Encountering New Testament Manuscripts: A Working Introduction to Textual Criticism

The field of textual criticism remains an exciting one. Thousands of manuscripts have been recovered in recent years. Using the methods of textual criticism, translators have been able to discern from these manuscripts a probably reading of the original New Testament text, a difficult but important task.

Several scholarly books describing the process of textual criticism have already been written, but Encountering New Testament Manuscripts is uniquely different in its approach. Here students have an opportunity to see and read portions of the chief manuscripts for themselves and to learn firsthand the principles of textual criticism.

Included are twenty-four photographs of some of the oldest and most important manuscripts, including papyri, parchment, and paper texts with both uncial and miniscule script. Through the steps of transcribing the original manuscripts and organizing the various evidences presented, the student learns to develop conclusions about the reading of the original text.

A comprehensive introductory chapter surveying the nature and history of textual criticism and a concluding chapter on the question of methodology make this book a complete course on the subject. Helpful indices and lists of important New Testament manuscripts make it an excellent resource volume as well.