The Text of the New Testament an Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A definitive introduction to New Testament textual criticism, this book includes a comparison of the major editions of the New Testament, detailed description and analysis of the manuscripts of the Greek New Testament, and discussion on the value of the early versions. This second edition contains two new supplementary essays as well as revised plates, tables, and charts.

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; 2 Revised edition (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802840981
• ISBN-13: 978-0802840981
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the best book yet on the history of the Greek Bible., June 13, 1996

By A Customer

The Text of the New Testament is the most detailed work on New Testament textual criticism available in the English language. In it, the Alands (significant contributors to both the Nestle-Aland 27th and the GNT fourth editions of the Greek New Testament) trace the history of the Greek texts from ancient times all the way through to an informative comparison of the modern critical editions. It is written at a level that can be easily understood by students with no previous knowledge in either textual criticism or Greek. However, its value to scholars cannot be over-estimated. The book includes detailed descriptions of every New Testament papyri and uncial manuscript, and details the most important miniscules as well. Its abundant tables and charts enable the reader to locate early manuscripts by date, content, length, and text "family." The Text of the New Testament should be required reading for anyone interested in the history of the Greek New Testament, and also for anyone int

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four current approaches for New Testament Textual Criticism, February 1, 2006

By	I.S (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

The material below is from David A. Black's New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide, 1994, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (MI), pp. 36-39.

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Today, four approaches to textual criticism can be seen among New Testament scholars. Each of the four current approaches may be identified with individual scholars. For the sake of convenience, these approaches may be called Radical Eclecticism, Reasoned Eclecticism, Reasoned Conservatism, and Radical Conservatism. The term "eclectic" means that the scholar tends to view each textual variant on its own merits instead of blindly following one manuscript or group of manuscripts. The term "conservative" is used here to refer to a generally high view of the traditional Byzantine text type and/or the Textus Receptus.

A. Radical Eclecticism (G. D. Kilpatrick, J. K. Elliott)

Radical Eclecticism holds to what may be called a purely eclectic text. This approach prefers a text based solely on internal evidence. Adherents of this view argue that since the history of the New Testament text is untraceable, none of the text types carries any weight. Hence the reading of any manuscript may be original, since no manuscript or group of manuscripts is "best". An eclectic scholar will thus choose the reading that commends itself as best fitting the context, whether in style or thought. This view, held primarily by a minority of British scholars, has been criticized for ignoring the value and importance of the external evidence, particularly the Greek manuscripts.

B. Reasoned Eclecticism (B. M. Metzger, K. Aland)

Reasoned Eclecticism holds that the text of the New Testament is to be based on both internal and external evidence, without a preference for any particular manuscript or text type. This view of the text is represented in the Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies' Greek New Testaments. This approach often represents a predilection for manuscripts of the Alexandrian text type. This preference is based largely on Westcott and Hort's theory that the Byzantine text is a conflation of the Alexandrian and Western texts, and that the superiority of the Alexandrian text over the Western text can be shown through internal evidence. This approach has occasionally been criticized for producing a new "Textus Receptus" - a canonized form of the New Testament text.

C. Reasoned Conservatism (H. A. Sturz)

What might be called Reasoned Conservatism holds that each of the main text types is equally early and independent, going back separately into the second century. Like Reasoned Eclecticism, Reasoned Conservatism sees both internal and external evidence as useful. However; unlike Reasoned Eclecticism, which tends to follow the Alexandrian text, Reasoned Conservatism insists that no single text type can be preferred over all others, and instead emphasizes the geographical distribution of the text types. Scholars who hold to his view argue that the Byzantine text is older than the age of the earliest Byzantine manuscript (fifth century). For example, Byzantine readings once thought to be late have been found in early Egyptian papyri. Therefore, adherents of this view consider the Byzantine text type to be an early and independent witness to the text of the New Testament. They further believe that the reading that is the consensus of the majority of text types is most representative of the autographs. Reasoned Conservatism has been criticized for restoring the Byzantine text (which many feel to be "corrupt") to a place of usefulness.

D. Radical Conservatism (Z. Hodges, A. Farstad)

Finally, the approach that may be called Radical Conservatism holds that the Byzantine text type most closely approximates the original text of the New Testament. Scholars who hold to this view prefer the reading of the majority of manuscripts, which are, of course, mainly Byzantine. Several of these scholars have produced the New King James Version, which is based on the Textus Receptus, thus perpetuating the tradition begun by William Tyndale in 1525 and continued in King James Version of 1611. This approach has been criticized for being too mechanical and for ignoring the fact that manuscripts must be weighed and not just counted. For example, if ten manuscripts are copies of a single parent manuscript, then an error appearing in the parent will appear ten times in ten copies. But these ten copies are equal to a single authority, not to ten.
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I personally trust B. M. Metzger, K. Aland and co. (I.S)

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important for the Greek NT student, December 31, 2002

By A Customer

This book sets the scene for the New Testament text, its transmission and the extant manuscripts. The book is not quite as interesting a read as Metzger's book which is more readable. However this book benefits in a much higher level of detail regarding certain aspects of the mss, as well as giving a very detailed introduction to the use of the aparatus of the NA26 and UBS3 Greek New Testaments, which is no doubt essential for someone who desires to understand these in every detail. It also deals in much more detail with other modern editions of the Greek New Testament, their pros and cons.

In response to the other commentators and the Alexandrian texts. It is not really in the scope of this book or Metzger's to really prove their opinions of various manuscripts and their individual value. That really becomes clear when the entire New Testament tradition is studied as a whole and entails considerable work. Those criticizing Aland and Metzger et. al. in my experience do so from a position of ignorance as armchair critics.