New Testament text and manuscript studies intersect with a variety of disciplines—including paleography, art history, exegesis, paratext, linguistics, and conservation—to enrich our understanding of how the New Testament was transmitted and received within its broader historical context. Each of these fields is itself interdisciplinary, drawing on historical sources from diverse cultures and periods.
Given the vastness and complexity of these disciplines, it is nearly impossible for any single scholar to master them all. As a result, even the most skilled researchers struggle to keep up with the latest developments. Perhaps that is why no work has ever been written solely on the intersection between ancient literacy and New Testament text and manuscript studies.
Nevertheless, this essay will be a crucial first step toward exploring this intersection. As our understanding of ancient literacy evolves every year with new evidence and insights, it becomes crucial to reassess and update our discussions and debates about the data. We must critically examine and question our fundamental assumptions about literacy in antiquity.
In order to do so, this essay will briefly explore how certain assumptions about mass illiteracy (i.e., the lack of the ability to read and write) in antiquity have shaped the work of scholars for at least a generation. It will then argue that recent research, which is increasingly pointing to higher literacy rates than previously acknowledged, challenges these long-standing views by scholars such as Harris, Hezser, Cribiore, Johnson, Woolfe, Bowman, Beard, Gamble, Cooley, etc. By surveying these new findings and evolving perspectives, the essay aims to encourage a more informed and accurate understanding of literacy in the ancient world, thus advancing the discourse in the field of New Testament text and manuscript studies.
This essay will also utilize the innovative application of AI to lead to fascinating discussions and new perspectives regarding who could have written or read creeds in the early church.