The critical text is ancient in substance, rooted in second–third century papyri and early codices, not a modern invention or a late editorial recension.
The Age of the Critical Text of the New Testament
GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: Codex Basilensis A. N. III. 12 (Uncial 07) 8th Century C.E.
Codex Basilensis, designated by Ee, 07 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering) or ε 55 (von Soden), is a Greek uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, dated paleographically to the 8th century.
Textual Criticism of the New Testament
Textual criticism of the New Testament is the identification of textual variants. or different versions of the New Testament, whose goals include identification of transcription errors, analysis of versions, and attempts to reconstruct the original text.
Daniel B. Wallace (1950–Present): New Testament Textual Criticism, the Documentary Method, and the Greek Manuscript Record
Daniel B. Wallace advances a documentary approach to the Greek New Testament, privileging early papyri and majuscules and grounding decisions in verifiable evidence.
Lucian of Antioch (c. 240–312 C.E.) and the Arian Controversy: Was He Truly the Teacher of Arius? A Textual-Critical Reassessment
Was Lucian truly Arius’s teacher, and did he revise the New Testament? The manuscripts and early testimonies show a different, far more careful picture.
The Byzantine Kr/family 35 Text-Form (1261-1453 C.E.)
It is said of the Kr/family 35 Text-Form that it is the most precise and uniform grouping of New Testament manuscripts ever produced. What does that mean exactly? This will be answered extensively toward the end of the article.
Herman C. Hoskier (1864–1938): His Contributions to New Testament Textual Studies
Herman C. Hoskier (1864–1938) was a meticulous New Testament textual critic, best known for collating Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Revelation manuscripts.
Were Almost All Greek New Testament Manuscript Textual Variants Created Before 200 A.D.?
Explore the timeline of Greek New Testament variants: could they predate 200 A.D.? Discover the origins.
Lucian of Antioch (c. 240-312 C.E.): the Path to the Byzantine Text
Lucian of Antioch shaped the Byzantine text through conflation and harmonization, creating a corrupt recension far removed from the original autographs.
Johann Jakob Griesbach (1745–1812): New Testament Textual Criticism Scholar, Textual Families, and the Griesbach Hypothesis
Griesbach organized textual families and grounded decisions in early, independent witnesses, paving a disciplined path to recover the New Testament’s original wording.
