# textual criticism

> branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism

**Wikidata**: [Q275456](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q275456)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textual_criticism)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/textual-criticism

## Summary
Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that focuses on the analysis and interpretation of texts, particularly in identifying and evaluating textual variants. It is a key academic discipline that aims to reconstruct the original or most authoritative version of a text by examining manuscript differences, transcription errors, and historical context.

## Key Facts
- Textual criticism is a subfield of **textual scholarship** and **literary criticism**, closely related to **philology**.
- It involves the study of **historical-critical editions**, which aim to present all textual variants rather than just the most important ones.
- Notable practitioners include **Boris Tomashevsky** (literary scholar, 1890–1957), **Alberto Bernabé** (Spanish classical philologist), and **Kristin De Troyer** (Belgian theologian and Bible scholar).
- Textual criticism is distinct from **ecdotics**, which focuses on eliminating transcription errors rather than analyzing textual variants.
- It is part of the broader field of **criticism**, which includes judging the merits and faults of texts.
- The discipline has been applied to the **New Testament** and other religious and literary works.
- Textual criticism is classified under **academic disciplines** and **academic majors**, with specific scholarly editions serving as key outputs.

## FAQs
**What is the primary goal of textual criticism?**
Textual criticism aims to reconstruct the original or most authoritative version of a text by analyzing manuscript differences, transcription errors, and historical context.

**Who are some notable figures in textual criticism?**
Notable figures include **Boris Tomashevsky**, **Alberto Bernabé**, and **Kristin De Troyer**, who have contributed to the field through their scholarly work.

**How does textual criticism differ from ecdotics?**
While textual criticism focuses on analyzing and interpreting textual variants, ecdotics is concerned with eliminating transcription errors to produce a text as close as possible to the original or author’s intent.

**What types of texts does textual criticism analyze?**
Textual criticism is applied to a wide range of texts, including religious works like the **New Testament**, literary texts, and historical documents.

**What is a historical-critical edition?**
A historical-critical edition is a scholarly work that presents all textual variants of a historical document, aiming to offer a comprehensive view of the text’s evolution.

## Why It Matters
Textual criticism plays a crucial role in preserving and understanding the authenticity of texts, particularly in fields like theology, literature, and history. By examining manuscript differences, scholars can reconstruct the original intent of a text, correct transcription errors, and provide a more accurate representation of its historical and cultural context. This discipline ensures that texts are studied and interpreted with the highest possible fidelity, supporting both academic research and public understanding.

## Notable For
- A key tool for **theological and literary scholarship**, particularly in the study of the **New Testament**.
- The development of **historical-critical editions**, which provide a comprehensive view of textual variants.
- The work of **Boris Tomashevsky**, a pioneering literary scholar in the field.
- The distinction between **textual criticism** and **ecdotics**, with the former focusing on variant analysis and the latter on error correction.

## Body
### Discipline and Classification
Textual criticism is an **academic discipline** and **academic major**, classified under **textual scholarship** and **literary criticism**. It is closely related to **philology**, the study of language, literature, and culture, and is part of the broader field of **criticism**, which includes evaluating the merits and faults of texts.

### Scholarly Editions
A key output of textual criticism is the **historical-critical edition**, which presents all textual variants of a historical work. This differs from a **critical edition**, which may only include the most important variants. The goal is to offer a comprehensive view of the text’s evolution, ensuring that scholars and readers can access the full range of manuscript differences.

### Notable Practitioners
- **Boris Tomashevsky** (1890–1957) was a prominent literary scholar who contributed to the field.
- **Alberto Bernabé** (1946–) is a Spanish classical philologist and hellenist.
- **Kristin De Troyer** is a Belgian theologian and Bible scholar.
- **Origen** (c. 185 – c. 253) was an early Christian scholar and theologian whose work influenced textual criticism.

### Applications
Textual criticism is particularly important in the study of the **New Testament**, where scholars analyze manuscript differences to reconstruct the original text. It is also applied to literary works, historical documents, and religious texts to ensure accurate interpretation.

### Relationships
Textual criticism is distinct from **ecdotics**, which focuses on eliminating transcription errors rather than analyzing textual variants. It is also related to **exegesis**, the critical and systematic interpretation of texts, particularly religious or literary works.

### Scholarly Properties
Textual criticism is associated with various scholarly properties, including:
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- **P268**: 11931811k
- **P269**: 027231208
- **P373**: Textual criticism
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- **P1417**: topic/textual-criticism
- **P2163**: 883762
- **P2347**: 17140
- **P3222**: textkritik
- **P3417**: Textual-Criticism
- **P3827**: textual-criticism
- **P4212**: crtTRMnWkQHSq
- **P4342**: tekstkritikk
- **P4839**: Entity["Concept", "TextualCritici...
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- **P10283**: C95570890
- **P10376**: social-sciences/textual-criticism
- **P11514**: tekstologiia-bfc54f
- **P11567**: textual-criticism
- **P13411**: Q226
- **P13591**: concept/369b236...

These properties reflect the discipline’s classification, scholarly recognition, and digital representation in academic databases.

## References

1. Library of Congress Authorities
2. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
3. [Nuovo soggettario](https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=10995)
4. Nuovo soggettario
5. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
6. Quora
7. FactGrid
8. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
9. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)
10. Wikibase TDKIV