The term Textus Receptus (Latin for "received text") refers to a series of printed Greek texts of the New Testament. These formed the fundamental basis for the major Protestant Bible translations of the Reformation.

Although the English King James Version and the Dutch Statenvertaling are historically the most prominent, the influence of the Textus Receptus was universal across Europe. Modern revisions also remain faithful to this textual source. Important national translations include:

England Tyndale Bible
(The foundation of the English Reformation)
France Olivétan Bible
(1535, later the basis for Ostervald)
Germany Luther Bible
(From the 1522 edition)
Hungary Károli Bible
(Gáspár Károli, 1590)
Italy Diodati Bible
(Published in 1607)
Netherlands Revised Statenvertaling
(2010, revision of the Statenvertaling)
Poland Brest Bible
(Milestone in the Polish Reformation, 1563)
Portugal Almeida Bible
(João Ferreira de Almeida, 1681)
Spain Reina-Valera
(The 'Bible of the Bear', 1569)

TheOrigin

It all began in 1516 when the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus published the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament. His work laid the foundation for the standard text of the Protestant world.

"In the 16th and 17th centuries, this text was considered the pure representation of the apostles' words, passed down through the centuries."

Why'Receptus'?

The name appeared in 1633 in an edition by the Elzevir brothers. In the preface they wrote: "Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum" (You have the text now received by all).

Key Editions:

  • Erasmus (1516-1535)
  • Robertus Stephanus (1550)
  • Theodore Beza (1598)
  • Elzevier (1633)
  • Scrivener (1894)

Characteristics:

  • Byzantijnse tekstvorm
  • Basis voor Reformatie-bijbels
  • Standardisatie van de Griekse tekst