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Line 20: − Manuscripts wore out over time and had to be copied by hand to preserve their text. Late manuscripts are likely to be the product of multiple copying cycles, each one with the potential to introduce errors. In 1720, Richard Bentley proposed that TR be replaced with a Greek text based on ''Codex Alexandrinus'', a fifth century manuscript.<ref>Bentley, Richard, ''Proposals for a New Edition of the Greek Testament'', 1720.</ref> In the early 19th century, Karl Lachmann developed a methodology of textual criticism which allows a critic to determine which manuscript variants are most likely to be from the original. He assigned manuscripts to various text types and in 1850 published a Greek New Testament based on manuscripts of the Alexandrian type. In 1881, Westcott and Hort published a critical text based on two fourth century manuscripts of the Alexandrian type, ''[[Codex Sinaiticus]]'', then recently discovered, and ''[[Codex Vaticanus]]'', a manuscript in the Vatican Library.+ − + + + + + + + + + Line 30:
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'''Textus Receptus''', or "received text," refers to the Greek text of the New Testament that was used by the translators of the [[King James Version]] in 1611, as well as by other Reformation-era translators. This includes [[William Tyndale]] and [[Martin Luther]]. The earliest edition was put together by Erasmus in 1516. The name comes from a Latin inscription found in an edition published in 1633: ''Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum.'' (So [the reader] has the text which all now receive.)<ref>Bruce Metzger has described this inscription as an advertizing blurb.</ref>
'''Textus Receptus''', or "Received Text," refers to the Greek text of the New Testament that was used by the translators of the [[King James Version]] in 1611, as well as by other Reformation-era translators. This includes [[William Tyndale]] and [[Martin Luther]]. The earliest edition was put together by Erasmus in 1516. The name comes from a Latin phrase in the preface of Bonaventure Elzevir's popular 1624 edition of the TR: ''Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum.'' (So [the reader] has the text which all now receive.)<ref>Thomas Holland, ''Crowned With Glory: The Bible from Ancient Text to Authorized Version'' (Lincoln, NE: Writers Club Press, 2000), 253.</ref> Until the 19th century, the TR was the only Greek New Testament text used by Protestant scholars. Dr. Kurt Aland, who worked on the Critical Text, wrote:
:Finally it is undisputed that from the 16th to the 18th century orthodoxy's doctrine of verbal inspiration assumed this Textus Receptus. It was the only Greek text they knew, and they regarded it as the 'original text.'<ref>Holland, ''Crowned With Glory'', 12; citing Kurt Aland, "The Text of the Church," ''Trinity Journal'', Fall (1987): 131.</ref>
==Erasmus==
==Erasmus==
In 1550 Robert Stephanus produced a beautifully printed edition that added footnotes containing text from the Bezae and Regius codices. This is considered the classic edition of TR and is referred to as ''Editio Regia'' (royal edition). In 1551, Stephanus added a verse numbering system that is still used in modern Bibles. As for the text itself, Stephanus did little to improve on what Erasmus published. The KJV translators consulted a 1598 reprint of ''Edito Regia'' by Theodore Beza as well as several other editions. The ''Scrivener New Testament'' (1894) reconstructs the underlying Greek text they used.
In 1550 Robert Stephanus produced a beautifully printed edition that added footnotes containing text from the Bezae and Regius codices. This is considered the classic edition of TR and is referred to as ''Editio Regia'' (royal edition). In 1551, Stephanus added a verse numbering system that is still used in modern Bibles. As for the text itself, Stephanus did little to improve on what Erasmus published. The KJV translators consulted a 1598 reprint of ''Edito Regia'' by Theodore Beza as well as several other editions. The ''Scrivener New Testament'' (1894) reconstructs the underlying Greek text they used.
==The Text==
Among modern translations, the [[New King James Version]] uses TR, while the [[New International Version]], the [[New American Standard Bible]], [[New Revised Standard Version]], and the [[English Standard Version]] use the critical or Alexandrian text.
The text of the TR follows a [[Byzantine Text|Byzantine]] reading. While most modern scholars believe the [[Critical Text]] (which follows an [[Alexandrian Text|Alexandrian]] reading) to be superior, some do not. Notable among the scholarly defenders of the TR were Edward Hills and Dean John Burgon. Defenders of the [[Byzantine Text]], which is similar, include F.H.A. Scrivener and Wilbur Pickering.
According to supporters of the Critical Text, the TR is defective because it is based on late manuscripts. Manuscripts wore out over time and had to be copied by hand to preserve their text. Late manuscripts are likely to be the product of multiple copying cycles, each one with the potential to introduce errors. In 1720, Richard Bentley proposed that TR be replaced with a Greek text based on ''Codex Alexandrinus'', a fifth century manuscript.<ref>Bentley, Richard, ''Proposals for a New Edition of the Greek Testament'', 1720.</ref> In the early 19th century, Karl Lachmann developed a methodology of textual criticism which allows a critic to determine which manuscript variants are most likely to be from the original. He assigned manuscripts to various text types and in 1850 published a Greek New Testament based on manuscripts of the Alexandrian type. In 1881, Westcott and Hort published a critical text based on two fourth century manuscripts of the Alexandrian type, ''[[Codex Sinaiticus]]'', then recently discovered, and ''[[Codex Vaticanus]]'', a manuscript in the Vatican Library.
Supporters of the TR would reply that Codex's A, B, and Aleph likely survived so long because Christians knew them to be defective and therefore did not use them. Good manuscripts would be used and copied more and would therefore wear away more quickly. Furthermore, it is not true that the TR lacks ancient support. The Chester Beatty Papyri (P45, P46, & P66) date to the 2nd century or earlier, and contain Byzantine readings mixed with Alexandrian readings. The Magdalen Papyrus (P64) is considered by some to be the oldest known manuscript (from before AD 66), and variants within it support the Byzantine Text with no support for the Alexandrian Text.<ref>Holland, ''Crowned With Glory'', 12.</ref> Early translations like the Peshitta (2nd century) and Gothic (approximately 350 AD) are Byzantine.<ref>Holland, ''Crowned With Glory'', 13.</ref> Alexandrinus (Codex A), a 5th century manuscript which is one of the three main manuscripts used by the Critical Text, is Byzantine in the Gospels.
There are almost 6000 differences between the Textus Receptus and the Critical Text, while there are only 7959 verses in the New Testament.<ref>Holland, ''Crowned With Glory'', 13.</ref>
Among modern translations, the [[New King James Version]] uses TR, while most modern versions like the [[New International Version]], the [[New American Standard Bible]], [[New Revised Standard Version]], and the [[English Standard Version]] use the Critical Text.
==References==
==References==
*[[Codex Vaticanus]]
*[[Codex Vaticanus]]
*[[King James only]]
*[[King James only]]
*[[Byzantine Text]]
*[[Critical Text]]
*[[Alexandrian Text]]
==External links==
==External links==
Several Greeks texts can be found at [http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=70 Bible Gateway], including the ''Scrivener New Testament'', a reconstruction of the text used by the KJV translators.
Several Greeks texts can be found at [http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=70 Bible Gateway], including the ''Scrivener New Testament'', a reconstruction of the text used by the KJV translators.
*[textus-receptus.com The Textus Receptus Wiki]
*[http://www.tbsbibles.org/ Trinitarian Bible Society]
[[Category:New Testament]]
[[Category:New Testament]]