Was a sensational discovery of the earliest Gospel of Mark too good to be true?
When rumours emerged of a first-century fragment of Mark’s Gospel, biblical scholars and Christian apologists were electrified. Such a discovery could bring us astonishingly close to the original New Testament writings. But the manuscript’s story took an extraordinary turn.
Mike Bird is joined by Dr Stephen Carlson of Australian Catholic University to investigate the First Century Mark controversy, involving a renowned Oxford papyrologist, American manuscript collectors, allegations of stolen antiquities and a multimillion-dollar legal dispute.
From the dating of ancient papyrus to the ethics of the antiquities trade, they explore how a genuine and important manuscript became the centre of a scandal, and what it reveals about the search for the earliest Christian texts.
History’s Last Stand with Michael Bird explores the extraordinary, controversial and sometimes unbelievable stories that shaped our world. Subscribe for a new episode every Wednesday.
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