.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published August 21, 2018
39 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Brent Nongbri
5 books13 followersBrent Nongbri is an Honorary Research Fellow at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and the author of Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept and numerous articles on the paleography and codicology of early Christian manuscripts.
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November 9, 2023
The Biblical Butterfly Effect
The traditional definition of correct belief, orthodoxy, in the Christian Church has been ‘that which has always been believed by everyone, everywhere.’ The ‘everyone’, of course, designates those who have been judged to be orthodox in the past. The ‘everywhere’ really means the major centres of Christianity in Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Western Roman Empire. One might reasonably consider this principle of ‘everyone and everywhere’ to be stacked in favour of the winners in prior doctrinal conflicts. Nonetheless, there is a certain credible logic in the principle that appeals to many.
It is the ‘always’ that is the fly in the dogmatic ointment. Clearly if it be shown that what is considered correct belief has changed historically, then the edifice of orthodoxy could be infected with any number of bugs eating away at its foundations. For a religion which bases itself on the integrity of the Word, that is the written records in which its doctrines are based, the biggest threat it faces is the discovery of any documentation which suggests the possibility of reversal of orthodox opinion in the dim and distant past. As with the ultimate state of the physical universe which depends on tiny variations in its initial conditions at the Big Bang, so even otherwise insignificant variations in foundational biblical texts can change the direction of doctrine dramatically.
This is of course of particular concern to those so-called fundamentalists among us who consider the biblical text as something more or less dictated by God. The problem that these folk have, quite apart from translation which introduces enormous literal difficulties, is that there are a number of versions of ancient biblical texts. And these do not agree with one another. Sometimes the variations are minor, involving verb tenses and other grammatical issues; others are more substantial, such as missing or added verses or whole sections.* So the uncovering of ancient manuscripts which are different from those that are currently accepted as definitive, or (quelle horreur!) the discovery of material with the pedigree of antiquity but with entirely unexpected content is profoundly disconcerting to the evangelical mind.
Textual variations, copyist errors, and alternative versions have been known about by biblical scholars for centuries. (See https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...) But during the 20th century, ‘new’ old documents began to appear with alarmingly increased frequency. This is largely due to the expansion of the antiquities market itself, which makes it profitable to seek and trade in ancient texts. However, the more that are found, the greater number of variations, and the more the entire biblical project, as it were, looks like a human artefact rather than a divine missive. This is particularly so with the Christian Bible since more ancient ‘originals’ are available. Whereas evidence for the revision, editing, and emendation of the Hebrew Bible, although compelling, is almost solely internal or related to more recent commentaries.
Nongbri‘s analysis of the available biblical texts is not focussed on the textual variations but on the textual composition of collections - the material that is included together in one ‘codex’ (primitive book), or found in collections of such books. His unit of analysis is, therefore, not words, or sentences or even whole manuscripts, but groups of such manuscripts. He treats these as straightforward archaeological artefacts, mere objects, which, as it were, were found in a heap. The fact that such material is found together (or for example with entombed corpses, or in certain locations, such as monasteries) suggests what was considered as approved, as orthodox, before the canon of the bible had been established functionally by the mid-third century, and officially by the end of the fourth century.
The most well known collection of texts is that of Nag Hamadi, twelve papyrus books and a loose tractate, which became public in 1946 (there may have been more but the finder’s mother is reported to have used them as kindling). They are written in Coptic and include a complete copy of the famous Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical Christian text. The Nag Hamadi collection is typical in that almost everything about it is uncertain - its provenance, the location and circumstances of its discovery, the material, like containers, that might have been found with it, and the dates of its texts or their consolidation. All other group finds suffer from these same difficulties to some degree.
Nongbri quotes a noted biblical scholar about one of the most important groups of early manuscripts in order to suggest their collective importance:
I am not a biblical scholar, nor am I familiar with any of the techniques for evaluating ancient textual material. But the above citation makes what I think is the most important practical implication of Nongbri’s thesis, namely that even the tentative conclusions held by scholars of what constitutes the oldest or most reliable or most complete biblical texts are much too confident. Even with modern advances in palaeography, carbon 14 dating and chemical analysis, it is simply not possible to accurately date these very early manuscripts, their sequence, or their prevalence.
For me there is an important implication of this fundamental uncertainty: If modern analysis cannot establish these things, neither could the third and fourth century experts who were responsible for the construction of the canon and the approval of competing texts. They simply did not have the competence required. It is impossible to know with any accuracy how their decisions evolved and what criteria of choice were employed, but evolve they certainly did. And since even the most ardent fundamentalist Christian believes that divine revelation ceased with the death of the last apostle, the choices didn’t involve messages from heaven. What has come down to us, therefore, is a more or less random set of texts. We call them the New Testament.
*But even esoteric grammatical disagreements can have profound doctrinal consequences. The so-called ‘filioque’ controversy, for example, between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches hinges on the meaning of a preposition translated from Greek into Latin.
**There are only seven surviving Christian codices of any sort dating from before 200 CE. All are fragmentary. The four oldest comprehensive (but still very incomplete) codices date from the fourth century and includes the Vatican Codex referred to.
Postscript: For more on the analysis of primitive Christian documents, see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The traditional definition of correct belief, orthodoxy, in the Christian Church has been ‘that which has always been believed by everyone, everywhere.’ The ‘everyone’, of course, designates those who have been judged to be orthodox in the past. The ‘everywhere’ really means the major centres of Christianity in Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Western Roman Empire. One might reasonably consider this principle of ‘everyone and everywhere’ to be stacked in favour of the winners in prior doctrinal conflicts. Nonetheless, there is a certain credible logic in the principle that appeals to many.
It is the ‘always’ that is the fly in the dogmatic ointment. Clearly if it be shown that what is considered correct belief has changed historically, then the edifice of orthodoxy could be infected with any number of bugs eating away at its foundations. For a religion which bases itself on the integrity of the Word, that is the written records in which its doctrines are based, the biggest threat it faces is the discovery of any documentation which suggests the possibility of reversal of orthodox opinion in the dim and distant past. As with the ultimate state of the physical universe which depends on tiny variations in its initial conditions at the Big Bang, so even otherwise insignificant variations in foundational biblical texts can change the direction of doctrine dramatically.
This is of course of particular concern to those so-called fundamentalists among us who consider the biblical text as something more or less dictated by God. The problem that these folk have, quite apart from translation which introduces enormous literal difficulties, is that there are a number of versions of ancient biblical texts. And these do not agree with one another. Sometimes the variations are minor, involving verb tenses and other grammatical issues; others are more substantial, such as missing or added verses or whole sections.* So the uncovering of ancient manuscripts which are different from those that are currently accepted as definitive, or (quelle horreur!) the discovery of material with the pedigree of antiquity but with entirely unexpected content is profoundly disconcerting to the evangelical mind.
Textual variations, copyist errors, and alternative versions have been known about by biblical scholars for centuries. (See https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...) But during the 20th century, ‘new’ old documents began to appear with alarmingly increased frequency. This is largely due to the expansion of the antiquities market itself, which makes it profitable to seek and trade in ancient texts. However, the more that are found, the greater number of variations, and the more the entire biblical project, as it were, looks like a human artefact rather than a divine missive. This is particularly so with the Christian Bible since more ancient ‘originals’ are available. Whereas evidence for the revision, editing, and emendation of the Hebrew Bible, although compelling, is almost solely internal or related to more recent commentaries.
Nongbri‘s analysis of the available biblical texts is not focussed on the textual variations but on the textual composition of collections - the material that is included together in one ‘codex’ (primitive book), or found in collections of such books. His unit of analysis is, therefore, not words, or sentences or even whole manuscripts, but groups of such manuscripts. He treats these as straightforward archaeological artefacts, mere objects, which, as it were, were found in a heap. The fact that such material is found together (or for example with entombed corpses, or in certain locations, such as monasteries) suggests what was considered as approved, as orthodox, before the canon of the bible had been established functionally by the mid-third century, and officially by the end of the fourth century.
The most well known collection of texts is that of Nag Hamadi, twelve papyrus books and a loose tractate, which became public in 1946 (there may have been more but the finder’s mother is reported to have used them as kindling). They are written in Coptic and include a complete copy of the famous Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical Christian text. The Nag Hamadi collection is typical in that almost everything about it is uncertain - its provenance, the location and circumstances of its discovery, the material, like containers, that might have been found with it, and the dates of its texts or their consolidation. All other group finds suffer from these same difficulties to some degree.
Nongbri quotes a noted biblical scholar about one of the most important groups of early manuscripts in order to suggest their collective importance:
“The evidence of Beatty Codex I was, in Kenyon’s view, clear: ‘It points, perhaps decisively, to the conclusion that the Vatican MS.** does not represent a text of original purity dominant in Egypt throughout the second and third centuries; that other texts, with many minor variations, existed during that period in Egypt as well as elsewhere; and that the Vatican text represents the result, not of continuous unaltered tradition, but of skilled scholarship working on the best available authorities.’ The Beatty codex was thought to show that the texts of the New Testament were more fluid during the second and third centuries than had previously been imagined.”
I am not a biblical scholar, nor am I familiar with any of the techniques for evaluating ancient textual material. But the above citation makes what I think is the most important practical implication of Nongbri’s thesis, namely that even the tentative conclusions held by scholars of what constitutes the oldest or most reliable or most complete biblical texts are much too confident. Even with modern advances in palaeography, carbon 14 dating and chemical analysis, it is simply not possible to accurately date these very early manuscripts, their sequence, or their prevalence.
For me there is an important implication of this fundamental uncertainty: If modern analysis cannot establish these things, neither could the third and fourth century experts who were responsible for the construction of the canon and the approval of competing texts. They simply did not have the competence required. It is impossible to know with any accuracy how their decisions evolved and what criteria of choice were employed, but evolve they certainly did. And since even the most ardent fundamentalist Christian believes that divine revelation ceased with the death of the last apostle, the choices didn’t involve messages from heaven. What has come down to us, therefore, is a more or less random set of texts. We call them the New Testament.
*But even esoteric grammatical disagreements can have profound doctrinal consequences. The so-called ‘filioque’ controversy, for example, between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches hinges on the meaning of a preposition translated from Greek into Latin.
**There are only seven surviving Christian codices of any sort dating from before 200 CE. All are fragmentary. The four oldest comprehensive (but still very incomplete) codices date from the fourth century and includes the Vatican Codex referred to.
Postscript: For more on the analysis of primitive Christian documents, see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 5, 2019
This is a dense, scholarly review of the evidence as regards the provenance of some of the most important holographs behind subsequent attempts to determine the 'true texts' of the earliest Christian scriptures. It is a cautionary tale, few of the documents having been scientifically dated by calibrated radiocarbon analysis. Instead, we must rely on dubious accounts by interested actors (local discoverers, vendors, purchasers, museums) and palaeographers--all of whom have reasons to backdate their finds.
The collections/finds Nongbri focuses on include the Beatty, the Bodmer, Oxyrhynchus and Nag Hamadi. If you have no acquaintance with them beforehand you likely will not benefit from reading this critical study.
The collections/finds Nongbri focuses on include the Beatty, the Bodmer, Oxyrhynchus and Nag Hamadi. If you have no acquaintance with them beforehand you likely will not benefit from reading this critical study.
September 19, 2018
I guess I just wasn’t the intended readership of this extremely erudite and meticulously researched book about early Christian manuscripts, as it was way beyond my layman’s knowledge and interest, and surely aimed at the biblical scholar. However, that said, I did gain quite a bit from it, not least an open-mouthed astonishment at and admiration for the academics, archaeologists and scholars who discover and study these manuscripts. Even if I didn’t understand much of it I’ve still given it 5* as I’m sure it deserves it…..
February 24, 2019
Nongbri offers here "the type of critical introductory book [he wished] had existed when [he] first began [his] work on early Christian manuscripts." [20] He takes as his sample corpus the Beatty Biblical Papyri, the Bodmer Papyri, and the Oxyrhynchus Christian materials (an examplary presentation of this latter corpus is found in Blumell & Wayment, Christian Oxyrhynchus: Texts, Documents, and Sources. Baylor, 2015).
Nongbri aims to disrupt the uncritical use of and assumptions about early Christian manuscripts. He explores the ancient technologies of book production (chapter 1), considers questions of dating (chapter 2) and provenance, and acquisition history, showing the importance of questioning accepted narratives and being suspicious of ambitious early dates. He is primarily interested in "the books themselves," or "the books as physical objects" or "artifacts", which he calls"the archaeology of early Christian manuscripts." [11] Thus he positions his book in the burgeoning field of new philology, codicology and book history.
The lucid reviews of books from three collections form the heart of the book. Here, Nongbri is relentless in commitment to being honest about what we do not know about these collections. This will make God's Library an invaluable vademecum for any serious or aspiring scholar of early Christian books from Egypt.
One of the things that I most liked about Nongbri's approach is his decision to refer to a treat his materials as books, using the LDAB numbers as the primary reference system. This may frustrate some scholars who are used to either the New Testament curly P numbers of P.Oxy numbers etc, but it returns the attention to the fact that these texts are also, and perhaps fundamentally books.
Nongbri aims to disrupt the uncritical use of and assumptions about early Christian manuscripts. He explores the ancient technologies of book production (chapter 1), considers questions of dating (chapter 2) and provenance, and acquisition history, showing the importance of questioning accepted narratives and being suspicious of ambitious early dates. He is primarily interested in "the books themselves," or "the books as physical objects" or "artifacts", which he calls"the archaeology of early Christian manuscripts." [11] Thus he positions his book in the burgeoning field of new philology, codicology and book history.
The lucid reviews of books from three collections form the heart of the book. Here, Nongbri is relentless in commitment to being honest about what we do not know about these collections. This will make God's Library an invaluable vademecum for any serious or aspiring scholar of early Christian books from Egypt.
One of the things that I most liked about Nongbri's approach is his decision to refer to a treat his materials as books, using the LDAB numbers as the primary reference system. This may frustrate some scholars who are used to either the New Testament curly P numbers of P.Oxy numbers etc, but it returns the attention to the fact that these texts are also, and perhaps fundamentally books.
July 1, 2019
Fantastic. Not only is Nongbri a terrific scholar, but he is also an informative and excellent writer. It seems to me that he has command of English, Latin, German, French, Greek, and Coptic at a minimum to produce this and his other works. He explains the things that must be considered in analyzing, using, and dating, early Christian writings. One learns about book (Codex) making and bindings, papyri rolls, writing styles, inks, comparisons, what a date means the use of radiocarbon dating and the dangers of clinging to an erroneous viewpoint in the face of counter proofs. On top of that, there are really appropriate maps and documentation, that are extremely informative. Really, very well done.
December 24, 2018
A wonderful reminder that the Bible, after the death of Christ, was not available from Barnes and Noble, but rather, was cobbled together by feisty little bands of believers and eventually written down.
Saving us from dogma, Nongbri brings us pieces of Christian writing literally retrieved from the dung heaps of Egypt. By thoroughly describing these 'Finds' we are shown that 'facts' about individual fragments or codices aren't as precise, neat, and clean as is presented in popular media. This adds a richness to understanding the growth of the early Christian church.
Not the lightest bedtime reading, but full of wonderful maps, images, and extensive notes.
Good job!
Saving us from dogma, Nongbri brings us pieces of Christian writing literally retrieved from the dung heaps of Egypt. By thoroughly describing these 'Finds' we are shown that 'facts' about individual fragments or codices aren't as precise, neat, and clean as is presented in popular media. This adds a richness to understanding the growth of the early Christian church.
Not the lightest bedtime reading, but full of wonderful maps, images, and extensive notes.
Good job!
September 8, 2024
This is an excellent book. Nongbri’s thoroughness in his “museum archaeology” is a gift to scholars of the New Testament especially. Not only is the book technically well informed and researched, it is presented in an engaging, illustrated way. The explanation of how ancient codices were formed was, for example, particularly helpful. The book is also well-written, keeping the reader asking “what next?” at each turn. Most importantly, the argument is equal parts honest and persuasive.
As students of New Testament and early Christian writings, we often use and appeal to manuscripts (even if unwittingly). This book cautions us to be much more careful when talking about the dates of manuscripts and far more honest about the dodgy backroom deals that transformed these North African and West Asian scraps into the sensational exhibits of European and North American museums.
The book is ultimately constructive, but cautiously so.
As students of New Testament and early Christian writings, we often use and appeal to manuscripts (even if unwittingly). This book cautions us to be much more careful when talking about the dates of manuscripts and far more honest about the dodgy backroom deals that transformed these North African and West Asian scraps into the sensational exhibits of European and North American museums.
The book is ultimately constructive, but cautiously so.
October 31, 2019
Not exactly a page-turner in terms of excitement, but a clear and insightful explication of the dating, discovery and ontological factors of early Christian texts. His takeaway is pretty much to say dating and provenance is tough to be precise and textual critics/academic institutions aren't neutral in how they posit dates OR how they detail *where* certain texts come from. Nongbri is interested in the idea of early *books* of Christians, and not merely the individual provenance of New Testament letters.
May 4, 2024
Fascinating!! Takes manuscript archaeology and shows how its history can be as surprising as Indiana Jones but mysterious as Area 51. Great, great book.
December 11, 2023
The simplified conclusion of God's Library is that not much can be known for certain about the age of ancient texts. Most of what scholars know or claim to know is tainted by other scholars' claims and the dating of texts by paleographic means, which, it turns out, contains a significant amount of guesswork. It also should be noted, to almost no one's surprise, that people who seek profit from selling things, in this case ancient texts, cannot be fully trusted.
God's Library is an interesting book and explains a great deal about the original construction of texts. It is also fascinating to read the history of several groups of important ancient texts (Bodmer Papyri, Oxyrhynchus papyri, etc) to learn how they were acquired and some of the mysteries around their provenance. But as interesting as God's Library is, there is a certain inelegant simplicity to it that underwhelms. There is a lot of history, but the history isn't deep enough to fully satisfy one's cravings there. There are some 'shocking claims' made that in the end aren't all that shocking, but rather pedestrian.
To a large degree, most of this is not the fault of Mr. Nongbri. Rather, it is the fault of past sensationalists who have oversold their texts by overstating their age and stories of discovery. Mr. Nongbri is simply pointing out that scholars don't actually know as much as they claim to know about these texts, so while the claims of God's Library aren't all that sensational, they aren't designed to be. They are designed as a corrective for decades of overstatements. That Mr. Nongbri effectively does his job is to leave the reader feeling underwhelmed at the end. Again, it's not because he failed, but because he did his job so well.
God's Library is an interesting and eye-opening read. While it's not the most exciting read, it holds one's attention and provides numerous learning opportunities along the way.
God's Library is an interesting book and explains a great deal about the original construction of texts. It is also fascinating to read the history of several groups of important ancient texts (Bodmer Papyri, Oxyrhynchus papyri, etc) to learn how they were acquired and some of the mysteries around their provenance. But as interesting as God's Library is, there is a certain inelegant simplicity to it that underwhelms. There is a lot of history, but the history isn't deep enough to fully satisfy one's cravings there. There are some 'shocking claims' made that in the end aren't all that shocking, but rather pedestrian.
To a large degree, most of this is not the fault of Mr. Nongbri. Rather, it is the fault of past sensationalists who have oversold their texts by overstating their age and stories of discovery. Mr. Nongbri is simply pointing out that scholars don't actually know as much as they claim to know about these texts, so while the claims of God's Library aren't all that sensational, they aren't designed to be. They are designed as a corrective for decades of overstatements. That Mr. Nongbri effectively does his job is to leave the reader feeling underwhelmed at the end. Again, it's not because he failed, but because he did his job so well.
God's Library is an interesting and eye-opening read. While it's not the most exciting read, it holds one's attention and provides numerous learning opportunities along the way.
March 29, 2023
Discussions surrounding the discovery and dating of ancient Christian manuscripts and codices are always shrouded in mystery and complexities, even mischief. Brent Nongbri’s God’s Library does not aim to make the discussion any less complex, nor does he aim to resolve these mysteries in full. Rather, he provides a helpful in-depth analysis of the original construction of these codices and the circumstances surrounding their discoveries and dating.
A rather dense reading, God’s Library is best suited for pedantic, detail-oriented minds who have an interest in the provenance and dating of Christian codices and manuscripts. Familiarity with the names of the databases that retain these ancient texts are also necessary, such as the LDAB (Leuven Database), which is mentioned frequently throughout the book, among others.
There is no slow introductory into the book’s density; it begins immediately in chapter 1, which covers how codices were made. Nongbri is extremely detailed in this chapter and the diagrams he utilises to illustrate how ancient Christian codices were made are somewhat helpful (I found myself looking up YouTube videos on how they’re made). Nevertheless, the material presented in this chapter gives the reader a respect for the ancient copyists’ trade. The amount of time and minute detail that went into creating books in ancient times was a painstakingly long and expensive process. Add animal skins into the mix and the process becomes all the more difficult and expensive.
In addition to this respectful trade is the intense complexity of dating, which is amply covered in chapter two. Among other considerations, one interesting factour that aids dating a codex or manuscript is when the back side of a manuscript is used at a later date. The main part of a writing would be alongside the horizontal fibers of the papyrus, as this was much easier to write on; this is the front side. The back side for later use would be written along the vertical fibers.
This is useful for two different reasons, “First, a literary manuscript can be reused for a dated document. Such is the case of P.Ryl. 1.16 (LDAB 2661),” which was written along the horizontal fibers and then, on the back vertical side, was later “reused for a letter written in either January 253 or January 256 CE. This fact gives us a terminus ante quem [point before which] for P.Ryl. 1.16, which must have been written earlier than 256 CE” (p. 51). The reverse can also happen that gives us a possible terminus post quem (point after which) “when a dated document [e.g., tax returns, receipts, deeds, official government decrees] is reused for a piece of literature [e.g., a gospel, epistle, work of Greek literature]” (p. 51).
One interesting note is that while Nongbri concedes that radiocarbon analysis is somewhat helpful in dating codices and manuscripts, “it is not necessarily the panacea it is sometimes thought to be” and, like paleographical dating methods, needs “to be treated with caution” (p. 80). Nongbri’s thesis throughout the book is to move beyond these typical dating methods and toward “archaeological provenance and codicology” (p. 72). In so doing, his aim is to challenge these often-misinterpreted dating methods by uncritical eyes, due largely to “misinformation about provenance, repetition of dubious ‘facts’ about manuscripts, overconfidence in assigning dates, media sensationalism, and more” (p. 247).
He stays true to his thesis when discussing the Beatty Biblical Papyri in chapter four and the Bodmer Papyri in chapter five. In both these and the remaining chapters, Nongbri goes into extraordinary details about the history and dating of the papyri as well as other literary happenings, providing diagrams and maps to aid the conducive pedantry of his survey.
After the first two chapters, one would expect the conversation to be geared toward usual higher critical concerns such as textual variants and copyist errors. Instead, the rest of Nongbri’s analysis on ancient Christian codices (both canonical and non-canonical) is focused on textual composition. In other words, his concern in the book is not with the grammar and syntax of the ancient codices but with their groupings (e.g., Beatty, Bodmer, and Oxyrhynchus). Nongbri does not treat these manuscripts with Christian piety as one might expect. Instead, he regards them as candid archaeological artifacts largely found in trash heaps (pp. 105, 216-246).
Despite all the complexities and the mysteries surrounding the discovered codices we have so far, what can we gather from Nongbri’s survey? First, what can we make of the vast amount of the dating debates he covers? It is evident that dating is a matter of interpretation and opinion. As Nongbri says, “Each proposal must be evaluated on its merits, and the establishment of the contours of these collections of early Christian books will always be subject to revision in light of new evidence and analyses” (p. 154).
Are the current dating debates for the codices we have reliable? From Nongbri’s perspective, no. Can they ever be reliable? From Nongbri’s aforementioned comment, not for long it seems. Will we ever acquire enough knowledge? God only knows.
Lastly, we can respect the difficult task of acquiring and studying found ancient manuscripts and codices. While paleography is a helpful field but imprecise when it comes to dating, Nongbri is not optimistic that radiocarbon analysis can shed light on these dating issues, the media overexaggerates dating, and the antiquities market is widely unreliable, Nongbri argues not only for increased attention to museum archaeology (collections agencies openly allowing scholars to work through their records), but surprisingly digitisation as well in order to facilitate dating efforts.
While inspecting manuscripts by hand is irreplaceable, in Nongbri’s opinion, “The increased availability of images of manuscripts will help to grow an international team of people who can make progress in a field where secure knowledge is a hard-won battle” (p. 271). Indeed, such digital globalisation of the discovered manuscripts and codices will widen their availability to scholars across the globe. However, as there are many conflicting opinions on dating already, which Nongbri has amply shown, perhaps this would only further complicate such efforts.
A rather dense reading, God’s Library is best suited for pedantic, detail-oriented minds who have an interest in the provenance and dating of Christian codices and manuscripts. Familiarity with the names of the databases that retain these ancient texts are also necessary, such as the LDAB (Leuven Database), which is mentioned frequently throughout the book, among others.
There is no slow introductory into the book’s density; it begins immediately in chapter 1, which covers how codices were made. Nongbri is extremely detailed in this chapter and the diagrams he utilises to illustrate how ancient Christian codices were made are somewhat helpful (I found myself looking up YouTube videos on how they’re made). Nevertheless, the material presented in this chapter gives the reader a respect for the ancient copyists’ trade. The amount of time and minute detail that went into creating books in ancient times was a painstakingly long and expensive process. Add animal skins into the mix and the process becomes all the more difficult and expensive.
In addition to this respectful trade is the intense complexity of dating, which is amply covered in chapter two. Among other considerations, one interesting factour that aids dating a codex or manuscript is when the back side of a manuscript is used at a later date. The main part of a writing would be alongside the horizontal fibers of the papyrus, as this was much easier to write on; this is the front side. The back side for later use would be written along the vertical fibers.
This is useful for two different reasons, “First, a literary manuscript can be reused for a dated document. Such is the case of P.Ryl. 1.16 (LDAB 2661),” which was written along the horizontal fibers and then, on the back vertical side, was later “reused for a letter written in either January 253 or January 256 CE. This fact gives us a terminus ante quem [point before which] for P.Ryl. 1.16, which must have been written earlier than 256 CE” (p. 51). The reverse can also happen that gives us a possible terminus post quem (point after which) “when a dated document [e.g., tax returns, receipts, deeds, official government decrees] is reused for a piece of literature [e.g., a gospel, epistle, work of Greek literature]” (p. 51).
One interesting note is that while Nongbri concedes that radiocarbon analysis is somewhat helpful in dating codices and manuscripts, “it is not necessarily the panacea it is sometimes thought to be” and, like paleographical dating methods, needs “to be treated with caution” (p. 80). Nongbri’s thesis throughout the book is to move beyond these typical dating methods and toward “archaeological provenance and codicology” (p. 72). In so doing, his aim is to challenge these often-misinterpreted dating methods by uncritical eyes, due largely to “misinformation about provenance, repetition of dubious ‘facts’ about manuscripts, overconfidence in assigning dates, media sensationalism, and more” (p. 247).
He stays true to his thesis when discussing the Beatty Biblical Papyri in chapter four and the Bodmer Papyri in chapter five. In both these and the remaining chapters, Nongbri goes into extraordinary details about the history and dating of the papyri as well as other literary happenings, providing diagrams and maps to aid the conducive pedantry of his survey.
After the first two chapters, one would expect the conversation to be geared toward usual higher critical concerns such as textual variants and copyist errors. Instead, the rest of Nongbri’s analysis on ancient Christian codices (both canonical and non-canonical) is focused on textual composition. In other words, his concern in the book is not with the grammar and syntax of the ancient codices but with their groupings (e.g., Beatty, Bodmer, and Oxyrhynchus). Nongbri does not treat these manuscripts with Christian piety as one might expect. Instead, he regards them as candid archaeological artifacts largely found in trash heaps (pp. 105, 216-246).
Despite all the complexities and the mysteries surrounding the discovered codices we have so far, what can we gather from Nongbri’s survey? First, what can we make of the vast amount of the dating debates he covers? It is evident that dating is a matter of interpretation and opinion. As Nongbri says, “Each proposal must be evaluated on its merits, and the establishment of the contours of these collections of early Christian books will always be subject to revision in light of new evidence and analyses” (p. 154).
Are the current dating debates for the codices we have reliable? From Nongbri’s perspective, no. Can they ever be reliable? From Nongbri’s aforementioned comment, not for long it seems. Will we ever acquire enough knowledge? God only knows.
Lastly, we can respect the difficult task of acquiring and studying found ancient manuscripts and codices. While paleography is a helpful field but imprecise when it comes to dating, Nongbri is not optimistic that radiocarbon analysis can shed light on these dating issues, the media overexaggerates dating, and the antiquities market is widely unreliable, Nongbri argues not only for increased attention to museum archaeology (collections agencies openly allowing scholars to work through their records), but surprisingly digitisation as well in order to facilitate dating efforts.
While inspecting manuscripts by hand is irreplaceable, in Nongbri’s opinion, “The increased availability of images of manuscripts will help to grow an international team of people who can make progress in a field where secure knowledge is a hard-won battle” (p. 271). Indeed, such digital globalisation of the discovered manuscripts and codices will widen their availability to scholars across the globe. However, as there are many conflicting opinions on dating already, which Nongbri has amply shown, perhaps this would only further complicate such efforts.
October 29, 2019
Whoa! Turns out we know next to nothing about how to date manuscripts. Paleography (the style of the manuscript handwriting) is incredibly uncertain, and radiocarbon dating, though more reliable might only be able to get us within a few centuries. Not only that but we often don't know where many of the manuscripts were found, since all those great 19th and early 20th century British Imperialist archaeologists weren't the best about recording the details of their finds. Some were better, but many of them found such a large number of manuscripts that they were stuffing them into boxes without keeping track of where they were dug up. This huge uncertainty is not represented accurately by many scholars and historical surveys, much less by the media, which loves to sensationalize early discoveries, whether gnostic or Christian. So sorry: the so-called first century Gospel of John is by no means certainly from that time (Nongbri mentions this in the Epilogue). So be a skeptic about it all.
This book is dry though and full of data, so only scholars should read this book.
This book is dry though and full of data, so only scholars should read this book.
April 30, 2021
My favorite aspect of his book was how he pulled different reports in from the early 20thC archaeologists as they described their digs and their finds.
Nothing struck me as earth shattering, in the sense that I was not unfamiliar with the places mentioned, but I liked his approach of examining the physicality of the texts instead of simply looking at the texts, and it reminded me that considering texts within their context is an important part of analysis.
The book can be rather technically dense at times, but it’s not too long and thus I’d recommend it to anyone interested in Biblical history or book history. You don’t need a strong academic background to read it. With my background in medieval studies, I found some of the discussion about paleography & materials to be old news, but if this is your first foray into the field you can rest assured that he gives enough of an explanation that you won’t be floundering.
Nothing struck me as earth shattering, in the sense that I was not unfamiliar with the places mentioned, but I liked his approach of examining the physicality of the texts instead of simply looking at the texts, and it reminded me that considering texts within their context is an important part of analysis.
The book can be rather technically dense at times, but it’s not too long and thus I’d recommend it to anyone interested in Biblical history or book history. You don’t need a strong academic background to read it. With my background in medieval studies, I found some of the discussion about paleography & materials to be old news, but if this is your first foray into the field you can rest assured that he gives enough of an explanation that you won’t be floundering.
June 12, 2023
A fascinating account of the archaeology of early Christian manuscripts. The content of these manuscripts is not at issue - it is simply the provenance of the texts themselves. Of which it seems is very difficult to ascertain, largely because of how they were found (by the general public) and sold (by antiquarians) and organized (by private owners, and institutions). Nongbri also sets out in great detail how these manuscripts were made, and are conventionally dated (e.g., manufacture, paleography, radiocarbon dating, ink analysis, whether Christian or secular content)- with limitations. Some real certainties about dating manuscripts comes most from where they were unearthed or found, if that can even be determined. At this is the point of the book, in short: good archaeology is what is important to dating these texts.
September 25, 2019
VERY dry, and the reader needs to have a little bit of knowledge of archaeology and early Christian documents before thinking about starting this. But getting into the early binding of books (not that it has changed that much, honestly), and the type of ink and different "fonts" used is fascinating to me. The author then explores three specific collections of documents from original discovery (or sale) up until fairly recent scholarship and translation.
REALLY interesting, if you're into this sort of thing.
REALLY interesting, if you're into this sort of thing.
March 19, 2020
A comprehensive, critical analysis of the papyrus and parchment manuscripts claimed to be the earliest "New Testament" texts in Greek, Coptic, Syriac or Latin. Dr. Nongbri convincingly argues that none of the manuscripts currently known were produced before the third century.
May 26, 2024
Really eye opening to how texts are not merely words: they are physical objects with physical histories that can help us understand how they came to be.
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