Definition
The scholarly discipline that attempts to reconstruct the original wording of ancient texts by comparing and analyzing manuscript variations. It seeks to identify copying errors, editorial changes, and transmission problems to establish the most authentic version possible.
Etymology
From Latin 'textus' (woven, text) and Greek 'kritikos' (able to judge), the discipline developed alongside the recovery of ancient manuscripts in the Renaissance. Modern textual criticism emerged in the 18th-19th centuries as scholars gained access to numerous biblical manuscripts and developed systematic methods for comparing variants.
Kelly Says
Textual criticism is like CSI for ancient manuscripts—scholars examine every scratch, erasure, and variant spelling to solve the mystery of what the original authors actually wrote! The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized this field by providing biblical texts 1,000 years older than previously known manuscripts, confirming that ancient scribes were remarkably accurate but also revealing fascinating variations. Some textual critics have devoted their entire careers to single verses, debating whether a particular word or phrase is original or a later addition—decisions that can affect theological interpretation for millions of believers.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ጽሑፍ ምክንያት
ts'uhruf mik'niat
ARالعربية
نقد نصي
naqd na-si
BNবাংলা
প্রবন্ধ সমালোচনা
pro-bon-do-sa-ma-lo-chana
CACatalà
crítica textual
kri-ti-ka tek-stual
CSČeština
textová kritika
teks-tova kri-tika
DADansk
tekstkritik
teks-kritik
DEDeutsch
Textkritik
teks-kritik
ELΕλληνικά
Κριτική κειμένου
kri-ti-ki ke-imenou
ESEspañol
crítica textual
kri-tee-ka tek-stual
FAفارسی
آलोचना متن
aloo-chana matn
FISuomi
tekstikritiikki
teks-ti-kri-tiikki
FRFrançais
critique textuelle
kritik tek-stuel
GUGU
પ્રકૃતિક સમીક્ષા
pra-kru-tik sa-mee-k-sha
HAHA
bita-ta-karya
bi-ta-ta-karya
HEעברית
ביקורת טקסט
bi-krot tek-st
HIहिन्दी
पाठ-आलोचना
paath-aal-ochana
HUMagyar
szövektanítás
szo-ve-tan-i-tas
IDBahasa Indonesia
kritik teks
kri-tik teks
IGIG
kriitik tekstu
kri-itik tek-stu
ITItaliano
critica testuale
kri-tee-ka tes-tual
JA日本語
テキスト批評
teksuto hihyō
KKKK
текстік талдау
teks-tik tal-dau
KMKM
កម្មវិធីអនុវត្ត
kam-mva-thee a-nu-vat
KO한국어
텍스트 비판
te-kseu-bi-pan
MRMR
लिखित आलोचना
likhit aalochana
MSBahasa Melayu
kritik teks
kri-tik teks
MYမြန်မာ
တပ်မတော် ပုံစံ
ta-p-mat-taw po-ng-san
NLNederlands
tekstkritiek
teks-kri-tiek
NONorsk
tekstkritik
teks-kritik
PAPA
ਲਿਖਤ-ਕ੍ਰਿ województwo
likh-t-kri-ti-wo-j-t-vo
PLPolski
krytyka tekstowa
kryt-yka tek-stowa
PTPortuguês
crítica textual
kri-tee-ka tek-stual
RORomână
critică textuală
kri-ti-ka tek-stual-a
RUРусский
Текстовая критика
tekstovaya kritika
SVSvenska
textkritik
teks-kritik
SWKiswahili
maoni ya maandishi
maoni ya maandi-shi
TAதமிழ்
மரபு ஆய்வு
marapu aivu
TEతెలుగు
పాఠ్యం విమర్శ
paathyam vimarsha
THไทย
วิจารณ์เชิงข้อความ
wicha-ron cheeng khor-kwan
TLTL
kritika ng tekstong
kri-ti-ka ng tek-stong
TRTürkçe
metinsel eleştiri
met-in-sel el-is-tir-i
UKУкраїнська
Текстова критика
tekstovaya kritika
URاردو
متن کا تنقید
matn ka tanqid
VITiếng Việt
phân tích văn bản
phan ti-ch van-ban
YOYO
àṣọ-lẹ́rọ̀
a-so-le-ro
ZH中文
文本批评
wen-ben pi-ping
ZUZU
ukuthi kwesifundo
ukuthi kwesifundo