Overview
The Evidence in Brief
A textual variant is a difference among handwritten copies. Most New Testament variants are minor, but a smaller number affect whole phrases or passages, including the longer ending of Mark and the story of the woman accused of adultery. Modern editions identify these openly. The Quran also has a documented history of spelling and canonical reading differences, but its early standardized consonantal text produced a much narrower textual range.
history
Why Handwritten Copies Differ
Scribes can miss a line, repeat a phrase, adjust spelling, harmonize parallel passages, or add an explanatory note that later enters the text. A large manuscript tradition preserves many copies but also records many such differences. Scholars compare date, geographic spread, and relationships among manuscripts to estimate the earliest recoverable wording.
scripture
The Quran's Own Claim About Its Preservation
The Quran makes an explicit claim about its own preservation. In Surah Al-Hijr, God says: "إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَسورة الحجر · الآية ٩" — "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian" (Quran 15:9).
Muslims understand this verse as God's promise to protect the core revealed text of the Quran from being lost or corrupted over time. Historically, that promise is understood to have been worked out through the process described above: verses recorded in writing during Muhammad's lifetime, an unbroken chain of memorizers (huffaz) reciting the whole text from the beginning, and then Uthman's swift standardization of a single consonantal skeleton distributed to the major cities of the Muslim world, foreclosing the kind of centuries-long, uncoordinated regional drift that produced the New Testament's many textual families.
This does not mean the Quran's transmission has no internal variation at all. A small number of differences in vowelling, pronunciation, and minor word forms, called qiraat, were preserved as multiple authenticated oral traditions going back to the Prophet, all fitting within Uthman's single consonantal skeleton. These are recognized, bounded variant readings passed down through certified chains of transmission — not independent manuscript lineages that diverged silently over time the way New Testament text-types did.
Muslims understand this verse as God's promise to protect the core revealed text of the Quran from being lost or corrupted over time. Historically, that promise is understood to have been worked out through the process described above: verses recorded in writing during Muhammad's lifetime, an unbroken chain of memorizers (huffaz) reciting the whole text from the beginning, and then Uthman's swift standardization of a single consonantal skeleton distributed to the major cities of the Muslim world, foreclosing the kind of centuries-long, uncoordinated regional drift that produced the New Testament's many textual families.
This does not mean the Quran's transmission has no internal variation at all. A small number of differences in vowelling, pronunciation, and minor word forms, called qiraat, were preserved as multiple authenticated oral traditions going back to the Prophet, all fitting within Uthman's single consonantal skeleton. These are recognized, bounded variant readings passed down through certified chains of transmission — not independent manuscript lineages that diverged silently over time the way New Testament text-types did.
Key passage
Quran
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ
سورة الحجر · الآية ٩
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
Quran 15:9
Translation: Saheeh International
scripture
Minor Variants and Major Examples
Most New Testament variants are spelling or word-order differences. Several famous passages are larger: the longer ending of Mark (Mark 16:9–20), the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11), and the explicit Trinitarian wording in the later form of 1 John 5:7. Modern translations usually mark these honestly. Their disclosure is commendable, but it also shows that the received text required scholarly sorting.
Key passage
Bible
Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Mark 16:9
Version: World English Bible
argument
Two Different Patterns
New Testament criticism compares a large manuscript tradition whose copies differ in thousands of places, overwhelmingly minor but sometimes substantial. Editors decide among readings by age, distribution, genealogy, and internal evidence.
Quranic transmission includes early spelling variation, a small number of non-Uthmanic readings in historical sources, and canonical qira'at. Its dominant manuscripts, however, share an early standardized consonantal text. The useful comparison is therefore not 'variants versus no variants,' but the scale, control, and date of stabilization in each tradition.
Quranic transmission includes early spelling variation, a small number of non-Uthmanic readings in historical sources, and canonical qira'at. Its dominant manuscripts, however, share an early standardized consonantal text. The useful comparison is therefore not 'variants versus no variants,' but the scale, control, and date of stabilization in each tradition.
interpretation
What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show
Variants do not mean that every New Testament teaching is unknowable. They do mean that 'the Bible never changed' is too simple. Likewise, recognized Quranic readings should not be equated automatically with copying errors: they operate within an early standard text and named recitation chains. Each tradition should be described according to its own transmission process.
argument
A Different Preservation Record
Quran 15:9 states, 'Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will guard it.' The Quran was standardized early and transmitted through both writing and memorization. That does not eliminate every spelling or manuscript question, but it provides a stable public text without the same dependence on reconstructing anonymous, divergent copies.
summary
The Central Takeaway
Textual criticism helps recover early biblical wording, but the need for reconstruction is itself part of the comparison. The Quran's early public standard and living recitation offer a clearer preservation claim and stronger access to the revelation as delivered.
notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the existence of thousands of New Testament variants mean the Bible cannot be trusted at all?
A: Mainstream textual scholars, many of them devout Christians, note that the vast majority of variants are trivial spelling or word-order differences that do not change meaning. Only a small number of passages, like the two discussed here, involve larger questions, and those are openly footnoted rather than hidden.
Q: Are Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11 removed from modern Bibles?
A: No. Almost all modern translations still print both passages in full, usually with brackets or a footnote explaining that the earliest manuscripts lack them.
Q: Does the Quran have any variant readings at all?
A: Yes. The qiraat are certified oral reading traditions affecting vowelling and some word forms, all consistent with the single consonantal skeleton fixed under Caliph Uthman — a bounded, documented variation, not an uncontrolled multi-family divergence like the New Testament's.
Q: Is textual criticism an attack on Christianity?
A: No. It is a long-established discipline practiced mostly by Christian scholars themselves, aimed at recovering the earliest recoverable New Testament text through careful comparison of manuscripts.
Q: Why did Uthman have some Quran copies set aside?
A: According to Islamic historical accounts, Uthman acted to prevent regional divergence in recitation, standardizing on a single consonantal text sent to the main cities of the Muslim world, based on the compilation prepared earlier under Abu Bakr.
A: Mainstream textual scholars, many of them devout Christians, note that the vast majority of variants are trivial spelling or word-order differences that do not change meaning. Only a small number of passages, like the two discussed here, involve larger questions, and those are openly footnoted rather than hidden.
Q: Are Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11 removed from modern Bibles?
A: No. Almost all modern translations still print both passages in full, usually with brackets or a footnote explaining that the earliest manuscripts lack them.
Q: Does the Quran have any variant readings at all?
A: Yes. The qiraat are certified oral reading traditions affecting vowelling and some word forms, all consistent with the single consonantal skeleton fixed under Caliph Uthman — a bounded, documented variation, not an uncontrolled multi-family divergence like the New Testament's.
Q: Is textual criticism an attack on Christianity?
A: No. It is a long-established discipline practiced mostly by Christian scholars themselves, aimed at recovering the earliest recoverable New Testament text through careful comparison of manuscripts.
Q: Why did Uthman have some Quran copies set aside?
A: According to Islamic historical accounts, Uthman acted to prevent regional divergence in recitation, standardizing on a single consonantal text sent to the main cities of the Muslim world, based on the compilation prepared earlier under Abu Bakr.
sources
Further Reading
Selected sources and further reading:
The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration — Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. A standard, widely cited textbook on New Testament textual criticism, covering manuscript families and famous variant passages.Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why — Bart D. Ehrman. A popular-level introduction to New Testament textual variants, including the ending of Mark and the story in John 7:53-8:11.The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? — F. F. Bruce. A classic evangelical Christian defense of the New Testament's manuscript reliability, written by a respected biblical scholar.The History of the Qur'anic Text: From Revelation to Compilation — Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami. A detailed Muslim scholarly account of the Quran's compilation and the Uthmanic standardization, written partly in response to Western textual criticism of the Quran.
The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration — Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. A standard, widely cited textbook on New Testament textual criticism, covering manuscript families and famous variant passages.Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why — Bart D. Ehrman. A popular-level introduction to New Testament textual variants, including the ending of Mark and the story in John 7:53-8:11.The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? — F. F. Bruce. A classic evangelical Christian defense of the New Testament's manuscript reliability, written by a respected biblical scholar.The History of the Qur'anic Text: From Revelation to Compilation — Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami. A detailed Muslim scholarly account of the Quran's compilation and the Uthmanic standardization, written partly in response to Western textual criticism of the Quran.
Sources
Sources and further reading
Primary texts and works cited in this article.
The Quran — Tanzil Uthmani text with Saheeh International translation
quran
Source linkUthmani-script Arabic text from Tanzil with the Saheeh International English translation.
The Holy Bible, World English Bible (public domain)
bible
Source linkPublic-domain English translation from the World English Bible.
The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration
book | Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman
A standard, widely cited textbook on New Testament textual criticism, covering manuscript families and famous variant passages.
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
book | Bart D. Ehrman
A widely read account of New Testament textual transmission by a mainstream biblical scholar, useful for comparing transmission histories.
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
book | F. F. Bruce
A classic evangelical defense of New Testament transmission, included to state the Christian reliability argument fairly.
The History of the Qur'anic Text from Revelation to Compilation
book | Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami
A documented case for the Quran's preservation from within Muslim scholarship, with comparison to the transmission of earlier scriptures.