Unlocked Greek New Testament (UGNT)

The basis for evaluating all translations of the New Testament is the Greek New Testament text. As is well known, none of the original manuscripts of the GNT are available and thus many scholars have undertaken to collate and compare the existing Greek manuscripts in order to determine the reading of the autographs. These GNTs are usually referred to as critical texts, since they are formed using the process of textual criticism drawing from many witnesses. Many fine Greek New Testaments exist, but unfortunately are subject to either copyright or licensing restrictions. None are presently available as CC0 or CC BY. For this reason, we are forming our own text.

• The UGNT will consist of the following parts:

The critical text itself

The textual apparatus which will list Greek variants and which manuscripts or printed Greek New Testaments support each reading.

Strong's numbers tagging each word in both the text and the apparatus

Morphological code tagging each word in both the text and the apparatus

• Volunteers are needed to:

Proofread the Greek text and apparatus to make sure that there are no errors.

Verify that the manuscripts and printed texts cited in the textual apparatus are correct for each reading and variant

Proofread all Strongs's numbers and make needed corrections

Proofread all morphological codes and make needed corrections

• Requirements for contributors to the Unlocked Greek New Testament:

Agreement with our Statement of Faith: https://unfoldingword.org/faith/

Agreement with Translation Guidelines: https://unfoldingword.org/guidelines/

Agreement that your work will be released under a CC0 license (for the Greek text) ( https://creativecommons.org/about/cc0/ ) and CC BY (for the apparatus) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ). See https://unfoldingword.org/license/ .

Must have at least one year (two semesters) of NT Greek

Must have access to reference works (software, print or online) which provide Strong's numbers and morphological codes for GNT.

• Preferences (though not required):

Attendance at workshop for training (5 days/1 week) how to proofread and edit UGNT textual apparatus.

Access to biblical software highly recommended (preferably BibleWorks, Logos or Accordance, though free programs might be adequate for most, if not all, tasks (e.g., e-Sword, STEP, Sword Project)

Familiarity with as many of the following books on NT textual criticism as possible, such as the following:

Black, David Alan. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994

Comfort, Philip W. Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography & Textual Criticism. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2005

Comfort, Philip W. New Testament Text and Translation Commentary: Commentary on the Variant Readings of the Ancient New Testament Manuscripts and How They Relate to the Major English Translations. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008

Comfort, Philip Wesley, and David P. Barrett. The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2001

Omanson, Roger L., and Bruce Manning Metzger. A Textual Guide to the Greek New Testament: An Adaptation of Bruce M. Metzgers Textual Commentary for the Needs of Translators. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2006

Metzger, Bruce Manning, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.). London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994

Wegner, Paul D. A Student's Guide to Textual Criticism of the Bible: Its History, Methods & Results. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006

• The Project Coordinator will provide the volunteers with the text and apparatus for proofing.
• To learn more about this project, see https://unfoldingword.org/ugnt/ and https://github.com/unfoldingWord/Unlocked-Greek-New-Testament
• For more information contact Todd Price at todd@unfoldingword.org.