How We Got Our Bible: Alexandrian and Byzantine

Two manuscript families carry most of the weight, and they are different in kind.
The Alexandrian family is made up largely of papyri and uncials, most of Egyptian provenance - Alexandria being the obvious centre. Because of that, it is the oldest family, the earliest tradition we can reach.
The Byzantine family comes from a different region and era, and its great feature is number. There are far more of these manuscripts, which is why it is often called the Byzantine-Majority text.
So you have a genuine tension: one family is older, the other is more numerous. And the question worth asking plainly is this - is oldest best?
It is not a trick question with a hidden answer. Older manuscripts are closer in time to the original, which counts for a great deal. But a later copy can descend from an excellent early exemplar, and the sheer number of Byzantine manuscripts is evidence of something too. Neither age nor count settles a reading by itself.
Which is why this is done case by case, reading by reading, in the open.
Scripture links:
- 2 Timothy 3:16 - all Scripture is breathed out by God.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - test everything.
- Acts 17:11 - they examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Age is evidence. It is not a verdict.