The Byzantine Text-Type & NT Textual Criticism

Originally published in 1984, Harry A. Sturz’ volume, The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism was instrumental in re-introducing the Byzantine text to real scholarly research.

For quite some time the book has been out-of-print and if you could find a volume, it would be quite pricey.

Finally the book has been reprinted with a foreword by David Allen Black

The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism [Amazon Link]

Note: This is not a propaganda book promoting a obscure theory but a worthy research work.
It is not a simple or easy read; the main thesis is 131 pages followed by lists, indexes, appendices and an extensive bibliography finishing it up for a total of 305 pages.
You don’t need to know Greek to read it (but it would help you to understand a bit more).

From the front book flap of the original volume:

For centuries, the Byzantine text of the New Testament—the medieval Greek manuscripts of Byzantine origin—was the only widely used text of the New Testament. But with the advent of the interpretations of Westcott and Hort in the 19th century, the Byzantine text was considered by many to be obsolete. Today, it is rarely used, and most New Testament critics repudiate it as inferior to the current and predominant critical text​

In The Byzantine Text-Type and New Testament Textual Criticism, Harry A. Sturtz shows why this rejection of the Byzantine text is unjustified. While he does not agree with the scholars who say the Byzantine is the best text because it is most closely represents the original text of the New Testament, he does believe it has value in New Testament criticism.​

If you have an interest in New Testament textual criticism this is a volume you should have, particularly as recent changes in the field have begun to move in this direction.

Rob