A Bias at the Heart of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM)

The Greek text of the New Testament for the latest Nestle-Aland edition is being edited by the Institute for New Testament Research (INTF) in Münster using a novel technique called the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM). This study tests the CBGM against a hypothetical scenario inspired by 1 John 1:7 and concludes that the “potential-ancestor” criterion on which the method depends is biased against certain kinds of witnesses previously considered to be of utmost importance for reconstructing the text in 1 John, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus. This article also offers some suggestions for addressing or ameliorating the bias at the heart of the CBGM. Without such amelioration, the NA²⁸ text in the Catholic Epistles and the new Editio Critica Maior volumes must be used with caution.