Embodied Reading and Apocalyptic Books: Why Manuscripts Matter

Introducing the book, this chapter explores the place of manuscripts within New Testament scholarship, arguing that manuscripts are valuable for more than textual criticism because they reveal significant reception historical information. As concrete objects, they offer a view into the ways that works like the book of Revelation were read and transmitted in a given context. When we read manuscripts, we partake in a reading of the New Testament that is embodied and historically oriented towards previous generations of tradents and readers. Concretely, this chapter introduces the manuscripts of the book of Revelation, its textual traditions, and sets a course for the studies that follow, arguing for the end of the division between higher and lower criticism.