In light of Crossway’s recent release of their Hebrew Old Testament: Reader’s Edition, I want to highlight their companion volume, The Greek New Testament: Reader’s Edition. Since its release in 2018, this has been my go-to Greek New Testament because it provides my favorite GNT, The Tyndale House Greek New Testament, in a beautifully typeset reader’s edition.
I’ve read this volume through multiple times, and highly recommend it. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
Font & Layout
The font is 10 point Adobe Greek, which I find to be both beautiful and easy to read.
The reader’s edition follows the same pattern of the original edition using ekthesis to mark the first line of each paragraph, rather than indentation. You can see it in the picture above: notice how the first line of each paragraph sticks out into the left margin.
Two-column lexical guide
The footnotes are arranged in two columns making it very easy to glance down and find a gloss for less common words.
Words that appear 25 times or fewer are glossed at the bottom of the page, and a dictionary in the back of the volume provides glosses from more frequent words. Take a look at an entire page:
Size and Aesthetics
The Greek New Testament: Reader’s Edition is 6”x9”, matching the height and width of the companion Hebrew volume. It’s easy to hold, and it lays open nicely on a table or in your lap.
Because this volume is less than half the page count of the Hebrew Bible, the pages are able to be thicker, providing an even more premium feel. Both the slipcase and the lettering on the front and side of the volume match the style of the Hebrew reader’s edition.
Together, these volumes look fantastic, and I appreciate how Crossway has enabled readers to have a very similar reading experience with both testaments.
Smyth-sewn and affordable
Just like the Hebrew reader’s, Crossway’s Greek New Testament: Reader’s Edition is Smyth-sewn yet very affordable. If you have a Crossway+ account, you can pick one up for just $35. I ordered mine directly from Crossway because they do such a great job with packaging and shipping, and their 30% off Crossway+ discount is usually close to the cheapest price around.
I highly recommend both of Crossway’s reader’s editions, The Greek New Testament: Reader’s Edition and The Hebrew Old Testament: Reader’s Edition
Brian W. Davidson 