How did J.A. Bengel’s work on manuscript families influence New Testament textual criticism?

J.A. Bengel’s work was foundational to the development of modern textual criticism, particularly through his pioneering approach to manuscript classification and critical methodology.

His influence on the field is characterized by two primary contributions:

• Manuscript Families: Bengel was the first to emphasize that scholars must differentiate between individual manuscripts and broader "families" of manuscript traditions. By recognizing that manuscripts could be grouped by their shared history and transmission, he laid the groundwork for the genealogical, or stemmatic, method of recension. This classification system was later refined by scholars such as J.S. Semler and J.J. Griesbach.12
• Critical Methodology: Bengel initiated the formulation of scientific criteria for evaluating textual variants. Most notably, he originated the principle that "the more difficult reading is to be preferred" (proclivi scriptioni praestat ardua), a canon that remains a cornerstone of textual criticism today.13

By moving beyond the Textus Receptus and applying these systematic, historical, and genealogical principles, Bengel helped shift New Testament studies toward a more rigorous, scientific discipline that eventually influenced the editing of classical texts as well.21