While doing some work yesterday on the history of the Nestle-Aland, I decided to take a peek at the upcoming NA29/UBS6 editions. I couldn’t find a page for the NA29 at the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft website and the UBS6 isn’t set for release until Oct. 19. What is available now is the reader’s edition that shares the same text. I’ve given a screenshot of the page below. Besides the very obvious typographic change (which may be unique to the reader’s edition), the most notable updates are these:
- The text adopts the ECM text for all available books. That means Mark, Acts, Catholic Letters, and Revelation. (ECM Matthew is not set for release until December, so it does not include that.)
- The order of books does not follow Erasmus any more but reverts to what is found in earlier MSS (and editions like WH). That means Gospels, Acts, Catholic Letters, Paul (with Hebrews before the Pastorals), Revelation.
- Previously “missing verses” are back in the main text with double brackets. This is the most surprising update and one I did not know about until now. Here’s how the intro explains it: “Unlike in earlier editions of the Nestle-Aland and the UBS Greek New Testament, including the Reader’s Edition, all verses assigned a number within the New Testament are now integrated into the text in double brackets. Previously this was only the case for individual passages which traditionally enjoyed an exceptional position in the church (e.g. Mk 16.9–20; Jn 7.53–8.11).”
You can read the introduction here. Also don't forget about the release of the new Textual Commentary that will accompany the UBS6. 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for NTTC.
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| The format of the new UBS6 Reader’s Edition |
I was really hoping John would be ready by 29. Any updates on ECM John?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know it’ll be a long wait before we’ll see ECM John.
DeleteI'm definitely liking this typography better than that of previous editions! I hated the italicized Greek font they used. This looks very sharp!
ReplyDeleteBut the use of ekthesis in the THGNT has grown on me, too… I'm finding I'm using it more and more these days, especially because I got a nice PDF edition on my Kindle Scribe for use in church.
I consider the inclusion of previously "missing verses" in the main text to be a major change. I believe this will be reflected in future Bible translations. I miss an academic discussion on the matter. In a sense, "restoring" these verses after several decades — during which readers have become accustomed to their absence, if I may add — represents a more significant change to the text than most other textual updates.
ReplyDeleteIt is a major change, but imho more confusing than helpful.
Delete"the UBS6 isn’t set for release until Oct. 19. What is available now is the reader’s edition that shares the same text."
ReplyDeleteI'm unable to find said readers edition, even with effort. Might you have a link at the ready?
I've added the link in the post.
DeleteBoth books being posted out already. Interesting days ahead!
DeleteCan one actually order from the US? My German isn’t good enough to figure out why the “order” button is greyed out!
ReplyDeleteIn connection to the ECM, they told me that preorders are not possible from the US at this time. I presume that’s also the case for UBS6.
DeleteIf ordering the 2 available volumes from the Bible Society directly, your postal and billing account needs to match otherwise it won't go through. You're then asked to pay via invoice, so you have to be able to make a transfer to a German bank account (in Euro). Delivery is via DHL so it might be possible to order from the US but not sure what shipping charges would be. Let us know how you go!
ReplyDeleteHendrickson should have it for the US soon after it's actual release. Maybe even at this year's ETS or SBL?
ReplyDeleteHmm. Looks sort of like my equitable eclectic Gospel of Matthew, except in Greek instead of English. Thanks for this report Peter. www.jamessnappjr.com
ReplyDeleteIMO, it's a major oversight to publish the new editions right before ECM Matthew is released. In fact, NA 29 is going to come out after the latest ECM! Why not just postpone the editions another year so Matthew can be integrated?Otherwise, UBS 6/NA 29 are almost immediately in need of an "update" to UBS 7/NA 30 (or perhaps UBS 6.5/NA 29.5) since they no longer reflect the ECM text for all available books.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I sure hope the typographic change is limited to the Reader's Edition. I'm not a fan of this new font at all...
Definitely not an oversight. It takes a long time to produce an ECM and waiting for too long with making the latest results available to the reader isn't particularly helpful either. If we wait for Matt, then why not for Luke. And if we do wait for Luke, then we should also use for John. But, in the meantime, the Pastorals will have been edited, so why not wait for the rest of Paul? On this logic, the users would wait for at least two more decades—surely a ludicrous scenario?
DeleteThanks, Peter, you're right. UBS6/NA29 were delayed to take into account ECM Revelation, but a line had to be drawn somewhere.
DeleteFor all who are complaining about the Reader's Edition font, a sample page of the font for UBS6 itself can be seen in the preview on the order screen at https://shop.die-bibel.de/Greek-New-Testament-GNT6.-Standardausgabe/5310 (the Gothic P symbol will have been added by the time of publication!)
Peter and Hugh: Forgive me for the exaggeration. It would, of course, be ridiculous to postpone indefinitely or else we wouldn't see a new UBS/NA edition until the entire ECM is complete. In this case, I was simply referring to the inclusion Matthew, since it's being published in such close proximity to the release of UBS 6 (and even before NA 29). It may be that I am drastically overestimating how long of a delay it would cause to wait for ECM Matthew's publication to then integrate new results into UBS 6/NA 29. I understand that the ECM and UBS/NA editions are separate projects, so perhaps there wouldn't have been a way to begin integrating the results until after the actual publication of ECM Matthew.
DeleteAt any rate, there are enough significant updates that the publication of UBS 6/NA 29 is certainly worthwhile, even without the inclusion of ECM Matthew. Thank you both for your diligent labor on these projects!
With ECM Matthew coming out only 2 months later, will there be a revised NA29/GNT6 that will come out with the new text of Matthew. Or would we have to wait for NA30/GNT7?
ReplyDeleteI see the book order is changing to what Dr. Robinson has placed in the Byzantine Textform! How much longer till the NA committee fully adopts the RP text :P
ReplyDelete