AP

BOOK REVIEW: The Greek New Testament Guided Journaling Edition

Editor: Dirk Jongkind

Publisher: Crossway

Year: 2023

Students and scholars of the Greek New Testament will warmly welcome Crossway’s recently released Greek New Testament (Guided Annotating Edition). This guided annotating edition provides multiple features that make reading more accessible, enjoyable, and achievable, even for those with average Greek skills (like myself). With gold debossed text, a charcoal slip-case, this edition has a premium feel that makes it a joy to handle. Given the leather-like texture of the cover, quality binding, and flush pastedown, this book is built to last.

Greek Text

As I am not an expert in textual criticism, I am unable to offer a comparative evaluation of the Tyndale House Greek New Testament (THGNT) against the NA²⁸ or UBS6 editions. However, what I can comment on is the readability of this edition. The text is in 10pt font, larger than most other Greek New Testaments. This may seem insignificant, but it makes all the difference when you are squinting to determine the difference between a rough breathing mark and an accent.

Crossway intentionally avoided thin Bible-paper, instead using premium, high opacity pages, making this the perfect Bible for those who enjoy annotating. The generous margins are suitable for exegetical outlines, while the expanded line-spacing allows for interlinear translation without the need to cram.

As a dedicated reader’s edition, this volume provides glosses for all vocabulary occurring 25 times or fewer. Beyond definitions, it offers full parsing — including the gender, number, and case of nouns, alongside the person, tense, voice, and mood of verbs. This eliminates the disruption of consulting a separate lexicon and facilitates the translation of verbs that conjugate in unexpected ways. For the translation of the remaining vocabulary, the ‘Glossary’ in the appendix can be consulted.

In addition to readability, I appreciated the scholarly guided introductions for each New Testament book. Each introduction contains five key sections:

1. Significant Vocabulary: A list of words that shape the theology and meaning of the book.
2. Reading Guide: Provides stylistic, syntactical, and grammatical observations of the Greek Text

• Textual Comparison: Considers the nature and significance of key textual critical differences between the THGNT and NA²⁸.
• Textual Variants: Considers a selection of primary textual variants in the Greek text.
• Bibliography: A curated selection of journal articles, monographs, and commentaries.

The Bottom Line

Crossway never fails to impress with its consistent release of high-quality Bibles, and this edition of the Greek New Testament is no exception. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned scholar, I hope that Crossway’s Greek New Testament (Guided Annotating Edition) serves as a lasting blessing to many in their study of God’s Word.

– James Jeffery