The first edition of Grieebach's critical emendation of the text of the New Testament was published at Halle in 1774.75, 8vo, in three successive parts, as manuals for the students then attending his course of divinity lectures at Jena. Some bibliological particulars respecting this and the several subsequent editions are given in Mr. Horne's Introduction to the Bible.' Of the second edition, the first volume appeared in 1796, and the second volume iu 1807. This fine impres sion was made under the careful inspection of the professor himself; and in consequence of the cost of the paper having been munificently defrayed by the chancellor of the University of Cambridge, the Duke of Grafton, the volumes bear the imprint of 'Halm et Loodiui.' They were handsomely reprinted in London iu 1809 and in 1818. In their copious Latin prolegomena are exhibited a critical history of the printed text, a catalogue of all the manuscripts from which various readings are cited, an account of the author's method of proceeding, and rules for detcrminiug the comparative value of various readings. Bishop Marsh, in his Divinity Lectures' (part iL sec. 8), has passed a high eulogium on Dr. Grieebach with regard to this important work, declaring his diligence to be unremitted, his caution extreme, and his erudition profound.
Previous to giving a particular account of the critical system of Grieebach'a edition of the New Testament, it will be convenient to name his various other works, several of which form indispensable portions of, or appendages to, the elaborate apparatus of Biblical criticism presented principally in the prolegomena to his New Testa ment. Nearly the whole of his writings are in Latin, and all are more or less directly devoted to the elucidation of Biblical subjects, as follows :— 'Diasertatio de Fide Histories, ex ipsa rerum gum narmutnr nature judicanda,' 4to, 1764. ' Diseertatio Hist. Theol. loeoe Theologicos ex Leone M. Pontifice Romano sistena; 4to, 1768. 'Dissertatio de Codi cibus quatuor Evangeliorum Origenianis,' 4to, 1771. 'De vera Notions Vombuli Orieci, in cap. 8, Epistolte ad Romanos, 1 et 2,' 4to, 1777. Cum, in Historiam Textile Grmei Epiatelarum Paulinarum ' 4to, 1777. Programme de Fontibua undo Evangelistes suss de itesur rectiono Domini Narrationes hauserint; 1784. 'Programme do Imagi nibus Judeicia quibus Auctor Epistolro ad Ileisrmos in deseribenda provincia trans eat,' 4to, 1792. Anleitung zum Studieren der Popularen Dogmatik,' 1789 (' Introduction to the Study of the Popular Christian Dogmas'). This, from the nature of its object, became the most popular work of the author ; and in ten years after its publi cation bad passed through a fourth edition. 'Commentarius Criticus in texture Grrecum Novi Testamenti: 1798 and 1811. Commentatio qua, Marci Evangelium totum e Matted et Lucas Co'nmentariie decerptum ease monstratur,' 4to, 1789. ' Recognita multisque aug metals locupletata in Commentatiouibus Theolog., 1791. Griesbach's 'Opuscula Academica ' were edited by the learned Jo. Phil. Gabler, and published in 8vo at Jena in 1824. 'Symbols° Critics°, ad sup plondas et corrigendas variarum Novi Tcstamenti Lectionum Col lectiones: accedit mutt-swum Novi Testamenti Codictun Grescorunt descriptio et examen,' 2 tom. Svo, 1785-93; a most important wcrk, containing a full development of the author's system of Biblical criticism. The second volume contains a laborious collation, with the Greek Vulgate, of all the quotations from the New Testament made by Origen and Clemens Alexandrinus. Synopsis Evangeliorum Matthmi, Marci, et Lucas, una cum its Joaonis Pericopis, qum Ilisto riam Passionis et Resurrectionis Historiam complectuntur; Bye, 1797. As some of the transpositions were deemed arbitrary, and several iimportant passages were omitted in this synopsis of the first three gospels, the work was made the basis of a more complete synopsis by De Wette and Lucke, published in 4to at Berlin, in 1813.
Of all modern critical editions of the New Testament, Griesbach's was at the time of its publication the most complete and valuable, and consequently his text has been taken as a standard by numerous other editors. His marginal notes, as forming a general and correct index to the great body of collated Greek manuscripts (about 500), are a treasure invaluable to the scholar and necessary to the divine.
Every emendation is introduced on quoted authority, and never on mere critical conjecture ; and a very important advantage, not pre viously afforded, is a clear and precise statement of the relative degree of authority for each particular reading. Adopted readings are distin guished by a different type; those rejected are inserted in the margin with appropriate references, and those not admissible into the text, bat yet worthy of consideration, are exhibited with indications of their respective claims. It is generally agreed that the best practical mode of distinguishing authentic from spurious readings is decidedly the classification of manuscripts suggested by Bengal and Semler, and reduced to practice by Grieabaoh, who distinctly avows the derivation of his plan from three distinguished critics. Prolegotn.' in New Testament) The peculiar principle of Dr. Griesbach's system consists in a division of the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament into three classes, each of which is considered as an independent wituesa for the various readings of the manuscripts which it comprises. He thus contem plates the existence of three distinct species of texts, which, with respect to their relationship or affinity, are called by Bengel 'families,' and by Semler, Griesbach, and Michaelis, 'recensions,' or 'codices,' namely:—l. The 'Alexandrine' recension or codex, comprehending manuscripts which, in peculiar readings, agree with the citations found in the early Greek-Egyptian Fathers, particularly Origen and Clemens of Alexandria. 2. The Western' recension, which is identified with the citations of the Latin Fathers, especially Cyprian and Tertullian, and was used by the Christians of Carthage, Rome, and the west of Europe. 3. The Byzantine' or Asiatic recension, comprising nume rous manuscripts which were used especially in the see of Constanti nople and the adjacent Oriental provinces, and have furnished the Received Text, called the Greek Vulgate. Each of these recensions has characteristics peculiar to itself, yet no individual manuscript exhibits any recension in a pure state, but is assigned to the Alex andrine or Western class, as the peculiar reading of each of those classes preponderate. Though Griesbach considers departures from the received Greek Vulgate as various readings, he does not allow the existence of any standard text as a criterion for determining which are genuine or spurious readings ; his object being to show, not the character of particular deviations from any individual recension, but the general coincidences of manuscripts with one recension or codex more thau with another. The authorised text does not regulate, but is regulated by, his critical opinion of its comparative value; and the immense number of various reading' form a floating medium in which the genuine text is considered to be in all instances discoverable. However, although he professes to determine the value of readings by the number of classes by which they are supported, he constantly displays a very decided preference for the Alexandrine class, which he places far above the two others in the rank of authority ; a few manu scripts of this recension being supposed to outweigh a multitude of such as belong to the Byzantine recension, which ha regards as cer tainly the most untrustworthy of all (' Prolegom.' The reason assigned by Griesbaoh for this decision is the fact that, the Greek transcripts of this class contain a remarkably large number of sus pected readings, owing to the very great liberties taken by learned copyists in making successive alterations; and finding the coincidence of the numerous Scriptural quotations of Origen of Alexandria with the celebrated Greek manuscript of the New Testament from that city to be very striking, be thence concludes that the passages now extant In this Father's writings, of the commencement of the third century, discover the earliest and therefore the purest text of which we have any knowledge to be that of the Alexandrine manuscripts. His ultimate choice of readings is consequently determined by the testimony of Origen, in confirmation of which he often adduces much collateral evidence from the primitive fathers and versions; and of the readings thus proved to be genuine is formed his corrected text of the New Testament.