Novum Testamentum Graece
Encyclopedia
Novum Testamentum Graece is the Latin
name editions of the original Greek-language version of the New Testament
.
The first printed edition was the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, printed in 1514, but not published until 1520. The first published edition of the Greek New Testament was produced by Erasmus in 1516.
Today the designation Novum Testamentum Graece normally refers to the Nestle-Aland editions, named after the scholars who led the critical editing work. The text, edited by the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung
(Institute for New Testament Textual Research) is currently in its 27th edition, abbreviated NA27. NA27 is used as the basis of most contemporary New Testament translations
, as well as being the standard for academic work in New Testament studies.
. The critical text is an eclectic text compiled by a committee that examines a large number of manuscript
s in order to weigh which reading is thought closest to the original. They use a number of factors to help determine probable readings, such as the date of the witness (earlier is usually better), the geographical distribution of a reading, and accidental or intentional corruptions. In the book, a large number of textual variants, or differences between manuscripts, are noted in the critical apparatus
—the extensive footnotes that distinguish the Novum Testamentum Graece from other Greek New Testaments.
Most scholars view uncial text as the most accurate; however, a few authors (such as New Testament scholar Maurice A. Robinson and linguist Wilbur Pickering) claim that the minuscule texts (Byzantine text-type
) more accurately reflect the "autographs" or original texts than an eclectic text like NA27 that relies heavily on manuscripts of the Alexandrian text-type
. This view has been criticized by Gordon Fee
and Bruce Metzger
among others. Since the majority of old manuscripts in existence are minuscules, they are often referred to as the Majority Text. It is worth noting, though, that the Majority Text as a whole is classified by the editors of the NA27 (of whom Metzger is one) as a "consistently cited witness of the first order," meaning that whenever the text presented differs from the majority text this is recorded in the apparatus along with the alternate reading. Other consistently cited references include the full corpus of papyri manuscripts available to the authors as well as a wide range of other manuscripts including a selection of both minuscules and uncials.
The Novum Testamentum Graece apparatus summarizes the evidence (from manuscripts and versions) for, and sometimes against, a selection of the most important variants for the study of the text of the New Testament. While eschewing completeness (in the range of variants and in the citation of witnesses), this edition does provide informed readers with a basis by which they can judge for themselves which readings more accurately reflect the originals. The Greek text of the 27th edition is the same as that of the 4th edition of the United Bible Societies
Greek New Testament (abbreviated UBS4) although there are a few differences between them in paragraphing, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. The critical apparatus is different in the two editions; the UBS4 edition is prepared for the use of translators, and includes fewer textual variants, but adds extra material helpful for translators.
in 1898 combined the readings of the editions of Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort
and Weymouth
, placing the majority reading of these in the text and the third reading in the apparatus. In 1901, he replaced the Weymouth New Testament
with Bernhard Weiss
's text. In later editions, Nestle began noting the attestation of certain important manuscripts in his apparatus.
Eberhard's son Erwin Nestle
took over after his father's death and issued the 13th edition in 1927. This edition introduced a separate critical apparatus and began to abandon the majority reading principle.
Kurt Aland
became the associate editor of the 21st edition in 1952. At Erwin Nestle's request, he reviewed and expanded the critical apparatus, adding many more manuscripts. This eventually led to the 25th edition of 1963. The great manuscript discoveries of the 20th century had also made a revision of the text necessary and, with Nestle's permission, Aland set out to revise the text of Novum Testamentum Graece. Aland submitted his work on NA to the editorial committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (of which he was also a member) and it became the basic text of their third edition (UBS3) in 1975, four years before it was published as the 26th edition of Nestle-Aland.
Members of the Editorial Committee of the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament comprise:
The current edition of Nestle-Aland reproduces the text of NA26 (the same text used in UBS3 and UBS4). The 27th edition presents a thoroughly revised critical apparatus and a rewritten introduction and appendices.
A more complete set of variants is listed in the multiple volume Novum Testamentum Graecum – Editio Critica Maior
. A small number of textual changes in the most current edition will be incorporated in the 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland. According to Hendrickson Publishers, the North American distributors of the book, "The current estimate is that the NA28 will not be published until at least the fall of 2009, at the earliest."
(the German Bible Society).
and Barbara Aland
compare the total number of variant-free verses, and the number of variants per page (excluding orthographic
errors), among the seven major editions of the Greek NT (Tischendorf
, Westcott-Hort
, von Soden
, Vogels, Merk, Bover, and Nestle-Aland) concluding 62.9%, or 4999/7947, agreement. They concluded, "Thus in nearly two-thirds of the New Testament text, the seven editions of the Greek New Testament which we have reviewed are in complete accord, with no differences other than in orthographical details (e.g., the spelling of names, etc.). Verses in which any one of the seven editions differs by a single word are not counted. This result is quite amazing, demonstrating a far greater agreement among the Greek texts of the New Testament during the past century than textual scholars
would have suspected […]. In the Gospels, Acts
, and Revelation
the agreement is less, while in the letters it is much greater"
, such as the Textus Receptus
. A number of translations began to use critical Greek editions, beginning with the translation of the Revised Version
in England in 1881-1885 (using Westcott and Hort's Greek Text). English translations produced during the twentieth century increasingly reflected the work of textual criticism, although even new translations are often influenced by earlier translation efforts.
A comparison of the textual and stylistic choices of twenty translations against 15,000 variant readings shows the following rank of agreement with the Nestle-Aland 27th edition:
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name editions of the original Greek-language version of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
.
The first printed edition was the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
Complutensian Polyglot Bible
The Complutensian Polyglot Bible is the name given to the first printed polyglot of the entire Bible, initiated and financed by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros . It includes the first printed editions of the Greek New Testament, the complete Septuagint, and the Targum Onkelos...
by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, printed in 1514, but not published until 1520. The first published edition of the Greek New Testament was produced by Erasmus in 1516.
Today the designation Novum Testamentum Graece normally refers to the Nestle-Aland editions, named after the scholars who led the critical editing work. The text, edited by the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung
Institute for New Testament Textual Research
The Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster, Westphalia, Germany, is an institute for the investigation of the text of the New Testament. The INTF was founded in Münster in 1959 by Professor Kurt Aland , the first director of the Institute...
(Institute for New Testament Textual Research) is currently in its 27th edition, abbreviated NA27. NA27 is used as the basis of most contemporary New Testament translations
Bible translations
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Indeed, the full Bible has been translated into over 450 languages, although sections of the Bible have been translated into over 2,000 languages....
, as well as being the standard for academic work in New Testament studies.
Methodology
The Greek text as presented is what biblical scholars refer to as the "critical text"Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
. The critical text is an eclectic text compiled by a committee that examines a large number of manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s in order to weigh which reading is thought closest to the original. They use a number of factors to help determine probable readings, such as the date of the witness (earlier is usually better), the geographical distribution of a reading, and accidental or intentional corruptions. In the book, a large number of textual variants, or differences between manuscripts, are noted in the critical apparatus
Critical apparatus
The critical apparatus is the critical and primary source material that accompanies an edition of a text. A critical apparatus is often a by-product of textual criticism....
—the extensive footnotes that distinguish the Novum Testamentum Graece from other Greek New Testaments.
Most scholars view uncial text as the most accurate; however, a few authors (such as New Testament scholar Maurice A. Robinson and linguist Wilbur Pickering) claim that the minuscule texts (Byzantine text-type
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
) more accurately reflect the "autographs" or original texts than an eclectic text like NA27 that relies heavily on manuscripts of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
. This view has been criticized by Gordon Fee
Gordon Fee
Gordon Donald Fee is an American-Canadian Christian theologian and an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God . He currently serves as Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada.-Biography:...
and Bruce Metzger
Bruce Metzger
Bruce Manning Metzger was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament and Old Testament, and wrote prolifically on these subjects.- Biography :Metzger was born in Middletown,...
among others. Since the majority of old manuscripts in existence are minuscules, they are often referred to as the Majority Text. It is worth noting, though, that the Majority Text as a whole is classified by the editors of the NA27 (of whom Metzger is one) as a "consistently cited witness of the first order," meaning that whenever the text presented differs from the majority text this is recorded in the apparatus along with the alternate reading. Other consistently cited references include the full corpus of papyri manuscripts available to the authors as well as a wide range of other manuscripts including a selection of both minuscules and uncials.
The Novum Testamentum Graece apparatus summarizes the evidence (from manuscripts and versions) for, and sometimes against, a selection of the most important variants for the study of the text of the New Testament. While eschewing completeness (in the range of variants and in the citation of witnesses), this edition does provide informed readers with a basis by which they can judge for themselves which readings more accurately reflect the originals. The Greek text of the 27th edition is the same as that of the 4th edition of the United Bible Societies
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
Greek New Testament (abbreviated UBS4) although there are a few differences between them in paragraphing, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. The critical apparatus is different in the two editions; the UBS4 edition is prepared for the use of translators, and includes fewer textual variants, but adds extra material helpful for translators.
History
The first edition published by Eberhard NestleEberhard Nestle
Eberhard Nestle was a German biblical scholar, textual critic, Orientalist, editor of Novum Testamentum Graece, and the father of Erwin Nestle.- Life :...
in 1898 combined the readings of the editions of Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
and Weymouth
Richard Francis Weymouth
Richard Francis Weymouth was an English lay Baptist bible scholar.Born in 1822 near Devonport, Devon, which is about 2 miles north northwest of Plymouth, England. He was a Baptist layman educated at the University College London. His works include The New Testament in Modern Speech, which is also...
, placing the majority reading of these in the text and the third reading in the apparatus. In 1901, he replaced the Weymouth New Testament
Weymouth New Testament
The Weymouth New Testament , otherwise known as The New Testament in Modern Speech or The Modern Speech New Testament, is a translation into "modern" English as used in the nineteenth century from the text of The Resultant Greek Testament by Richard Francis Weymouth from the Greek idioms used in it...
with Bernhard Weiss
Bernhard Weiss
Bernhard Weiss was a German Protestant New Testament scholar.-Biography:Weiss was born at Königsberg. After studying theology at the University of Königsberg , Halle and Berlin, he became professor extraordinarius at Königsberg in 1852, and afterwards professor ordinarius at Berlin...
's text. In later editions, Nestle began noting the attestation of certain important manuscripts in his apparatus.
Eberhard's son Erwin Nestle
Erwin Nestle
Erwin Nestle , son of Eberhard Nestle, was a German scholar who continued editing his fathers "Nestle Edition" of the New Testament in Greek, adding a full critical apparatus in the thirteenth edition....
took over after his father's death and issued the 13th edition in 1927. This edition introduced a separate critical apparatus and began to abandon the majority reading principle.
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
became the associate editor of the 21st edition in 1952. At Erwin Nestle's request, he reviewed and expanded the critical apparatus, adding many more manuscripts. This eventually led to the 25th edition of 1963. The great manuscript discoveries of the 20th century had also made a revision of the text necessary and, with Nestle's permission, Aland set out to revise the text of Novum Testamentum Graece. Aland submitted his work on NA to the editorial committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (of which he was also a member) and it became the basic text of their third edition (UBS3) in 1975, four years before it was published as the 26th edition of Nestle-Aland.
Members of the Editorial Committee of the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament comprise:
- UBS1, 1966
- UBS2, 1968
- Kurt AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, Matthew BlackMatthew BlackMatthew Black Matthew Black Matthew Black (Kilmarnock (3 September 1908 - 2 October 1994) was a Scottish biblical scholar. He was the first editor of New Testament Studies. Black joined the team of Kurt Aland, Bruce Metzger, and Allen Wikgren to work on the UBS Greek New Testament....
, Bruce MetzgerBruce MetzgerBruce Manning Metzger was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament and Old Testament, and wrote prolifically on these subjects.- Biography :Metzger was born in Middletown,...
, Allen WikgrenAllen WikgrenAllen Paul Wikgren was an American Bible scholar.Allen Wikgren was Professor Emeritus in the Divinity School, University of Chicago....
.- UBS3, 1975
- Kurt AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, Matthew BlackMatthew BlackMatthew Black Matthew Black Matthew Black (Kilmarnock (3 September 1908 - 2 October 1994) was a Scottish biblical scholar. He was the first editor of New Testament Studies. Black joined the team of Kurt Aland, Bruce Metzger, and Allen Wikgren to work on the UBS Greek New Testament....
, Carlo Maria MartiniCarlo Maria MartiniCarlo Maria Martini, SJ is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.-Early life and education:...
, Bruce MetzgerBruce MetzgerBruce Manning Metzger was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament and Old Testament, and wrote prolifically on these subjects.- Biography :Metzger was born in Middletown,...
, Allen WikgrenAllen WikgrenAllen Paul Wikgren was an American Bible scholar.Allen Wikgren was Professor Emeritus in the Divinity School, University of Chicago....
.- UBS4, 1993
- Barbara AlandBarbara AlandBarbara Aland, née Ehlers is a German theologian and was a Professor of New Testament Research and Church History at Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster until 2002.- Biography :...
, Kurt AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo Maria MartiniCarlo Maria MartiniCarlo Maria Martini, SJ is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.-Early life and education:...
, Bruce MetzgerBruce MetzgerBruce Manning Metzger was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament and Old Testament, and wrote prolifically on these subjects.- Biography :Metzger was born in Middletown,...
The current edition of Nestle-Aland reproduces the text of NA26 (the same text used in UBS3 and UBS4). The 27th edition presents a thoroughly revised critical apparatus and a rewritten introduction and appendices.
A more complete set of variants is listed in the multiple volume Novum Testamentum Graecum – Editio Critica Maior
Editio Critica Maior
Editio Critica Maior is a critical edition of the Greek New Testament being produced by the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung. It is a work in multiple volumes, and is intended to cite a more complete list of variant readings than can be incorporated in a manual edition...
. A small number of textual changes in the most current edition will be incorporated in the 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland. According to Hendrickson Publishers, the North American distributors of the book, "The current estimate is that the NA28 will not be published until at least the fall of 2009, at the earliest."
Current editions
The NA27 text is published by Deutsche BibelgesellschaftDeutsche Bibelgesellschaft
The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft is a religious foundation regulated by public law. It is involved in publishing and in spreading the message of the Bible....
(the German Bible Society).
- Greek:
- Novum Testamentum Graece, Standard Edition, ISBN 978-3-438-05100-4
- Novum Testamentum Graece, Large Print Edition, ISBN 978-3-438-05103-5
- Novum Testamentum Graece, Wide Margin Edition, ISBN 978-3-438-05135-6
- Novum Testamentum Graece, with A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament (by B. M. Newman), ISBN 978-3-438-05115-8
- Novum Testamentum Graece, with Greek-German Dictionary, ISBN 978-3-438-05107-3
- Biblia Sacra Utriusque Testamenti Editio Hebraica et Graeca (NA27 with the Biblia Hebraica StuttgartensiaBiblia Hebraica StuttgartensiaThe Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, or ', is an edition of the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible as preserved in the Leningrad Codex, and supplemented by masoretic and text-critical notes...
), ISBN 978-3-438-05250-6
- Diglot:
- Das Neue Testament Griechisch und Deutsch, ISBN 978-3-438-05406-7 (with revised Luther and Common Bible in parallel columns)
- Nestle-Aland Greek-English New Testament, ISBN 978-3-438-05408-1 (with Revised Standard VersionRevised Standard VersionThe Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901...
, 2nd edition) - New English TranslationNew English TranslationThe New English Translation is a free, "completely new" on-line English translation of the Bible, " with 60,932 translators’ notes" sponsored by the Biblical Studies Foundation and published by Biblical Studies Press....
-Novum Testamentum Graece New Testament, ISBN 978-3-438-05420-3 - Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine, ISBN 978-3-438-05401-2 (with Nova Vulgata)
- Nuovo Testamento Greco-Italiano, ISBN 978-3-438-05409-8 (with the Versione Conferenza Episcopale Italiana)
Accuracy of the New Testament
In The Text of the New Testament, Kurt AlandKurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
and Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland
Barbara Aland, née Ehlers is a German theologian and was a Professor of New Testament Research and Church History at Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster until 2002.- Biography :...
compare the total number of variant-free verses, and the number of variants per page (excluding orthographic
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
errors), among the seven major editions of the Greek NT (Tischendorf
Editio Octava Critica Maior
Editio Octava Critica Maior is a critical edition of the Greek New Testament produced by Constantin von Tischendorf. It was Tischendorf's eighth edition of the Greek Testament, and the most important, published between 1864 and 1894.- Edition :...
, Westcott-Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, von Soden
Hermann, Freiherr von Soden
Baron Hermann von Soden , German biblical scholar, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 16, 1852, and was educated at the University of Tübingen. He was minister of Dresden-Striesen in 1881 and in 1887 became minister of the Jerusalem Church in Berlin...
, Vogels, Merk, Bover, and Nestle-Aland) concluding 62.9%, or 4999/7947, agreement. They concluded, "Thus in nearly two-thirds of the New Testament text, the seven editions of the Greek New Testament which we have reviewed are in complete accord, with no differences other than in orthographical details (e.g., the spelling of names, etc.). Verses in which any one of the seven editions differs by a single word are not counted. This result is quite amazing, demonstrating a far greater agreement among the Greek texts of the New Testament during the past century than textual scholars
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
would have suspected […]. In the Gospels, Acts
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
, and Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
the agreement is less, while in the letters it is much greater"
Book |
Total Number Of Verses |
Variant-Free Verses-Total |
Percentage |
Variants per page |
Matthew |
1071 |
642 |
59.9 % |
6.8 |
Mark |
678 |
306 |
45.1 % |
10.3 |
Luke |
1151 |
658 |
57.2 % |
6.9 |
John |
869 |
450 |
51.8 % |
8.5 |
Acts |
1006 |
677 |
67.3 % |
4.2 |
Romans |
433 |
327 |
75.5 % |
2.9 |
1 Corinthians |
437 |
331 |
75.7 % |
3.5 |
2 Corinthians |
256 |
200 |
78.1 % |
2.8 |
Galatians |
149 |
114 |
76.5 % |
3.3 |
Ephesians |
155 |
118 |
76.1 % |
2.9 |
Philippians |
104 |
73 |
70.2 % |
2.5 |
Colossians |
95 |
69 |
72.6 % |
3.4 |
1 Thessalonians |
89 |
61 |
68.5 % |
4.1 |
2 Thessalonians |
47 |
34 |
72.3 % |
3.1 |
1 Timothy |
113 |
92 |
81.4 % |
2.9 |
2 Timothy |
83 |
66 |
79.5 % |
2.8 |
Titus |
46 |
33 |
71.7 % |
2.3 |
Philemon |
25 |
19 |
76.0 % |
5.1 |
Hebrews |
303 |
234 |
77.2 % |
2.9 |
James |
108 |
66 |
61.6 % |
5.6 |
1 Peter |
105 |
70 |
66.6 % |
5.7 |
2 Peter |
61 |
32 |
52.5 % |
6.5 |
1 John |
105 |
76 |
72.4 % |
2.8 |
2 John |
13 |
8 |
61.5 % |
4.5 |
3 John |
15 |
11 |
73.3 % |
3.2 |
Jude |
25 |
18 |
72.0 % |
4.2 |
Revelation |
405 |
214 |
52.8 % |
5.1 |
Total |
7947 |
4999 |
62.9 % |
Influence
Earlier translations of the Bible, including the Authorized King James Version, tended to rely on Byzantine type textsByzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
, such as the Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
. A number of translations began to use critical Greek editions, beginning with the translation of the Revised Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
in England in 1881-1885 (using Westcott and Hort's Greek Text). English translations produced during the twentieth century increasingly reflected the work of textual criticism, although even new translations are often influenced by earlier translation efforts.
A comparison of the textual and stylistic choices of twenty translations against 15,000 variant readings shows the following rank of agreement with the Nestle-Aland 27th edition:
| Abbreviation | Name | Relative Agreement with Nestle-Aland 27th edition |
|---|---|---|
| NASB | New American Standard New American Standard Bible The New American Standard Bible , also informally called New American Standard Version , is an English translation of the Bible.... |
1 |
| ASV | American Standard Version American Standard Version The Revised Version, Standard American Edition of the Bible, more commonly known as the American Standard Version , is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901... |
2 |
| NAU | New American Standard 1995 Update New American Standard Bible The New American Standard Bible , also informally called New American Standard Version , is an English translation of the Bible.... |
3 |
| NAB | New American Bible New American Bible The New American Bible is a Catholic Bible translation first published in 1970. It had its beginnings in the Confraternity Bible, which began to be translated from the original languages in 1948.... |
4 |
| ESV | English Standard Version English Standard Version The English Standard Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. It is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version... |
5 |
| HCS | Holman Christian Standard Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible The Holman Christian Standard Bible is a modern English Bible translation from Holman Bible Publishers. The first full edition was completed in March 2004, with the New Testament alone having been previously published in 1999.- Beginnings :... |
6 |
| NRS | New Revised Standard Version New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an English translation of the Bible released in 1989 in the USA. It is a thorough revision of the Revised Standard Version .There are three editions of the NRSV:... |
7 |
| NET | New English Translation New English Translation The New English Translation is a free, "completely new" on-line English translation of the Bible, " with 60,932 translators’ notes" sponsored by the Biblical Studies Foundation and published by Biblical Studies Press.... |
8 |
| RSV | Revised Standard Version Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901... |
9 |
| NIV | New International Version New International Version The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:... |
10 |
| NJB | New Jerusalem Bible New Jerusalem Bible The New Jerusalem Bible is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd and Les Editions du Cerf, and edited by the Reverend Henry Wansbrough.- Contents :... |
11 |
| REB | Revised English Bible Revised English Bible The Revised English Bible is a 1989 English language translation of the Bible and updates the New English Bible, of 1970. As with its predecessor, it is published by the publishing houses of both Oxford University and Cambridge University.... |
12 |
| JNT | Jewish New Testament Complete Jewish Bible The Complete Jewish Bible is an English translation of the Bible by Dr. David H. Stern. It consists of both Stern's revised translation of the Old Testament plus his original "Jewish New Testament" translation in one book. The Old Testament translation is a paraphrase of the 1917 Jewish... |
13 |
| GNB | Good News Bible Good News Bible The Good News Bible , also called the Good News Translation , is an English language translation of the Bible by the American Bible Society, first published as the New Testament under the name Good News for Modern Man in 1966... |
14 |
| NLT | New Living Translation New Living Translation The New Living Translation is a translation of the Bible into modern English. Originally starting out as an effort to revise The Living Bible, the project evolved into a new English translation from Hebrew and Greek texts... |
15 |
| DRA | Douay-Rheims American edition | 16 |
| TLB | The Living Bible The Living Bible The Living Bible is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor. It was first published in 1971. Unlike most English Bibles, The Living Bible is a paraphrase. Mr... |
17 |
| MRD | Murdock Peshitta Peshitta The Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD... translation |
18 |
| NKJV | New King James Bible | 19 |
| KJV | King James Version | 20 |
See also
- Textual CriticismTextual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
- Alexandrian text-typeAlexandrian text-typeThe Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
- Byzantine text-typeByzantine text-typeThe Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
- Caesarean text-typeCaesarean text-typeCaesarean text-type is the term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings that is claimed to be apparent in certain Greek manuscripts of the four Gospels, but which is not found in any of the other commonly recognized New Testament text-types; the Byzantine...
- Textus ReceptusTextus ReceptusTextus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
- The New Testament in the Original GreekThe New Testament in the Original GreekThe New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
- Western text-typeWestern text-typeThe Western text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts...
External links
- Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF), home of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece
- Comparison of the Novum Testamentum Graece (NA27/UBS4) text with other manuscript editions on the Manuscript Comparator
- Novum Testamentum Graece – Textum et Lexicon proprium seu 'concordances'
- Greek Interlinear Bible