The Sixth Edition of the Greek New Testament (UBS6)
This new edition of The Greek New Testament (UBS6) incorporates the significant advances made by the Editio Critica Maior (ECM) since the release of the fifth edition in 2014. This resulted in the following changes:
- the adoption of all textual changes made for the ECM in the Gospel of Mark (ECM I/2, published in 2021), the Acts of the Apostles (ECM III, published in 2017) and Revelation (ECM VI, published in 2024),
- a thorough revision of the text-critical apparatus (comprising witnesses and textual variants) in Mark, Acts and Revelation,
- an adjustment of the textual witnesses in the Pauline Epistles based on preparatory work for the Corpus Paulinum in the ECM.
In addition, papyri that have recently become accessible have been added to the apparatus.
The improvements, however, extend even further: the overall conceptual framework of The Greek New Testament has undergone a fundamental transformation. In an era marked by declining proficiency in ancient languages and diminishing engagement with textual criticism in many regions, this edition prioritizes the presentation of the most pertinent information with exceptional clarity. Consequently, both the selection of textual variants (apparatus entries) and the witnesses cited in the apparatus have been thoroughly reconsidered. The result is an edition that is particularly well-suited to those embarking on the study of the New Testament and its textual history.
Another significant change concerns the arrangement of the New Testament writings. In UBS6, the sequence has been adjusted to reflect the order found in the majority of Greek manuscripts. In these, the Catholic Letters typically follow immediately after the Acts of the Apostles, while the Pauline Letters appear thereafter. This order has been adopted in the new edition.
The editorial committee is interdenominational and international. Its members are:
- Prof. Dr. Hugh Houghton, University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)
- Prof. Dr. Christos Karakolis, University of Athens (Greece)
- Prof. Dr. David Parker, University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)
- Prof. Dr. Stephen Pisano (†), Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome (Italy)
- Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf, University of Münster (Germany)
- Dr. David Trobisch, Museum of the Bible, Washington (USA)
- Dr. Klaus Wachtel, University of Münster (Germany)
