some 5,000 of the Christian Scriptures in Greek.

Copies​—Hebrew or Greek

Soon after the originals were written, manuscript copies began to be produced. The copyists exercised great care to transmit the text accurately;

Early Translations

To make the Scriptures available in other languages, Bible translation became necessary. There exist today manuscripts of such early versions as the Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, from the third and second centuries B.C.E.) and Jerome’s Vulgate (a translation of Hebrew and Greek texts into Latin, originally produced c. 400 C.E.)

Master Texts

By a comparative study of hundreds of existing Bible manuscripts, scholars have prepared master texts. These printed editions of original-language texts suggest the best readings available while drawing attention to variations that may exist in certain manuscripts.

Included among the master texts of the Christian Greek Scriptures are those published by Westcott and Hort as well as by Nestle and Aland