Page:The New Testament in the original Greek - 1881.djvu/79

 INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. lui

up the text, sometimes in the middle of the sentence, into fragments, instead of presenting it in natural sections ; but it is convenient for reference, and has become indUpensa- blo by long use. The English Revision judiciously com- bines both methods.

(4.) TiifioooKK DE BfezB (HfiZA, 1519-1605), Calvin's friend and successor in Geneva, who came into possession of some valuable old MSS. (Cod. Cantabr. and Claromont.), but made little use of them, published several folio editions of Stephens's Greek text (4th ed.), with some changes and a Latin translation of his own, Geneva, 1565. 1582, 1588 (many copies dated 1589), 1598 (reprinted in Cambridge, 1642).*

Beza was a poor critic, but an eminent theologian and commentator, and enjoyed, with Calvin and Bullingcr, the highest respect in England during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. His editions were chiefly used for the Au- thorised English version of 1611, in connection with the last editions of Stephens.^

��* Beza called the edition of 1565 the second, but his first, 1557, was only bis Latin version with annotations, for which he cared more than for the Greek text. Scrivener (Introd. 2<1 ed. p. IN) gives 1559 as the date of the first edition; but this is an error; see Reuss, Biblwth. p. 72 sq. Others speak of an edition of 1576; but this was edited by Henry Stephens. Besides the four folio editions noticed above, Beza published several octavo editions with his Latin version and short marginal notes (1565-67-30-90, 1604). For a full description, sec March's Le Long, BM. Sacra, pars i. pp. 807-816.

f On the precise Greek text of the English version, see Dr. Abbot's researches in my Introduction to Lightfoot, Trench, and Ellicott on the Revision of the New Tettament, New York, 1S73, pp. xxvii.-xxix. He shows that the English version agrees

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