A Brief Guide to Good Typography

Good communication is clear. It’s more than that, but never less. To be clear, the language we use matters. All of us know that. 

But, if typography is what language looks like (according to Ellen Lupton), then the type we use also matters. Maybe you know that too, but you don’t know what to do about it. 

If so, you may be interested in my “Brief Guide to Good Typography.” It’s designed for busy students, so it’s brief. It’s not designed for professional designers, so it only covers the basics. I try to cover those elements of good typography that are the easiest to use and make the most improvement. If you find it helpful, I’m very happy for you to share it far and wide.

Bibliographie Papyrologique online

The good folk at the Bibliographie Papyrologique - an historic resource for bibliographical resources in papyrology (as one might expect from the name!) - have recently announced an up-date. The free online resource runs a year behind the paid subscription service, but has over 50,000 items in the database. A quick search for P. Bodmer II (i.e. P66) came up with 64 items (including extensive lists of book reviews tagged with books and lots of articles) – and the whole list is downloadable. 

So that is a great resource for people to be aware of and use responsibly.

Resources for Patristic Citations in New Testament Textual Criticism

Some seven years ago, Peter Head compiled a useful blogpost with advice on how to check patristic citations (link in the right margin).

However, in this post I would like to mention two additional resources:

1. International Greek New Testament Project: Bibliography on work on the NT text of Greek authors

Recently, IGNTP committee members Rod Mullen and Mike Holmes, both involved in the SBL series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers, took the initiative to compile a bibliography of work on the New Testament text of Greek authors.

The list "keeps track of recent work on establishing the biblical text in patristic writers. It includes the volumes published in the SBL New Testament in the Greek Fathers series, as well as a list of work in progress."

2. Biblindex

The Biblindex = Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature is maintained by Laurence Mellerin et al. of the Institut des Sources Chrétiennes. It includes all the 270.000 references in the published Biblia Patristica volumes, and an additional ca. 130.000 references on Athanasius of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Theodoret of Cyrus, Procopius of Gaza, Jerome and more. Access to data is free, after registration. This is a real treasure trove.  

I will update Peter's original blogpost with this information.

Top Ten Essential Works in New Testament Textual Criticism

What are the most essential works you should read if you want to get acquainted with the field of New Testament textual criticism? I have compiled a general bibliography and marked the top ten with asterisks. What are your proposals?

Introductions and surveys

• *Aland, Kurt, and Barbara Aland. The Text of the New Testament. 2nd ed. Transl. by Errol F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids, Mich./Leiden: Eerdmans/Brill, 1989.
• Black, David Alan ed. Rethinking New Testament Textual Criticism. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2002.
• Crawford, Sidney White, and Tommy Wasserman, eds. The Oxford Handbook on Textual Criticism of the Bible. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.
  
• *Ehrman, Bart D., Michael W. Holmes, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. The  Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research. Essays on the Status Quaestionis. SD 46. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1995. [An excellent overview of the field; a second edition came out in 2012, which is a  must read.]
• Ehrman, Bart D. The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. [Important and controversial.]
• *Epp, Eldon J., and Gordon D. Fee. Studies in the Theory and Method  of New Testament Textual Criticism. SD 45. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1993.
• Hull, Robert F. The Story of the New Testament Text: Movers, Materials, Motives, Methods, and Models. Atlanta: Society of  Biblical Literature, 2010.
• Metzger, Bruce M. and Ehrman, Bart D. The Text of the New Testament. Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4rd ed. New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. [The third edition is better in many respects; see review by D. C. Parker in JTS.]
• Parker, D. C. An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. [This is a rather technical book, part of which could fit in the two categories below; it is very useful for more advanced readers, e.g., PhD students who want to know the resources for manuscript work; note that it is primarily focused on New Testament manuscripts, as the title says, and less on the practice of New Testament textual criticism]
• Parker, D. C. The Living Text of the Gospels. Cambridge: Cambridge  University Press, 1997.
• *Quarles, Charles, New Testament Textual Criticism for the 21st Century: A Practical Guide. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2025.
  
• Westcott, B. F., and F. J. A. Hort. Introduction to the New Testament in the Original Greek. Reprinted from the edition by Harper & Brothers, New York, 1882. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988.  [A classic groundbreaking work laying the foundation for textual criticism in the following century and beyond.]

[Note that these introductions cover several topics which are treated in the specialized reading list below. For example, several of Fee’s essays in Studies in the Theory and Method relate to the use of patristic citations.]

Advices and Resources: Syriac NT Bibliography

I have just added Peter William’s Syriac NT bibliography under “Advices and Resources” in the right sidebar.