Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Greek NT Eclectic Texts

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Basic Description of Greek NT Eclectic Texts

The main Greek New Testament texts used in New Testament studies are eclectic. That is, their ‘finalized’ forms are compositions of various readings from a variety of manuscripts as opposed to being equivalent to one complete New Testament manuscript. Because the texts of various manuscripts differ at points (these differences are known as ‘varients’), methods are used to conclude which reading is most likely the original one. (This process of determining the most likely reading is known as ‘text criticism’).

Significant Greek NT Eclectic Texts

Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland (e.g., NA28) – Used in Trinity courses.

The Greek New Testament by United Bible Society (UBS).

The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text.

The Textus Receptus Greek New Testament.

Helpful Resources

A User’s Guide to the Nestle-Aland 28 Greek New Testament – David Trobisch

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament – Bruce M. Metzger – Provides helpful commentary on text critical decisions made in the UBS.

Greek NT Sample

Eberhard Neslte, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds., Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland, 28th ed. (Stuttgart: German Bible Society, 2012), 298-299. * Click on photo for larger image.