Originally posted by DeclareHim:
I recently read on a site that the Majority text differs from the TR 1,838 times.
I would have to ask "which TR?" There are about 30 Greek New Testaments going by "TR" all of which are different.
The TR was originally based on 7 mss from the Byzantine text type, the Majority text based on all (about 4,000) manuscripts of the Byzantine text type.
That is kind of misleading. The TR of 1516 was based on minuscules 1, 2, 2ap, 4ap, and 1r. Erasmus's edition of 1522 had input from manuscript 61. However, the manuscripts Erasmus worked from were representative of the Byzantine textform so it is misleading to say the MT is based on more manuscript evidence than the TR of 1516. It really doesn't matter if it is 4 or 4000 if they substantially agree.
TR-earliest mss 11th Century
The earliest TR was published in 1516. The manuscripts used by Erasmus are usually dated as follows, 1 (12th century), 2 (12th century), 2ap (12th century), 4 (13th century), 4ap (15th century), and 1r (12th century).
However, it is an error to draw a dichotomy between those manuscripts and the Byzantine manuscripts as all of them, with the exception of manuscript 1, are Byzantine, (1 is Caesarean).
Majority- earliest mss 4th Century
It is true that Byzantine readings date to the mid 4th century (and even earlier) but it is probably an error to claim a distinctively Byzantine manuscript exists that is older than the 6th century (p84). It is true that A dates to the 5th century and is distinctively Byzantine in the Gospels, but it is also distinctively Alexandrian in the rest of the New Testament. N and P date to the 6th century and are mostly Byzantine as is Q, which dates to the 5th century. W, also 5th century, is Byzantine in Matthew and Luke 8 and following, but the rest is a mix of Western, Caesarean, and Alexandrian. Σ and Φ are 6th century but only contain Matthew and Mark, and parts of Matthew and Mark respectively. There are a couple of 6th century Gospels (064 and 065), and a 6th century Byzantine text of Acts (093) but after that it gets pretty thin. Manuscript p68 is a partial Byzantine Gospel of John dating to the 5th century.
TR- contains trinitarian formula
Actually, no. The first and second TR editions of Erasmus (1516 and 1519) omitted the comma. (That is why I mentioned above that his edition of 1522 included input from manuscript 61 which was the 15th century manuscript given to him that contained the comma.)
Majority- does not contain trinitarian formula
Correct.
TR- Contians Acts 8:37 and Luke 17:36
On the basis of 36, 307, 453, 610, 945, 1678, 1739, 1891, l 592, l 1178, Acts 8:37 has remained in the TR, but Erasmus did not have any of those manuscripts. It is most likely he included that on the testimony of the Latin and other ancient vernaculars.
Luke 17:36 is attested to by D, 579, 1243, 180, 700, 1006, 1071 (all with slight variants), l 68, l 76, l 673, l 813, and l 1223 none of which Erasmus had in his possession, so, again, probably included on the weight of the ancient vernacular witnesses.
Majority- does not contain Acts 8:37 or Luke 17:36
Well, the majority of the Byzantine witness is lacking, but there is still substantial testimony supporting the reading.
