FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>   >|  
readings,' and illustrate it as they imagine with what are really insinuations of doubt, in the way that they prepare an edition of the classics for the purpose of enlarging and sharpening the minds of youthful students. There was intention, and the intention was good: but it was none the less productive of corruption.] I suspect that if we ever obtain access to a specimen of those connected Gospel narratives called Diatessarons, which are known to have existed anciently in the Church, we shall be furnished with a clue to a problem which at present is shrouded in obscurity,--and concerning the solution of which, with such instruments of criticism as we at present possess, we can do little else but conjecture. I allude to those many occasions on which the oldest documents extant, in narrating some incident which really presents no special difficulty, are observed to diverge into hopeless variety of expression. An example of the thing referred to will best explain my meaning. Take then the incident of our Lord's paying tribute,--set down in St. Matt. xvii. 25, 26. The received text exhibits,--'And when he [Peter] had entered ([Greek: hote eiselthen]) into the house, Jesus was beforehand with him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? of their sons or of strangers?' Here, for [Greek: hote eiselthen], Codex B (but no other uncial) substitutes [Greek: elthonta]: Codex [Symbol: Aleph] (but no other) [Greek: eiselthonta]: Codex D (but no other) [Greek: eiselthonti]: Codex C (but no other) [Greek: hote elthon]: while a fifth lost copy certainly contained [Greek: eiselthonton]; and a sixth, [Greek: elthonton auton]. A very fair specimen this, be it remarked in passing, of the _concordia discors_ which prevails in the most ancient uncial copies[179]. How is all this discrepancy to be accounted for? The Evangelist proceeds,--'Peter saith unto Him ([Greek: Legei auto ho Petros]), Of strangers.' These four words C retains, but continues--'Now when he had said, Of strangers' ([Greek: Eipontos de autou, apo ton allotrion]);--which unauthorized clause, all but the word [Greek: autou], is found also in [Symbol: Aleph], but in no other uncial. On the other hand, for [Greek: Legei auto ho Petros], [Symbol: Aleph] (alone of uncials) substitutes [Greek: Ho de ephe]: and B (also alone of uncials) substitutes [Greek: Eipontos de],--and then proceeds exactly like the received text: while D merel
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Symbol

 

strangers

 

uncial

 
substitutes
 
proceeds
 

uncials

 
tribute
 

eiselthen

 

present

 

Eipontos


incident
 

intention

 

specimen

 

Petros

 

received

 
elthonta
 

eiselthonta

 

eiselthonti

 

thinkest

 
earthly

discrepancy

 
accounted
 

Evangelist

 

retains

 

clause

 

allotrion

 

continues

 
elthonton
 

unauthorized

 

eiselthonton


contained

 

ancient

 

copies

 

prevails

 

discors

 

remarked

 

passing

 

concordia

 

elthon

 

paying


narratives

 

called

 

Diatessarons

 

Gospel

 

connected

 

obtain

 
access
 

existed

 

shrouded

 

obscurity