Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-07-20

Greek classical literature can com
' mand three such original witnesse
, las the Sinaitic, Vatican, and AleXan
J drine, to the integrity and accuracy o
| the text" When we add all the 9th
J er immense apparatus of textual crit
cism, there is no comparison between
the cases. And one of the most strik
= ing testimonies to the general charac
! ter of these numerous manuscripts, i!
. the fact that text formed by Eras
mus from half-a-doZen copies taken
at random, should conform so closely
to the results of the most enormou:
research. When the investigation
began, infidels like Collins hoped great
| things from it, as means of weaken
ing confidence in the New Testament
and good men like Bengel were anX.
ious and almost alarmed. But skep.
tics long ago ceased to hope for any
aid from these explorations, and good
men began to see how gloriously and
impregnably they were settling the
basis of our faith.
4. What are the results? ? () A large
number of minor variations of no ac-
count-a multitude of them too trivial
to appear in the TauchnitZ edition.
Different modes of spelling the same
word: David's name, spelled in three
ways, makes in all some three times
sixty variations. Tens of thousands
of differences of this kind occur. Di-
verse grammatical formsin great num-
bers. Diversities of order: Christ Je-
sus for Jesus Christ, Esaias the proph-
ct for the prophet Esaias, woman, be-
lieve me, or, believe me, woman. OF
these and the like, a vast number. The
interchange of pronouns for nouns
che" for Jesus, or Peter, or Cornelius,
"his disciples" for the disciples, etc.,
in numerous instances. Equivalent
words: kingdom of the Lord, for
kingdom of God; two Greek words
for "saying" exchanged; "and" in
place of then or now, etc. Shorten
ings of phrases: preaching of the
kingdom" or preaching the things
concerning the kingdom of God, "
| (Acts, xiii:12). Philip cometh, or,
and again Philip cometh. (which"
for "as many as" "Rejoice because
1 CO." or, because I said 1 CO." John
Xiv:2S). Numerous omissions, from a
single word, as, ''a woman, "instead of
ga certain woman" up to a clause or
a whole sentence. Thus the Sinaitic
omits rfor the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans," land Tischen-
dorf concurs against the Alexandrine
and the Vatican). Inadvertant omis-
sions are quite numerous. insertions
| from parallel passages are also very
abundant. Thus the cOpyists often
introduced into one of gospels passag-
es from another, and in various ways
intermingled the different narratives
of the same event. or similar utteran-
ces in different parts of the New Tes-
lament. The diversities of this char
acter, really of no account, and some
of them recognizable at a glance, con-
stitute, when we compare all the
manuscripts, many thousands, and in
the best manuscripts larger number.
They are but repetitions,
o. Another less numerous class of
variations, appreciably, though not
importantiy. modifies the tho1pht.-
They strengthen the logical connec-
ton, insert or omit an explanatory
phrase or circumstance, employ a more
or less precise expression, or even add
q new shade of meaning. Still the
improvements thus resulting are few
er than those which would come from
a correction of present erroneous
translations- Frequently they relieve
the Interpretation. Occasionally a
gloss seems to have been introduced
for this very purpose. Thus in Matt.
v:22, "WithOut cause" though per-
haPs true Interpretation, is probably
a gloss. In Matt. viii "atms'T should
read righteousness" which restores
the subordination of the thoughts fol-
L. G-~A % .
has been introduced from Luke liz,
where it is genuine. "By them of
old time" falls out from VIZ, though |
belonging in verse q. In v:47 for |
"publicans" we should read "Gen-
tiles" and in vi:22 for 1--WE forgive"
read 'we have forgiven, with slight |
increase of force in both cases. Verse /
A of chapter vi is to be reduced about |
one half, with no loss of thought or |
force. These are but specimens. The l.
true text usually proves briefest, sim
plest, and most VigOrous, as well as
clear of repetitions; and the changes
that have been made in it consist very
largely Of dilutions.
81 A third class of corrections,
though having no doctrinal bearings,
clash more with our long associations.
The closing doxOlogy of the Lords
prayer, however excellent, is now
by all the critical editors as
no part of the original. The song of
the angels apparently reads "peace on
earthto the men ofgood pleasure, ,"i.e.,
of Gods good pleasure. The account
of the woman taken in adultery John
the critical editors do not in
clude in the text of Johns gospel,
though clearly very ancient and be-
lieved by Afford to be part of the
original "ordL gospel" They also
verse 4th and the last seven
words of verse Sd in John v. The
last twelve verses of Mark are dis
placed by Tischendorf and Afford,
though the latter regards them as an
authentic record" by some other
hand. OF the solemn threefold reitera-
ton in Mark ix:44, 46, AS, the first two
are omitted by Tischendorf ON the
strength of the Sinaitic, Vatican and
some other excellent MSS, butretain-
ed by Afford on the strength of the
and other old MSS, to-
gether with several of the oldest of all
versions. The case is not clear. These
are the most notable cases of this
kind.
a. While none of the various read
ings affect any question of doctrine /.
1p the whole, they do concern a very !
few Of the proof-texts, leaving the !
great multitude of them unchanged. !
In one passage there is an addition
made to the other utterances, where
instead of "eternal condemnation"
we now read eternal SIM" Mark !
ii:29.) The omission of Acts viii:37-
he three Oldest manuscripts concur
a verse which our .
brethren are fond of quoting; while,
IN the other hand, they are rejoicing
n Tischendorf7s omission in his last
edition ION much more questionable !
srOunds) of the words "and tables" {
n Mark vii:4. A slight readjustment
If the proof texts concerning Christ
axes place, with no effect on the to-
al result. The text concerning the !
hree heavenly witnesses Il John VIZ
las long ceased to be quoted by any i
Intelligent Trinitarian. 1t rests onno {
.ncient and valid idmanuscript authori- L
Y, and was not printed in the first il
dition of the Greek Testament. The t
disputed reading in l Tim. iii:16, is v
low somewhat generally conceded by a
ritical editors and scholars to be I
Who was manifest in the fiesh,n t
ather than "God manifest" etc. On il
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