We recently learned that CSNTM is heading to a major European National Library to digitize their collection of New Testament manuscripts. There are literally hundreds of manuscripts to digitize, including some that are not known to biblical scholars. The expedition will take six months to accomplish the project.
Rob Marcello, CSNTM’s Research Manager, is in charge of planning the expedition. The logistics to get the 7–8 people lined up to be at this library for three months in 2015 and three months in 2016 is rather complex. But just as important, the funding for this project needs to happen—and happen quickly!
CSNTM’s Development Manager, Christina Nations, is raising funds for the 26 weeks of work. New equipment, hiring personnel, getting the housing situation situated, and paying for travel costs, salaries, and numerous other items, all cost money. Historically, with the Graz Travelers Conservation Copy Stands™, CSNTM has been able to shoot one page for about $6. With about 150,000 pages to shoot at this site, Rob has been able to get the costs down to less than $5.50. But now, the funds need to be raised.
Altogether, $800,000 is needed. This includes the document preparation work that Dr. Dan Wallace will begin on January 1. He needs to be on site for twenty weeks to prepare the manuscripts for digitization.
For reasons that we will announce at a later date, this expedition must be completed by September 2016. And it must start in just a few weeks. To see how you can get involved, see Christina’s notes about Circle of Friends, and getting churches involved. Please consider giving a generous gift at this Christmas season to preserve God’s word. For less than $2500, one unique, ancient, handwritten manuscript of the New Testament can be digitally preserved forever.
[…] Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) has an incredible opportunity to digitize a significant collection of manuscripts in Europe. Over the course of two years, this […]