In the Beginning was the New Testament Text, but Which Text?

Abstract

This chapter highlights terminology used from the early sixteenth century to the present by editors in describing their critical editions and the texts they contain, followed by an assessment of what might be understood from the terms employed by the newest critical edition for its primary text-line. The very terms editors employ in the titles of their volumes and in descriptions of the texts they publish tell much about the broader conceptions of their printed New Testament texts. In 1720 Richard Bentley of Cambridge University formulated a sophisticated plan for a freshly-minted critical text of the Greek and Latin New Testament, based on the earliest manuscripts, versions, and patristic citations then available. Titles for editions of the Greek New Testament and terminology for describing their texts were brought into the discussion to provide historical context for consideration of an ambitious, new Editio critica maior (Major Critical Edition). Keywords: Cambridge University; Greek; Latin; manuscripts; New Testament texts; Richard Bentley