Did Ancient Scribes Alter Jesus’ Words? Evidence from the Gospel of Matthew

Episode Outline:

0:00 How scribes changed the Gospel of Matthew
0:48 Christmas course specials and holiday bundle announcement
1:24 Intro: how copying Matthew changed its meaning
1:57 Bart and Megan finally meet in person
5:10 What are our oldest manuscripts of Matthew?
7:15 How else can we know what Matthew originally said?
10:02 What kinds of changes do scribes make to biblical texts?
14:26 Matthew 1:16 — did a scribe accidentally make Joseph Jesus’ father?
17:37 Matthew 1:18 — one letter that changes the meaning of Jesus’ “beginning”
20:40 Matthew 1:25 — why some scribes removed “until” from Joseph and Mary
23:12 Matthew 17:12–13 — did scribes adjust the wording about John the Baptist?
25:37 Matthew 24:36 — why some scribes removed “nor the Son”
29:34 Was the Great Commission in Matthew 28 added later?
34:27 Listener Q&A: forgiveness, Revelation, Job, and Jewish groups in Jesus’ day

Episode Description

In this episode, Megan Lewis and Bart Ehrman return to their ongoing mini-series on how biblical manuscripts were copied, changed, and even “rewritten” over the centuries. This time, the focus is on the Gospel of Matthew—which, unlike Mark, was immensely popular among early Christian churches and thus survives in a greater number of manuscripts. But does that popularity suggest greater textual stability, or did frequent copying introduce new complexities?

The episode opens with a discussion of manuscript history: what are the oldest surviving fragments of Matthew, and how much do they allow us to reconstruct the original text? Bart Ehrman explains that, though a handful of second-century fragments exist, they are tiny and incomplete. The first full copies of Matthew date from nearly three centuries after it was written. The hosts also discuss other sources that help reconstruct Matthew’s original words: early translations into Latin, Syriac, and Coptic (“versions”), as well as quotations from early church fathers.

Next, the conversation turns toward the process of copying itself. What kinds of mistakes did scribes make? Bart Ehrman explains that most changes were accidental—repetitions, omitted words, or simple spelling errors—but that some were intentional, made to “correct” difficult readings or adjust theological implications. Intriguingly, Bart Ehrman observes that the popularity of Matthew created a kind of conservatism among scribes—they were less likely to change Matthew’s wording to align with other Gospels, since Matthew was considered authoritative.

The heart of the episode centers on specific textual variants in Matthew, each illustrating how a seemingly minor change can have outsized theological significance

The episode concludes with a thoughtful exploration of whether the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20) was a later addition, as some have argued due to its trinitarian formula and apparent contradiction with earlier instructions to “go only to the house of Israel.” Bart Ehrman argues, based on manuscript evidence and literary context, that these famous verses are original to Matthew.

3 Key Takeaways

- The Gospel of Matthew has undergone hundreds of textual changes, both accidental and intentional, in centuries of handwritten transmission, affecting even core theological ideas.
- Many early church fathers and scribes took Matthew as the foundational Gospel, making them less likely to intentionally change it, but small accidental changes—such as a single letter—could still have big impacts.
- Not every textual difficulty or theologically significant phrase was added or altered—sometimes, the “hard” readings are in every ancient copy, and apparent contradictions may actually reflect the Gospel’s literary structure and message.

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