[Technogeeb]

As I recall, the oldest portion of scripture that has been found was a papyrus scroll found in Egypt, containing a portion of the Gospel of Mark, dating from the early third century.

I believe you are mistaken. There is a fragment of the gospel of John (in John Rylands University Library of Manchester), Rylands Papyrus 52, discovered in Egypt in 1920 that dates back to ~125 AD, and fragments of the gospel of Matthew (in Magdalen College in Oxford), Magdalen Papyrus 64, that date back to the first century (66 AD).

Of course, this only asserts the accuracy of the point you were trying to make even more than your own post did...

[jimtorr]

I believe you are mistaken. There is a fragment of the gospel of John (in John Rylands University Library of Manchester),Rylands Papyrus 52, discovered in Egypt in 1920 that dates back to ~125 AD, and fragments of the gospel of Matthew (in Magdalen College in Oxford), Magdalen Papyrus 64, that date back to the first century (66 AD).

Yes, I goofed. I should know better than to post before I've had my morning tea.

It was the fragment of John I was thinking of, and I meant to say the second century, not the third.

I beleive the dating of the Matthew fragment is disputed, though, so I don't refer to it.

I also forgot all the references to scripture, and the long quotes of scripture, by letters from the early church fathers. These begin sometime around 105 AD.

I especially like one quote(how I wish I could remember who wrote it, but he was a bishop). He wrote that the Apostles were no sooner dead and buried than people were worshipping them as Gods in their own tombs.