NRS & ASV Manuscripts Used

From ChatGPT

Prompt: Which versions of the ancient manuscripts were used to create the NRSV and the ASV bibles? Cite the sources.

The American Standard Version (ASV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) were based on different sets of ancient manuscripts, reflecting the textual scholarship of their respective times.

American Standard Version (ASV) (1901)

The ASV was based on the textual scholarship of the 19th century and relied on the following manuscript traditions:

1. Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
   • Masoretic Text (MT) – The primary Hebrew text used was the Codex Leningradensis (B19a), with some influence from the Septuagint (LXX) and other ancient versions when textual difficulties arose.
   • Samaritan Pentateuch – Occasionally consulted but not heavily relied upon.
   • Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) – Not available at the time, as they were discovered in 1947.
2. New Testament (Greek Bible)
   • Textus Receptus (TR) – Used in previous translations like the KJV but largely abandoned in favor of:
   • Westcott and Hort (1881) Greek New Testament – A primary influence on the ASV.
   • Tischendorf’s 8th Edition (1869–1872) – Another critical edition considered.
   • Tregelles’ Greek New Testament (1857-1872) – Also referenced.
   • Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Sinaiticus (ℵ) – Two of the oldest Greek manuscripts were highly influential.

Source for ASV manuscripts:

• Westcott, B. F., & Hort, F. J. A. (1881). The New Testament in the Original Greek. Macmillan.
• Schaff, P. (1901). The American Standard Version Preface. Thomas Nelson & Sons.

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) (1989)

The NRSV is based on more modern textual scholarship, utilizing a broader range of ancient manuscripts.

1. Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
   • Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) – Based on the Leningrad Codex (MT), the oldest complete Hebrew Bible manuscript.
   • Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) – Integrated for textual corrections and variants where applicable.
   • Septuagint (LXX) – Used for comparison, especially where the Masoretic Text appeared uncertain or corrupt.
   • Samaritan Pentateuch – Occasionally referenced.
   • Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate, and Targums – Used for textual clarification.
2. New Testament (Greek Bible)
   • Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (27th Edition, now 28th) – The leading scholarly critical text.
   • United Bible Societies (UBS) Greek New Testament (4th Edition, now 5th) – A critical text based on multiple manuscript traditions.
   • Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Sinaiticus (ℵ) – Still central in textual decisions.
   • Papyrus Manuscripts (e.g., P52, P66, P75) – Early fragments of the New Testament, dating as early as the 2nd century, were integrated into decisions.

Sources for NRSV manuscripts:

• Metzger, B. M. (1992). The Textual Basis of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. Oxford University Press.
• Cross, F. M. (1998). The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible. Harvard University Press.
• Preface to the NRSV (1989), National Council of Churches.