SIX LECTURES ON THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. "As man is formed by nature with an incredible appetite for in arises from the Truth ; so his strongest pleasure, the enjoyment, actual communication of it to others. Without this, it would be a cold purchase, would abstract, ideal, solitary Truth, and poorly repay the labour and fatigue of the pursuit." WARBURTON, Dedication to the Divine Legation. SIX LECTURES ON THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS WHICH CONTAIN IT, CHIEFLY ADDRESSED TO THOSE "\YHO DO NOT READ GREEK. 3 ( I3r F. II. SCRIVENER, M.A., LL.D, RECTOR OF ST. OTRRAKP. Cambridge: DEIGI1TON, BELL, AND CO. Hontion: GEORGE BELL AND SONS. 1875 Cambrtorjc : PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY TO THE BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS THE FOLLOWING PAGES UEING THE SUBSTANCE OF POPULAR LECTURES ON A BRANCH OF SACRED LEARNING IN WHICH SHE TAKES A LIVELY AND PRACTICAL INTEREST ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 15 Y II EK GRATEFUL FRIEND AND SERVANT THE AUTHOR. .Yc.iY/K&iT 2, 187 i. CONTENTS. LECTURE I. TAGI: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS AND GENERAL VIEW OP T1IE SUBJECT ... ... ... ... 1 1. Study of Textual criticism neither difficult iior unfruitful. 2. Holy Scripture, like all other ancient books, preserved to our times by means of manuscripts, 3. which, in the course of ages, necessarily came to differ from each other. 4. Extent of these differences roughly estimated. 5. Purpose of this science hence inferred. The sacred autographs utterly lost. 6. Sources of information open to us for the centuries before our oldest extant manuscripts existed, by moans of versions and ecclesiastical writers. 7. Vast number of known copies of the New Testament. 8. Necessity for collating them, and mention of certain collators. 9. Modes of discriminating the date of manuscripts. 10. Shape and material of the oldest of them : palimpsest denned. 11. Styles of writing described : uncial distinguished from cursive. 12. How to detect false or supposititious documents. A visit of adventure to the- Bodleian Library. LECTURE II. ON THE PRINCIPAL GREEK MANUSCRIPTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ... ... ... ... 25 Mi thod of notation employed for UNCIAL manuscript*. Codex : its Vaticanas (13) described history, character, date, viii CONTENTS. TAGK and collators. Cod. Sinaiticus (X) similarly described. His tory of Constantino Simonides, who claimed to be the writer of it. Codd. B and N compared, their special excellencies and defects. Danger of resting on ancient authorities alone illustrated from Addison, and from examples of tln-ir own readings. Cod. Alexaudrinus (A) described, its history, date, character, and collators. Specimens in English (and Greek) of each of the three great codices, B, N and A, with observa tions. LECTUKE IIT. ON THE PRINCIPAL GREEK MANUSCRIPTS OF THE NI.W TESTAMENT: SUBJECT CONTINUED ... ... 00 Codex Ephraemi (C), Cod. Bezro (D), Cod. Claromontanus (D of S. Paul), Cod. Sangermanensis (E of S. Paul), and Cod. Laudianus (E of Acts) described and illustrated by specimens in English (and Greek). The sister manuscripts of S. Paul, Cod. Augiensis (F) and Cod. Boernerianus (G : being Cod. A of the Gospels) described and compared. Cod. Regius (L) of the Gospels, with certain palimpsest and other fragments, dis briefly noticed (for these see Index I). Their needless persion complained of. A few chief CURSIVE manuscripts described (for these see Index I). The notation adopted for them. Remarks on mediicval scribes. LECTUKE IV. ON THE ANCIENT VERSIONS AND OTHER MATERIALS FOR THE CRITICISM OF THE GREEK TEXT ... ... 8G 1. Principal use of ancient versions and ecclesiastical writers resumed from Lect. i. 6. The case illustrated from Acts xiii. 18. 2. The chief ancient versions introduced with a caution. 3. Peshito Syriac described. 4. Curetouian Syriac with a specimen. 5. Philoxeuian or Harclean Syriac. 6. Jerusalem Syriac. 7, 8. Egyptian versions, Memphitic and Thebaic. 9. Latin versions derive their origin from Africa. CONTENTS. ix I M.i: ; inal Wi.-t iuan a inYMtigfctioiu, 10, 11. The Old Latin Jlil)lc und its extant manuscripts (for tin-si ,<<r In.lrx I). 12. of tin Latin Yuk atr ; l:i. its chief lli>t.>ry manuscripts and 1 apal editions. II. Slid -t.notices of the l>nt hie, Armenian, .Kthiopic, (li or-iaii. l i r-ic, Arabic, Slavonic, Frankish, and Aii/lo-Saxou versions (for these tee Index I). 15. Critical ad\ untunes and defects of ancient trannlatious of Scripture; l(i. as also of ecclesiastical writers. Suhject illustrated from Matt. i. 18, 17. and from Luke xv. 21. 18. Great Fathers whose works are most avuilahle for critical purposes : Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, 19. Euso- bius, Jerome and the Latins, Chrysostom and John Dama scene in their oldest manuscripts, Cyril of Alexandria and his Homilies in Syriac. 20. Internal distinguished from ex ternal evidence. Subjective impressions, why they must not be excluded from view. 21. Occasions for the lawful use of internal evidence. Five Canons proposed and illustrated by examples. Cautions requisite in applying them. LECTURE V. DISCUSSION OF IMPORTANT PASSAOES IX THE HOLY GOSPELS 118 Comparative purity of the sacred text : Bentley s state ment. Passages selected for special examination. (1) Matt. v. ib. vi. 13. 22. (2) (3) ib. xi. 19. (4) ib. xvi. 2, 3. (6) ib. xvii. 21. (0) ib. xvii. 20. (7) ib. xix. 16, 17. (8) ib. xxvii. 35. (9) Mark vi. 20. (10) ib. vii. 19. (11) ib. ix. 29. (12) ib. xv. xvi. 28. (13) ib. 920. (14) Luke ii. 14. (15) ib. vi. 1. (16) ib. x.42. (17) ib. xi. 2, 4. (18) ib. xiv. 5. (19) xxii. 44. 16. 43, (20) ib. xxiii. 34. (21) John i. 18. (22) ib. in. 13. (23) ib. v. 1. (24) ib. v. 3, 4. (25) ib. vii. 8. (26) ib. vii. 53 viii. 11. LECTURE VI. DISCUSSION OP IMPORTANT PASSAGES IN THE PORTIONS OF T1IK NKW TESTAMENT WHICH FOLLOW THE GOSPELS . 1G4 Explanation. Passages selected for special examination. xi. (1) Acts 20. (2) 16. xiii. 32, 33, (3) ib. xiii. 33. (4) ib. CONTEXTS. PAGE r \\. :JJ. ib. x\i. 7- ( //). \x. 2rt. //;. xxvii. 17. (5) >) (7) (8) Bom. v. 1. (9) ifc. xiii. <>. (Id) ib. xvi. 5. (11) ifc. xvi. 25 27. 1 Cor. xi. 24. ib. xv. 4!>. ib. xv. 51. (12) (13) <1!) (!.",) Pl.il. iii. 3. (1C) Col. ii. 2. (17) 1 Tim. iii. 1(5. (18) Heb. ii. 7. (19) i&. ii. 9. (20) ib. iv. 2. (21) ib. ix. 1. (22) ib. 7.1. 13. James ii. 18. 1 Pet. iii. 15. 1 John ii. ^.j. (23) (24) (i>5) (20) i&. v. 7, 8. (27) liev. xvi. 7. General conclusion. INDEX I. MANUSCRIPTS AND ANCIENT VERSIONS OF THE NEW TESTA MENT DESCRIBED IN THESE LECTURES . 211 INDEX II. TEXTS OF HOLY SOHIPTURE ILLUSTRATED OR REFERRED TO IS THESE LECTl HES . 214 LECTURE I. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS AND GENERAL VIEW OF THE SUBJECT. I AM much afraid that some of those to whom I am about to address a course of Lectures on the Sacred Text, and especially on the ancient manuscripts, of the New Testament, will think that I might easily have chosen a more popular and interesting subject, however highly they may be disposed to estimate its importance as a branch of theological study. Nor am I much encouraged by the representations of a pious and learned person who has recently laboured, not quite unsuccessfully, over a new version of the inspired writings, and who frankly uses the following language in describing his own impressions respecting this kind of work: "In the translation I could feel delight it the of gave me word and mind God more accurately : in the critical details there is much labour and little " food (J . N. Darby, N. T., Preface). Much labour and lit tle fruit is no very cheering prospect for any one, and I should utterly despair of gaining the attention of my heart- rs alter so plain an intimation of what they have to expect, unless the experience of a life-time had : assured me that this good man s op nion is the very S. L. 1 2 PRELIMINARY COXsi l>i:u. \ TIOSS reverse of the truth. Is it a small reward for any toil we may have spent upon the investigation to discover the process by which the Scriptures have been handed down to us through threescore generations and more, or the grounds of our assurance that in their present condition the copies which are now preserved are, in the main, not unfair representations of the originals as they left the hands of the holy penmen ? Is it nothing to possess an intelligent, even though it be but a general knowledge, of the critical principles whereby, in doubtful cases, the genuine words of the Apostles and Evangelists can be discriminated from the accre tions of later times, often and in nearly all capital instances to a moral certainty, always with a degree of probability adequate for practical purposes ? Nor need the labour be excessive, or the strain on the attention unduly prolonged. The science of verbal or Textual criticism (for by this name, perhaps, it is best known) has nothing in its nature which ought to be thought hard or abstruse, or even remarkably dry and uninviting. It is conversant with varied and curious researches, which have given a certain serious pleasure to many accomplished minds: it is a department of knowledge in which it is peculiarly easy to learn a little well, and to apply what is learnt to immediate- use.