At the present time, the number of editions of the Greek New Testament is estimated to be more than one thousand. But it is not as difficult as might be thought to trace their history, for there are major works along the way whose dates act as landmarks. There are four main periods. First of all, there is the period of the haphazard formation of what was later called the ‘textus receptus’ and of its enthronement, which was as swift as it was unwise. Then followed the reign of the ‘textus receptus’, which was long though not particularly splendid, and during which time the true precursors of textual criticism strengthened their attacks against it, without, however, daring to free themselves of its control. Its downfall came in the third period, with the triumph of methods which were scientific, even though still tainted with individualism. The final period has seen the creation of some major projects, which have been greatly helped by the organisation of research in teams, and at the same time by the arrival of computer technology. The realisation of a major critical edition is still, however, a hope which belongs to the future.

THE RISE OF THE ‘TEXTUS RECEPTUS’ (1514–1633)

There was no Greek New Testament among the incunabula, and even sixty years after the invention of printing only a few fragments of it had been edited: the Magnificat and the Benedictus, the Prologue to John's Gospel and its early chapters (1:1 – 6:58), the Lord's Prayer and the Annunciation of the Angel.