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ISA-11:9 ...for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
ONLINE GREEK:
THE STEPHENS 1550 TEXTUS RECEPTUS
TRANSLITERATED EDITION
Prepared and edited by
Maurice A. Robinson, Ph.D.
Version 2.2, 28 April 1990
©1990 and Released as FREEWARE by the Author
FREEWARE DECLARATION:
Jesus stated in John 2:16, "Do not make my Father's
house a house of merchandise!" (mh poieite ton oikon
tou patrov mou oikon emporiou). This Bible product
therefore may NOT be sold for commercial profit.
A SMALL copying/distribution charge may be assessed
for these Greek New Testament files as distributed
with or as a supplement to the ONLINE BIBLE, ver.4.0,
but even this fee must be kept to a minimum.
Publishers of commercial products are specifically
prohibited from including these files within a program
or other package intended for commercial gain without
making prior arrangement with the copyright holder.
A generous donation to your favorite evangelical
organization is encouraged. If you have none, the
editor would suggest Thru the Bible Radio, Box 7100,
Pasadena, CA 91109, through which he first heard the
Word of God TAUGHT verse-by-verse.
INTRODUCTION
The entire Stephens 1550 edition of the Greek New Testament
is included in the present collection of files. The text
appears in transliterated ASCII format, in which a single
English letter represents a single Greek letter according
to the following scheme:
Alpha = a Nu = n
Beta = b Xi = x
Gamma = g Omicron = o
Delta = d Pi = p
Epsilon = e Rho = r
Zeta = z Sigma = s
Eta = h Tau = t
Theta = y Upsilon = u
Iota = i Phi = f
Kappa = k Chi = c
Lambda = l Psi = q
Mu = m Omega = w
Sigma final = v
This transliteration method agrees closely with the placement
of keys on Greek-language typewriters and is identical with
that used by the commercial printer/font driver software
LETTRIX, published by Hammerlab, Inc. Through the use of
LETTRIX or other dot-matrix font drivers, the present Greek
New Testament text can be printed in hard copy on a dot-
matrix printer using actual Greek characters with an optional
mixture of additional text in various English, Hebrew, or
even Russian fonts. Further information regarding LETTRIX
appears at the end of this documentation.
These ASCII Greek New Testament files have been encoded and
incorporated into the ONLINE BIBLE by its programmer, Larry
Pierce. The ONLINE BIBLE format allows full text display as
well as a rapid word search capability in the Greek New
Testament, whether concordance-style by individual word usage
or in various word or phrase combinations through Boolean
AND/OR/NOT searches. Refer to the ONLINE BIBLE file,
MANUAL.DOC for search instructions. Eventually, the ONLINE
BIBLE will provide its own font driver for dot matrix
printers to allow the printing of the Greek text in its
native characters in the same manner as LETTRIX.
The Stephens 1550 text is that found in George Ricker Berry's
edition of "The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek
New Testament" (New York: Hinds & Noble, 1897). This
Stephens/Berry text has appeared frequently in reprint
editions (in the United States mostly from Baker Book House
and Zondervan Publishing House) and is the Textus Receptus
edition most readily available to any student of New
Testament Greek.
The Stephens 1550 edition of the so-called "Textus Receptus"
(Received Text) reflects a general agreement with other early
printed Greek texts also (erroneously) called by that name.
These include editions such as that of Erasmus 1516, Beza
1598, and (the only one actually termed "Textus Receptus")
Elzevir 1633. Berry correctly notes that "In the main they
are one and the same; and [any] of them may be referred to as
the Textus Receptus" (Berry, p.ii).
All these early printed Greek New Testaments closely parallel
the text of the English-language King James (or Authorized)
Version of 1611, since that version was based closely upon
Beza 1598, which differed little from its "Textus Receptus"
predecessors. These early Greek "TR" editions generally
reflect the "Byzantine" (otherwise called the "Majority" or
"Traditional") Textform which predominated throughout the
period of manual copying of Greek New Testament manuscripts.
Many evangelical scholars have begun to re-evaluate the
authenticity-claims of the Byzantine Textform over against
subjectively-based textual preferences, whether stemming from
Westcott and Hort or from modern "reasoned" or "rigorous"
eclectic theorists such as Metzger, Aland, or Kilpatrick.
The user should note that the present Stephens 1550 TR
edition does NOT agree with modern critical editions such as
that published by the United Bible Societies or the various
Nestle editions. These editions follow a predominantly
"Alexandrian" Greek text, as opposed to the Byzantine
Textform which generally underlies all TR editions. For more
detail on these technical text-critical matters, consult the
bibliographic resources listed below.
One should recognize, however, that NO printed Receptus Greek
text edition agrees 100% with the aggregate Byzantine
(Majority/Traditional) manuscript tradition. However, all
printed Receptus texts DO approximate the Byzantine Textform
closely enough (around 98% agreement) to claim a near-
identity of reading between those Receptus forms and the
majority of all manuscripts.
The significant differences between the modern critical
texts, the King James Version, and the Byzantine (Majority)
Textform are most clearly presented in the NU- and M-text
footnotes appended to editions of the New King James Version,
published by Thomas Nelson Co.
To standardize his presentation of the Greek text, Berry
adopted certain stylistic conventions concerning the movable
letters -n and -v (i.e., final "n" and "s", which in no way
affect the actual meaning of the Greek text, being solely
matters of form for ease of pronunciation). Berry states in
his "Introduction" (p.ii),
we have...added the final -n to the third person
singular and plural in -si; third singular in -e; in
datives plural in -si &c. For "outw" we have given
"outwv." [Greek modified to current transliteration
format]
The present text follows Berry in these conventions. While
these changes may differ slightly from the original Stephens
1550 text, they do deviate regularly from contemporary
practice in printed Greek New Testaments, where the movable
letters are added or omitted in accordance with strict
grammatical rules. However, the presence or absence of
movable letters in no way affects the meaning of the Greek
text. Note also that Berry's method is more in accord with
the practice of the earliest Greek manuscripts than modern
structured grammars would suggest.
In addition, the verse numbering scheme utilized by Berry
does not always coincide with that found in various English
versions of the New Testament (see, for example, Berry at 2
Cor 13:12-13 or 3 John 14). The original Stephens 1550 and
earlier editions had no verse numbers (these were first added
by Stephens in his 1551 edition), and later Textus Receptus
editions differed slightly in the numbering of some verses.
Berry states ("Introduction," p.iii) that
in a few places it is doubtful where the verses should
commence. In these cases we have followed Bruder's
"Greek Concordance," though that work does not in all
cases agree with itself.
For ease of reference, the present text has conformed verse
divisions to those found in the Authorized Version. Also in
the present text all breathings, accents, capitalization, and
punctuation have been omitted. This too is more in keeping
with the general form of ancient Greek manuscripts (though at
that time all words would have been written in CAPITALS and
without division between words).
The present omission of accents and breathings is primarily a
matter of convenience, however. The insertion of extra code
to reflect such accents and breathings would have made the
intermediate product (the ONLINE BIBLE display files)
virtually unreadable. For example, "elegcw" would become
"e^}le^'gcw." This would force the user always to print out
a hard copy of all files in Greek characters in order to read
them easily, whereas the present unaccented/unaspirated text
is readily readable in most cases. Note also that the
inclusion of accents and breathings would have made the
ONLINE BIBLE's rapid search features nearly useless, since
accents (and sometimes even breathings) often change within
a word due to contextual or conjugational/declensional
considerations without affecting that word's meaning.
Where doubt might arise due to words which are otherwise
identical but distinguished only by breathing or accent,
the user is expected to possess a printed Greek New Testament
for consultation.
Similarly, no capitalization or punctuation marks appear
within the present files, since intermittent capitalization
and punctuation are the prerogative of modern editors and
were not originally indicated in early manuscripts.
Different exegetical interpretations based upon
capitalization and/or punctuation could produce honest
disagreement among some users (e.g., the specific
interpretation of "pneuma" or "Pneuma" as the human or Holy
Spirit). Those who prefer to print Greek hard copy in
accented, aspirated, punctuated and capitalized form should
consult printed Greek New Testaments and the LETTRIX (or,
later, the ONLINE BIBLE) manual for proper instructions for
altering the basic ASCII output in preparation for such
printing.
For convenience in study, the user may utilize the ONLINE
BIBLE's features to dump the various Greek NT files into
ASCII form through UED or other word processors. Note that
the Titles of each book (in CAPS) and the closing colophons
at the end of books (except for Matthew, John, Acts, 2 Peter
and Revelation) have never been considered part of the
inspired or canonical New Testament text itself, and their
wording or even inclusion varies in different editions of the
Greek New Testament. These have been placed in brackets
wherever they occur in the Stephens 1550 text, and will show
up when using the ONLINE BIBLE's display or search functions.
No English text appears within the Greek NT files. However,
the reader should know that Luke 17:36 does NOT appear in the
Stephens 1550 edition. This corresponds to the marginal note
in the original 1611 KJV which stated explicitly and
correctly, "This 36th verse is wanting in most of the Greek
copies." The ONLINE BIBLE has supplied this verse from the
Elzevir 1624 Textus Receptus edition, placed inside square
brackets for convenient reference at its numbered location.
No other verse or verse number found in the Authorized
Version is lacking in the Stephens 1550 TR edition here
presented.
Future transliterated Greek New Testament editions are
planned for the Byzantine/Traditional Greek Text as compiled
in 1982 by the present writer and William G. Pierpont (which
closely parallels the Hodges/Farstad "Majority Text" edition
mentioned below in the bibliography), and (subject to
permission) the Nestle-Aland 26th Edition (= the United Bible
Societies' 3rd Edition).
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER TEXT-CRITICAL RESEARCH
Aland, Kurt, et al., eds. "The Greek New Testament." 3rd ed.
New York: United Bible Societies, 1975. lxii + 918pp.
________. "Novum Testamentum Graece." 26th edition.
Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstifung, 1979. 80* + 779pp.
________, and Aland, Barbara. "The Text of the New
Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions
and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual
Criticism." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1987. xviii + 338pp.
Berry, George Ricker, ed., "The Interlinear Literal
Translation of the Greek New Testament." New York:
Hinds & Noble, 1897. viii + 670 + 137pp.
Burgon, John William. "The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel
according to S. Mark." With an Introduction by Edward
F. Hills. Grand Rapids: Associated Publishers and
Authors rep.ed., n.d. [1871]. 379pp.
________. "The Revision Revised." Paradise, PA:
Conservative Classics rep.ed., n.d. [1883].
xl + 549pp.
Carson, D. A. "The King James Version Debate: A Plea for
Realism." Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979. 123pp.
Ewert, David. "From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations."
Grand Rapids: Academie Books/Zondervan Publishing
House, 1983. 284pp.
Finegan, Jack. "Encountering New Testament Manuscripts: A
Working Introduction to New Testament Textual
Criticism." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1974. 203pp.
Hodges, Zane C., and Farstad, Arthur L., eds. "The Greek New
Testament According to the Majority Text." 2nd ed.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985. xlix +
810pp.
J. Harold Greenlee. "Introduction to New Testament Textual
Criticism." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1964. 160pp.
________. "Scribes, Scrolls, and Scripture: A Student's
Guide to New Testament Textual Criticism." Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.
102pp.
Bruce M. Metzger, "The Text of the New Testament: Its
Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration." 2nd ed.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1968. 284pp.
________. "A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament."
New York: United Bible Societies, 1971. xxxi + 775pp.
Miller, Edward. "A Guide to the Textual Criticism of the New
Testament." Collingswood, NJ: The Dean Burgon Society
rep.ed., 1979 [1886]. xiii + 147pp.
Wilbur N. Pickering. "The Identity of the New Testament
Text." Revised Edition. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1980. 251pp.
Pierpont, William G., and Robinson, Maurice A., eds.
"The Byzantine/Traditional Text of the Greek New
Testament." Unpublished manuscript and computer disk
files, 1975-90.
Sturz, Harry A. "The Byzantine Text-Type and New Testament
Textual Criticism." Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1984. 305pp.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
LETTRIX Version 3.6 is ©1987 by Hammerlab
Corporation, 938 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06510,
(800) 351-4500; in Connecticut (203) 624-0000. This
commercial product for dot-matrix printers contains 17
English-text fonts along with Greek, Hebrew, and
Cyrillic (Russian) fonts, and may be obtained directly
from Hammerlab or various distributors. List price:
$98.50.
The ONLINE BIBLE is a Freeware Product (donation to a
favorite evangelical organization requested) ©1988-
1990 by Larry Pierce, Timnathserah, Inc., R.R.2, West
Montrose, Ontario N0B 2V0, Canada, and is available
from various Shareware/Public Domain distributors in
the United States.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Maurice A. Robinson, Ph.D.
Department of Biblical Studies and Languages
Luther Rice Seminary
7565 Beach Boulevard, Suite 100
Jacksonville, Florida 32216
(904) 724-4722
END DOCUMENTATION
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