Faith, Work, and Economics
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 59, No. 2 - Spring 2017
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
The Greek New Testament, 5th Revised Edition. Edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce Metzger. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014. 974 pages. Hardcover, $69.95.
The Greek New Testament, 5th Revised edition (UBS5), includes a revised Greek text and textual apparatus in the Catholic Epistles along with the same Greek text and textual apparatus as UBS4 in the rest of the New Testament. The revised text reflects progress made in the Editio Critica Maior of the Catholic Epistles. Due to the significance of this work, the editors chose to include the changes although it results in an admittedly uneven final product. The thirty-three changes include eleven omissions, eight word changes, five additions, three changes in word order, three changes of form, two changes of case, and one change in both words and word order. A table of the changes appears on pages 3* and 4* of the introduction.
The most notable change to the textual apparatus is the appearance of the diamond which indicates places where it was too difficult for the editors to decide the original reading. Rather than the grade (A, B, C, or D) appearing to the left of the chosen reading, a diamond appears next to the other variant judged to be equal to the chosen text. This display could be improved by placing the diamond both by the reading chosen for the text as well as the corresponding variant. As an example, see the two readings in 1 John 1:4, notably changed from a grade of A (the highest confidence) for “our joy” to a diamond for “our joy” and “your joy.” By my count, eleven diamond readings appear in the Catholic Epistles, including James 5:4, 1 John 1:4, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 4:20, 1 John 5:6, 2 John 1:12, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 5:10, 1 Peter 5:14, 2 Peter 1:4, and 2 Peter 2:11. A table of alternative readings (890) includes thirty-two additional places where it was too difficult to determine the original reading. These readings appear in a table rather than in the text because of minimal impact upon translation and exegesis. If one finds this decision troublesome, it is helpful to remember that UBS5 and NA28 are hand editions designed for translators and students rather than a comprehensive listing of all readings. Other changes to the apparatus in the Catholic Epistles include the addition or removal of readings from the apparatus as well as the combination or splitting of other readings for clarity. The manuscripts consistently cited reflect the new Coherence Based Genealogical Method (5*).
Outside of the Catholic Epistles, the text and textual apparatus remain the same aside from the inclusion of papyri 117–27. The apparatus appears to change, however, because of the inclusion of new data from modern translations in the same location as the textual apparatus. This apparatus notes places where eleven modern translations adopt a reading that differs from the base text. These translations include four English translations (Good News Bible 1992, New International Version 1984, New Revised Standard Version 1989, Revised English Bible 1989), as well seven other translations in French, Spanish, and German. This apparatus presents data cautiously since it is not always possible to determine with certainty if a translation has adopted a different reading or simply made changes based upon translation philosophy or style considerations. While the editors would have liked to have placed this data elsewhere, they decided to locate it along with the textual apparatus for practical considerations. Experienced readers will learn not confuse this information with evidence for a particular reading, although it will likely take time to reach this awareness. This apparatus makes a positive contribution although it may turn out to be a case of doing too little while trying to do too much since only some of the major translations appear. Adding additional translations could overwhelm the page and further substantiate the conclusion that the data belongs in a different place.
UBS5 also includes a thoroughly revised discourse segmentation apparatus showing places where Greek texts or modern translations differ in terms of section headings, paragraph breaks, clausal divisions, punctuation marks, and indentation of quoted or traditional materials. These and other differences noted in this apparatus can readily impact the interpretation of a text.
While UBS5 is admittedly uneven, readers will benefit from the progress made in the Catholic Epistles. The average reader will prefer this edition over NA28 (both of which share the same text aside from a few differences in punctuation and capitalization) since the apparatus of UBS5 is much easier to navigate than that of NA28. Readers wishing to dig deeper into text-critical issues will still consult NA28, although it is perhaps more fruitful simply to consult a fuller apparatus such as the one produced by the Center for New Testament Textual Studies.
