Something to Whet your Appetite

After a few delays, the much talked-about Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible (SESB) seems to be approaching its launch date. I would not normally comment on something that hasn't been released yet, but this is an exception to the rule ;-)

We'll have ample opportunity to talk about SESB, but suffice it to say here that this is the first product that will ship with the full standard critical apparati for both BHS and NA27. At last! Now, if we could only have UBS4's critical apparatus...

UPDATE (May 5): If you want to read about SESB in German, click here.

If you are wandering why we should be excited to have an electronic edition of the critical apparatus (or even what kind of animal that is), you may want to read a little bit on the subject. This Logos page gives some basic and clear information. Although it talks about another project (Tischendorf's 8th edition of the Greek NT), the gist of the article holds true for any kind of critical apparatus. For more detailed information you can check out the Critical Editions of the New Testament.

UPDATE (May 14): There is now an updated Logos page with more info on the critical apparati. Note that different spellings are used for the plural form of apparatus.