List of Manuscripts for the Greek New Testament

Greek New Testament Manuscripts

Adapted from the online Encyclopedia of New Testament Textual Criticism, created by Robert Waltz, and supplemented from other sources, including The Text of the New Testament and Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, both by Bruce M. Metzger, as well as the most recent update to the official list kept at the Institute for New Testament Textual Research in Münster, Germany.

Sigla: e=Gospels a=Acts p=Paul c=Catholic Epistles r=Apocalypse

Explanation

Although all modern New Testament editions use the same numbering system (that created by Caspar René Gregory), this was by no means true in the past. The first apparatus to use Gregory numbers was that of Souter; prior to that, all editions -- including the major editions of Tischendorf and Von Soden -- used other nomenclature. The official Kurzgefasste Liste has tables for turning "Tischendorf Numbers" into Gregory numbers, and allows conversion back and forth between Gregory and Soden numbers.

Gregory-Aland Numbers – The first column of the table is "Gregory-Aland Numbers." These are the current numbers, listed in numerical order, as catalogued in the Kurzgefasste Liste and used in the modern editions. This list, initiated by Gregory and continued by Aland, and is the only one currently being maintained.

Contents – A summary of the contents of the manuscript. e=Gospels, a=Acts, p=Paul, c=Catholic Epistles, r=Apocalypse. Lacunae are not noted.

Date – The period during which the manuscript is believed to have been written. A roman numeral indicates a century of the Common Era and is that used by the most recent paleographers; an arabic numeral indicates an exact date, based on a colophon within the document. Dates are generally from the first edition of the Kurzgefasste Liste and should be checked against subsequent editions and updates, or detailed studies, but other sources have been consulted.

Comments – Some of these comments indicate the current location of a manuscript. Others describe interesting facts about it. Still others explain a manuscript's relationship to other documents. Finally other comments report the varying designations for the same manuscript.

Further Note – Over the years many manuscripts have moved, scholars have changed their catalog numbers, or revised their dates. Some manuscripts have suffered damage. Some catalogs contain typos. Please send to me any errors or updates you might discover. Thanks.

Want to go deeper? – The following books, available for purchase at superior discounts, will greatly aid you in your study of New Testament textual criticism:

Metzger, Bruce M., ed. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. – Provides detailed discussion among world-class experts regarding text-critical decisions made in 1,200 variants throughout NT. This volume is best for understanding reasons one variant is accepted over its rivals. Does assume some knowledge of Greek and Latin. Also available on CD-ROM

Aland, Kurt and Barbara. Text of the New Testament. – Definitive introduction to New Testament textual criticism, now revised and enlarged. Compares major editions of the New Testament, describes and analyzes Greek manuscripts in detail, and discusses value of early versions. Noteworthy introduction to use of modern editions of the Greek New Testament and their greater sensitivity to differing viewpoints.

Elliott, Keith, and Moir, Ian. Manuscripts and the Text of the New Testament. – Why are there discrepancies in the manuscripts in the manuscripts? Can we decide how or why these variations arose? Can we recover the truly original words of Matthew, Paul, Luke, and other biblical authors? These and other questions arise because the Greek manuscripts on which we depend for our New Testament are not in agreement here, nor in many other important passages. This introductory guide to the manuscripts is intended for general readers as well as students of the New Testament and presumes no previous knowledge of the subject nor of Greek.

Bruce, F. F., et al. Origin of the Bible (Rev. Ed.). – You'll gain a deeper appreciation of the authority and inspiration of the Bible with this informative text. Distinguished contributors provide fascinating overviews of how the Bible was inspired, canonized, read as sacred literature, copied in ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, and eventually translated for the entire world. An intriguing resource you'll use time and again.

Comfort, Phillip. Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism. – Offers an expert's introduction to New Testament paleographyand textual criticism, giving readers a window into the transmission of the Bible in the earliest centuries of the church. Based on his exhaustive experience and study, author Phillip Comfort explores scribal participation in the production of the earliest New Testament writings, gives an annotated list of all significant Greek manuscripts and early versions, assigning dates for the earliest manuscripts, presents the history of textual variation in the early centuries of the church, and details various methods of recovering the original wording of the Greek New Testment. [TOP]

Greek New Testament Manuscripts

Papyri

Uncials (Majuscules)

Cursives (Minuscules)

Lectionaries

Explanation