The most widely used edition of the Greek New Testament is published by the German Bible Society in close cooperation with the leading text critics of our time. The Novum Testamentum Graece, often referred to as the Nestle-Aland edition, forms the text base for all translations into modern languages and is the standard for academic instruction and scholarly publications around the globe.
One of the outstanding features of this edition is its attempt to present the relevant evidence from more than 5000 manuscripts, ancient writers, and oldest translations in a compact apparatus at the bottom of each printed page. The information in these notes is so condensed that it cannot be understood without proper training.
The 28th edition of the Novum Testamentum Graece is scheduled to be released in 2007/08. The apparatus will be reworked to make it more user friendly and the printed edition will be accompanied by a CD-ROM.
The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft and the Society of Biblical Literature asked me to write a 100 page book explaining the use of the apparatus in German and English to be published simultaneously with the new edition of the Greek text. It should address the needs of scholars and be useful for academic instruction in the class room.
To work on this project it will be necessary to closely collaborate with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research in Münster, Germany, during spring of 2007. This Institute is commissioned to compile the data and develop the final format for the apparatus.
The project brings together many of my skills: my love for manuscripts, didactic experience, use of technology, and professional background in German and English speaking environments.