Actually, with the passing of the WH method and the fracturing of the eclectic method into thoroughgoing eclectic, reasoned eclectic and variations in between, this may not be true anymore.
Concerning the age of the text types, in current thinking, "The status of the text-type issue
at the outset of the twenty-first century, then, is that virtually all textual critics accept the existence, at least by 300 C.E. (sic) of three text-types (B, D, and A)." (Eldon Jay Epp in Rethinking Newe Testament Textual Criticism, ed. by David Alan Black, p. 39). (Note that Epp has different terms for the text types than the usual.)
The problem is that UBS/Nestles is not keeping up with the rest of the world of textual criticism, but is becoming obsolete. But the average joe in the pulpit or pew or on the BB thinks that is all there is. "The Alands' fourfold categorization seems patently to be based on a circular argument, for the witnesses claimed to preserve most faithfully the construct the NA and UBS editions are at the same time the manuscripts employed to construct the NA and UBS, which in
turn, are claimed to be the virtual original text" (Epp, p. 41).
Byzantine priority is definitely minority amongst a discipline where there is no longer an outright winner.
But I would still say that the most outspoken voice with the most widely recognized leaders would definitely be the reasoned eclectic camp.
But I think that their view has many holes that Robinson has exposed (whether they look at those holes and take them seriously is another question).
The radical eclectic method is silly to me, but I have not read much of their writing or defense, so I can't discount it outright except to say that I find internal evidence of little value in determining a variant.
By the way, we saw Dr. Black last week. He's a good man. I love how he says he's a missionary first and a Greek teacher second. This week he is in a "closed" country teaching Greek to pastors.
Our son, who he mentors, was
his guest lecturer last week, and Dr. Black asked me to give a brief update about our work in Japan, which I was honored to do. Here is the blog post and pictures, about 1/3 of the way down the page: http://www.daveblackonline.com/blog.htm
That's your son?!?!
I had a class w/ him when he audited the textual criticism w/ Dr. Robinson!
I think that was him.
He is writing (wrote?) his dissertation on 1 Peter right?
Sharp kid!
Wish I could have been there to hear him.
Dr. Black (also my mentor) has been a wonderful influence on me.
His attitude towards ministry and the "Jesus paradigm" (great book of his) is genuine and refreshing.
I appreciate his focus towards the kingdom first above all else.
Those who have time to read my notes might broaden their perspective a bit as to why and how the omissions might have occurred, rather than the other way around.