“Eyewitness to Jesus: Amazing New Manuscript Evidence About the Origin of the Gospels”

Matthew D’Ancona, Carsten Peter Thiede

In 1901 an Englishman, the Rev. Charles B. Huleatt, discovered papyrus fragments in Egypt that he donated to his alma mater, Oxford’s Magdalen College. They sat, largely unnoticed, until a few years ago, when Dr. Thiede re-dated them to about 60 A.D. Because these are fragments of the Gospel of Matthew, the new dating dates one of the canonical Gospels to before the fall of Jerusalem.

This is a short, accessible, but detailed look at this fragment and the topic of dating the Gospels. Since many people persist in thinking the Gospels were not written during the Apostle’s lifetimes, it challenges modern doubts about the Gospels accuracy and authenticity. Aside from the religious and historical significance, the book provides and entertaining look at Biblical scholarship and give the general reader a fascinating glimpse into the arcane techniques used by scholars attempting to understand and date ancient manuscripts.