Tough question for anyone willing to tackle it. :)

I read references frequently about the thousands and thousands of manuscripts which stand as evidence for the veracity of the Bible. Yet no one ever cites their sources. How do I verify that there are indeed all of these early manuscripts? Who has them? Are they catalogued somewhere?

Any document from long ago is bound to be considered "hearsay".That's not saying it's not true,but over the mists of time,translation from Aramaic,to Hebrew,to Greek,to Latin,to German,to English,may have caused one or two translators "public licence".

Check out this url
http://www.bible-history.com/links.php?cat=16&sub=241&cat_name=Ancient+Documents&subcat_name=Papyrology

The site is crammed full of links and articles.Enough to keep the ardent scholar happy for years.

As to your original question on verification,I don't know.I suppose it all adds up to faith and/or belief.

All the best,
Nez.

You know what? I had been on that site a couple years ago and completely forgot about it! Thanks for the reminder.

As for the mists of time introducing change in ancient documents, that is a valid point. In fact, I might point out that "time" can be a very short period. Consider the Holocaust deniers. They have rewritten history (at least for their followers) in very short order. However, the historicity of the Holocaust is not changed; neither is its record in historical manuscripts. Though acounts on details may vary, the "doctrine" of history of the Holocaust is in agreement.

So it is with the Bible. For a Christian, the Bible is God's Word to his creation. We would expect to find variances in the details, because God chooses (and always has) to work through people. But His truths are untouchable. As Christians, we also expect the world to be unaccepting of this position. The Bible is very clear on this point (see 1 Cor. 2:14).

I don't expect to convince anyone. Just passing along what I understand.

When a close friend tells a matter, one never asks for validation or verification. We know those closest to us. We hear the voice of our friend and believe.

The key is in your first phrase, to wit: "When a close friend...". Apologetics is aimed at those who are not yet in the family or close friends. Even so, friendship - close or otherwise - is not, in and of itself, an argument for integrity or truth. It is a condition, not an argument. God understands that, and so implores us to, "Come now, let us reason together."

I found this link very helpful in understanding the sources used to produce modern Bible translations. The document is provided by a group called the Church of the Brethren (who I know nothing about and certainly do not endorse) but I don't know if it was written by one of their members.

While I try to be careful in case a writer's theology affects his scholarship, there is little evidence of that in this work. I find his analysis of Biblical texts to be clear and fair-minded, but judge for yourself.

http://www.cob-net.org/compare.htm