As we prepare to announce some of the most significant advancements in CSNTM’s history, we want to pause and reflect on all we’ve accomplished over the years because of the faithful partnership of people like you.
For more than two decades, we’ve pursued our mission: preserving the New Testament text and manuscripts and tracing its history through the ages. A key way we do this is by leveraging emerging technologies to provide manuscript images, innovative resources, and advanced research tools for scholars, teachers, and everyday believers around the world.
And through every advancement in this pillar of our mission—from digitization equipment to data innovation—one thing has remained constant: none of it would be possible without our steadfast supporters.
The generosity and belief of our faithful partners have fueled a remarkable history of innovation and progress at the Center. Now, we’re proud to carry that momentum forward into a new era of discovery and preservation.
But before we take that leap, we want to share a few key milestones that have marked our shared journey…
Imaging Equipment: From 4-5MP to 150MP
When CSNTM launched its first manuscript digitization expedition in 2002, we relied on a 4-5 megapixel camera mounted on a simple tripod, a system that captured a single image every 90 seconds—assuming it wasn’t blurry. It was slow, tedious work, but it was cutting-edge at the time.
Fast forward to today, and we’re using state-of-the-art cameras that capture ultra-high-resolution images at 150 megapixels. These tools allow us to preserve the most minute details of ancient manuscripts—including features that are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Want to see the difference? We’ve included a comparison of our early images with what we can achieve now—it’s night and day. Drag the center line left and right.
Online Access: From a Simple Database to Global Reach
From the very beginning, our goal was clear: make images of New Testament manuscripts available to anyone, anywhere, for free, forever.
Our first online database started small, hosting just a few manuscript images that our team had digitized. Even so, it quickly became a vital tool for scholars, pastors, and curious readers across the world—fostering new research, inspiring faith, and deepening trust in Scripture.
But as technology and user needs grew, so did our vision. We launched a redesigned viewer with better navigation and functionality in 2020, and we’re not done yet. Our team is actively developing a new and improved platform that will make it even easier to explore the treasures of our manuscript archive. We can’t share all the details yet—but trust us, you’ll want to stay tuned.
Multi-Spectral Imaging: Revealing Hidden Texts
For the first 15 years of our work, we couldn’t do much with palimpsests—manuscripts where the original writing was scraped off and overwritten. These hidden texts remained obscured, illegible with traditional imaging.
That changed in 2018, when we acquired our first multi-spectral imaging (MSI) system. Suddenly, we were able to see beneath the surface and recover erased or faded texts that hadn’t been visible in centuries.
But technology has advanced quickly. Our current MSI setup—though groundbreaking at the time—can no longer keep up with our imaging standards or research ambitions. That’s why we’re now pursuing the next generation of MSI equipment, which will allow us to uncover more hidden texts, fuel new discoveries, and mark a turning point in the study of the New Testament.
Want to see what MSI can reveal? See below for an incredible before-and-after image. Drag the center line left and right.
This Work Is Only Possible Because of You
While we’re incredibly excited about what’s ahead, none of this would have been possible without the history we’ve written together—one advancement, one discovery, one preserved manuscript at a time.
Our partners are the fuel behind our mission. They have helped us reach this moment, and their continued support will carry us into the next.
Together, we are preserving God’s Word for future generations—and that is a mission worth giving our very best.
Stay tuned. The next chapter is just around the corner…
