The History of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece

• Applicant: Gregory Paulson, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology ; Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 393487368

The objective of this project is to provide the first comprehensive account of the historical stages of development within the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NTG). The research will trace the development of the NTG from initial proposals by Eberhard Nestle in 1885, to the first edition in 1898, and continuing to the present edition, the 28th edition, published 2012 (recently reprinted in 2016). There has never been an extensive account of the major differences between all 28 editions, and the NTG itself almost never states explicitly what specific changes are made from edition to edition, nor how these changes reflect and influence contextual scholarship. I have chosen the NTG not only because of its international acclaim, but also because it is the longest running critical edition of the Greek New Testament in history. Thus the NTG is able to illuminate the evolution of the text of the New Testament in a number of unique ways, and is, in many aspects, a microcosm of the wider field of New Testament scholarship from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. The NTG offers a distinct portrait of the progression of significant methodological approaches and theories in the fields of New Testament textual criticism, biblical scholarship, theology, exegesis, and church history. In the 28 editions of the NTG published thus far, it is possible (1) to see how dramatically theological scholarship has evolved and (2) to detect concomitant changes in methodology, editorial approaches, and the use of sources in the edition itself. These changes not only affect the NTG, but since the text of the NTG is the basis of biblical translations worldwide, these changes have ultimately affected the text of the Bible as we know it. This project will be primarily based on a comparison of the 28 editions of the NTG and archival material found in Münster, Stuttgart, Gießen, and Cambridge, as well as biblical scholarship from the 19th to 21st centuries. By highlighting key methods, developments, and theories, the project will also have significant practical applications for contemporary users of the NTG. Explanations about why decisions in the text were made, how the editions have evolved over time, and how these changes affect the text have largely been privy only to the editors of the NTG, and thus inaccessible to the majority of users of the NTG. It is hoped that the results of the project will both invite and equip scholars and users of the NTG to participate in conversations about the nuances, variations, and theories of the text, and thus broaden the circle of those who might offer fresh new ideas to the field of New Testament textual criticism and creative solutions for improving research on the text of the New Testament in the future.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Holger Strutwolf; Dr. Klaus Wachtel