Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Foreword to the English translation by J. K. Elliott
- Translator's preface
- Foreword to the first French edition
- Preface to the second French edition
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 THE SOURCES OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
- 2 THE METHOD OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
- 3 THE HISTORY OF THE WRITTEN TEXT
- 4 THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF THE PRINTED TEXT
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Index of modern authors and editors
- Index of ancient authors
- Index of individual manuscripts cited
- General index
4 - THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF THE PRINTED TEXT
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Foreword to the English translation by J. K. Elliott
- Translator's preface
- Foreword to the first French edition
- Preface to the second French edition
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 THE SOURCES OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
- 2 THE METHOD OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
- 3 THE HISTORY OF THE WRITTEN TEXT
- 4 THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF THE PRINTED TEXT
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Index of modern authors and editors
- Index of ancient authors
- Index of individual manuscripts cited
- General index
Summary
At the present time, the number of editions of the Greek New Testament is estimated to be more than one thousand. But it is not as difficult as might be thought to trace their history, for there are major works along the way whose dates act as landmarks. There are four main periods. First of all, there is the period of the haphazard formation of what was later called the ‘textus receptus’ and of its enthronement, which was as swift as it was unwise. Then followed the reign of the ‘textus receptus’, which was long though not particularly splendid, and during which time the true precursors of textual criticism strengthened their attacks against it, without, however, daring to free themselves of its control. Its downfall came in the third period, with the triumph of methods which were scientific, even though still tainted with individualism. The final period has seen the creation of some major projects, which have been greatly helped by the organisation of research in teams, and at the same time by the arrival of computer technology. The realisation of a major critical edition is still, however, a hope which belongs to the future.
THE RISE OF THE ‘TEXTUS RECEPTUS’ (1514–1633)
There was no Greek New Testament among the incunabula, and even sixty years after the invention of printing only a few fragments of it had been edited: the Magnificat and the Benedictus, the Prologue to John's Gospel and its early chapters (1:1 – 6:58), the Lord's Prayer and the Annunciation of the Angel.
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- Information
- An Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism , pp. 129 - 171Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991