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An Introduction to New Testament textual criticism first entered the scene in 1934 by Leon Vaganay. In 1986 it was published (thoroughly revised and updated) in French by Christian-Bernard Amphoux, then in English in 1991. Amphoux holds that it was necessary to revise, as there have been important discoveries of manuscripts and changes of theories. Vaganay was working with the material he had; now Amphoux uses more recent data in his revision that were simply not available to Vaganay. Theories and ideas on the written text before AD 200 are now included and accounted for, as well as the flavor of J. Duplacy which Amphoux admits himself as in agreement. Amphoux allows room for Vaganay to shine, while including modern methods.
The book itself is incredibly straightforward in its approach and easy to follow. It is geared toward the beginner and those with little or no Greek, although I found that my Greek proved handy with some small in-text examples and illustrations. The book is divided into four parts, with a fifth part at the end for an extensive bibliography, complete with graphs, tables and an index.
The first part is devoted to building a vocabulary through which Amphoux will work. He discusses manuscripts, what they are, what they mean, and what they tell us. Words like palimpsest, lacunae, codex, and velum or papyri show up in this chapter. He builds a good foundation for what is discussed in the latter chapters. There is an extensive description of the popular and important manuscripts here. He covers everything from Codex Sinaiticus to Bezae and Koridethi, and even the lesser known uncials (he also gives the symbol and number the manuscripts were assigned). Amphoux discusses the various meanings and differences of the minuscules and how they are grouped (which as it turns out is the same as the majuscules), Gospels-e, Acts and the Catholic Epistles-a, Pauline Epistles-p, and Revelation-r. While there some stuff in the first chapter which seems could be left to the professional, Amphoux puts it all into perspective and allows room for the reader to choose weather or not some parts are essential material (such as the lesser known manuscripts and their language differences).
The second part of the book builds on the first, drawing key points together to discuss methods of textual criticism. Amphoux discusses the verbal criticism that is necessary when presented with a manuscript. We find the various reasons for the appearance of variants between two texts (e.g. mistakes, additions-omissions, [doctrinal, or exegetical deletions] basic "scribal-stuff"). There is also a section which describes the eclectic method. Understandably, Amphoux chose this as his conclusion for the second part, a way of tying it all together.
The third section of the book is devoted to a history of the written text. The Recension (both first and great) are discussed with details on Marcion, Tatian, and Coptic versions. For the great recensions there are details on the Alexandrian and "western" texts. I found that the strength in this part of the book in the discussion on the Vulgates. Amphoux gives historical data as well as the various vulgates themselves (Syriac, Coptic, Latin, and the more modern versions: Gothic, Armenian, Arabic, Ethiopic).
The fourth part of the book puts it all together and even leaves the reader looking to the future. The rise of "Textus Receptus" is discussed with emphasis on Erasmus, Simon De Colines and Robert Estienne, and Beze. The reign of Textus Receptus is discussed with mention of events such as the great Polyglots (London, Paris, Walton) and those involved in the debate over Receptus. The fall of the Textus Receptus concludes with a discussion on the editions of Lachmann, Tischendorf, and Westcott and Hort. Then, there is discussion of the era of documentation (1935-1990 [according to Amphoux]). This is where Nestle-Aland get to shine!
I am pleased with how the book was able to put so well and concisely this topic. I feel that the general setup of the book helped in my comprehension and absorption of the material. A straightforward approach and solid foundation was perfect for reading. I would recommend anyone with a Greek language background and an interest in text criticism this book.
Sir Frederic George Kenyon, 1863-1952, was a British paleographer of high renown and humble character. By the 1890s he was publishing English translations of Classical authors and had become an assistant in the Department of Manuscripts at the British Museum. In 1895 he published a book entitled "Our Bible and the ancient manuscripts; being a history of the text and its translations." In 1897 he wrote a prize-winning dissertation on the paleography of Greek papyri. That same year he edited the letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, whom he considered, along with her husband Robert Browning, to be one of the greatest poets of the Victorian Age. Kenyon’s affection for, and interest in the Brownings’ life and work produced several more collections, which he edited between 1897 and 1915. He rarely wrote much about his own part in the publications because, as he put it, "an editor is best kept in the background."
By 1898/99 he had become the Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, and had earned an honorary Doctorate at Durham. One has to surmise that Sir Frederic enjoyed unlimited access to the Greek manuscript collection at the Museum and used it to further his biblical research. By 1926, when he published "Handbook to textual criticism of the New Testament," he was Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum, but had retired by 1932. The book that is the subject of this review was originally published in 1936. From David’s account, it has become a standard textbook for British New Testament scholars ever since.
The structure of its seven chapters is summarized below. Most chapters begin with a historical overview and then go into specific examples and details of the topics under discussion. Chapter 1: how books were made in the first three centuries C.E.—papyrus scrolls, then codices. Chapter 2: history of the development of the Greek Old Testament, then a catalogue of the most important manuscripts supporting this theory. Chapter 3: manuscripts of the New Testament—a catalogue of extant evidence, with a lot of historical description. Chapter 4: non-Greek versions of the Greek New Testament—Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Coptic, Latin, Gothic; writings of the Church Fathers; detailed historical summaries, then catalogues of manuscripts. Chapter 5: the printed text, 1516-1881—a short historical summary of major editions and the people who made or discovered them. Chapter 6: textual discoveries and theories 1881-1936—Kenyon gives many specific manuscript references as he summarizes various theories such as those of Streeter, Lake, and Von Soden. Chapter 7: the present textual problem—how the theories of textual critics have been affected by "recent" discoveries; divided by type of text: a) Received Text—includes Codex A; b) what Hort calls neutral—headed by Codex B; c) Caesarean text; d) Western text—headed by Codex D; e) "residue" left over.
This book is purposely written for students who have little or no prior experience or knowledge of the Greek Bible. It’s well-written in an easy to read prose style that undergraduates could handle. Even in the long sections of catalogue listings of manuscripts Kenyon maintains his prose style rather than resorting to too much abbreviation or technical jargon.
I enjoyed reading sections of the book for this review, and look forward to reading the whole thing. It gives me a good overview of the historical background of the development of the Greek Bible without getting bogged down in too many details. For example, since I had no prior knowledge of the Church Fathers I was often at a loss to join in class discussions when they were mentioned. In just a few pages Kenyon’s book gave me enough information to get my bearings and follow along better in class.
I would recommend this book to other students, with the following caution. Because it was last revised in 1975, it is not up to date with new discoveries and theories of the latter part of the 20th century. However, for historical background information it’s excellent.
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