Colleagues often ask whether it is possible to determine when a manuscript was first added to the list of Greek New Testament manuscripts. The cataloguing of these manuscripts—making them available for use in critical editions and broader scholarly research—has been a major undertaking for over a century. This list has developed through several stages, from early efforts by J. J. Wettstein to later revisions under Kurt Aland, when it came to be known as the Kurzgefasste Liste.
Because tracing this history across many publications, individuals, and decades can be challenging—we provide here a concise overview of the key stages in the development of the Liste, beginning with the foundational work of Caspar René Gregory.
This overview makes it possible to identify when specific manuscripts were incorporated into the Liste and by whom, compiling relevant publications to show when new numbers were assigned and when existing entries were revised. Where possible, links are provided, though not all sources are freely available. It also supplements and clarifies Kurt Aland’s overview in the introduction to the 1963 edition of the Liste, offering a clearer sense of when particular GA numbers were assigned.[1] Taken together, these publications—both preceding and continuing the Kurzgefasste Liste—illustrate the ongoing process of cataloguing Greek New Testament manuscripts.
I. Caspar René Gregory: The 1908 work, Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments, is widely regarded as the foundational publication of what would later become the Kurzgefasste Liste. Although Gregory had already published the first volume of his Textkritik des Neuen Testaments in 1900, it was not until 1908 that he formally introduced the numbering system still in use today: P for papyri, numbers starting with 0 for majuscules, regular numbers for minuscules, and a cursive l for lectionaries. In this work, he also alleviated the problem of assigning the same number to more than one manuscript, giving every manuscript its own number. Gregory continued to expand and refine his list in subsequent years, incorporating new manuscript discoveries and updating existing entries.
- Papyri: P1-P14
- Majuscules: 01-0161
- Minuscules: 1-2292, Nachtrag 2293-2304
- Lectionaries: 1-1540, 1605, 1614, 1620, 1633, 1751, Nachtrag 1541-1547
2. Textkritik des Neuen Testamentes. 3 vols. (Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, vol. 1 1900; vol. 2 1902; vol. 3 1909).
- Papyri: P1-P14
- Majuscules: 01-0165, pre-press update 0167-0168 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 1-2304 (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: 1-1559, 1605, 1614, 1620, 1633, 1751, 2234 (updates to others)
- Majuscules: 0162-0168
- Minuscules: 2305-2320
- Lectionaries: 1548-1561
4. “Mitteilungen. Griechische Handschriften des N.T. bis zum 1 Juli 1912,” TLZ 37 (1912), col. 477.
- Papyri: P15-P19
- Majuscules: 0167-0169
- Minuscules: 2308, 2319-2326
- Lectionaries: l 1562-l 1565
II. Ernst von Dobschütz succeeded Gregory in maintaining and updating the manuscript list, a task he continued over the following decade through a series of publications. His work began in earnest with the 1923 revision of Eberhard Nestle’s introduction to the Greek New Testament. Notably, von Dobschütz renumbered two entries from Gregory’s list, designating them as talisman and thereby introducing a de facto fifth category of Greek New Testament manuscripts. He continued to publish regular updates in the Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZNW), under the editorship of Hans Lietzmann.
5. Eberhard Nestle’s Einführung in das griechische Neue Testament. 3rd ed. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1923), esp. 85–103.
- Papyri: P1-P32
- Talisman: T1-T2
- Majuscules: 01-0170
- Minuscules: lists important ones from 1-2125
- Lectionaries: lists the oldest ones
6. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” ZNW 23 (1924): 248-264.
- Papyri: P33-P36 (updates to others)
- Majuscules: 0171-0188 (on p. 215, von Dobschütz states, “Gregory hat handschriftlich die Nrn. 0162-0171 nachgetragen,” but appears never to have been published.)
- Minuscules: 2327-2354 (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: l 1566-l 1580 (updates to others)
7. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (II).” ZNW 25 (1926): 299-306.
- Papyri: P37-P38 (updates to others)
- Talisman: T3-T4
- Majuscules: (only updates)
- Minuscules: 2355-2357 (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: l 1590-l 1595
8. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (III).” ZNW 27 (1928): 216-222.
- Papyri: P39-P41 (updates to others)
- Talisman: T5-T6
- Majuscules: 0189 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 2358-2359
- Lectionaries: (no updates)
9. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften (IV).” ZNW 32 (1933): 185-206.
- Papyri: P42-P48
- Talisman: T7-T9
- Ostraca: O1-O25
- Majuscules: 0190-0208 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 2360-2362, 2394-2401 (p. 201: “Die Nummern 2363-2393 sind noch frei.” These were used in Aland’s 1953 article.)
- Lectionaries: l 1597- l 1609
III. Post von Dobschütz Era. Following the death of Ernst von Dobschütz in 1934, Hans Lietzmann, then editor of the Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZNW), eventually commissioned Georg Maldfeld to continue work on the list, specifically to update the papyri. This update was not published until 1949, several years after Lietzmann’s own death.
10. Georg Maldfeld, “Die griechischen Handschriftenbruchstücke des Neuen Testamentes auf Papyrus.” ZNW 42 (1949): 228-253.
- Papyri: P1-P62
Walther Eltester succeeded Lietzmann as editor of the Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZNW) and became the primary contact for the list of manuscripts, a responsibility tied to his role in the Kommission für spätantike Religionsgeschichte (i.e., the Church Fathers Commission). Although Eltester did not publish updates himself, he played an important facilitative role by encouraging Georg Maldfeld to contact Bruce Metzger in the United States in search of a publisher for his article on the papyri.
Though Metzger and Maldfeld were previously unacquainted, Metzger agreed to submit the article to the Journal of Biblical Literature. It was accepted on the condition that he translate it into English, verify all cited sources, and update its content.
11. Georg Maldfeld and Bruce Metzger, “Detailed List of the Greek Papyri of the New Testament.” JBL 68 (1949): 359-370.
- Papyri: P1-P62
Maldfeld then published a short update to his earlier papyri article.
- Papyri: (only updates)
IV. Kurt Aland
Eltester, a student of Hans Lietzmann, eventually transferred responsibility for the list to another of Lietzmann’s students, Kurt Aland. At the time, Aland was teaching at both Humboldt University in Berlin and Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg. Throughout the 1950s, Aland published several updates to the list, further expanding and refining the catalog of Greek New Testament manuscripts.
13. “Zur Liste der griechischen neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” TLZ 75 no. 1 (1950): 58-60.
In this publication, Aland referenced the work of several scholars who had continued to keep track of Greek New Testament manuscripts after von Dobschütz, including Kenneth W. Clark (1937), Bruce M. Metzger (1947), P. L. Hedley (1934), and E. M. Schofield (1936). Although not all their efforts resulted in formal publications, their contributions were nevertheless significant in maintaining continuity in documenting and cataloguing manuscripts during this transitional period.
- Papyri: (updates only)
14. “Zur Liste der griechischen neutestamentlichen Handschriften.” TLZ 78 no. 8/9 (1953): col. 465-496.
- Papyri: P63
- Majuscules: 0209-0232 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 2363-2393, 2402-2440 [sic “2340”] (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: l 1610-l 1678 (updates to others)
15. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften. V.” ZNW 45 (1954): 179-217.
Aland called his article “V” because he continued the numbering where von Dobschütz had left off in his fourth installment of 1933.
- Papyri: P64 (update to P63)
- Majuscules: 0233-0239 (updates to 0209-0232 and others)
- Minuscules: 2441-2491 (updates to 2363-2440 and others)
- Lectionaries: l 1679-l 1748 (updates to l 1610-l 1678 and others)
16. “Zur Liste der Neutestamentlichen Handschriften VI.” ZNW 48 (1957): 141-191.
- Papyri: P65-P68 (updates to P1-P64)
- Majuscules: 0240-0241 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 2492-2533 (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: l 1749-l 1838 (updates to others)
Aland left Berlin in 1958 and founded the Institute for New Testament Textual Research (INTF) in Münster in 1959, publishing the first official Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments in 1963. For the first time since Gregory, the full inventory of all known Greek New Testament manuscripts was listed. Previous publications had been mostly updates and additions.
17. Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments. ANTF 1 (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1963).
According to Kurt Aland, the total number of Greek New Testament manuscripts registered in this edition is 4,971.[2]
- Papyri: P1-P76
- Majuscules: 01-0250
- Minuscules: 1-2646
- Lectionaries: l 1-l 1997, l 2334, l 2306
- Papyri: P77-P81 (updates to others)[3]
- Majuscules: 0251-0267 (updates to others)
- Minuscules: 2647-2768 (updates to others)
- Lectionaries: l 1998-l 2146 (updates to others)
For the next three decades, Kurt Aland oversaw updates to the Liste, describing this work in detail in the institute’s reports called Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung.
19. “Neue Neutestamentliche Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1970 und 1971 (1972), 13-21.
- Minuscules: 2769-2792
- Lectionaries: l 2147-l 2193
20. “Liste der neu bekanntgeworden und in die offizielle neutestamentliche Handschriftenliste aufgenommenen Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1972 bis 1974 (1974), 9-13.
- Papyri: P82, P86 (the editiones principes of P83-P85 were not yet published, so their record was left out of the Liste for the time being)
- Majuscules: 0268-0269
- Minuscules: 2793-2795
- Lectionaries: l 2194-l 2207
21. “Liste der neu bekannt geworden und in die offizielle Handschriftenliste aufgenommenen Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann-Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1975 und 1976 (1977), 10-12.
- Papyri: P85, P87-P88
- Majuscules: 0270-0274
- Lectionaries: l 2208-l 2209
22. “Die neuen Papyri.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1985 bis 1987 (1988), 59-60.
- Papyri: P89-P96 (cf. pages 59-60)
- Majuscules: 0278-0296 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)
- Minuscules: 2797-2801 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)
- Lectionaries: l 2211-l 2259 (cf. Sinai new finds, pages 55-56)
23. “Neue Handschriften.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1988 bis 1991 (1992), 108-109.
- Papyri: P97
- Majuscules: 0300
- Minuscules: 2812-2813
- Lectionaries: l 2281-l 2284, l 2305, l 2353
Aland noted in the 1994 Liste that a total of 693 new manuscripts were added between the first and second editions of the Liste.[4] The 1994 Liste gave new numbers to existing entries: 2814–2822, 2824–2835, 2851, L2306–L2321, L2324–L2348, L2350–L2352.
- Papyri: P1-P99
- Majuscules: 01-0306
- Minuscules: 1-2856
- Lectionaries: l 1-l 2403
After the death of Aland in 1994, care of the list of Greek NT manuscripts remained in Münster and continued under the auspices of the INTF. In contrast to earlier periods, when the catalogue was closely associated with the work and expertise of individual scholars such as von Dobschütz or Gregory, responsibility for the Liste resided with the institute as a whole.
Detailed updates about the Liste resumed with reports from the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung.
25. “Die Arbeiten des Instituts und der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung 1995–1998.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1995 bis 1998 (1998), 13–18.
- Papyri: P100-P115
- Majuscules: 0307-0309
- Minuscules: 2857-2862
- Lectionaries: l 2404-l 2412
26. “Die Arbeiten des Instituts und der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung 1998-2003.” In Bericht der Hermann Kunst-Stiftung zur Förderung der Neutestamentlichen Textforschung für die Jahre 1998 bis 2003 (2003), 73–79.
- Papyri: P116
- Majuscules: 0310-0316
- Minuscules: 2863-2877
- Lectionaries: l 2413-l 2432
The Berichte of the Hermann Kunst-Stiftung ceased publication in 2003. Instead, updates to the Liste were made available as online supplements on the INTF’s homepage. The final Bericht (2003) explained this transition: “Der regelmäßig aktualisierte Stand der ‘Kurzgefaßten Liste’ findet sich auf der Homepage des Instituts” (p. 79).
From here onward, the summaries only listed new additions, not revisions.
27. New GA numbers were given to the Abschriften as part of the 2009 update.
- Papyri: P117-P125
- Majuscules: 0317-0320 (former Abschriften: 0319-0320)
- Minuscules: 2878-2897 (former Abschriften: 2883-2891)
- Lectionaries: l 2433-l 2438
28. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, April 2, 2010).
- Papyri: P126-P127
- Minuscules: 2898-2903
- Lectionaries: l 2439-l 2445
29. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, Sept. 2015).
- Papyri: P128
- Majuscules: 0321-0323
- Minuscules: 2904-2931
- Lectionaries: l 2446-l 2465
30. Online Supplement to the Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des neuen Testaments (INTF, Feb. 2018).
- Minuscules: 2932-2936
- Lectionaries: l 2467-l 2476
- Papyri: P137-P139
The online supplements were discontinued in 2018, after which all updates to the list of Greek New Testament manuscripts have been made directly in the NTVMR and publicly available.
In 2023, amulets and ostraca were reintroduced as an appendix, building on the work of Brice Jones, who had updated the list of amulets (T10–T27) in New Testament Texts on Greek Amulets from Late Antiquity (London: T&T Clark, 2016). The category of magical ostraca (Os1–Os30) was added alongside new amulets (T28–T39).[5] As a result, the Liste now includes 48 magical artifacts: 37 amulets and 11 magical ostraca.
Cataloguing and keeping track of all known Greek New Testament manuscripts is a substantial undertaking, historically led by prominent textual critics such as Gregory and Aland and demanding expertise in Greek philology, paleography, and the history of the textual tradition. At the same time, this work has consistently relied on the combined efforts of scholars, librarians, curators, and others across the globe, whose research continues to sustain it.
For nearly a decade we have had the opportunity to play a small role in this ongoing historical effort through sustained and systematic research on individual manuscripts and collections, expanding the list of Greek NT manuscripts and accumulating a significant body of new data. This work represented the first substantial revisions to the Liste in the digital age, enabled by unprecedented access to manuscript data through online catalogues and databases, as well as the availability of high-resolution digital images, and increased collaboration through email, social media, and other online networks.
As a result, the number of manuscripts recorded in the Liste has increased significantly. Between 2017 and 2025, over 200 new manuscripts were added, and more than 100 additional fragments were identified as belonging to already registered witnesses.
The current tally of witnesses in the Liste is:
- Papyri: P1–P141
- Majuscules: 01–0326
- Minuscules: 1–3027
- Lectionaries: l 1– l 2581 (including free numbers l 1581– l 1589 and l 1596)
- Talismans: T1–T38
- Ostraca: Os1–Os30
While these updates are reflected in the Liste and are publicly accessible through the NTVMR, it is not always immediately clear which manuscripts or collections have been updated, or on what basis these revisions were made. In this blog, we aim to make these developments more transparent by highlighting our research findings and explaining how they affect the current inventory of manuscript evidence.
[1] A second accompanying volume of the Liste was to appear as ANTF 2, called “Einzelübersichten,” where fuller details of manuscripts were provided, but this never came to fruition. Cf. the advertisement for this work at the back of the 1963 Liste, p. 433.
[2] See Kurt Aland, “Vorwort,” in the 1994 Kurzgefasste Liste, page vii.
[3] In 1967, Aland mentions that the numbers P77-P81 have been given to forthcoming publications. Kurt Aland, Studien zur Überlieferung des neuen Testaments und seines Textes, ANTF 2 (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1967), 91 n. 2.
[4] Aland, “Vorwort” in the 1994 Liste, page VII.
[5] Greg Paulson and Brice Jones described this in their 2023 article, “Resurrecting Amulets and Ostraca within New Testament Textual Criticism” (JBL 142.4 [2023]: 633–655).
I had never known all these details about the development of the Kurzgefasste Liste – so thank you for your handy survey over its history, Katie and Greg!