The news is circulating from a blog post by Dan Wallace (picked up by Joel Watts and Brian LePort) that a manuscript of the Gospel of Mark has been found which has been dated on paleographical grounds to the first century. [The photo included in this post is not a photo of the manuscript in question. As far as I am aware, no photo has yet been released].
The first thing to be said is that this news is like any archaeological, historical or scientific proposal that grabs headlines – exciting, perhaps, but to be viewed with caution and above all patience, allowing time for the details to be published and the claims to be double-checked and cross-examined.
As for the question on Joel’s mind, will it spell the end of mythicism if it turns out to be true that a first century manuscript of the Gospel of Mark has indeed been found? Of course not. Has any evidence for evolution ever spelled the end to young-earth creationism or Intelligent Design?
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