National Geographic Magazine Recognizes Biblical Manuscript Preservation Work of DTS Alumni

National Geographic magazine has featured DTS senior research professor of New Testament Studies Dr. Dan Wallace (ThM, 1979; PhD 1995), along with Liberty University professor Dr. Randall Price (ThM, 1981), in a recent article: Inside the Cloak-and-Dagger Search for Sacred Texts. This article mentions their significant work and contributions in the field of biblical manuscript preservation.

The urgent mission to conserve and document biblical manuscripts has been a passion of Dr. Wallace who also serves as executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM). The objectives of CSNTM, Dr. Wallace explains, “is to digital photograph every single NT Greek Testament manuscripts in the world for historical preservation.”

Why the need and urgency?

“The ultimate goal is to have these images available to scholars online so that they can access the information and they can work through what the wording of the original text of the New Testament is. And it is our task to be faithful to the Scriptures to expound who Jesus is and what He means to us.”

In his blog, Dr. Wallace explains why NT study of the original text and interpretation is critical. “Students in seminary often come into the program thinking that once they get some Greek and Hebrew under their belts, the interpretive issues will simply disappear. The reality is that study in the original languages in some places will expand on the interpretive possibilities, in others shrink them. But most importantly, such training will replace a misinformed list of options for one that is better informed and at least has some validity.”

With CSNTM, Dr. Wallace travels to key locations throughout the world to digitize their collections of manuscripts. This past summer, Dr. Wallace with a team of researchers, digitized the most significant manuscripts on an expedition to Tbilisi, Georgia; then Greece; and finally to Heidelberg, Germany.

Dr. Wallace, a former surfer and pastor with more than twenty books to his credit, teaches Greek and New Testament Studies at DTS. Read more about Dr. Wallace and his journey in pursuit of the truth here.

Images used with permission from CSNTM.