Categories of New Testament manuscripts
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]
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Description of categories
Category I – Alexandrian
This category includes the earliest manuscripts. Some fourth century and earlier papyri and uncials are in this category, as are manuscripts of the Alexandrian text-type. The manuscripts in this category are important when considering textual problems and are considered by many scholars to be a good representation of the autograph, due to their early dating.
Category II – Egyptian
The manuscripts in this category are similar to category I manuscripts, and are important in textual consideration of the autograph. However, the texts usually contain some alien influences, such as those found in the Byzantine text-type. Egyptian texts fall in this category.
Category III – Eclectic
The manuscripts in category III are important when discussing the history of the textual traditions and to a lesser degree for establishing the original text. The manuscripts usually contain independent readings, and have a distinctive character. f1, f13 are examples of manuscript families that fall within this category. Manuscripts of this category usually present mixed or eclectic text-type.
Category IV – Western
Category IV contains the few manuscripts that follow the text of the Codex Bezae (D). These texts are of the Western text-type.
Category V – Byzantine
Byzantine and mostly Byzantine texts fall under this category.
Uncategorised – Caesarean
Caesarean text-type is the term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings of the four Gospels.
Distribution of Greek manuscripts by century and category
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) |
Number of manuscripts by century and category
| 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 | |||
Limitations
This system of classification prefers the Alexandrian text-type. Manuscripts that represent the Western text-type are classified as Category IV in Gospels, and Category II/III in the Pauline Letters. 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. Some manuscripts are not classified. Uncial 055 is not because it is a commentary, and according to some specialists, written in a minuscule hand. 𝔓7, 𝔓89, 𝔓121, Uncial 080, Uncial 0100, Uncial 0118, 0174, 0230, 0263, 0264, 0267, 0268 are too brief to classify. 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).
𝔓5 was classified to Category I, but it is not a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. According to Comfort 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).[3]
See also
Notes
- Aland: 106f, 332-337.
- Wisse, Frederik (1982). The Profile Method for the Classification and Evaluation of Manuscript Evidence, as Applied to the Continuous Greek Text of the Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 0-8028-1918-4.
- Philip Comfort, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Tyndale House Publishers 2001, pp. 73–74.
References
- Aland, Kurt 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. Second revised edition. Translated by Erroll F Rhodes. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995. ISBN 0-8028-4098-1.
- David Ewert. From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations: A General Introduction to the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1983. ISBN 0-310-45730-0