The Greek Testament (8 vols.)

by Henry Alford

Publisher:

Guardian Press

, 1976

Overview

The Greek Testament, by Henry Alford ranks among the most important and authoritative works on the Greek text of the New Testament. In addition to Alford's Greek text, this massive work includes detailed grammatical, literary, lexical, and textual analysis of nearly every Greek word in the New Testament, along with comprehensive linguistic and idiomatic notes.

The Greek Testament represents an epochal shift in New Testament exegesis. Alford's approach to the Greek text is primarily textual and philological, unlike the purely homiletical and theological approach which previously dominated English language commentaries. This shift in approach not only changed the method of New Testament exegesis, it also altered the role of commentaries. Through The Greek Testament, Henry Alford made a scholarly and textual approach to the Bible widely accessible. He introduced German biblical criticism to the English-speaking world, thereby making a lasting impression on the scholarly approach to biblical translation and interpretation.

The 8-volume Logos edition of The Greek Testament contains Henry Alford's original four volumes, which includes the prolegomena Alford wrote at the beginning of each volume. The prolegomena discuss the critical apparatuses and contain introductory notes on the historical, textual, and linguistic issues that pertain to the Greek text of each book. In these prolegomena, Alford also discusses his method of textual criticism, and he evaluates at length the textus receptus and Tischendorf edition of the New Testament and the historical approach to textual criticism.

With the Logos edition of The Greek Testament, every Scripture reference is tagged to other editions of the Greek New Testament, along with your favorite English translations. Greek words are also linked to dictionaries, lexical and textual aids, along with the rest of the language tools in your library. With The Greek Testament, combined with the power of your Libronix Digital Library, you can accomplish advanced textual work on the Greek New Testament quickly and accurately. Not only biblical studies scholars, but also pastors, teachers, students, and others interested in serious study of the Greek text will profit from The Greek Testament.

Key Features

• Alford's four prolegomena which discuss significant literary and textual issues
• Complete list of manuscripts
• Verse-by-verse commentary
• Analysis of nearly every Greek word in the entire New Testament

Praise for the Print Edition

When I'm stumped with a … grammatical or syntactical or logical [question] in Paul, I go to Henry Alford. Henry Alford … comes closer more consistently than any other human commentator to asking my kinds of questions.

—John Piper

An invaluable aid to the critical study of the text of the New Testament.

—Charles Spurgeon

Product Details

• Title: The Greek Testament
• Author: Henry Alford
• Edition: Fifth edition
• Publication Date: 1863
• Volumes: 8
• Pages: 3,478

About Henry Alford

Henry Alford was born in London in 1810. His mother died at an early age, leaving him under the care of his father, a deacon and a scholar.

At the age of six he wrote The Travels of St. Paul and a collection of Latin odes. While he was a child, he also wrote History of the Jews, a chronology of the Old Testament, and a collection of sermons entitled Looking unto Jesus. He began attending Trinity College in 1827 and was made a fellow of Trinity in 1834. He was also ordained as a deacon in 1833.

Alford was a prolific writer. He wrote numerous books and articles, published many of his lectures, translated the Odyssey, wrote a usage manual entitled The Queen's English and edited the Contemporary Review. He also wrote several hymns, including "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" and "Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand." Alford is best known for his massive Greek Testament, which took nearly twenty years to complete.

Henry Alford died in 1871. His epitaph reads Diversorium Viatoris Hierosolymam Proficiscentis—"the inn of a traveler on his way to Jerusalem."