Sir David Dalrymple was wondering about the preponderance of Scripture in early writing when someone asked him, "Suppose that the New Testament had been destroyed, and every copy of it lost by the end of the third century, could it have been collected together again from the writings of the Fathers of the second and third centuries? After a great deal of investigation, Dalrymple concluded: "Look at those books. You remember the question about the New Testament and the Fathers? That question roused my curiosity, and as I possessed all the existing work of the Fathers of the second and third centuries, I commenced to search, and up to this time I have found the entire New Testament, except eleven verses."
Recently I came across this interesting 2016 article challenging the validity of this snippet. I don't deny anything the author put forth in questioning the validity of this quote, both where it originated and if it's true. I can only speak to the former: where it came from. The article's author went so far as to purchase books and manuscripts by Sir David Dalrymple (I suspect the three volume of Remains of Christian Antiquity) in order to verify the quote, and I think, rightly concluded,
After purchasing Dalrymple’s books and manuscripts on this topic, I came to the conclusion that he has either been improperly referenced or inaccurately cited. I simply cannot confirm the quotation from Dalrymple that is offered repeatedly by Christian Case Makers.
I suspect the reason why it could not be located in Dalrymple's writings is because I think it's a second-hand anecdotal story. In this nineteenth century book, this same second-hand story is mentioned... pointing out it originates from a book entitled, Lives of the Haldanes. Sure enough, when one locates that source, the origin of this apologetic factoid emerges... as an anecdote:
There is an interesting anecdote, which was related by the late Rev. Dr. Walter Buchanan, with reference to one of the means which seems to have been provided in order to secure the New Testament either from interpolation or corruption:
“I was dining," said Dr. Buchanan, "some time ago with a literary party at old Mr. Abercromby's, of Tullibody (the father of Sir Ralph Abercromby, who was slain in Egypt), and we spent the evening together. A gentleman present put a question which puzzled the whole company. It was this: Supposing all the New Testaments in the world had been destroyed at the end of the third century, could their contents have been recovered from the writings of the three first centuries? The question was novel to all, and no one even hazarded a guess in answer to the inquiry. “About two months after this meeting I received an invitation to breakfast with Lord Hailes (Sir David Dalrymple) next morning. He had been of the party. During breakfast he asked me if I recollected the curious question about the possibility of recovering the contents of the New Testament from the writings of the three first centuries? 'I remember it well, and have thought of it often without being able to form any opinion or conjecture on the subject.
"Well,' said Lord Hailes, that question quite accorded with the turn or taste of my antiquarian mind. On returning home, as I knew I had all the writers of those centuries, I began immediately to collect them, that I might set to work on the arduous task as soon as possible.' Pointing to a table covered with papers, he said, “There have I been busy for those two months, searching for chapters, half chapters, and sentences of the New Testament, and have marked down what I found, and where I have found it, so that any person may examine and see for himself. I have actually discovered the whole New Testament, except seven or eleven verses (I forget which), which satisfies me that I could discover them also. Now,' said he, 'here was a way in which God concealed, or bid, the treasures of his word, that -Julian, the apostate Emperor, and other enemies of Christ who wished to extirpate the Gospel from the world, never would have thought of; and though they had, they never could have effected their destruction.'
While this doesn't prove if the entire New Testament can be constructed from the early church fathers of the second and third centuries, it does prove where this information originally came from. I've read the writings of the early church for years and I'm always amazed at how much scripture is cited! On the other hand, if you've used this particular apologetic argument, I would cease and desist unless you can prove it by listing the missing eleven verses.
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