Ixvi INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
to 1870, and divides them into twenty-seven families.* I confine myself here to the leading editions which mark an epoch in the history of textual criticism.
1. THE PERIOD OF THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS. FROM ERAS- MUS AND STEPHENS TO BENOEL AND WETSTEIN. A.D. 1516-1750.
This period extends from the Reformation to the mid- dle of the 18th century. The text of Erasmus, with a few improvements of Stephens, Beza, and the Elzevirs, as- sumed a stereotyped character, and acquired absolute do- minion among scholars. The Protestant versions made from this text gained the same authority among the laity. Both were practically considered to be the inspired word of God, and every departure from them was looked upon with suspicion.
- See his Bibliotlieca Novi Test. Grceci (1872). The editions are
classified as follows:
I. Editio Complutensis; II. Editiones Erasmicae; III. Editio Compluto-Erasmica; IV. Editio Colinan; V. Editiones Stepha- nies; VI. Editiones Erasmo-Stephanicse; VII. Editiones Com- pluto-Stephanicse; VIII. Editiones Bezanaj; IX. Editiones Ste- phano-Bezanffi; X. Editiones Stephano-Plant inianae ; XI. Edi- tiones Elzevirianae ; XII. Editiones Stephano-Elzevirianae ; XIII. Editiones Elzeviro-Plantinianse ; XIV. Editiones criticaa ante- Griesbachianse; XV. Editiones Griesbachianae; XVI. Editiones Matthaeianae ; XVII. Editiones Griesbachio-Elzevirianae ; XVIII. Editiones Knappianse; XIX. Editiones criticse minores post- Griesbachianse , XX. Editiones Scholzianse; XXI. Editiones Lachmannianse ; XXII. Editiones Griesbachio-Lachmanniana? ; XXIII. Editiones Tischendorfianae ; XXIV. Editiones mixta; recentiores; XXV. Editiones nondum collatae; XXVI. Editi- ones dubise ; XXVII. Editiones spuriae. To these should be add- ed the edition of Tregelles and the edition of Westcott and Hort
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