SBL Greek New Testament

The SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT), published in 2010 by the Society of Biblical Literature in partnership with Logos Bible Software, is a modern critical edition of the New Testament in Koine Greek. It was edited by Michael W. Holmes, a distinguished specialist in New Testament textual criticism, and represents the result of a careful comparative evaluation of the principal previous critical editions and of the available manuscript evidence.

The editorial methodology was based on the systematic comparison of four reference editions: the Westcott-Hort of 1881, the Tregelles of 1857-1879, the Society of Biblical Literature edition implicit in the Robinson-Pierpont of 2005, and the NA27/UBS4. Holmes worked point by point on the significant textual variants, grounding his choices in established principles of modern textual criticism — both external considerations (age, geography, and quality of manuscripts) and internal ones (author's style, context, and transcriptional probability). The result offers an updated, transparent, and academically rigorous critical text.

The SBLGNT quickly became a reference standard in academic settings, seminaries, and digital projects. Its release under an open license was a significant innovation compared to the tradition of commercial critical editions, allowing Bible software, translation projects, and academic research to use a modern critical text without licensing barriers. It contains the 27 canonical books of the New Testament, from the Gospel of Matthew to Revelation.

The text is distributed under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license, requiring appropriate attribution to the Society of Biblical Literature and to the editors as a mandatory condition of use. It permits reproduction, redistribution, and adaptation for any purpose, including commercial, provided that correct attribution is maintained according to the terms defined by the license.