The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts [Hardcover]

Philip Wesley Comfort (Author, Editor), David P. Barrett (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

The fruit of fifteen years of painstaking labor, The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts presents fresh transcriptions of the earliest New Testament papyrus manuscripts. These manuscripts, more than sixty in number, date from the early second century to the beginning of the fourth century. The value of these papyri has long been recognized, but their publication in obscure journals and disparate sources has made access to them difficult for all but the most determined scholars. They are now collected into one handy volume, giving students, scholars, and translators a look at the Greek text that was read in the earliest centuries of the church. This collection of papyrus fragments covers almost two-thirds of the entire Greek New Testament, with transcriptions newly checked for accuracy. Preceding each transcription is an introduction giving a complete description of the papyrus: content, date of writing, place of discovery, housing location, bibliography, physical features, and textual character. A selection of more than forty manuscript photographs rounds out this unique resource.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Philip Comfort has been responsible for provoking interest in, and study of, the earliest Greek New Testament manuscripts . . . especially among a readership, which might otherwise not be exposed to this branch of scholarship. His latest book, co-edited with David Barrett, aims to present, and thereby to popularize, the transcriptions of, and introductions to, over fifty of the earliest witnesses to the Greek New Testament text. If the editors succeed in stimulating a wider appreciation and further study of the text of these manuscripts, their task will have been amply rewarded. I wish them well in their endeavor. -- J. Keith Elliott, University of Leeds

For anyone who works in New Testament textual criticism "from the student who is barely acquainted with the apparatus to the scholar who examines manuscript facsimilies" The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts fills a great need. Comfort and Barrett have made accessible in one volume what up till now has been scattered in scores of different books and articles. If all this volume did was to display the text of the New Testament papyri, its publication would be justified. But there are also plates of more than three dozen manuscripts as well as extensive discussions of the dates, provenance, and discovery of the various papyri. . . . This tome makes an important contribution to the study of the text of the New Testament. -- Dan Wallace, Dallas Theological Seminary

Students and others will be grateful to the editors for having made available a composite edition of widely dispersed texts, now conveniently assembled in one volume. -- Bruce M. Metzger, Princeton Theological Seminary

This is an excellent tool for beginning students of textual criticism and an essential reference work for serious exegetes. -- Norman Ericson, Wheaton College

This is one of the most important works of text criticism to come along in years. It is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in serious study of the more important New Testament manuscripts and will become a standard reference work in the field. It is one of those works that will still be valuable decades from now. -- Grant R. Osborne, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

To provide a serviceable guide to the manuscript evidence of the earliest New Testament textual witnesses is laudable aim of this one-of-a-kind volume. It deserves a warm welcome, and will be most useful, not least because of the photos of the leading families of evidence. -- Ralph P. Martin, Fuller Theological Seminary

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 652 pages
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801021367
• ISBN-13: 978-0801021367
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,674,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason Driesbach holds degrees from Cedarville University and Dallas Theological Seminary and is an independent editor and lifelong student of the ancient Near East with a special interest in Hebrew Bible and Septuagint studies. He has taught in numerous churches and is an editor for the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary series. He enjoys spending time with his wife and children, being outdoors, and playing the guitar.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, DUH!, January 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts (Hardcover)

Of course the thing's in Greek! Anytime you translate anything, it loses or gains some meaning in the translation. If you want it original and unabridged, you have to learn the original language, and do the translation yourself. As a student of Greek, I can tell you that knowing the language clears up a lot of questions I've had in the past. For example, I never quite understood why they called Jesus the "Son of Man". Now I know that the more accurate translation would be "Son of Mankind". So, if you want complete and unabridged, here it is. Just expect to work to understand it.

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good reason to learn Greek..., November 18, 2003

By 

A. W. Cecil "Ben Noah" (Estero, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts (Hardcover)

A must for everyone who studies the New Testament. Here are the earliest manuscripts of the New Testament, such as P45, P66, and P75. What is so striking is how different they are from one another; you can see how the editing process worked during the early centuries of the church, with the scribes editing out words (or putting them in!) according to their own theological views. A fabulous tool, and proof that the "inerrant" New Testament is a myth...