The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (4th Edition)

For those wanting to dive into the highly technical discipline of textual criticism as it pertains to the New Testament (NT), this book is an excellent place to start. Both Metzger and Ehrman bring a wealth of knowledge and insight into the intricacies of NT text criticism. They survey the historical development of text criticism as a discipline begun to preserve ancient, Greek and Roman texts and then as it relates to the NT.When Metzger and Ehrman delve into NT text criticism, they provide an excellent rundown of the important textual witnesses to the Greek text of the NT (see pp 53-92) in addition to the methodology involved in this discipline (essentially the rest of the book). The concluding chapter is a gem as the coauthors demonstrate how one does text criticism with key passages of the NT.One more tidbit, this book by Metzger and Ehrman is much more current than The Text of the New Testament by Aland and Aland. That being said, the latter book is a good supplement to the Metzger/Ehrman work with respect to the manuscripts of the NT. The Alands list way more witnesses, but their methodology has been rendered obsolete since the publication of the Editio Critica Maior (ECM).

BEWARE of the part by Bart Ehrman called The Use of Textual Data for the Social History of Early Christianity. Pages 280-299. This is Bart as his agnostic, troublemaking self. The rest of the book is awesome however buyer beware you may never view the Bible the same again. This isn’t your Sunday School version of “The bible says it, I believe it and that’s all there is to it!” Textual scholarship blows your mind and it’s actually really crazy. So, if you just want to know the truth about the Bible from Bruce Metzger, who is a defender of the Bible and the foremost expert in this kind of stuff, then read on. But like Tom Cruise said in A Few Good Men, you may find yourself thinking “You Cant Handle The Truth.” Seriously, Metzgers books will blow your mind and force you to rethink how you use and view the Bible.

Examining my copy upon receipt and a page just came right out after turning a page; I was not tugging on the page, just picking up the page to turn to next one. Then again three pages later. Went to back of book and worked forward, same thing happened. Second copy received was fine, so maybe just an anomaly with the first copy, but check when you receive yours.

This 4th edition updates a classic by Metzger. The new co-author that joins the aging Metzger is from the liberal end of the spectrum, and a few of the new views expressed in the 4th edition put a lot of weight on a very few manuscripts that agree with a liberal interpretation. There is thus a section on the "Oppression of Women", for example. Although Metzger's well-balanced approach is thus in jeopardy, the book is on the whole a useful update to the 3rd edition.

A clear, organized, and eminently readable description (it's more than an introduction on the topic) of the history of the New Testament texts. The authors maintain a neutral attitude towards the difficult (for theologically conservative readers) passages that seem to contain obvious actual errors (such as the quote in Matt. 27:9 attributed to Jeremiah, when most of the content actually comes from a passage in Zechariah) which occurred in earlier manuscripts but were changed in later manuscripts to "fix" the discrepancy (many other variant readings occurred through simple and accidental copying errors). The authors record how the issue caused changes in later manuscripts, but avoid commenting on how this affects one's view of inerrancy/infallibility. And for a book like this, the authors take the right approach. Metzger and Ehrman are top-notch New Testament scholars, who themselves hold different theological viewpoints on biblical inspiration, but put those differences aside to produce a terrific, scholarly book on the subject. Regardless of one's view of biblical infallibility, any reader will be greatly enlightened by this top-notch book.

This is the best book on this subject that I am aware of. Metzger has an uncanny ability to write about complex things using simple sentences and accessible vocabulary. It makes reading this book a true delight. Don't get me wrong, it is textbook, so I wouldn't call it "light" reading, but it is nonetheless easier to read than other introductory textbook I've encountered. He discusses the history of the text of the New Testament from a number of different angles (a lot actually), and impartially lays out the issues involved when attempting to infer the wording of the original New Testament books.

Metzger's book is a fabulous read for anyone serious in academic study of NT Textual Criticism (TC). Metzger introduces the reader to every possible arena of knowledge within the world of TC. From his opening sections on writing materials, types, and styles to his latter chapters on how to use TC, Metzger poignantly gives the reader everything he/she needs to know. Metger also does a great job at giving examples of meangingful papryri, manuscripts, and other documents. The only down side to Mezger's book is that it is not an "easy read." Certainly the information is somewhat taxing, however, it is profitable to anyone who wants to learn the basics (and some advanced level information) of NT TC. All-in-all the book deserves five stars...it is simply an indispensible book.

This is a very technical book that is well-worth reading for anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of the Bible's text. It seems as if almost all of the bases are covered in this one.

If Ehrman's "The New Testament" (7th Ed, 2020) can be regarded as a course text for "New Testament 101" Metzger's book (2nd Ed, 1968) is definitely the foundation for the final year specialisation. It contains much scholarly information indispensable for the study of NT texts, with many examples of how methods are worked out in practice. Part Two, a brief history of the printed editions of the NT, is an important reminder about how the NT continues to be edited and changed even in our lifetimes - although Metzger himself contributed a lot to this development, and sometimes his editorial preferences shine through!) It's a shame this edition is out of print, but much has happened in this field since the 1960s. Nevertheless, some books outlast time, like Scweitzer's "The Quest of the Historical Jesus" (1906) and Metzger's work is of this class.

Excelente para estudos critico-textuais.

Although I have not quite finished this book by Bruce Metzger I will surely be letting others know of thisextraordinary work. The detail and historical narrative along with its easy language make it outstandingespecially for someone like myself who was seeking a record of the , if I might say, the evolution or maybethe pilgrimage of the biblical New Testament text. And what a journey it is, with a supporting reference to allthe complexities and curiosities that the text has endured over time. Marvellous.

Good summary of the different texts that we have in these days of the New Testament. It talks about the most important papyri, majuscules and minuscules, different early translations, etc. A good book to get the first overview of the texts of the NT..

Apenas livros descartáveis podem ser colados (em vez de costurados). Só Deus sabe (mas, a esta altura, a Amazon também já deve ter percebido) o quanto eu odeio livros colados. Até creio que a Amazon deveria adicionar essa informação (colado/costurado) aos "Detalhes do produto", pois mesmo que isso prejudicasse uma ou outra venda, ajudaria a informar os consumidores, a evitar devoluções e mesmo a elevar o padrão editorial mundo afora.No entanto, este livro colado, e que acabou perdendo uma estrela por isso, eu não posso e não quero devolver. Eu não o recomendaria apenas aos estudiosos das escrituras, ou a filósofos, historiadores e linguistas, mas a qualquer pessoa sinceramente interessada na evolução cultural da humanidade. É um livro tão fascinante que fiz questão de comprar uma cópia física para lê-lo pela segunda vez.As cópias disponíveis na Amazon brasileira parecem ter acabado, mas ainda é possível comprá-lo diretamente na Amazon americana.