The Textus Receptus
he Greek New Testament of Erasmus became the “received text” for the Reformation. Although this term was not used until 100 years later, being written in the preface of a Greek Bible printed in 1633 by Elzevir, the “Textus Receptus”, Latin for “received text”, would become the recognized and accepted Greek words of the New Testament, the living Words of God, in print for all to read.
Textum Receptum "the received text"
In 1633, two brothers of the last name Elzevir, published a Greek Bible in which the preface contained these Latin words, “Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum: in quo nihil immutatum aut corruptum damus.” Meaning “What you have here, is the text which is now received by all, in which we give nothing changed or corrupted.” The words textum and receptum are in the accusative case. Later, after the phrase caught on, the expression took on the nominative case, changing it to “Textus Receptus”. This received text originated from Erasmus’ work of the Greek New Testament, and over the years, Godly men used this text as their basis for additional editions of the Greek Bible, namely Robert Estienne, known as Stephanus, who published his most famous work in 1550, and Theodore Beza, in 1604. The Textus Receptus was the accepted text used when translating the King James Bible in 1611.
1633 Greek Bible by Elzevir “Textus Receptus”
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