PROFILPELAJAR.COM

New Testament manuscripts in Greek can be categorized into five theoretical groups,^[1] according to a schema introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in The Text of the New Testament.^[2] The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the various theorized text-types.^[2]^: 381 Generally speaking, earlier Alexandrian manuscripts are category I, while later Byzantine manuscripts are category V.^[2]^{: 381–382} Aland's method involved considering 1000 passages where the Byzantine text differs from non-Byzantine text. The Alands did not select their 1000 readings from all of the NT books; for example, none were drawn from Matthew and Luke.^[3]

Description of categories

The Alands' categories do not simply correspond to the text-types; all they do is demonstrate the 'Byzantine-ness' of a particular text; that is, how much it is similar to the Byzantine text-type, from least (Category I) to most similar (Category V). Category V can be equated with the Byzantine text-type, but the other categories are not necessarily representative of a text-type. Even though most texts in Category I agree with the Alexandrian text-type, they are not necessarily Alexandrian themselves; they are just very non-Byzantine.^[4]^[2]^{: 381–382}

The Alands introduced the following categories (Aland & Aland category description according to the 1989 English translation, p. 106, between quotation marks):^[4]^[5]

Category I: "Manuscripts of a very special quality which should always be considered in establishing the original text."^[4]^[5] This category includes almost all manuscripts before the 4th century.^[4] These manuscripts have almost no Byzantine influence, and often agree with the Alexandrian text-type (but are not necessarily Alexandrian themselves, for example 𝔓⁴⁵, 𝔓⁴⁶, Codex Vaticanus (B), and minuscule 1739).^[4] Some 4th-century and earlier papyri and uncials are in this category, as are manuscripts of the Alexandrian text-type. The Alands say the manuscripts in this category are important when considering textual problems, and in their opinion "presumably [represent] the original text".^[1]^[2]^: 383^[6]

Category II: "Manuscripts of a special quality, but distinguished from manuscripts of Category I by the presence of alien influences."^[4]^[5] The manuscripts in this category are similar to category I manuscripts, and are important in textual consideration of the autograph. However, the texts usually contain some alien influences, such as those found in the Byzantine text-type. Egyptian texts fall in this category.^[1]^[5]^[2]^: 383

Category III: "Manuscripts of a distinctive character with an independent text... particularly important for the history of the text."^[4]^[5] The manuscripts in category III are important when discussing the history of the textual traditions and to a lesser degree for establishing the original text. The manuscripts usually contain independent readings, and have a distinctive character. ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³ are examples of manuscript families that fall within this category. Manuscripts of this category usually present mixed or eclectic text-type.^[1]^[2]^: 383

Category IV: "Manuscripts of the D text."^[4]^[5] Category IV contains the few manuscripts that follow the text of the Codex Bezae (D). These texts are of the Western text-type.^[1]^[2]^: 383

Category V: "Manuscripts with a purely or predominantly Byzantine text."^[4]^[5] This category may be equated with the Byzantine text-type.^[4] Byzantine and mostly Byzantine texts fall under this category.^[4]^[1]^[2]^: 383

Uncategorised: Some manuscripts studied by the Alands were not categorised, for example because they were too short to determine which group they belonged to, or fell somewhere in between.^[4]^[5] The unclassified manuscript could be representative of the Western text-type, the "Caesarean text-type" (a term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings of the four Gospels), or anything else.^[4]

Distribution of Greek manuscripts by century and category

The following table is derived from the Alands' The Text of the New Testament.^[7]^[a]

Century and approximate year (AD)	I	II	III	IV	V
2nd (c. 150)	𝔓⁵², 𝔓⁹⁰, 𝔓¹⁰⁴
2nd / 3rd (c. 200)	𝔓³², 𝔓⁴⁶, 𝔓⁶⁴⁺⁶⁷, 𝔓⁶⁶, 𝔓⁷⁷, 0189,
3rd (c. 250)	𝔓¹, 𝔓⁴, 𝔓⁵, 𝔓⁹, 𝔓¹², 𝔓¹⁵, 𝔓²⁰, 𝔓²², 𝔓²³, 𝔓²⁷, 𝔓²⁸, 𝔓²⁹, 𝔓³⁰, 𝔓³⁹, 𝔓⁴⁰, 𝔓⁴⁵, 𝔓⁴⁷, 𝔓⁴⁹, 𝔓⁵³, 𝔓⁶⁵, 𝔓⁷⁰, 𝔓⁷⁵, 𝔓⁸⁰, 𝔓⁸⁷, 0220		0212	𝔓⁴⁸, 𝔓⁶⁹
3rd / 4th (c. 300)	𝔓¹³, 𝔓¹⁶, 𝔓¹⁸, 𝔓³⁷, 𝔓⁷², 𝔓⁷⁸, 𝔓¹¹⁵, 0162			𝔓³⁸, 0171
4th (c. 350)	𝔓¹⁰, 𝔓²⁴, 𝔓³⁵, 01, 03	𝔓⁶, 𝔓⁸, 𝔓¹⁷, 𝔓⁶², 𝔓⁷¹, 𝔓⁸¹, 𝔓⁸⁶, 0185	𝔓⁸⁸, 058 (?), 0169, 0188, 0206, 0207, 0221, 0228, 0231, 0242
4th / 5th (c. 400)	057	𝔓¹⁹, 𝔓⁵¹, 𝔓⁵⁷, 𝔓⁸², 𝔓⁸⁵, 0181, 0270	𝔓²¹, 𝔓⁵⁰, 059, 0160, 0176, 0214, 0219
5th (c. 450)	02 (except Gospels), 0254	𝔓¹⁴, 04, 016, 029, 048, 077, 0172, 0173, 0175, 0201, 0240, 0244, 0274	02 (Gospels), 032, 062, 068, 069, 0163, 0165 (?), 0166, 0182, 0216, 0217, 0218, 0226, 0227, 0236, 0252, 0261	05	026, 061
5th / 6th (c. 500)		𝔓⁵⁶, 071, 076, 088, 0232, 0247	𝔓⁵⁴, 𝔓⁶³, 072, 0170, 0186, 0213
6th (c. 550)		𝔓³³⁺⁵⁸, 06, 08, 073, 081, 085, 087, 089, 091, 093 (1 Peter), 094, 0184, 0223, 0225, 0245	𝔓², 𝔓³⁶, 𝔓⁷⁶, 𝔓⁸³, 𝔓⁸⁴, 06, 015, 035, 040, 060, 066, 067, 070, 078, 079, 082, 086, 0143, 0147, 0159, 0187, 0198, 0208, 0222, 0237, 0241, 0251, 0260, 0266		022, 023, 024, 027, 042, 043, 064, 065, 093 (Acts), 0246, 0253, 0265 (?)
6th / 7th (c. 600)	𝔓²⁶	𝔓⁴³, 𝔓⁴⁴, 𝔓⁵⁵, 083	𝔓³, 0164, 0199
7th (c. 650)	𝔓⁷⁴, 098	𝔓¹¹, 𝔓³¹, 𝔓³⁴, 𝔓⁷⁹, 0102, 0108, 0111, 0204, 0275	𝔓⁵⁹, 𝔓⁶⁸, 096, 097, 099, 0106, 0107, 0109, 0145, 0167, 0183, 0200, 0209, 0210, 0239, 0259, 0262		𝔓⁷³, 0103, 0104, 0211
7th / 8th (c. 700)		𝔓⁴², 𝔓⁶¹	𝔓⁶⁰
8th (c. 750)		019, 0101, 0114, 0156, 0205, 0234	𝔓⁴¹, 095, 0126, 0127, 0146, 0148, 0161, 0229, 0233, 0238, 0250, 0256		07, 047, 054 (?), 0116, 0134
8th / 9th (c. 800)		044 (Catholic epistles)	044 (except Catholic epistles)
9th (c. 850)	33 (except Gospels)	010, 038, 0155, 0271, 33 (Gospels), 892, 2464	012, 025 (except Acts, Rev), 037, 050, 0122, 0128, 0130, 0131, 0132, 0150, 0269, 565		09, 011, 013, 014, 017, 018, 020, 021, 025 (Acts, Rev), 030, 031, 034, 039, 041, 045, 049, 053 (?), 063, 0120, 0133, 0135, 0136 (?), 0151, 0197, 0248, 0255, 0257, 0272, 0273 (?), 461
9th / 10th (c. 900)		1841	0115, 1424 (Mark)		1424 (except Mark), 1841
10th (c. 950)	1739 (Catholic epistles, Paul)	0177, 0243 (?), 1739 (Acts), 1891, 2329	051, 075, 0105, 0121a, 0121b, 0140, 0141, 0249, 307, 1582, 1836, 1845, 1874, 1875, 1912, 2110, 2193, 2351		028, 033, 036, 046, 052, 056, 0142, 1874, 1891
11th (c. 1050)	1175, 1243, 2344	81, 323, 945, 1006, 1854, 1962, 2298	28, 104, 181, 323, 398, 424, 431, 436, 451, 459, 623, 700, 788, 1243, 1448, 1505, 1838, 1846, 1908, 2138, 2147, 2298, 2344, 2596 (?)		103, 104, 181 (Rev), 398, 431, 451, 459, 945, 1006, 1448, 1505, 1846, 1854, 2138, 2147, 2298
11th / 12th (c. 1100)		256, 1735	1735, 1910		256
12th (c. 1150)	1241 (Catholic epistles)	36, 1611, 2050, 2127	1 (Gospels), 36, 88, 94 (?), 157, 326, 330, 346, 378, 543, 610, 826, 828, 917, 983, 1071, 1241 (Gospels, Acts, Paul), 1319, 1359, 1542b, 1611, 1718, 1942, 2030, 2412, 2541, 2744		1 (except Gospels), 180, 189, 330, 378, 610, 911, 917, 1010, 1241, 1319, 1359, 1542b (?), 2127, 2541
12th / 13th (c. 1200)			1573		1573 (?)
13th (c. 1250)	2053, 2062	442, 579, 1292, 1852	6 (Catholic epistles, Paul), 13, 94, 180, 206, 218 (epistles), 263, 365, 441, 614, 720, 915, 1398, 1563, 1641, 1852, 2374, 2492, 2516, 2542, 2718 (?)		6 (Gospels, Acts), 94 (?), 180, 206, 218 (except epistles), 263, 365, 597, 720, 1251 (?), 1292, 1398, 1642, 1852, 2374, 2400, 2492 (?), 2516
13th / 14th (c. 1300)			1342
14th (c. 1350)	2427	1067, 1409, 1506, 1881	5, 209, 254, 429 (except Paul), 453, 621, 629, 630, 1523, 1534, 1678 (?), 1842, 1877, 2005, 2197, 2200, 2377		5 (?), 189, 209, 254, 429 (Paul), 1067, 1409, 1506, 1523, 1524, 1877, 2200
14th / 15th (c. 1400)			2495
15th (c. 1450)		322	69, 205, 322, 467, 642, 1751, 1844, 1959, 2523, 2652		69, 181, 205, 429 (Rev.), 467, 642, 886, 2523, 2623, 2652 (?)
16th (c. 1500)			61 (epistles, Rev), 522, 918, 1704, 1884		61 (Gospels, Acts), 522, 918, 1704
16th / 17th and later (c. 1550–)			849, 2544 (Paul)		2544 (except Paul)

Number of manuscripts by century and category

Century	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV	Category V
II	3
II/III	6
III	25		1	2
III/IV	8			2
IV	5	8	10
IV/V	1	7	7
V	2	16	19	1	2
V/VI		6	6
VI		15	31		12
VI/VII	1	4	3
VII	2	8	17		4
VII/VIII		2	1
VIII		6	12		5
VIII/IX		1	1
IX	3	7	12		5
IX/X		1	2		2
X	1	5	18		10
XI	3	7	24		16
XI/XII		2	2		1
XII	1	5	24		16
XII/XIII			1		1
XIII	2	4	21		18
XIII/XIV			1
XIV	1	4	17		12
XIV/XV			1
XV		1	11		9
XVI			5		4
XVI/XVII			2		1

Limitations

This system of classification would seem to prefer manuscripts which coincide more or less with the critical text of the Nestle-Aland and UBS Greek New Testaments, of which there are many supposedly Alexandrian manuscripts in Category I.^[2] Some manuscripts are placed in Category V because they are considered too "brief" to classify.^[2]^{: 382, 385} The Alands consider Uncial 055 unclassifiable because it is a commentary, and not exactly an "Uncial" manuscript.^[1]^: 119 Accordingly 𝔓⁷, 𝔓⁸⁹, Uncial 080, Uncial 0100, Uncial 0118, 0174, 0230, 0263, 0264, 0267, 0268 are considered by the Alands to be too brief to classify.^[1]^{: 96, 102, 120–127} Uncial 0144 and 0196 are not accessible. The Alands do not classify 𝔓²⁵, stating this is due to the Diatessaric character of text (i.e. the four Gospels combined into a single narrative).^[1]^: 97

𝔓⁵ was classified to Category I, but it is not a representative of the Alexandrian text-type. According to biblical scholar Philip Comfort it is "a good example of what Kurt and Barbara Aland call "normal" (i.e. a relatively accurate text manifesting a normal amount of error and idiosyncrasy).^[8]

The Alands references are one of the most widely used references for New Testament textual criticism in theological studies today along with the UBS and continues to receive regular updates as more manuscripts are found and become available for study. Published apparatus are constrained by limitations of space. Furthermore, updates do not happen in real time although efforts have made rapid progress in bringing the data online allowing for a more real-time access to research and discussion in ways no other text from antiquity has ever been done with the scale and scope of evidentiary materials. Originally, Waltz stated:

As a classification scheme, [Aland & Aland's] attempt was at once a success and a failure. A success, in that it has conveniently gathered data about how Byzantine the various manuscripts are. A failure, because it has not been widely adopted, and in any case does not succeed in moving beyond Byzantine/non-Byzantine classification.^[4]

Notes

^ Manuscripts utilized since the publication of NA26 in 1979 (such as 𝔓¹⁰⁴ and 𝔓¹¹⁵) have been inserted into their applicable table cells.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F Rhodes (trans.) (2 ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans. pp. 106, 332–336. ISBN 0-8028-4098-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Ehrman, Bart D. (1989). "A Problem of Textual Circularity: The Alands on the Classification of New Testament Manuscripts". Biblica. 70 (3): 377–88. JSTOR 42707499.
^ Wisse, Frederik (1982). The Profile Method for the Classification and Evaluation of Manuscript Evidence, as Applied to the Continuous Greek Text of the Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 0-8028-1918-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Waltz, Robert B. (2013). The Encyclopedia of New Testament Textual Criticism. pp. 116–133. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Epp, Eldon Jay (1989). "New Testament Textual Criticism Past, Present, and Future: Reflections on the Alands' 'Text of the New Testament". The Harvard Theological Review. 82 (2): 225. doi:10.1017/S0017816000016138. JSTOR 1509645. S2CID 248819828.
^ Metzger, Bruce Manning; Ehrman, Bart D. (2005). The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 237. ISBN 0-19-516667-1.
^ Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. pp. 159–162. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
^ Comfort, Philip Wesley; Barrett, David (2001). The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Tyndale House Publishers. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-8423-5265-1.