The MSB New Testament
MSB New Testament
The New Testament of the Majority Standard Bible, translated from the Byzantine Majority Text and set in paragraphs, on a page built for reading and study alike.
- Byzantine Majority Text New Testament
- 6 × 9 hardcover
- Paragraph format, with gold pilcrows
- Gold verse numbers linked to the margin
- Words of Christ in red
- Headings with Gospel parallels
- Cross-references in the outer column
- Textual-variant footnotes
- Printed thumb tabs
The New Testament as most manuscripts give it.
The Majority Standard Bible is the companion to the Berean Standard Bible. Its New Testament is translated from the Byzantine Majority Text: the form of the Greek text found in the great majority of surviving manuscripts, and the text the Greek-speaking church read for centuries.
This edition sets that text in paragraphs, so it reads as connected prose, with the words of Christ in red, and keeps the critical texts in view in the notes, so the reader can see where the editions differ.
Gold, navy and red, each with one job
In this Bible, gold marks the reference system and the ornament. Navy carries the structure, and red carries the words of Jesus.
Gold
- Verse numbers. Every verse number from 2 onward is gold. Verse 1 is the exception: it is the large navy chapter numeral.
- Cross-reference links. Each group of references in the outer margin starts with its verse number in gold, so your eye goes straight from the gold number in the text to the gold number in the margin.
- Pilcrows (¶). The paragraph marks are gold, so they show without competing with the text.
- Rules. The thin vertical rule between the text and the cross-reference column, the rule under the running head, and the short rules above and below book titles and page headings (Contents, Preface, Abbreviations).
- Front-matter accents. “Plainsong Edition” on the half-title and title page, the group labels in the contents (Gospels and Acts, Letters of Paul…), and the cross and rings on the MSB logo.
Navy
- Chapter numerals. Each chapter opens with a large navy numeral, which stands in place of verse 1.
- Headings. Book titles and section headings.
- Thumb tabs. The printed book tabs at the page edge.
- Running heads and folios. The heads and page numbers that help you find your place.
Red
- Red letter. The words of Jesus are printed in red.
- Black text. Every other word of the text is black.
What gold doesn’t do: it is never used for words of the text. The text is black, Christ’s words are red, and headings, chapter numerals, thumb tabs, running heads and folios are navy. Gold sits on top of the text as a reader’s aid and doesn’t change what the text says.
Made for reading and for study
Paragraph format
The text is set in paragraphs, as it was written, so each passage reads as one connected thought rather than a list of separate verses. Gold pilcrows (¶) mark the paragraphs.
Words of Christ in red
The words of Jesus are printed in red throughout the Gospels, Acts and Revelation.
Headings with parallels
Section headings carry references to the parallel passages, so the Gospels can be read side by side.
Cross-references
Cross-references stand in the outer column. Each group begins with its verse number in gold (1:18 Gal 4:4–5), matching the gold verse number in the text, so the eye moves straight from one to the other.
Textual-variant notes
Footnotes give the translatable variants in the major critical texts (Nestle-Aland, the SBL Greek New Testament and the Editio Critica Maior) and mark where the Majority Text and the Textus Receptus differ.
ΤΕΛΟΣ
Each book closes as the old manuscripts did, with ΤΕΛΟΣ, “the end,” and the tau-rho.
Printed thumb tabs
Book tabs printed at the page edge let you open straight to the book you want.
| Text | Majority Standard Bible, New Testament |
|---|---|
| Trim size | 6 × 9 inches |
| Binding | Hardcover |
| Layout | Paragraph format, red letter |
| Typeface | Gentium Book Plus |
| Body text | 10 pt on 11.5 pt leading |
| Footnotes | 8 pt |
| Cross-references and verse numbers | about 6.8 pt |
| Inks | black, red, navy and gold |
| ISBN | 979-8-9984753-3-7 |
The MSB New Testament, Plainsong Edition
Order nowText: Majority Standard Bible, from Bible Hub. Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY.