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What is the Textus Receptus?

Theodore Beza

Textus Receptus (Latin: "received text") is the name retroactively given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, for the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other Reformation-era New Testament translations throughout Western and Central Europe. (See Also The Word of God for All Nations)

The origin of the term "Textus Receptus" comes from the publisher's preface to the 1633 edition produced by Bonaventure and Abraham Elzevir, two brothers and printers at Leiden:

textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum, in quo nihil immulatum aut corruptum damus, translated "so you hold the text, now received by all, in which nothing corrupt."

The two words, "textum" and "receptum", were modified from the accusative to the nominative case to render textus receptus. Over time, this term has been retroactively applied to Erasmus' editions, as his work served as the basis of others that followed. Many supporters of the Textus Receptus will name any manuscript which agrees with the Textus Receptus Greek as a "Textus Receptus" type manuscript. This can also apply to early church quotations and language versions.

Erasmus updated his "Textus Receptus" in 1519, 1522, and 1527. Stephanus also edited the Textus Receptus in 1546, 1549, 1550 (Editio Regia), and 1551. Theodore Beza edited the Textus Receptus nine times between 1565 and 1604. The Authorized Version translators used the 1598 of Beza, a disciple of John Calvin, who both had access to Waldensian versions and manuscripts. This "family" of texts is also known as the Antiochian Text, Byzantine Text, Syrian Text, and (until the 1980's) Majority Text.

Erasmus did not "invent" the Textus Receptus, but mearly printed a small collection of what was already the vast majority of New Testament Manuscripts. The first printed Greek New Testament was the Complutensian Polyglot (1514) but was not published until eight years later, Erasmus' was the second Greek New Testament printed and published in (1516).

The title on the cover for the Textus Receptus printed by the Trinitarian Bible Society is Η ΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ which is Greek for The New Testament or The New Covenant.

The Hebrew Masoretic Text is considered to be the Old Testament Textus Receptus, or the text received by the Hebrews as the word of God. The Masoretic Text is widely used as the basis for translations of the Old Testament in Protestant Bibles. In modern times the Dead Sea Scrolls have shown the MT to be nearly identical to some texts of the Tanakh dating from 200 BC.

Articles in this site support for the traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text and Greek Textus Receptus. It is also supportive of faithful translations of these text, such as the King James Version which is 100% faithful to them. This site also exposes corrupt Greek and Hebrew texts and versions based upon them.

Herman C. Hoskier said in the late 1800's:

Three and a half years ago I was in Dean Burgon's study at Chichester. It was midnight, dark and cold without; he had just extinguished the lights, and it was dark, and getting cold within. We mounted the stairs to retire to rest, and his last words of that night have often rung in my ears since :

"As surely as it is dark now, and as certainly as the sun will rise to-morrow morning, so surely will the traditional text be vindicated and the views I have striven to express be accepted. I may not live to see it. Most likely I shall not. But it will come."