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New Testament manuscripts in Greek are categorized into five groups, [1] according to a scheme introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in The Text of the New Testament. The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the various text-types. Generally speaking, earlier Alexandrian manuscripts are category I, while later Byzantine manuscripts are category V. Aland's method involved considering 1000 passages where the Byzantine text differs from non-Byzantine text. The Alands did not select their 1000 readings from all of the NT books; for example, none were drawn from Matthew and Luke. [2]
The Alands' categories do not simply correspond to the text-types; all they do is demonstrate the 'Byzantine-ness' of a particular text; that is, how much it is similar to the Byzantine text-type, from least (Category I) to most similar (Category V). Category V can be equated with the Byzantine text-type, but the other categories are not necessarily representative of a text-type. Even though most texts in Category I agree with the Alexandrian text-type, they are not necessarily Alexandrian themselves; they are just very non-Byzantine. [3]
The Alands introduced the following categories (Aland & Aland category description according to the 1989 English translation, p. 106, between quotation marks): [3]
See Aland , pp. 159–162.
Date (CE) | I | II | III | IV | V |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
150 | 𝔓52 , 𝔓90 , 𝔓104 | ||||
200 | 𝔓32 , 𝔓46 , 𝔓64/67 , 𝔓66 , 𝔓75 , 𝔓77 , 0189, | ||||
250 | 𝔓1 , 𝔓4 , 𝔓5 , 𝔓9 , 𝔓12 , 𝔓15 , 𝔓20 , 𝔓22 , 𝔓23 , 𝔓27 , 𝔓28 , 𝔓29 , 𝔓30 , 𝔓39 , 𝔓40 , 𝔓45 , 𝔓47 , 𝔓49 , 𝔓53 , 𝔓65 , 𝔓70 , 𝔓80 , 𝔓87 , 0220 | 0212 | 𝔓48 , 𝔓69 | ||
300 | 𝔓13 , 𝔓16 , 𝔓18 , 𝔓37 , 𝔓72 , 𝔓78 , 0162, 𝔓115 | 𝔓38 , 0171 | |||
350 | 𝔓10 , 𝔓24 , 𝔓35 , 01, 03 | 𝔓6 , 𝔓8 , 𝔓17 , 𝔓50 , 𝔓62 , 𝔓71 , 𝔓81 , 𝔓86 , 0185 | 𝔓88 , 058 (?), 0169, 0188, 0206, 0207, 0221, 0228, 0231, 0242 | ||
400 | 057 | 𝔓19 , 𝔓51 , 𝔓57 , 𝔓82 , 𝔓85 , 0181, 0270 | 𝔓21 , 059, 0160, 0176, 0214, 0219 | ||
450 | 02 (except Gospels), 0254 | 𝔓14 , 04, 016, 029, 048, 077, 0172, 0173, 0175, 0201, 0240, 0244, 0274 | 02 (Gospels), 032, 062, 068, 069, 0163, 0165 (?), 0166, 0182, 0216, 0217, 0218, 0226, 0227, 0236, 0252, 0261 | 05 | 026, 061 |
500 | 𝔓56 , 071, 076, 088, 0232, 0247 | 𝔓54 , 𝔓63 , 072, 0170, 0186, 0213 | |||
550 | 𝔓33 , 06, 08, 073, 081, 085, 087, 089, 091, 093 (1 Peter), 094, 0184, 0223, 0225, 0245 | 𝔓2 , 𝔓36 , 𝔓76 , 𝔓83 , 𝔓84 , 06, 015, 035, 040, 060, 066, 067, 070, 078, 079, 082, 086, 0143, 0147, 0159, 0187, 0198, 0208, 0222, 0237, 0241, 0251, 0260, 0266 | 022, 023, 024, 027, 042, 043, 064, 065, 093 (Acts), 0246, 0253, 0265 (?) | ||
600 | 𝔓26 | 𝔓43 , 𝔓44 , 𝔓55 , 083 | 𝔓3 , 0164, 0199 | ||
650 | 𝔓74 , 098 | 𝔓11 , 𝔓31 , 𝔓34 , 𝔓79 , 0102, 0108, 0111, 0204, 0275 | 𝔓59 , 𝔓68 , 096, 097, 099, 0106, 0107, 0109, 0145, 0167, 0183, 0200, 0209, 0210, 0239, 0259, 0262 | 𝔓73 , 0103, 0104, 0211 | |
700 | 𝔓42 , 𝔓61 | 𝔓60 | |||
750 | 019, 0101, 0114, 0156, 0205, 0234 | 𝔓41 , 095, 0126, 0127, 0146, 0148, 0161, 0229, 0233, 0238, 0250, 0256 | 07, 047, 054 (?), 0116, 0134 | ||
800 | 044 (Catholic epistles) | 044 (except Catholic epistles) | |||
850 | 33 (except Gospels) | 010, 038, 0155, 0271, 33 (Gospels), 892, 2464 | 012, 025 (except Acts, Rev), 037, 050, 0122, 0128, 0130, 0131, 0132, 0150, 0269, 565 | 09, 011, 013, 014, 017, 018, 020, 021, 025 (Acts, Rev), 030, 031, 034, 039, 041, 045, 049, 053 (?), 063, 0120, 0133, 0135, 0136 (?), 0151, 0197, 0248, 0255, 0257, 0272, 0273 (?), 461 | |
900 | 1841 | 0115, 1424 (Mark) | 1424 (except Mark), 1841 | ||
950 | 1739 (Catholic epistles, Paul) | 0177, 0243 (?), 1739 (Acts), 1891, 2329 | 051, 075, 0105, 0121a, 0121b, 0140, 0141, 0249, 307, 1582, 1836, 1845, 1874, 1875, 1912, 2110, 2193, 2351 | 028, 033, 036, 046, 052, 056, 0142, 1874, 1891 | |
1050 | 1175, 1243, 2344 | 81, 323, 945, 1006, 1854, 1962, 2298 | 28, 104, 181, 323, 398, 424, 431, 436, 451, 459, 623, 700, 788, 1243, 1448, 1505, 1838, 1846, 1908, 2138, 2147, 2298, 2344, 2596 (?) | 103, 104, 181 (Rev), 398, 431, 451, 459, 945, 1006, 1448, 1505, 1846, 1854, 2138, 2147, 2298 | |
1100 | 256, 1735 | 1735, 1910 | 256 | ||
1150 | 1241 (Catholic epistles) | 36, 1611, 2050, 2127 | 1 (Gospels), 36, 88, 94 (?), 157, 326, 330, 346, 378, 543, 610, 826, 828, 917, 983, 1071, 1241 (Gospels, Acts, Paul), 1319, 1359, 1542b, 1611, 1718, 1942, 2030, 2412, 2541, 2744 | 1 (except Gospels), 180, 189, 330, 378, 610, 911, 917, 1010, 1241, 1319, 1359, 1542b (?), 2127, 2541 | |
1200 | 1573 | 1573 (?) | |||
1250 | 2053, 2062 | 442, 579, 1292, 1852 | 6 (Catholic epistles, Paul), 13, 94, 180, 206, 218 (epistles), 263, 365, 441, 614, 720, 915, 1398, 1563, 1641, 1852, 2374, 2492, 2516, 2542, 2718 (?) | 6 (Gospels, Acts), 94 (?), 180, 206, 218 (except epistles), 263, 365, 597, 720, 1251 (?), 1292, 1398, 1642, 1852, 2374, 2400, 2492 (?), 2516 | |
1300 | 1342 | ||||
1350 | 1067, 1409, 1506, 1881 | 5, 209, 254, 429 (except Paul), 453, 621, 629, 630, 1523, 1534, 1678 (?), 1842, 1877, 2005, 2197, 2200, 2377 | 5 (?), 189, 209, 254, 429 (Paul), 1067, 1409, 1506, 1523, 1524, 1877, 2200 | ||
1400 | 2495 | ||||
1450 | 322 | 69, 205, 322, 467, 642, 1751, 1844, 1959, 2523, 2652 | 69, 181, 205, 429 (Rev.), 467, 642, 886, 2523, 2623, 2652 (?) | ||
1500 | 61 (epistles, Rev), 522, 918, 1704, 1884 | 61 (Gospels, Acts), 522, 918, 1704 | |||
1550- | 849, 2544 (Paul) | 2544 (except Paul) |
Century | Category I | Category II | Category III | Category IV | Category V |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
II | 3 | ||||
II/III | 6 | ||||
III | 25 | 1 | 2 | ||
III/IV | 8 | 2 | |||
IV | 5 | 8 | 10 | ||
IV/V | 1 | 7 | 7 | ||
V | 2 | 16 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
V/VI | 6 | 6 | |||
VI | 15 | 31 | 12 | ||
VI/VII | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
VII | 2 | 8 | 17 | 4 | |
VII/VIII | 2 | 1 | |||
VIII | 6 | 12 | 5 | ||
VIII/IX | 1 | 1 | |||
IX | 3 | 7 | 12 | 5 | |
IX/X | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
X | 1 | 5 | 18 | 10 | |
XI | 3 | 7 | 24 | 16 | |
XI/XII | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
XII | 1 | 5 | 24 | 16 | |
XII/XIII | 1 | 1 | |||
XIII | 2 | 4 | 21 | 18 | |
XIII/XIV | 1 | ||||
XIV | 1 | 4 | 17 | 12 | |
XIV/XV | 1 | ||||
XV | 1 | 11 | 9 | ||
XVI | 5 | 4 | |||
XVI/XVII | 2 | 1 | |||
This system of classification prefers the Alexandrian text-type.[ citation needed ] Manuscripts that represent the Western text-type are classified as Category IV in Gospels, and Category II/III in the Pauline Letters.[ citation needed ] This is significant because some scholars believe that some or all of the Minuscule text or the Western texts are closer to the original texts.[ citation needed ] Some manuscripts are not classified.[ citation needed ] Uncial 055 is not because it is a commentary, and according to some specialists, written in a minuscule hand.[ citation needed ] 𝔓7 , 𝔓89 , 𝔓121 , Uncial 080, Uncial 0100, Uncial 0118, 0174, 0230, 0263, 0264, 0267, 0268 are too brief to classify.[ citation needed ] Uncial 0144 and 0196 are not accessible. 𝔓25 is not classified because of the Diatessaric character of text (i.e. the four Gospels combined into a single narrative).[ citation needed ]
𝔓5 was classified to Category I, but it is not a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. According to Philip Comfort (2001) it is "a good example of what Kurt and Barbara Aland call "normal" (i.e. a relatively accurate text manifesting a normal amount of error and idiosyncrasy). [4]
Waltz (2013) stated:
As a classification scheme, [Aland & Aland's] attempt was at once a success and a failure. A success, in that it has conveniently gathered data about how Byzantine the various manuscripts are. A failure, because it has not been widely adopted, and in any case does not succeed in moving beyond Byzantine/non-Byzantine classification. [3]
A biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. Biblical manuscripts vary in size from tiny scrolls containing individual verses of the Jewish scriptures to huge polyglot codices containing both the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the New Testament, as well as extracanonical works.
Papyrus 42, designated by 𝔓42, is a small fragment of six verses from the Gospel of Luke dating to the 6th/7th century. The Greek text of this manuscript is a representative of the Alexandrian text-type with some Byzantine readings. Aland placed it in Category II.
Codex Athous Dionysiou, designated by Ω or 045, ε 61, is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. The codex is dated palaeographically to the 9th century. It has marginalia.
Uncial 053 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), A4 (Soden), is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 9th century.
Uncial 071, ε 015 (Soden), is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 5th or 6th century. It came from Oxyrhynchus.
Minuscule 5, δ 453, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 342 parchment leaves. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been dated to the 13th century.
Minuscule 565, ε 93 (Soden), also known as the Empress Theodora's Codex, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on purple parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. It was labelled by Scrivener as 473. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia.
Minuscule 1143, ε 1035, also known as the Beratinus 2, or Codex Aureus Anthimi. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on purple parchment, dated paleographically to the 9th century. This is one of the seven “purple codices” in the world to have survived to the present day, and one of the two known purple minuscules written with a gold ink.
Papyrus 39, signed by 𝔓39, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John, it contains only John 8:14-22. The manuscript paleographically had been assigned to the 3rd century. Written by professional scribe, in 25 lines per page, in large, beautiful letters. It has numbered pages.
Minuscule 892, ε 1016 (Soden). It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves. It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.
Uncial 0206, is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been dated to the 4th century.
Uncial 0211, ε 051 (Soden), is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 7th century.
Uncial 0233, is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. The manuscript paleographically had been assigned to the 8th-century.
Minuscule 2616, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on 280 parchment leaves. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.
Minuscule 27, ε 1023 (Soden). It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 10th-century. It has liturgical books and marginalia.
Minuscule 2766, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on 147 parchment leaves. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 13th century.
Minuscule 1424, δ 30 is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on 337 parchment leaves. It has been dated paleographically to the 9th or 10th century).
Minuscule 579, ε 376, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament Gospels, written on parchment. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it has been dated to the 13th century. It was formerly labelled as 80e. The manuscript has some missing portions of text.
Minuscule 157, ε 207, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament Gospels, on vellum. According to the colophon it is dated to the year 1122. Formerly the date was wrongly deciphered as 1128. It has complex contents and full marginalia.
Minuscule 365, δ 367 (Soden), is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament with some parts of the Old Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. It has marginalia.