Two books spanning almost a century which support (to one degree or another) the "Traditional" or "Byzantine" Text Type:
The Traditional Text of The Holy Gospels, John Burgon; 1896.
The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism, Harry Sturz; 1984.
Both are available on the Web. Do a Google.
Burgon has written several other books (Most notable: The Revision Revised ) which are available on the Web.
"Oldest is the best" only if it is the original.
The "best" mss IMO most assuredly came out of the apostolic churches.
Sturz book is in two parts 1) the Wescott and Hort theories and their rebuttal and 2) The second part is largely a study of the payrii (especially p66) which support both Byzantine longer "conflated" readings and Alexandrian readings thereby largely disproving the Wescot and Hort theory that (1) oldest is best; (2) shortest reading is best and (3) most difficult reading is best.
There are several pages of comparison charts and a huge bibliography.
At very least it seems highly probable that these two major families of texts existed around AD120 rather than the Byzantine Text being a late 4th century development of "smoothing" and "conflation".
HankD
The Traditional Text of The Holy Gospels, John Burgon; 1896.
The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism, Harry Sturz; 1984.
Both are available on the Web. Do a Google.
Burgon has written several other books (Most notable: The Revision Revised ) which are available on the Web.
"Oldest is the best" only if it is the original.
The "best" mss IMO most assuredly came out of the apostolic churches.
Sturz book is in two parts 1) the Wescott and Hort theories and their rebuttal and 2) The second part is largely a study of the payrii (especially p66) which support both Byzantine longer "conflated" readings and Alexandrian readings thereby largely disproving the Wescot and Hort theory that (1) oldest is best; (2) shortest reading is best and (3) most difficult reading is best.
There are several pages of comparison charts and a huge bibliography.
At very least it seems highly probable that these two major families of texts existed around AD120 rather than the Byzantine Text being a late 4th century development of "smoothing" and "conflation".
HankD