The New Testament in the Original Greek (Cambridge Library Collection - Biblical Studies)

by Brooke Foss Westcott (Editor), F.J.A. Hort (Editor)

The publication in 1881 of The New Testament in the Original Greek, by the Cambridge scholars Brooke Foss Westcott (1825 1901) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828 1892), marked the culmination of twenty-eight years of work and an innovation in the theory and methods of New Testament textual criticism. This first of two volumes contains a detailed discussion of the theories and methods behind the reconstructed text, sets out the editors' theory of text-types, and justifies their choice to break with the dominant use of the Textus Receptus. It argues for the Neutral Text, represented by the uncials Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, as being the earliest and least corrupt form. Westcott and Hort's claim to reconstruct the 'original text' may seem extravagant today but according to Bruce Metzger theirs was the 'most noteworthy critical edition of the Greek Testament ever produced by British scholarship'.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian

550 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 65

About the author

Brooke Foss Westcot was an English bishop, biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death. He is perhaps most known for co-editing The New Testament in the Original Greek in 1881. He was an enthusiastic British imperialist.

Reviews

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I switched to this text for my daily reading this year [2018]. As a Greek text, it's great--nice readable font, an apparatus that doesn't gobble up the page, intuitive paragraphs. The obvious distinction with this text is that it's the most up-to-date Byzantine Text around (vs. the old Farstad/Hodges Majority Text).

It's introduced by a 23 page preface, sketching out in brief how a genuine New Testament scholar and text critic (Maurice Robinson) could defend what appears to be an out-dated theory of the transmission of the text. If that whets your appetite, the volume concludes with at 57 page appendix, "The Case for Byzantine Priority," Robinson's fullest treatment of the subject anywhere (apart from his separately published articles). This remains the strongest argument I've read anywhere, and I remain thoroughgoingly unconvinced by the various eclectic approaches to textual criticism. Robinson's Byzantine Priority approach captures nicely my own sentiments, and it's a delight to have this text in print for daily reading and study.

[Ariston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available online is Maurice Robinson's ‘The Case for the Byzantine Priority’, which should be read by anyone who is skeptical about the need for this critical edition.

The text itself is well–formatted, with a large, easy to read Greek typeface (which is unusual for Greek NTs), it is well–bound an lays reasonably flat, making it easy to work with.

However, one of the best features? It's public domain: ‘Anyone is permitted to copy and distribute any copy of this text or any portion of this text…’

[Dougald · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Greek is not as good as my Hebrew so this one had a heavy dependence on English. I will attempt to read through it again in two years time. This time reading through it the whole year (only about a page most days) in order to make my dependence on the English less and less.

[Thomas GOSSE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Greek New Testament based on the Majority Text. Byzantine Text Type

[Yadav Priyanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, it has plenty to offer but what I take from this is:

When thou does alms, don't let the left hand know what the right hand doeth!

[Lu Tsun · Rating 2 out of 5]

The New Testament in the Original Greek is a critical text reconstructed by Brook F. Westcott and Fenton J. A. Hort replacing the Textus Receptus based on the oldest New Testament fragments discovered at the late nineteen century.

This significant work set up the standard of critical principles and procedures that are still closely followed by contemporary scholars including Nestle-Aland.

Westcott and Hort preferred the Vanticanus and the Sinaiticus manuscripts over the others while they believed that the combination of Codex Bezae with the Old Latin and the Old Syriac represented the original form of the New Testament text.

Westcott and Hort distinguished four text-types in their studies: Syrian/Antiochian, Western, Alexandrian/Egyptian, and Neutral which was considered most free from corruption and best represented by B and Aleph.

[Cyiza Jean]

Mathew