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{{short description|Differences in New Testament manuscripts}}{{about|the (Christian) New Testament|the (Jewish) Tanakh or Old Testament|Textual variants in the Hebrew Bible}}{{more footnotes|date=November 2021}}Textual variants in the New Testament manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to the text that is being reproduced. Textual criticism of the New Testament has included study of its textual variants.Some common alterations include the deletion, rearrangement, repetition, or replacement of one or more words when the copyist's eye returns to a similar word in the wrong location of the original text. If their eye skips to an earlier word, they may create a repetition (error of dittography). If their eye skips to a later word, they may create an omission. They may resort to performing a rearranging of words to retain the overall meaning without compromising the context. In other instances, the copyist may add text from memory from a similar or parallel text in another location. Otherwise, they may also replace some text of the original with an alternative reading. Spellings occasionally change. Synonyms may be substituted. A pronoun may be changed into a proper noun (such as "he said" becoming "Jesus said").Origen, writing in the 3rd century, was one of the first who made remarks about differences between manuscripts of texts that were eventually collected as the New Testament. He declared his preferences among variant readings. For example, in Matthew 27:16–17,{{bibleverse|Matthew|27:16–17|NASB}} he favored "Barabbas" against "Jesus Barabbas"Origen, Commentary on Matthew, ser. 121 In John 1:28,{{bibleverse|John|1:28}} he preferred "Bethabara" over "Bethany" as the location where John was baptizing.Origen, Commentary on John VI.40 (24) "Gergeza" was preferred over "Geraza" or "Gadara".Origen, Commentary on John VI.40 (24) – see {{bibleverse|Matthew|8:28|NASB}} At Hebrews 2:9,{{bibleverse|Hebrews|2:9}} Origen noticed two different readings: "apart from God" and "by the grace of God".John Mill's 1707 Greek New Testament was estimated to contain some 30,000 variants in its accompanying textual apparatusAdam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707) which was based on "nearly 100 [Greek] manuscripts."Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154 Eberhard Nestle estimated this number in 1897 as 150,000–200,000 variants.E. Nestle, Einfürung in das Griechische Neue Testament, p. 23. In 2005, Bart D. Ehrman reported estimates from 200,000 to 400,000 variants based on 5,700 Greek and 10,000 Latin manuscripts, various other ancient translations, and quotations by the Church Fathers.Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. HarperSanFrancisco, 2005, pp. 87-89 In 2014 Eldon J. Epp raised the estimate as high as 750,000.Eldon J. Epp, "Why Does New Testament Textual Criticism Matter?," Expository Times 125 no. 9 (2014), p. 419. Peter J. Gurry puts the number of non-spelling variants among New Testament manuscripts around 500,000, though he acknowledges his estimate is higher than all previous ones.Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113Since 1981, in a system developed and introduced by Kurt and Barbara Aland in their textbook The Text of the New Testament, Greek New Testament manuscripts have commonly been categorized into five groups.Below is an abbreviated list of textual variants in the New Testament.

Legend

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Variants

This running list of textual variants is nonexhaustive, and is continually being updated in accordance with the modern critical publications of the Greek New Testament — United Bible Societies' Fifth Revised Edition (UBS5) published in 2014, Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland 28th Revised Edition of the Greek New Testament (NA28) published in 2012, and Novum Testamentum Graecum: Editio Critica Maior (ECM) last published in 2017 — and supplemented by nonmodern publications wherever applicable, including those of Hodges & Farstad, Greeven, Lachmann, Legg, Merk, Nestle-Aland editions 25–27, Aland's Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum (SQE), Souter, Swanson, Tischendorf, Tregelles, von Soden, and Westcott & Hort.

Gospel of Matthew

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Gospel of Mark

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Gospel of Luke

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Gospel of John

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Acts of the Apostles

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Epistle to the Romans

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First Epistle to the Corinthians

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Second Epistle to the Corinthians

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Epistle to the Galatians

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Epistle to the Ephesians

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Epistle to the Philippians

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Epistle to the Colossians

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First Epistle to the Thessalonians

{{:Textual variants in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians}}

Second Epistle to the Thessalonians

{{:Textual variants in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians}}

First Epistle to Timothy

{{:Textual variants in the First Epistle to Timothy}}

Second Epistle to Timothy

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Epistle to Titus

{{:Textual variants in the Epistle to Titus}}

Epistle to Philemon

{{:Textual variants in the Epistle to Philemon}}

Epistle to the Hebrews

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Epistle of James

{{:Textual variants in the Epistle of James}}

First Epistle of Peter

{{:Textual variants in the First Epistle of Peter}}

Second Epistle of Peter

{{:Textual variants in the Second Epistle of Peter}}

First Epistle of John

{{:Textual variants in the First Epistle of John}}

Second Epistle of John

{{:Textual variants in the Second Epistle of John}}

Third Epistle of John

{{:Textual variants in the Third Epistle of John}}

Epistle of Jude

{{:Textual variants in the Epistle of Jude}}

Book of Revelation

{{:Textual variants in the Book of Revelation}}

See also

• Bible version debate
• Biblical inerrancy
• Caesarean text-type
• Categories of New Testament manuscripts
• Comparison of codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus
• King James Only movement
• List of New Testament verses not included in modern English translations
• Modern English Bible translations
• The New Testament in the Original Greek
• Western text-type

References

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Bibliography

• BOOK, Bibelausgaben Novum Testamentum Graecum, Editio Critica Maior / Band III: Die Apostelgeschichte: Gesamtband Teil 1-3, Münster Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, 2017, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 978-3438056146,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graecum Editio Critica Maior IV, Die Katholischen Briefe, Teil 1 und Teil 2, Gesamtwerk, Münster Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, 2013, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 978-3438056054,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece — Nestle-Aland 28th Revidierte Auflage, American Bible Society, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 978-3438051400,
• BOOK, The Greek New Testament — Fifth Revised Edition, American Bible Society, 2014, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 978-3438051165,
• BOOK, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament — Second Edition, Bruce M. Metzger, 2005, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1598561642,
• BOOK, Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum: Locis Parallelis Evangeliorum Apocryphorum Et Patrum Adhibitis Edidit, Kurt Aland, 1985, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 3438051303,
• BOOK, The New Testament in the Original Greek, Brooke Foss Westcott, Fenton John Anthony Hort, 1881, Macmillan & Co.,
• BOOK, The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, Zane C. Hodges, Arthur L. Farstad, 1982, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 0840749635,
• BOOK, Comparative Studies in Recent Greek New Testament Texts, David Holly, 1983, Biblical Institute Press, 8876535810,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece, ad antiquissimos testes denuo recensuit apparatum criticum omni studio perfectum apposuit commentationem Isagogicam praetexuit, Editio Octava Critica Maior: Volumen I, Constantinus Tischendorf, 1869, Giesecke und Devrient,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece, ad antiquissimos testes denuo recensuit apparatum criticum omni studio perfectum apposuit commentationem Isagogicam praetexuit, Editio Octava Critica Maior: Volumen II, Constantinus Tischendorf, 1872, Giesecke und Devrient,
• BOOK, Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments in ihrer ältesten erreichbaren Textgestalt hergestellt auf Grund ihrer Textgeschichte, Hermann Freiherr von Soden, 1902–1913, Alexander Duncker; Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece: Textui a Retractatoribus Anglis Adhibito Brevem Adnotationem Criticam Subiecit, Alexander Souter, 1910, Clarendon Press,
• BOOK, Testamentum Novum Græce et Latine Carolus Lachmannus recensuit. Philippus Butmannus, Ph. F. Græcæ Lectionis Auctoritatis, apposuit, Karl Lachmann, 1842–1850, Berolini,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece secundum textum Westcotto-Hortianum; Evangelium Secundum Marcum, cum apparatu critico nouo plenissimo, lectionibus codicum nuper repertorum additis, editionibus versionum antiquarum et patrum ecclesiasticorum denuo inuestigatis, S.C.E. Legg, 1935, Clarendon Press,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece secundum textum Westcotto-Hortianum; Evangelium Secundum Mattaeum, cum apparatu critico nouo plenissimo, lectionibus codicum nuper repertorum additis, editionibus versionum antiquarum et patrum ecclesiasticorum denuo inuestigatis, S.C.E. Legg, 1940, Clarendon Press,
• BOOK, Novum Testamentum Graece, apparatu critico instructum, Augustinus Merk, 1933, Pontifici Instituti Biblici,
• BOOK, Synopse Der Drei Ersten Evangelien: Mit Beigabe Der Johanneischen Parallelstellen, Albert Huck, Heinrich Greeven, 1981, Mohr Siebrek Ek, 3161430328,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Gospel 4-Pack, Reuben Swanson, 2005, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1414307632,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Acts, Reuben Swanson, 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 0865850550,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Romans, Reuben Swanson, 2002, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 0865850704,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: 1 Corinthians, Reuben Swanson, 2003, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 0865850720,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: 2 Corinthians, Reuben Swanson, 2006, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 0865850739,
• BOOK, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Galatians, Reuben Swanson, 1999, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 0842339744,
• BOOK, The Greek New Testament, Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, 1857, Samuel Bagster and Sons,

Further reading

• Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine, ed. E. Nestle, K. Aland, Stuttgart 1981.
• Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman, "The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration", OUP New York, Oxford, 4 edition, 2005
• Bart D. Ehrman, "The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament", Oxford University Press, New York - Oxford, 1996, pp. 223–227.
• Bruce M. Metzger, "A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament", 1994, United Bible Societies, London & New York.

External links

• The Comparative Critical Greek New Testament {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717104404weblink |date=2011-07-17 }}
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110120220811weblink">Variantes textuais {{in lang|pt}}
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110606153005weblink">Varianten Textus receptus versus Nestle-Aland
• The Gospel of John part of the Holy Bible

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