Berean Majority New Testament

For Glen and Jon

The idea for this project began when I overheard two friends at men's morning prayer having a vigorous discussion regarding the verses "they" are trying to remove from the bible. I couldn't help but get drawn in and began explaining the difference between the critical text and the majority text and the philosophy behind each. Later that day as I considered the discussion further I wondered if the Berean Standard Bible (BSB) and Majority Standard Bible (MSB) could be combined in a way that would show my friends the differences side-by-side. This edition is a test of that idea.

The source material for this edition was BSB and MSB USFM files generated from the original translation tables by the bsb2usfm tool. These files were then combined using a custom python script and typeset using PTXprint. A PDF of this edition, the original source files, the combined USFM files, the python script, and my PTXprint configuration are all available below.

Most of the text of the BSB and MSB is identical. Sections where there are differences are highlighted and noted with [BSB] and [MSB]. When only one version adds a word or phrase, the added text is shown in brackets with the appropriate label. If the addition comes before punctuation (a period, quotation mark, etc.), the original punctuation remains in the main text in light grey, and is also shown with the bracketed addition so the reader can see exactly how the two versions differ.

Footnotes from both versions are included. If a given footnote is identical in both versions it is only included once without additional markup. If it is only in the BSB it is marked [BSB]. If it is only in the MSB it is marked [MSB]. Many footnotes are redundant as they reference the variant reading from the other version. Additionally many footnotes have only a trivial difference between the BSB and MSB. However, I have left them as-is rather than wade into the murky waters of editorial decision making.

 Two passages deserve particular mention here: the longer ending of Mark (Mark 16:9-20) and The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11). Although both passages are included in the main text of both the BSB and MSB they are set apart in many other modern translations based on the critical text. I felt it was in the spirit of this edition to style them similar to the other variant sections. I have marked these sections [BSB+MSB] to indicate that they are in fact included in the main text of both the BSB and MSB versions.

As this edition is a test, in preparation for a larger full bible print run, any feedback or correction is most welcome. Please contact me by email at jeff@paetkau.ca.

For the glory of Christ and the good of His people.

Jeff Paetkau

Berean Majority New Testament (PDF) Sources, Scripts, and Settings