Differences Between GNT-Family 35 & GNT-Byzantine 2005

[R. Mansfield]

We had a question on our blog this morning asking about the differences between our newly-released GNT-Family 35 (aka Byzantine Greek New Testament) and the GNT-Byzantine 2005 (aka Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Greek Textform 2005).

 

There is an introduction to the GNT-Family 35 that will be added as a separate module later today to our newly-released Orthodox Greek NT Set that explains many of these details. However, I thought it might also be valuable to contact Paul Anderson, President of the Center for the Study and Preservation of the Majority Text, to see if he could offer more information about the differences between these two editions. 

 

Below is a compilation of this correspondence with only the mildest of editing on my part. The one-sentence summarized answer to this question is that the GNT-Family 35 is based on Kr group, while the GNT-Byzantine Textform is based on the Kx group. This is explained in much greater detail below. 

 

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From Paul Anderson:

 

The BGNT is based general consensus of the f35, or family 35 group, of (Kappa) Byzantine MSS. It is composed of 260+ Gospel-only MSS with another approximately 150 MSS that contain the family group readings for Acts/Epistles and in Revelation (Mc or just c) for Complutensian type in the Apocalypse. There are between 15-20 complete NTs for family 35. No other group of Greek MSS has this pedigree. It is the most carefully controlled and textually unified group of Byzantine MSS that were produced. One thing important to start out is the addition of the important qualifier Kappa Byzantine.

 

Kappa Byzantine groups have the highest percentage of Byzantine type readings in their respective groups as opposed to just Byzantine MSS/groups which contain lower percentage Byzantine readings in total. There are four (Kappa) Byzantine groups are: 1. K1(Omega) which has a M2 PA profile 40-50 MSS, 2. Ki/E-text which has uncials E/07, H(013) plus 60-80 minuscules, M5 in the PA. 3. Kx uncial V(031) plus 700-800 MSS (mainly M6 PA), 4. Kr/f35 non uncials but 400+ total MSS (Gospel MSS all with M7 PA).

 

So, the Hodges-Farstad and Robinson-Pierpont texts are both K/Kx based texts vs. f35 being Kr or fam. 35-based MSS. But, there is a very important detail in the Kx group we have found this year. Generally the three Kappa groups K1, Ki and Kx together are called just K for Kappa. But, they divide in readings into their respective groups at times i.e. K1, Ki and Kx. So, Hodges-Farstad and Robinson-Pierpont state in their intros when K divides, they would generally go with the Kx reading consensus. But, the interesting discovery we made this year that most Kx MSS have a M6 PA type and not M5 as in RP. This is a very important distinction within Kappa and we did not know this before. Dr. Robinson has assumed that a Kx MS may have the M5 PA but, really not true. Only Ki (Kappa) MSS have the M5 PA within the four Kappa groups. But, on the M6 PA side, Kx dominates with this form of the PA. Few other Byzantine groups, even smaller ones, have the M6 PA form. So, in the end Hodges-Farstad was consistent with the MS evidence while Robinson-Pierpont was not--not only in the PA but, in many other readings as well.

 

Also, among the other three Kappa groups, Kx stands the closet to f35 or the Byzantine Greek New Testament (BGNT). There are a total of 1186 differences (even with the different PA form and the Apocalypse) between Robinson-Pierpont and the BGNT/f35 textform. Most are small differences. The TR is 1808 variants apart (Kx vs. TR) and 2000 variants (f35 vs. TR). Again, most are smaller variations but a few larger ones like Acts 8:37, the CJ and a few others.

 

But, again, with B and Aleph varying over 1,000+ differences in John alone (3,000+ in the 4 Gospels) these are small differences by comparison between Kx f35 and the TR taken as a whole. Again, Kx and Kr/f35 are really quite close therefore the RP/HF vs. BGNT/f35 are really the same in distance as their represented MSS groups they cater to.

 

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Here are some related documents of interest that Paul Anderson provided:

 

F35 vs. Stephanus Collation.pdf

 

RP 2005 vs. Kr-f35 .pdf

 

RP vs. ANT.pdf

 

RP vs. SCR.pdf

 

RP vs. Stephanus .pdf

[Rick Bennett]

for those not necessarily in the know: PA = Pericope Adulterae (Jn 7.53-8.11)

[Tony Lawrence]

I might add there is a very good discussion of the Byzantine family in an article by Daniel Wallace at: https://bible.org/article/some-second-thoughts-majority-text

[rossjpurdy]

"So, in the end Hodges-Farstad was consistent with the MS evidence while Robinson-Pierpont was not--not only in the PA but, in many other readings as well."

 

These "many other readings" are the differences from Pierpont and Robinson found in f35 and agreeing with Hodges and Farstad?