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THE TEXT OF THE GOSPELS
A blog by James Snapp, Jr. about New Testament textual criticism, especially
involving variants in the Gospels.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2024
NEWS: STEPHEN C. CARLSON DISCOVERS AN IRRELEVANT (?) UNREGISTERED MANUSCRIPT IN
PARIS
Stephen C. Carlson, Associate Professor at
Australian Catholic University (ACU), recently visited Paris (the one in France,
not Texas) and discovered at the National Library of France an unregistered
folio containing text from the Gospel of Mark! Specifically, it has text from
Mark 10. The text is difficult to read and it is even more difficult on the
opposite side. There is enough to deduce that it is Byzantine.
And that means, to quote Kurt Aland, whose influence upon the Nestle/Aland
compilation was immense, that it must be ignored, along with the vast majority
of Greek manuscripts. Aland's statement can be found on page 142 of The Text of
the New Testament which he co-authored with Barbara Aland: "All of these
minuscules exhibit a purely or predominantly Byzantine text. And this is not a
peculiarity of the minuscules, but a characteristic they share with a
considerable number of uncials. They are all irrelevant for textual criticism,
at least for establishing the original form of the text and its development in
the early centuries."
Not everyone subscribes to the Alands' estimate of the value of Byzantine
manuscripts - I certainly do not. To our colleague Dr. Carlson I say,
congratulations! May such serendipitous events continue to occur.
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 1:47 PM 1 comment:
Labels: Byzantine, Carlson, manuscript, Mark Paris
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2024
WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS WANTED: A MORE RELIABLE MANUSCRIPT-DATING METHOD
In honor of this special day, and having had no time to prepare a post in honor
of the occasion, here is a post from a few years ago about an exciting new
method in dating manuscripts. I must say I am disappointed that I have not
heard of any new developments.
https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2020/03/breakthrough-new-method-for-dating.html
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 1:07 PM No comments:
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024
BOOKS FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF IN 2024
It's still January 31, 2024, and the following text-critical
resources are now available on Amazon. Anyone who finds the price at Amazon
prohibitively high is welcome to request a free digital text copy in the
comments below or via an email to james.snapp@gmail.com .
Reviews welcome on Amazon
$9.99 US digital e-book
$19.50 US paperback
New Testament Textual Analysis. That's what New Testament textual criticism is,
minus the "art" that the dearly departed plagiarist Dr. Bruce Manning Metzger
tries to smuggle in.
In terms of authority in the Christian church on earth, textual
analysts rank second to the men and women who produced the contents of the
Bible, for it is through the work of Christian textual analysts that the form of
the New Testament books' text written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
is recognized, verified, and protected from corruption.
In this volume, written for adults, James Edward Snapp Jr. (that's
me) systematically explains the materials and methods that are used to produce
and, for lack of a better term, authenticate the text of the books of the New
Testament. He also confronts the flawed reasoning that has, in much of academia,
weakened many Christians' confidence in the New Testament's accuracy. He also
exposes prominent false teachers both within and without church walls who have
spread falsehoods about specific passages in the New Testament. Finally he
summons aspiring textual analysts to dedicate themselves to this sacred
enterprise using the equitable eclectic approach which he has developed.
This 400-page volume is intended to render superfluous Bart D. Ehrman's
strategically titled "The Text of the New Testament - Its Transmission,
Corruption, and Restoration" and is an ideal resource for those who prefer not
to have an atheist as their guide through the text of the New Testament.
Reviews on Amazon
Are Welcome
Is It Eclectic?
$12.88 Hardcover
$8.88 digital
Is It Eclectic? is a devastating expose of the "reasoned eclectic" text that has
been produced via the "reasoned eclectic" approach which has
hypnotized/brainwashed (I don't have a word that's just right so those will have
to do) so many American seminarians. The data in the page of this brief volume
speaks for itself but I added some commentary to make sure even Wheaton
graduates can't miss the point: the Nestle-Aland/UBS compilation in
Matthew-Jude is 99% Alexandrian, and about 1% Byzantine.
The Greek text that is the basis for the ESV, CSB, NRSV, NIV, NLT and other
English versions of the New Testament is marketed as an "eclectic" text. But
after textual analyst James Edward Snapp Jr. (that's me) examined it, he
concluded that the idea that the results of the compilation-method used by the
editors of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece and the UBS Greek New
Testament are NOT, by any reasonable definition of the word, eclectic. The
empirical evidence that compels this conclusion is presented in this book.
Is It Eclectic? is also available in German, so the folks in Muenster can read
it as they wonder why American Christians are beginning to wonder why the Greek
base-text of their English Bibles (NIV, CEB, NLT, NRSV, CSB, etc) is being
introduced by an ally of secular humanists. (Yes, in Germany, secular humanism
is still a thing.)
Reviews on Amazon are welcome.
Is It Eclectic?
in German is
$9.80 US
Der Basistext, der die edle deutsche Übersetzung der Heiligen Schriften der 27
Bücher des Neuen Testaments ersetzen wollte, wurde als „eklektische“
Zusammenstellung auf der Grundlage antiker Manuskripte vermarktet.
Aber wir alle haben schon erlebt, wie alte Fußballspieler von
jüngeren Spielern besiegt wurden. Die Qualität des Textes in einem Manuskript
hängt nicht vom Alter des Pergaments oder Papyrus ab. Es hängt davon ab, wie gut
die Kopisten ihre heilige Pflicht erfüllt haben.
In diesem Buch untersucht James Edward Schniepf objektiv die
neugriechische Zusammenstellung, die als „Nestle-Aland“ und als „Griechisches
Neues Testament“ der United Bible Societies beworben wird, und entlarvt ihre
Marketingpropaganda als authentische Propaganda. Meister Luther verfügte über
jüngere Manuskripte, aber für den größten Teil des Neuen Testaments verfügten
sie über einen besseren Text als die „älteren und besten Manuskripte“ als der
Text, der wie schlechter Fußball aus Münster stammte. Es lebe der reife Martin
Luther und möge seine deutsche Übersetzung wiederbelebt werden und möge auch die
gläubige bekennende christliche Kirche in ganz Deutschland wiederbelebt werden.
Dieses Buch enthält die Daten, die zeigen, dass Münsters
„eklektischer Text“ nicht eklektisch ist!
Is It Eclectic? is also available in Portuguese. Você já ouviu afirmações como
essa dos editores do seu novo e moderno Novo Testamento em português? Então você
foi enganado. Neste volume, o analista textual James Edward Snapp Jr. oferece
uma crítica sincera ao texto base "eclético e fundamentado" sobre o qual vários.
Um exame do texto base "eclético e racional" da Nestlé-Aland do Novo Testamento.
Seu Novo Testamento é baseado no texto grego encontrado em mais de 5.000
manuscritos gregos, todos cuidadosamente considerados pelos maiores
especialistas do mundo. Você pode ter certeza de que todas as evidências foram
cuidadosamente examinadas antes do início da tradução do seu Novo Testamento em
português.
Is It Eclectic? is also available in Indonesian. (Due in part to a dream I had
which involved Indonesian chicken wings. So delicious.)
Kompilasi Perjanjian Baru Yunani Nestle-Aland/UBS adalah dasar utama
untuk terjemahan Perjanjian Baru di seluruh dunia dan untuk terjemahan bahasa
Inggris seperti ESV, NIV, NLT, dan NRSV.
Ini dipasarkan sebagai kompilasi "eklektik yang beralasan"
berdasarkan lebih dari 5.000 manuskrip Yunani.
Apakah itu deskripsi akurat dari teks Yunani NA/UBS?
Dalam pemeriksaan analitis yang cermat terhadap kompilasi NA/UBS, peneliti James
Edward Snapp Jr. menunjukkan bahwa ini BUKAN merupakan deskripsi yang akurat
menurut definisi normal istilah "eklektik".
The Nestle-Aland/UBS compilation of the Greek New Testament is the primary basis
for translations of the New Testament around the world and for English
translations such as the ESV, NIV, NLT, and NRSV.
It is marketed as a "reasoned eclectic" compilation based on over 5,000 Greek
manuscripts.
Is that an accurate descriptions of the NA/UBS Greek text?
In this meticulous analytical examination of the NA/UBS compilation, researcher
James Edward Snapp Jr. demonstrated that it is NOT an accurate description by
any normal definition of the term "eclectic."
Codex Sinaiticus:
Reliable or a Liability?
$8.88 paperback
Reviews on Amazon
are welcome
The World's Oldest Bible: Reliable or a Liability? is a close (but not
exhaustive) look at the message conveyed by the main text of Codex Sinaiticus
(called "The World's Oldest Bible" in the title of Dr. D. C. Parker's book
"Codex Sinaiticus - The Story of the World's Oldest Bible"). In this concisely
worded volume, James Edward Snapp Jr. - citizen of the kingdom of God and
specialist in the field of New Testament textual analysis (and definitely NOT a
KJV-Onlyist) - tests the claim that the text of one of the "the oldest and best
manuscripts" of the Bible means the same thing that a typical medieval Byzantine
manuscript of the Gospels means. Collecting 60 translation-affecting variants
from Matthew, 60 translation-affecting variants from Mark, 60
translation-impacting variants from Luke, and 100 translation-impacting variants
from John, brother James offers an irrefutable answer to the question, "Is Codex
Sinaiticus' text as reliable as the Byzantine text in the Gospels?". James R,
White fanboys take note.
A Word to John MacArthur Regarding His False Claims about Mark 16:9-20 is, as
the title, suggests, a straightforward word to John MacArthur of Grace Community
Church (in Sun Valley California USA addressing some of the erroneous claims he
has shared (and, as of December 2023) continued to share via the Grace To You
organization, pertaining to Mark 16:9-20 - twelve verses of the inspired and
inerrant word of God. This comes in large print so that even someone as blind
to the evidence as John MacArthur can easily read the proof that Grace To You
has spread, and continues to spread, ridiculous lies (did I say that out loud?)
about 12 verses of inspired Scripture. With the data in this book, the average
congregation-member in John MacArthur's congregation will be well-equipped to
refute MacArthur's preposterous claims, and to compose a stern rebuke to the
Masters Seminary faculty for their failure to inform their boss that he sounded
like a braying donkey who has no business attempting to teach textual criticism
from the pulpit.
Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20 (Fourth Edition) is also available on
Amazon in two formats: digital e-book($9.99) and paperback ($25.00).
You may have read statements like these from trusted scholars:
"Mark 16:9-20 is not in many of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.”
"Mark 16:9-20 is not found in any manuscript until the 800s."
"Mark 16:9-20 was added over two centuries after the Gospel of Mark began to
circulate.”
"Clement of Alexandria and Origen affirm that the Gospel of Mark ended at 16:8."
STOP TRUSTING THEM.
Those are all lies.
In this book James Edward Snapp Jr. identifies some of the liars who
have misled American and European readers, students, and congregations about
Mark 16:9-20 - twelve verses of sacred Scripture. He also demonstrates the
numerous errors committed by "parrot pseudo-scholars" -- individuals who
basically paraphrase Bruce Metzger without conducting their own research -- and
shows how incompetent and irresponsible (or just plain dense) authors such as
James R White, John MacArthur, Craig Evans, James Edwards, N. T. Wright, Norman
Geisler, Bart D. Ehrman and the late Bruce Manning Metzger have been in the
course of leading astray (knowingly or unknowingly) many readers, students, and
congregations about Mark 16:9-20.
By thoroughly analyzing the evidence in Greek manuscripts, church
writings, and more, James E. Snapp Jr. presents a decisive case for retaining
Mark 16:9-20 in the Gospel of Mark, and for interpreting it and applying it
reasonably to the lives of all believers, as the Christian church has done since
the first century of her existence.
More titles and more translations (French, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and more)
editions are planned. If you would like to write a review - just make sure it's
honest, favorable or unfavorable - please contact me for a free text file; be
sure to name the book you intend to review.
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 2:56 AM 4 comments:
Labels: Bart D. Ehrman, Bruce Manning Metzger, Grace To You, James White, John
MacArthur, Masters Seminary, N.T. Wright, New Testament Textual Analysis,
replacement
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024
MEMO TO MORMONS: YOUR PROPHET WAS A FAKE
I love the dedication that many members of the "Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints" have. Even though their ridiculous bogus "revelation" given
by the phenomenally false prophet and teacher of lies Joseph Smith Jr. has been
debunked and demonstrated to be nothing but a tall tale dreamed up on the basis
of a dime-store novel back in the early 1800s, they still insist that they can't
be wrong because of a "burning in the bosom" they have.
That "burning in the bosom" might be indigestion, or heartburn, or a
psychosomatic semi-euphoria elicited by a person's desire to belong to the elite
members of the family of God. Your mileage may vary, but I suspect that in very
many cases, a Mormon's conversion to Mormonism was elicited by peer pressure
from family members or friends or a cute Mormon girl whose modesty and promise
of eternal faithfulness were enough to push a brother's brain off a cliff. Oh
the things we do for love.
But I digress: what I wish to point out here is a little textual detail in the
Book of Mormon - supposedly translated by Joseph Smith Jr. from golden plates he
dug up in New York state - which bear a suspicious resemblance to the King James
Version's text of Mark 16:9-20: Here's the quotation from the Book of Mormon
9:22-25:
"For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who
should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the
multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not
shall be damned; And these signs shall follow them that believe - in my name
they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take
up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they
shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; And whosoever shall believe
in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto
the ends of the earth."
This material (which was the focus of an essay by Jeff Lindsay in the Mormon
journal Interpreter - A Journal of Mormon Scripture (Vol. 25 - 2017, pp.
283-321, "The Book of Mormon vs. the Consensus of Scholars: Surprises from the
Disputed Ending of Mark, Part 1")) brings to mind Mark 16:15-18, with a little
bit of Joseph Smith Jr.'s sanctimonious and-it-came-to-pass blubbering thrown
in. The two passages are so similar when one compared the King James Version's
English rendering to what Joseph Smith Jr. claimed to have translated from
golden plates - I seriously doubt if that blatant liar and blasphemer had any
idea how heavy a golden plate is - that I personally can attest that the
prophecy he gave has come true: the nature of all his words is indeed confirmed
to me, and I have no doubt about it whatsoever: JOSEPH SMITH JR. WAS A FALSE
PROPHET and the sooner you realize it, the better.
Zoom in on the part of the Book of Mormon chapter 9 where it says "they shall
take up serpents." This would be a perfectly adequate rendering of the
Byzantine text, which is basically what the King James Version was translated
from (with about 1,005 reading that are not attested by a majority of Greek
manuscripts - technically the KJV's base-text is the printed Textus Receptus).
In the first half of Mark 16:18, the King James Version says, "They shall take
up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them." Well
lo and behold: the Book of Mormon 9:24 aligns perfectly with the English
translation that was available to Joseph Smith Jr. It's almost as if the
English text of the Book of Mormon was derived from the King James Version.
And therein lies a problem for the poor gullible Mormons who think Joseph Smith
and Brigham Young were authentic prophets instead of lying manipulators who
enjoyed taking other men's wives. There is a little bit of text that is missing
from both the Book of Mormon 9:24, and from the KJV's English rendering of Mark
16:18. In quite a few manuscripts, there is more text: the Greek equivalent of
"and in their hands" belongs in the text after "they shall take up serpents."
The Greek words that are missing in the Byzantine text are "καί ἐν ταῖς
χερσὶν." The editors of the Nestle-Aland/UBS compilation don't seem to have
been very sure what to do with this phrase ("And in their hands"); it's in the
27th edition but not in the previous edition. Perhaps they did not give it much
attention and treated it as a matter of trivial importance since they
double-bracketed the entire section of Mark 16:9-20. It wasn't in Griesbach's
compilation. But it is, though not the majority reading (not even close!),
very well-attested in the Alexandrian transmission-stream.
It is super-obvious that Joseph Smith Jr. committed the moral equivalent of
plagiarism and fraud when he took the KJV's words and made them part of the
narrative of the Book of Mormon.
More examples of his immoral and dishonest use of the KJV - including the KJV's
inaccuracies in its rendering of some fine details in the Hebrew and Greek
base-texts - could no doubt be provided; others are welcome to provide them in
the comments. But considering that the only acceptable definition of a true
prophet is that all his prophecies come from God, this should serve as a
demonstration that Joseph Smith Jr. was not a true prophet.
(On a pastoral note, watch the video here for more information about
the roots of Mormonism.)
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 3:44 PM 2 comments:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023
CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND STOCKING STUFFERS FOR TEXTUAL CRITICS (AND THEIR KIDS)
It's almost Christmas 2023 -
the only such Christmas there will ever be -
So why not give your seminary friend
a book he/she can read and lend?
I have three volumes available on Amazon, for the Kindle e-reader (or
Kindle app) and also available in paperback: (click the link to go to Amazon for
more information)
Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20 (Fourth Edition)
The Epistle of James - English Translation, Commentary, and Greek Text
A Word to John MacArthur Regarding His False Claims About Mark 16:9-20. (Large
Print)
And don't forget: I am available to speak about the reliability of the New
Testament text at any church, anywhere (okay, not in North Korea yet, but almost
anywhere) that can pay for my travel expenses and room and board. (Yes, this
includes Apologia Church.)
Have a joyous Advent season and a happy new year 2024 (and please buy my books)!
Coming soon: A Word to James R. White About His False Claims About the Text of
the Gospels.
And if you want something for the youngsters, I have also published (with very
little direct application to New Testament textual criticism) these two little
gems:
Saint Brigid and the Fairy Gates (Youth Edition)
The Enormous Dragon (co-authored with my elder son Peregrine Kirk Snapp) - a
book about an orphan, for orphans and other earthling children.
As of December 14, 2023, Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20 (Fourth Edition)
is ranked 1,752 in the Christian Reference section.
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 11:20 PM 3 comments:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
IMPROVEMENT: BAR'S UPDATED ARTICLE ON CODEX SINAITICUS
At the Biblical Archaelogy website, an article titled “What’s Missing
from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament?” originally published by
“Biblical Archaeology Society staff” on August 12, 2015, contained several false
statements.
A heading in the article still refers to “Mark 16:1-14.” That is
false. (In real life, Mark 16 continues to verse 20, as the verse-numbers in
BAS’ article further down the page plainly show.)
In general however the article has been greatly improved.
Those who want to get some idea of the differences between Codex
Sinaiticus and the text of most manuscripts of the Gospels may explore the
comparisons I have made in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Thank you, BAS staff, for improving this article.
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 9:53 PM No comments:
Labels: BAS BAR Sinaiticus Biblical Archaeology Society
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023
THE INTERPOLATION IN MATTHEW 27:49: WHY?
“Two suppositions alone are compatible with the whole evidence.
First, the words ἄλλος δὲ κ. τ. λ. may belong to the genuine text of the extant
form of Mt, and have been early omitted (originally by the Western text) on
account of the obvioous difficulty. Or, secondly, they may be a very early
interpolation, absent in the first instance from the Western text only, and thus
resembling the Non-Western interpolations in Luke xxii xxiv except in its
failure to to obtain admission into the prevalent texts of the third and fourth
centuries.
“The prima facie difficulty of the second supposition is lightened
by the absence of the words from all the earlier versions, though the
defectiveness of African Latin, Old Syriac, and Thebaic evidence somewhat
weakens the force of this consideration. We have thought it on the whole right
to give expression to this view by including the words in double brackets,
though we did not feel justified in removing them from the text, and are not
prepared to reject altogether the alternative supposition.”
(Hort, Notes on Select Readings, p. 22)
What was F.J.A. Hort talking about? Most Americans who are
acquainted with the NIV, ESV, CSB, and NASB have no clue, because these versions
have no footnote at Matthew 27:49. The Tyndale House Greek New Testament does
not have an apparatus-listing at Matthew 27:49. (Dr. Dirk Jongkind, Tyndale
House GNT editor, discussed it in February 2018 at the Evangelical Textual
Criticism blog).
The CSB is particularly strange in this regard, because it features
a textual footnote pointing out trivial textual variants nearby, but not for
this one which involves a drastic change in meaning and in doctrine.
Let us take a closer today.
From Westcott & Hort's 1881 Greek text
ἄλλος δὲ λαβὼν λόγχην ἔνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὕδωρ καὶ αἷμα is
supported by Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, C L U Γ and by about 35 minuscules MSS
(specifically, 5 26 48 67 115 127 160 175 364 782 871 1010 1011 1057 1300 1392
1416 1448 1555 1566 1701 1780 2117 2126 2139 2283 2585 2586 2622 2680 2766
2787). The first hand of minuscule 2437 (previously examined here in 2018)
should be included in this list, despite having had the words erased by a
corrector.
Also supporting the inclusion of these words (in some cases with
ὕδωρ and αἷμα transposed) are Palestinian Aramaic copies, the Ethiopic version,
Middle Egyptian, quite a few Irish Vulgate and Old Latin copies (the list
includes the Book of Mulling and the Book of Kells and the Book of Dimma).
I will not review the details of what Hort, in 1881, and more
recently, Willker has written regarding Macedonius and Chrysostom and Severus
and the ancient (alleged) autograph of the Gospel of Matthew found on Cyprus in
the late 400s.
The Revision Committee in 1881 heeded Hort’s advice somewhat, and as
a result the 1881 RV featured a margin-note linked to Matthew 27:49 which
stated, “Many ancient authorities add And another took a spear and pierced his
side, and there came out water and blood. See John xix. 34.”
If the men who translated and edited the 1984 NIV had done what they did 99%
of the time – i.e., follow the Nestle-Aland compilation – then the NIV, too,
would say “And someone else, taking a spear, pierced his side and there came out
water and blood” in Matthew 27:49. The same can be said regarding the creators
of the NASB, ESV, NNIV (that’s how I refer to the 2011 NIV, which varies
drastically from the 1984 NIV), and CSB. I cannot of course judge their
motives but they seem awfully fickle at this particular point.
Perhaps their fickleness is due to reluctance to admit into the
text, even in double brackets or in a footnote, a textual variant which would
destroy the doctrine of inerrrancy (which I have already discussed here).
Philip Comfort acknowledgd in Encountering the Manuscripts (2005) that the
inclusion of ἄλλος δὲ λαβὼν λόγχην ἔνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὕδωρ καὶ
αἷμα would appear to create “a jarring contradiction.”
(Notice, by the way, that there is no distigmai in Vaticanus here –
because Sepulveda would not have pointed out to Erasmus such an erroneous
reading in his (Sepulveda’s) prized ancient codex.)
Operating on the premise that editors of the NIV, ESV, CSB, etc.,
have held (that it is an interpolation), what would motivate an early scribe to
create and into the text these words?
A desire to show that some Romans, or some Jews, were merciful to
Jesus as he was dying on the cross. Crucifixion is a painful experience. It
can last for days. A person who ended Jesus’ torture would be understood by his
contemporaries to be acting mercifully.
There is a slight anti-Judaic tendency in the Western text of Acts.
I propose that there was a slight pro-Jewish tendency at work in the Alexandrian
Greek transmission-line, which carried over into the Old Latin transmission-line
that is represented in some Irish Old Latin copies of the Gospel of Matthew.
Before the four Gospels were collected together, our interpolator
could point to his interpolation and say “Look! Not all of the Jews on the
scene were bad. Sure, God destroyed Jerusalem forty years later, but there was
a remnant there on Calvary; there was at least one noble Jew who defied the
Romans and showed mercy to Jesus on the cross – not giving him a drink to
prolong his suffering, but spearing him, in defiance of the Roman soldiers, in
order to end his suffering.”
Or, the interpolation might have been made by an early pro-Roman
scribe, who wished to convey that the Romans who crucified Jesus were just
following orders, and had no personal vendetta against Jesus (something most
first-century readers of Matthew would naturally assume), and that one of them,
in an act of insubordination, speared Jesus, causing his immediate death and an
end to his sufferings.
Picture from the Rabbula Gospels
The traditions about Saint Longinus may thus become more relevant – was
he Roman, or Jewish? Or both?
The earliest traditions about Longinus consistently portray him as
a Roman centurion, as far as I can tell. On that premise, the interpolation in
the Alexandrian text of Matthew 27:49 was created in order to excuse the
Romans. The Romans could argue that as legitimate agents of the Roman Empire,
they should be forgiven for crucifying Jesus – and, with this interpolation,
offer an extra consideration: they didn’t even allow Jesus to suffer on the
cross longer than what was required to carry out the orders of Pontius Pilate –
barely enough time to crucify Jesus, and enough time to allow all the bystanders
to read the inscription Pilate ordered them to post on the cross, and enough
time to finish gambling.
(As it turned out, it only took Jesus six hours to suffer and die
for the sins of the whole world, but the Roman soldiers couldn’t have known
that.)
I consider it very likely that John, when he wrote the fourth
Gospel in Ephesus, was aware of this interpolation and either read it, or heard
about it.
Notice the explicit words of John 19:35 - “The one who saw it
[i.e., John] has testified , and his testimony is true. He knows that he is
telling the truth, so that you also may believe.” What could be the motivation
for such explicitness, except to respond to an interpolation that John detected
in his own copy of the Gospel of Matthew, or a copy that someone had told him
about?
So: after walking through the external and internal evidence
carefully and slowly, I conclude that the words ἄλλος δὲ λαβὼν λόγχην ἔνυξεν
αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὕδωρ καὶ αἷμα in the Alexandrian text (and
whatever other texts) are an interpolation, and may confidently be treated as
the interpolation they are. That is, they are an interesting display of an
early scribe’s concern, but as a representation of the autograph of the Greek
text of the Gospel of Matthew, they should be entirely ignored.
Posted by James Snapp Jr at 7:31 PM 6 comments:
Labels: Alexandrian, John 19:35, Matthew 27:49, Sinaiticus. John, Vaticanus
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