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Textus receptus
Executive summary
The Textus Receptus (Latin, “received text”) is the family of printed Greek New Testament editions beginning with Erasmus’s 1516 edition and continued by Stephanus, Beza, the Elzevirs and others; it became the primary Greek base for Reformation-era vernacular Bibles including the King James Version [1]. Scholars credit Erasmus’s work with launching this printed tradition but note important limitations: reliance on relatively late Byzantine manuscripts, a back-translation into Greek for the end of Revelation, and several non-original readings that later editors and critics corrected [2] [1] [3].
1. What the Textus Receptus actually is — the printed “received” text
The term Textus Receptus names a succession of printed Greek New Testaments that began with Erasmus’s Novum Instrumentum [4] and includes editions by Robert Estienne (Stephanus), Theodore Beza, the Elzevir family and later editors like Scrivener; in short, it is a printing tradition rather than a single manuscript [1]. The Elzevirs’ 1633 prefatory line “Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum” popularised the label “received text” [2] [3].
2. Why it mattered historically — the Reformation and major translations
The Textus Receptus was the translation base for many major Reformation-era vernacular Bibles, most famously the King James Version, and influenced the Reina-Valera, the Dutch Statenvertaling, the Portuguese Almeida Recebida and others, so its impact on Protestant Christianity was substantial [1] [5]. Its widespread use followed from being the best available printed Greek text during the 16th–17th centuries [3].
3. Strengths: innovation, accessibility, and continuity with the Byzantine tradition
Erasmus’s publication was the first practical, widely distributed printed Greek New Testament and thus made Greek scripture accessible for translators and scholars; proponents note the TR’s alignment with the Byzantine manuscript tradition, which represents the majority of extant Greek manuscripts and underpins continuity in many church traditions [3] [5].
4. Limitations and scholarly criticisms — what later critics noted
Modern textual criticism finds the Textus Receptus limited because its editors mostly used late Byzantine manuscripts and sometimes conflated or back-translated readings (notably Erasmus’s use of the Latin Vulgate to produce the last six verses of Revelation), introducing non-original readings such as variants that persisted in TR editions [1] [2]. By the 18th–19th centuries scholars began preferring editions based on older Alexandrian and other early witnesses, culminating in the adoption of critical texts [3] [6].
5. Scale of textual differences — magnitude and theological impact
Estimates in the provided material vary: one source frames differences between the TR and modern critical texts as thousands of variant readings but emphasises most are minor and do not affect core doctrines; other analyses show the TR fails to reflect the majority reading in many passages, and some TR readings (e.g., in Revelation) are demonstrably the result of editorial back-translation [2] [6]. Available sources do not provide a single, agreed numeric tally in this set of results.
6. Competing perspectives — traditionalist defenders vs. critical-text advocates
Defenders of the TR and “Byzantine-priority” advocates argue the Received Text aligns with the majority of surviving manuscripts and with patristic citations, presenting a stable ecclesial text for preaching and translation [5] [7]. Critics and modern textual scholars argue for priority of older manuscripts and wide versional/patristic evidence, holding that critical editions (e.g., Nestle-Aland) better recover the earliest attainable text; that reassessment led to the TR losing its central place after Westcott and Hort and subsequent scholarship [6] [8].
7. How it’s used today — editions, study tools, and communities
The Textus Receptus remains available in print and online, used by those who prefer its readings for devotional, confessional or scholarly reasons; digital and reader editions (e.g., Grange Press, Elzevir and Scrivener editions online) and apps have increased access, and organized groups promote Byzantine/Received-Text priorities [9] [10] [11]. At the same time, mainstream academic study typically uses critical editions grounded in broader manuscript evidence [10].
8. What readers should keep in mind — context and limits of claims
When evaluating claims about the Textus Receptus, note differences in aims: the TR is a historic printed tradition reflecting the best available resources of its time, not a forensic reconstruction using today’s fuller manuscript record; assertions that it is either “perfect” or “hopelessly corrupt” reflect theological or methodological commitments more than consensus textual scholarship [3] [2]. Available sources do not mention any definitive single count of variant readings agreed upon by all scholars in these results.
If you want, I can: (A) list specific well-known TR variants (e.g., Comma Johanneum, Revelation 22 readings) with citations from these sources, or (B) compare a particular verse in the Textus Receptus and Nestle-Aland using the linked editions above. Which would help you next?