This study offers the first sustained examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM), a computerized method being used to edit the most widely-used editions of the Greek New Testament. Part one addresses the CBGM’s history and reception before providing a fresh statement of its principles and procedures. Parts two and three consider the method’s ability to recover the initial text and to delineate its history. A new portion of the global stemma is presented for the first time and important conclusions are drawn about the nature of the initial text, scribal habits, and the origins of the Byzantine text. A final chapter suggests improvements and highlights limitations. Overall, the CBGM is positively assessed but not without important criticisms and cautions.
An essential introduction for scholars and students of New Testament Greek With the publication of the widely used 28th edition of Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece and the 5th edition of the United Bible Society Greek New Testament, a computer-assisted method known as the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM) was used for the first time to determine the most valuable witnesses and establish the initial text. This book offers the first full-length, student-friendly introduction to this important new method. After setting out the method’s history, separate chapters clarify its key concepts, including genealogical coherence, textual flow diagrams, and the global stemma. Examples from across the New Testament are used to show how the method works in practice. The result is an essential introduction that will be of interest to students, translators, commentators, and anyone else who studies the Greek New Testament. Features A clear explanation of how and why the text of the Greek New Testament is changing Step-by-step guidance on how to use the CBGM in textual criticism Diagrams, illustrations, and glossary of key terms
A renewed interest in textual criticism has created an unfortunate proliferation of myths, mistakes, and misinformation about this technical area of biblical studies. Elijah Hixson and Peter Gurry, along with a team of New Testament textual critics, offer up-to-date, accurate information on the history and current state of the New Testament text that will serve apologists and offer a self-corrective to evangelical excesses.
New Testament textual critics who used language to group texts into families and genealogies were not pioneering new approaches, but rather borrowing the metaphors and methods of natural scientists. Texts began to be classified into "families, tribes, and nations," and later were racialized as "African" or "Asian," with distinguishable "textual physiognomies" and "textual complexions." These genealogies would later be traced to show the inheritance of "corruptions" and "contamination" through generations, an understanding of textual diversity reflective of eighteenth- and ninteenth-century European anxieties over racial corruption and degeneration. While these biological metaphors have been powerful tools for textual critics, they also produce problematic understandings of textual "purity" and agency, with the use of scientific discourse artificially separating the work of textual criticism from literary interpretation.
In Johann Jakob Wettstein's Principles for New Testament Textual Criticism Silvia Castelli investigates the genesis, development, and legacy of Wettstein’s criteria for evaluating New Testament variant readings, and offers a critical text and annotated English translation of Wettstein’s text-critical guidelines.
In a world teeming with different Bible translations and interpretations, how do scholars determine the original text of the New Testament? Enter the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM), an innovative approach that is redefining the field of New Testament Textual Criticism. If you've ever wondered how the Bible you hold in your hands came to be, or if you're curious about how technology and scholarship are transforming our understanding of Scripture, this book is for you. "Unlocking the Bible: A Beginner's Guide to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM)" is an essential read for anyone interested in delving deep into the composition of the New Testament. This book will guide you through the complexities of Textual Criticism and the groundbreaking influence of CBGM, all while making these intricate topics accessible for readers of all levels. Beginning with the basics of New Testament Textual Criticism, we'll lay down the foundation by explaining the nature of textual variants, the principles behind evaluating them, and why this study is vital for a fuller understanding of the Bible. From there, you'll get acquainted with different types of manuscripts and their significance in shaping the New Testament. Once the stage is set, the book introduces you to the revolutionary Coherence-Based Genealogical Method. Learn how CBGM works, its key terminology, and how it stands apart from traditional methods of Textual Criticism. Through real-life case studies, like the account of the Woman Caught in Adultery and the Ending of Mark's Gospel, you'll see CBGM in action. But like any other method, CBGM has its critics. This book offers a balanced view, presenting both the strengths and criticisms of this innovative approach. By the end, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of how CBGM affects your reading of the Bible and why this method is significant in the ever-evolving field of Textual Criticism. For those looking to take their understanding to the next level, the book includes appendices that delve into the strengths, criticisms, and limitations of CBGM, along with a discussion on the significance of documentary evidence in Textual Criticism. Whether you're a student of theology, a layperson, or someone simply interested in understanding the origins of the New Testament, "Unlocking the Bible: A Beginner's Guide to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM)" provides the keys to understanding this pivotal area of study. Join us on this exciting journey to unlock the rich tapestry of the New Testament, backed by cutting-edge scholarship and a passion for the living Word of God.
New Testament textual criticism is an important but often overlooked field of study. Results drawn from textual studies bear important consequences for interpreting the New Testament and cannot be ignored by serious students of Scripture. This book introduces current issues in New Testament textual criticism and surveys the various methods used to determine the original text among variant readings. These essays from Eldon Jay Epp, Michael Holmes, J. K. Elliott, Maurice Robinson, and Moisés Silva provide readers with an excellent introduction to the field of New Testament textual criticism.
The book is going through its biggest revolution since Gutenberg. Thanks to computer tools and electronic publication, the concept and realisation of critical editions are being rethought. David C. Parker looks at how new methodology changes what an edition is for and how we use it, using the example of the New Testament texts.
Scribal Habits in Sixth-Century Greek Purple Codices looks at unique readings and scribal changes in three closely related manuscripts, N 022, O 023 and Σ 042, concluding that for these three Gospel books, singular readings do not reveal scribal habits.
The Novum Testamentum Graecum: Editio Critica Maior is the first major critical edition of the New Testament for a century, aiming to document the New Testament's textual history through its first millennium. To date, two of the six volumes have been published. As part of this project the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster has developed the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM), a computer-aided method designed to handle complete sets of textual evidence and to identify their initial text and textual history. The CBGM is widely held to be difficult to understand and its results are treated with scepticism. Phylogenetics is the study of relationships between groups of organisms and their evolutionary history. Phylogenetics and the CBGM (and wider textual criticism) have many commonalities. This thesis provides a thorough examination of the CBGM using phylogenetics. Part One documents the literature surrounding the CBGM and includes a worked example of the process. Part Two explores the ECM data for John's Gospel and identifies appropriate methods for applying phylogenetics to it. Part Three compares the results of phylogenetics and the CBGM. It concludes that the CBGM is producing valid results from the data, but could be improved in a number of ways.
