Is inspiration limited to the autographia (original manuscripts) or are the copies also inspired? Some argue that if only the originals are inspired, and since we no longer have them, the Bible we have is not inspired or authoritative. This is not a problem, however, because we know that the copies are almost completely accurate. This can be verified by the fact that there are so many copies, written so close to the date of the original writings, that so closely agree with each other.

Though the copies are not inspired, the Word of God is inspired. Orthodoxy insists that the copies and accurate translations are reliable, because God has not allowed any error that would do damage to the message of the text. Errors in our copies are limited to numerical discrepancies or other inconsequential matters.

Inspiration and Inerrancy. This is a necessary point that follows inspiration. Because the Word of God is inspired, or “God-breathed,” it must therefore be inerrant, since God is inerrant. Because the Word of God is inerrant, it must therefore be supremely authoritative, because God is absolutely authoritative.