Textual variants in the Gospel of John
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Textual variants in the Gospel of John are the subject of the study called textual criticism of the New Testament. Textual variants in manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to a text that is being reproduced. An abbreviated list of textual variants in this particular book is given in this article below.
Origen, writing in the 3rd century, was one of the first who made remarks about differences between manuscripts of texts that were eventually collected as the New Testament. In John 1:28, he preferred "Bethabara" over "Bethany" as the location where John was baptizing (Commentary on John VI.40 (24)). "Gergeza" was preferred over "Geraza" or "Gadara" (Commentary on John VI.40 (24) – see Matthew 8:28).
Some common alterations include the deletion, rearrangement, repetition, or replacement of one or more words when the copyist's eye returns to a similar word in the wrong location of the original text. If their eye skips to an earlier word, they may create a repetition (error of dittography). If their eye skips to a later word, they may create an omission. They may resort to performing a rearranging of words to retain the overall meaning without compromising the context. In other instances, the copyist may add text from memory from a similar or parallel text in another location. Otherwise, they may also replace some text of the original with an alternative reading. Spellings occasionally change. Synonyms may be substituted. A pronoun may be changed into a proper noun (such as "he said" becoming "Jesus said"). John Mill's 1707 Greek New Testament was estimated to contain some 30,000 variants in its accompanying textual apparatus[1] which was based on "nearly 100 [Greek] manuscripts."[2] Peter J. Gurry puts the number of non-spelling variants among New Testament manuscripts around 500,000, though he acknowledges his estimate is higher than all previous ones.[3]
Legend
[edit]A guide to the sigla (symbols and abbreviations) most frequently used in the body of this article.[4][5]
- General sigla
- # beginning with 0: uncial
- # not beginning with 0: minuscule
- * superscript: original reading
- c superscript: scribal correction
- ms superscript: individual manuscript
- mss superscript: multiple manuscripts
- pt superscript: partial attestation
- vid superscript: uncertain reading
- arab: Arabic versions
- arm: Armenian versions
- 𝔐 or Byz: Byzantine text-type
- cop: Coptic versions
- sa: Sahidic version
- bo: Boharic version
- eth: Ethiopic versions
- ƒ: Greek manuscripts family
- geo: Georgian versions
- goth: Gothic versions
- it: Italic/Vetus Latina
- lat: most Italic and Vulgate
- latt: all Italic and Vulgate
- 𝔓: papyrus
- 𝑙: individually numbered lectionary
- Lect: most or all numbered lectionaries
- parenthesized (): approximate reading
- rell: all other extant manuscripts
- slav: Slavic versions
- syr: Syriac versions
- vg: Latin Vulgate
- ς: Textus Receptus
- Uncial sigla
- א: Codex Sinaiticus (01)
- A: Codex Alexandrinus (02)
- B: Codex Vaticanus (03)
- C: Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (04)
- Dea: Codex Bezae (05)
- Dp: Codex Claromontanus (06)
- Ke: Codex Cyprius (017)
- Kap: Codex Mosquensis I (018)
- Le: Codex Regius (New Testament) (019)
- Lap: Codex Angelicus (020)
- Papr: Codex Porphyrianus (025)
- S: Codex Vaticanus 354 (028)
- V: Codex Mosquensis II (031)
- W: Codex Washingtonianus (032)
- Z: Codex Dublinensis (035)
- Γ: Codex Tischendorfianus IV (036)
- Δ: Codex Sangallensis 48 (037)
- Θ: Codex Koridethi (038)
- Ξ: Codex Zacynthius (040)
- Π: Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament) (041)
- Φ: Codex Beratinus (043)
- Ψ: Codex Athous Lavrensis (044)
- Ω: Codex Athous Dionysiou (045)
- ff1: Codex Corbeiensis I
- ff2: Codex Corbeiensis II
- g1: Codex Sangermanensis I
- k: Codex Bobiensis
- Critical editions
- T8th: Tischendorf's 8th Edition of Editio Octava Critica Maior
- WH: Westcott and Hort (1881)
- NA: Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle–Aland)
- UBS: United Bible Societies
- ECM: Editio Critica Maior
Textual variants
[edit]
- εν αυτῳ ζωη εστιν (in him is life) – א D it vgmss Irenaeuslat Heracleon Clementpt Origenpt
- text omitted – Wsupp
- εν αυτῳ ζωη ῃν (in him was life) – All other mss. (rell)
- ο μονογενης υιος (the only-begotten son) – A C3 K X Δ Θ Π 063 0234 f1,13 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1071 1079 1195 1216 1230 1241 1242 1253 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz, syrc Georgian mss. of Adysh (9th century)
- ο μονογενης θεος (the only-begotten God) – 𝔓75 אc 33 copbo
- μονογενης θεος (God [the] only-begotten) – 𝔓66 א* B C* L
- ⲠⲚⲞⲨⲦⲈ ⲠϢⲎⲢⲈ ⲚⲞⲨⲰⲦ (only children God) – copsa
- εν Βηθανιᾳ εγενετο – 𝔓59vid, 𝔓75, A, B, C,*, L, Wsupp, X, Δ, Θ, Ψ, 063, 28, 565, 700, 892*, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1195, 1216, 1241, 1242, 1253, 1344, 1365*, 2148, 2174, Byz, Lect, it, vg, syr
- εγενετο εν Βηθανιᾳ – 𝔓66, א*, ita, b, e, r1, copsa
- εν Βηθαβαρᾳ εγενετο – C2, K, Ψ, 083, 0113, f1, f13, 33, 1079, 1230, 1365c, 1546, 1646c, and Byz
- εν Βηθαραβᾳ εγενετο – 892, syrhmg, Origen
- εγενετο εν Βηθαραβᾳ – א2
John 1:34
John 2:3
- οινον ουκ ειχον οτι συνετελεσθη ο οινος του γαμου, ειτα (they did not have wine because the wine of the wedding reception was finished, then) – א* itmss syrhmg
- υστερησαντος οινου (they were running short of wine) – rell
John 3:12
- πιστευετε (ye believe) – 𝔓75 050 083 579 itaur,ff2,l vgmss cobomss
- πιστευσετε (ye will believe) – rell
John 3:20
- τα εργα αυτου – א B Δ 050 063 083 086 28 700 1230 1242c 1253 1365 2148 Byz ℓmss it copfay arm geo
- αυτου τα εργα – 𝔓75, A, K, Wsupp, Π, f1, 565, 892*, 1079, 1546,
- τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εστιν – 𝔓66 Θ f13 33 1009 1010 1071 1195 1216 1242* 1344 1646 2174 itr1 copsa,bo,ach2
- τα εργα αυτου πονηρα εστιν οτι – L
- τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εισιν – Ψ
- αυτου τα εργα οτι πονηρα εισιν – 892mg 1241
John 4:9
- ου γαρ συγχρωνται Ιουδαιοι Σαμαριταις (for Jews have no association with Samaritans) omitted by א* D ita,b,d, e, j copfay
John 4:37
- Verse omitted in 𝔓75
John 4:42
- ο χριστος (the Christ) – A C3 D L Xsupp Δ Θ Ψ 0141 f1,13 33 565 579 1071 Byz itmss syrp,h copbomss
- text omitted – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א B C* Wsupp 083vid ℓmss itmss vg syrc copsa,bomss arm Irenaeuslat Origen
John 4:46
- ο Ιησους (Jesus) – A Θ Ψ f1,13 Byz itmss syrp,h copbomss
- text omitted – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א B C* Wsupp 086 33 1241 itmss vg syrc copsa,bomss
John 4:53
- text ο Ιησους omitted – א* N*
- ο Ιησους (Jesus) – rell
John 6:1
- της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας της Τιβεριαδος – א A B K L W Δ Π Ψ 063 f1,13 28 33 565
- της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας – 𝔓66 1546
- της θαλασσης της Τιβεριαδος – 0210 1242 1344 2174 ℓ 184
- της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας και της Τιβεριαδος – V itf goth
- της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος – D Θ 892 1009 1230 1253
John 6:4
- Verse omitted by 472
John 7:1
- ου γαρ ειχεν εξουσιαν (for he did not have authority) – W 196 743 ita,b,ff2l,r1 syrc Chrysostom
- ου γαρ ηθελεν (for he was not wanting) – All other mss. (rell)
- Include Dea, Fe, Ge, He, Ke, M, U, Γ, Π, 047, 0233, 28, 318, 700, 892, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1079, 1195, 1216, 1344, 1365, 1546, 1646, 2148, 2174, lat, syrpal, Didascalia, Didymus the Blind, Jerome, Augustine, Apostolic Constitutions
- Exclude א, B, 𝔓75, 𝔓66, W, T, N, Ψ, C, A, goth
John 10:7
- η θυρα (door) – majority
- ο ποιμην (shepherd) – 𝔓75 copsa copac
John 11:1
John 12:28
- δοξασον σου το ονομα (glorify thy name) – א A C K W Δ Θ Π Ψ 0250 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1079 1195 1216 1230 1242 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz ℓ 69 ℓ 70 ℓ 211 ℓ 1579 ℓ 1761
- δοξασον μου το ονομα (glorify my name) – B
- δοξασον σου τον υιον (glorify thy son) – L X f1,1333 1071 1241 vg syh mg, copbo
- δοξασον σου το ονομα εν τη δοξη η ειχον παρα σοι προ του τον κοσμον γενεσται – D itd
John 13:2
- Ιουδας Σιμωνος Ισκαριωτου – L Ψ 0124 1241
- Ιουδα Σιμωνος απο Καρυωτου – D it(d),e
John 15:1
John 16:28
- εξηλθον παρα του πατρος (I came forth from the Father) omitted in D W itb,d,ff2 syrs copmss
John 17:14
- καθως εγω ουκ ειμι εκ του κοσμου (just as I am not of the world) omitted in 𝔓66* D f13 it syrs
John 18:5
- ο παραδιδους αυτον (the one betraying him), the phrase is omitted in 𝔓66* syrs
John 18:11
- παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα απολουνται – Θ
John 18:21
- ερωτας – א* A B C L W Θ Ψ 054 0250 33 1424 al
- επερωτας – Ds f1 f13 Byz
- ο Ιησους (Jesus) omitted in א D L W Ψ 050 lat syrs co
- ζωην αιωνιον (life eternal) – א C(*) D L Ψ 0100 f13 33 it vgmss syrp, h copsa,bo Irenaeuslat
- ζωην (life) – rell
John 21:7
- οι δε ειπον δι οληϲ (τηϲ) νυκτοϲ εκοπιαϲαμεν και (κοπιαϲαντεϲ) ουδεν ελαβομεν επι δε τω ϲω ρηματι (ονοματι) βαλουμεν (and they said: we toiled all night and took nothing, but at your word we will let down) – 𝔓66, א1, Ψ, some mss of Vulgate, copbo
See also
[edit]- Alexandrian text-type
- Biblical inerrancy
- Byzantine text-type
- Caesarean text-type
- Categories of New Testament manuscripts
- Comparison of codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus
- List of New Testament verses not included in modern English translations
- Textual variants in the New Testament
- Western text-type
References
[edit]- ^ Adam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707)
- ^ Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154
- ^ Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113
- ^ Metzger, Bruce Manning; Ehrman, Bart D. (2005). The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 54, 62–86, 102–103. ISBN 0-19-516667-1.
- ^ J.P. van de Giessen (2003). "Legenda tekstkritische notities". bijbelaantekeningen.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine, ed. E. Nestle, K. Aland, Stuttgart 1981.
- Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman, "The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration", OUP New York, Oxford, 4 edition, 2005
- Bart D. Ehrman, "The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament", Oxford University Press, New York - Oxford, 1996, pp. 223–227.
- Bruce M. Metzger, "A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament", 1994, United Bible Societies, London & New York.