Book Review: An Introduction to the Greek New Testament by Dirk Jongkind

I have a great interest in how we got our Bible. The history, the accuracy, doctrines associated with it and more. I find it all very fascinating and it’s all connected to my faith. In studying these issues, I have found that Christians can have every confidence in the Bibles they have today. Moreover, we can gain confidence as scholars continue to study and publish their works on the Scriptures. This is what we have with The Greek New Testament, Produced at TyndaleHouse, Cambridge and its introductory book, An Introduction to the Greek New Testament, Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge.

One need not know how to read ancient Greek to appreciate the work of Dirk Jongkind in An Introduction to the Greek New Testament. The work is a fascinating look behind the scenes as to the “how’s and why’s” of the production of The Greek New Testament.  Jongkind is an able scholar and clear writer. As an introductory work, it is not heavy or scholarly work. It is short and can be read in a few hours at most. Even if the reader has no desire to explore this field of study further, An Introduction to the Greek New Testament offers ample introductory information.

What can the reader expect? For a short book it contains a vast amount of information: Origins of early manuscripts; which manuscripts were used in The Greek New Testament and which were not and why not; manuscript designations, scribal habits (good & bad); how did the scribes copy the texts (their patterns and influences); important variants are addressed; how to use The Greek New Testament and much more. This monograph takes the reader on a fascinating, albeit short, journey into the world of the Greek New Testament and textual criticism.

If you know nothing about textual criticism or the Greek New Testament this is still a valuable read. If you have purchased or are considering purchasing The Greek New Testament, you need this book.

This is a great read and fully recommend it.

Crossway has provided a complimentary copy of this book through Beyond the Page. Thoughts and opinions are my own.