New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide
This book is a concise companion to Brotzman's Old Testament Textual Criticism. It introduces the fundamentals of New Testament textual criticism and helps you learn how to make decisions based on the internal and external evidence.
Reviews (from Amazon):
“What is textual criticism? Why is it necessary? How should it be done? At eighty pages (of large type), Black's introduction to New Testament textual criticism can be read in a single sitting and provides answers to these questions. Black introduces the reader (any reader) to the various manuscripts underlying the New Testament and presents the different perspectives on textual criticism. As stated in the preface, "this volume attempts to make the findings of scholarship accessible to a wide readership. Nothing in this book is taken for granted. Every term, every problem, is explained clearly, concisely, and 'from scratch'." I certainly found this to be true. The first two chapters discuss the need for textual criticism and the different approaches to the task. The final chapter provides a few examples to help the reader understand some of the issues faced by textual critics as they try to determine the original Greek text behind the New Testament. The bibliography gives you a number of additional reading suggestions to move beyond "A Concise Guide". If you are simply a lay person as I am, reading this book will allow you to have a better understanding of why some Bibles occasionally offer footnotes containing alternate translations. Black's book will also give you a better understanding of the history behind the New Testament scriptures and how they have been preserved from the apostles' time to our own.”
“The operative word here is "concise." In less than 80 pages of large print, the author leads the person with no previous knowledge to a basic understanding. Black gives attention to such matters as writing in the ancient world, the various witnesses to the text of the New Testament, principles of textual criticism, and the differing modern approaches to the task. Also included are sections on how to read the technical apparatuses in the two most popular editions of the Greek New Testament (United Bible Society and Nestle-Aland), and a worksheet for making text-critical decisions. This is likely the best book available for introducing students of the Greek New Testament to the basics of textual criticism. Advanced students can use it to quickly brush up on their knowledge and skill, and ministers can recommend it to people who ask about marginal readings and "missing verses" in their Bibles. This is a first-rate guidebook that deserves five stars.”
Rethinking New Testament Textual Criticism
Leading scholars survey the discipline and present three current approaches to determining the text of the New Testament. This book has been listed as one of the "essential works you should read if you want to get acquainted with the field of New Testament textual criticism."
Reviews (from Amazon):
“This is an excellent book that tries to fairly portray the three major streams of N.T. Textual Criticism: Reasoned Eclecticism, Thoroughgoing Eclecticism, and Byzantine Priority. Eldon Jay Epp writes an extensive introduction and talks about some of the main issue facing modern textual criticism. He is followed by Michael Holmes who presents the case for Reasoned Eclecticism. Then J.K Elliott argues for Thoroughgoing Eclecticism, and Maurice Robinson sublimely conveys the Byzantine Priority point of view. Moises Silva consummates the book with a tongue in cheek critique of the all of the views presented, making no apologies for his own bias in doing so. All in all, an excellent book, Epps article was especially engaging, and I'm afraid the dust is still settling in my attic. This book is definitely worth the price.”
“Compiled and edited by David Alan Black, (Professor of New Testament and Greek, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) Rethinking New Testament Textual Criticism is a selection of essays by five learned authors concerning interpretations of the New Testament and the various methods to determine the original text among conflicting readings. . . . Enhanced with both a Subject Index and a Scripture Index, Rethinking New Testament Textual Criticism is a work of confidently recommended scholarship and a welcome contribution to Christian Studies reference collections and reading lists.”
Scribes and Scripture: New Testament Essays in Honor of J. Harold Greenlee
This Festschrift is addressed to anyone who is interested in what J. Harold Greenlee has exemplified so well through forty-five years of teaching and writing: vivere et studere ad maiorem Dei gloriam.
Key Issues in New Testament Criticism (Audio Series)
In this series I provide insight for how to interpret and respond to important issues raised by New Testament Textual Criticism.
Perspectives on the Ending of Mark
Because it is conspicuously absent from more than one early Greek manuscript, the final section of the gospel of Mark (16:9-20) that details Christ’s resurrection remains a constant source of debate among serious students of the New Testament. This book presents in counterpoint form the split opinions about this difficult passage with a goal of determining which is more likely. Maurice Robinson and I argue for the verses’ authenticity. Keith Elliott and Daniel Wallace contend that they are not original to Mark’s gospel. Darrell Bock responds to each view and summarizes the state of current research on the entire issue.
Reviews (from Amazon):
“If you would like to get current on the state of scholarship on the long ending of Mark, this is the introduction you want. Highly readable, this volume does not bolster your presuppositions, but alerts you to the important arguments on all sides of the debate regarding Mark's long ending (and the intermediate ending). This book is a great introduction for those just jumping into the debate and a good review and update for those who have previously studied the textual issue of Mark's long ending.”
“The four essays and one response contained in this volume were informative, concise, edifying and accessible. As a pastor who aims to preach every verse and word of scripture, it is vital to understand the nature of the text you preach or teach. The strengths of this book were fourfold. First, the contributors believed that the chief purpose of textual criticism is to gain access to the wording and order of the original manuscripts. Secondly, all five contributors represented the entire spectrum of scholarly opinion on this subject, thus making for a stronger and more interesting read. Thirdly, the closing essay by Dr. Darrell Bock summarized the four contributing essays with precision and accessible insight. Then fourthly, the vast end notes at the end of each essay enables the reader to dig further and get a sample of the relevant findings of scholarship on this issue.”
The Pericope of the Adulteress in Contemporary Research
This is an exciting new book edited by myself and my former assistant, Jacob Cerone. The chapters are from a conference held at the campus of SEBTS in the spring of 2014 (Jacob blogged about it here). Here is a description from the publisher's website: "The contributors to this volume (J.D. Punch, Jennifer Knust, Tommy Wasserman, Chris Keith, Maurice Robinson, and Larry Hurtado) re-examine the Pericope Adulterae (John 7.53-8.11) asking afresh the question of the paragraph's authenticity. Each contributor not only presents the reader with arguments for or against the pericope's authenticity but also with viable theories on how and why the earliest extant manuscripts omit the passage."
