and the evolution of the text over centuries. At the start of the book, the author introduces the essential premise that no extant manuscript of the Greek New Testament predates the fourth century, while translations like the Syriac and Latin versions may date back to the second century. Scrivener explores how earlier versions provide crucial insights into the text of the New Testament used by primitive Christians and discusses the significance of these translations in textual criticism. He notes the variations among manuscripts and asserts the importance of consulting versions alongside manuscript evidence to achieve a more accurate understanding of biblical texts. The opening sets a scholarly tone, establishing both the challenges and the essential nature of such critical studies for theological scholarship. (This is an automatically generated summary.)