Dear friends,
As we gather around our tables this Thanksgiving, I am reminded of a remarkable legacy of dedication: the faithful work of the scribes, down through the centuries, who meticulously copied the New Testament by hand. These devoted men and women dedicated their lives to preserving the Scriptures, line by line and letter by letter, ensuring that the writings of the closest followers of Jesus Christ would be passed down through generations.
Today, because of them, we hold in our hands the enduring truths of the Bible. And because of you, we continue their work to preserve the New Testament for future generations. Just as the scribes labored to preserve the Bible we read today, your partnership with CSNTM ensures that the earliest copies of the New Testament text continue to be preserved and passed along so that future generations might have greater confidence, trust, and faith in the Word of God.
This is no small task, and we could not do it without you. Thanks to friends like you, in the last 11 months CSNTM teams completed 4 expeditions, involving projects in 13 institutions in 5 countries. Many of these manuscripts have never been photographed, so the world will soon see them for the very first time!
Together, we are preserving these ancient texts but, more importantly, we are gathering ever more evidence that the words of the New Testament we have today are, indeed, what was written by the apostles 2,000 years ago. And that’s helping people gain increasing confidence in the reliability of the Word of God.
A few years ago, I came across a colophon–a personal note by a scribe at the end of the New Testament manuscript he had just completed: “The hand that wrote this is rotting in the grave, but the letters remain until the fullness of the times.” The scribe was one Andrew, “calligrapher and sinner,” who penned this note in AD 1079! CSNTM is continuing the work of the Andrews of centuries past by digitally preserving the Scriptures for generations to come.
This Thanksgiving, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for you. You are part of something remarkable—a mission that spans millennia and carries eternal value.
From all of us at CSNTM, may your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, peace, and gratitude.