Sinaiticus and Byz: Same Message in Mark?

            As a supplement to the previous post, in which I listed 60 translation-impacting differences between the text of Matthew in Sinaiticus and the text of Matthew in the Byzantine Text, here is a list of 60 translation-impacting differences between Sinaiticus and the Byzantine Text in the text of Mark.  

  

● 1.  In Mark 1:1, does Mark, as narrator, refer to Jesus as the Son of God?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 2.  In Mark 1:2, did Mark state that it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face”?  (The quotation is from Malachi 3:1.)

            Byzantine Text:  no

            Sinaiticus:  yes
            (A four-part essay about this textual contest is available:  Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four.)

● 3.  In Mark 1:28, at the beginning of His ministry as described in Mark chapter 1, did Jesus preach in the synagogues of Galilee, or on the synagogues of Judea?

            Byzantine Text:  Galilee

            Sinaiticus:  Judea

            Inasmuch as Galilee and Judea are not the same place, these two variants do not say the same thing, and one must be incorrect.  This is a mistake by the copyist of À. 

● 4.  In Mark 1:32, were demon-possessed individuals brought to Jesus for healing?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  this is not stated

            The copyist of À skipped the second half of Mark 1:32, all of Mark 1:33, and the first part of verse 34, when his line of sight drifted from “and” (και) in the middle of verse 32 to the same word in the middle of verse 34.   

● 5.  In Mark 1:33, was all the city gathered at the door?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  this is not stated 

            The same parableptic error that affected the text of À in verse 32 has affected it here, resulting in the loss of verse 33.

● 6.  In Mark 1:34, does Mark state that Jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            Sinaiticus lacks this statement due to the same scribal error that caused the loss of verse 33.

  

● 7.  In Mark 2:12, what did the people say after Jesus healed the paralytic and forgave his sins?

            Byzantine Text:  we never saw anything like this

            Sinaiticus:  Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel

            The text of À here is corrupted by a harmonization; the phrase was taken from Matthew 9:33.

● 8.  In Mark 3:8, were Idumeans mentioned among the people who came to Jesus?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The copyist of À accidentally skipped the phrase that mentions people from Idumaea; his line of sight drifted from και (“and”) to και.

● 9.  In Mark 3:15, does Mark say that when Jesus appointed the twelve, they were given power to heal sicknesses?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no 

● 10.  Did Jesus conclude Mark 4:24 with the words, “it shall be added to you,” or, “it shall be added to you who hear”?

            Byzantine Text:  “it shall be added to you who hear.”

            Sinaiticus:  “it shall be added to you.”

● 11.  Does Mark 4:28 include the phrase “then an ear”?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The copyist of À accidentally skipped the phrase when his line of sight skipped from ειτα (“then”) to ειτα.  

● 12.  In Mark 6:4, did Jesus say, “and among his relatives”?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The copyist of À accidentally skipped the phrase when his line of sight skipped from the first occurrence of “his” (αυτου, or in À, εαυτου)  to the next occurrence of the word in the Alexandrian transmission-stream.

● 13.  In Mark 6:7-8, as Jesus sent forth the twelve, did He give them authority over unclean spirits?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The copyist of À accidental skipped this statement when his line of sight drifted from αυτοις (“them”) to the next occurrence of the same word, in verse 8.

● 14.  In Mark 6:11, did Jesus say that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than it will be for a city that rejects the apostles?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

Salome Dancing for Herod
(from fol. 21v of the Holkham Picture Bible)

● 15.  Does Mark 6:22 describe the young woman who danced in Herod’s presence – the young woman who is also identified in Matthew 14:6 as the daughter of Herodias – as “the daughter of Herod”?

            Byzantine Text:  no

            Sinaiticus:  yes

            Sinaiticus and some other Alexandrian witnesses also say that her name was Herodias:  της θυγατρὸς αυτου Ἡρωδιάδος, although Josephus identifies her as Salome, the daughter of Herodias from her marriage to Herod’s brother.  The idea that Mark would describe this young woman as Herod’s daughter, immediately after reporting that John the Baptist had declared Herod’s marriage to Herodias to be unlawful, seems implausible, as does the idea that Herod would happen to have a daughter with the same name as the woman who had been married to his brother.  Nevertheless, the editors of the Nestle-Aland compilation, and the editors of the NET, seem determined to prefer the more difficult reading, even when it appears to contradict Matthew 14:6, and it poses a historical improbability, and is something intrinsically unlikely for the author to have written.

● 16.  Did Mark report in 6:27-28 that a soldier beheaded John the Baptist in the prison?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The copyist of À accidentally skipped the second half of verse 27 and the first segment of verse 28 when his line of sight drifted from “his head” (την κεφαλην αυτου) in verse 27 to the same words in verse 28.  (Amazingly, this omission in the text of À has not been corrected.)

● 17.  In Mark 6:36, as the disciples said that the crowds should be dismissed, did the disciples also say specifically that the people did not have anything to eat?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no   

● 18.  Did Mark note in 7:3 that the Pharisees wash with the fist (so as to wash the entire hand, according to a certain custom), or that the Pharisees wash often?

            Byzantine Text:  with the fist

            Sinaiticus:  often

            An interesting side-note:  the KJV agrees with the rare reading found in À; however the 1611 KJV had a margin-note offering an alternative rendering (“diligently”) and mentioning that the original text means “with the fist,” which was understood by the commentator Theophylact to mean “up to the elbow.” 

● 19.  Does Mark 7:4 describe immersions, or acts in which water was poured over various objects?

            Byzantine Text:  immersions (βαπτίσωνται)

            Sinaiticus:  acts in which water was poured (ῥαντίσωνται)

● 20.  Did Jesus say “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” in Mark 7:16?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            This verse is not only absent from À but from a few other Alexandrian manuscripts too.

● 21.  Does Mark 8:7 say that Jesus commanded that the fish was to be set before the people, or did Jesus set the fish before the people?

            Byzantine Text:  Jesus commanded that the fish was to be set before the people

            Sinaiticus:  Jesus set the fish before the people

● 22.  Does Mark 8:25 say that Jesus, when He laid hands on the blind man, made him look up?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no  

● 23.  In Mark 8:26, did Jesus tell the man whose sight was restored that he was not to tell anyone in the village?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 24.  In Mark 8:29, did Peter say, “You are the Christ,” or “You are the Christ, the Son of God”?

            Byzantine Text:  “You are the Christ.”

            Sinaiticus:  “You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

            The text in À has been expanded via a partial harmonization to Matthew 16:16.

● 25.  In Mark 9:3, did Mark describe the clothing worn by Christ during the Transfiguration as “very white, like snow” or simply as “very white”?

            Byzantine Text:  “very white, like snow”

            Sinaiticus:  “very white”  

● 26.  In Mark 9:9, did Jesus tell Peter and James and John that they should tell no one about the Transfiguration when the Son of Man is risen from the dead?

            Byzantine Text:  no; He said to tell no one until then

            Sinaiticus:  yes

            Apparently the copyist of À deleted the words ει μη due to a concern that readers might misconstrue the double negative construction in the verse.

● 27.  Were the Pharisees mentioned in the question in Mark 9:11?

            Byzantine Text:  no, only the scribes

            Sinaiticus:  yes, the scribes and Pharisees are both mentioned

● 28.  In Mark 9:24, did the father of the afflicted child cry out with tears?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 29.  In Mark 9:29, did Jesus say that a particular kind of unclean spirit could only be exorcised with prayer and fasting?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no, only “with prayer.”
            This textual contest is particularly interesting because, when combined with the textual contest in Matthew 17:21, the text of Sinaiticus is incapable of teaching the same thing that the Byzantine Text teaches on the subject of exorcism.

● 30.  In Mark 9:42, did Jesus refer to little ones who believe in Me, or simply to little ones who believe?

            Byzantine Text:  little ones who believe in Me

            Sinaiticus:  little ones who believe

● 31.  Are Mark 9:44 and 9:45b-46 included in the text, repeating for emphasis what is stated in 9:48?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 32.  Does Mark 9:49 conclude with the words, “And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt”?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 33.  Does Mark 10:7 include the phrase “and cleave unto his wife”?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 34.  In Mark 10:24, did Jesus say that it is hard for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven, or did He say that it is hard to enter into the kingdom of heaven?

            Byzantine Text:   it is hard for those who trust in riches

            Sinaiticus:  it is hard

            Sinaiticus has some allies here, such as B W Δ Ψ.  A parableptic error accounts for the shorter reading, inasmuch as the word for “is” (εστιν) ends with the same two letters as the last word in the disputed phrase, “riches” (χρήμασιν).  

● 35.  How does Peter’s statement in Mark 10:28 end?

            Byzantine Text:  we have left everything and followed You.

            Sinaiticus:  Therefore, what shall be ours?

            The text of À has been expanded via a harmonization to Matthew 19:27.

● 36.  Is one’s wife included in the list in Mark 10:29?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 37.  In Mark 10:30, what is included in the list of what may be received?

            Byzantine Text:  houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands – with persecution.

            Sinaiticus:  nothing is in the verse between “in this time” and “and in the world to come, life eternal.”

● 38.  Are the scribes mentioned in Mark 10:33?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            The short reading in À is a symptom of parablepsis, και to και.

● 39.  In Mark 10:35, what do James and John say, and how does Jesus answer in verse 36?

            Byzantine Text:  they say, “Teacher, we desire that You grant to us whatsoever we desire,” and Jesus replies, “What is it that you desire Me to do for you?”

            Sinaiticus:  they say, “Teacher, we desire,” and the rest of verse 35 is missing.  All of verse 36 is also missing, and the first part of verse 37 is also missing.  The text resumes with “that one may be seated on Your right hand.”

            Apparently the line of sight of the copyist of À drifted from the word ινα (“that”) in verse 35 to the same word in verse 37, skipping all the words in between.

● 40.  How does Mark 10:40 end?

            Byzantine Text:  “for whom it has been prepared.”

            Sinaiticus:  “for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

            The text of À has been expanded via harmonization to Matthew 20:23.

● 41.  How did Jesus describe the village where the disciples were to find the colt in Mark 11:2?

            Byzantine Text:  “across from you” (also rendered as “opposite you”)

            Sinaiticus:  there is no particular description; it is just “the village”

            The shorter reading in À is probably to be accounted for by a parableptic error in which the copyist’s line of sight drifted from the final letter of κώμην (“village”) to the final letter of “you” (υμων).

● 42.  Does Mark 11:23 end with the phrase “whatever he shall say”?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 43.  What does Jesus say in Mark 11:26?

            Byzantine Text:  “But if you do not forgive, neither shall your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

            Sinaiticus:  nothing; the verse is not there.

            The shorter reading in the Alexandrian Text is accounted for by a parableptic error in which an early copyist’s line of sight drifted from the words τα παραπτώματα υμων (“your trespasses”) at the end of verse 25 to the same words at the end of verse 26, skipping all the words in between.

● 44.  In Mark 12:25, does Jesus affirm that in the resurrection, no one marries?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no; Jesus only affirms that no one is given in marriage (the words ουτε γαμουσιν are absent)

            The shorter reading in À looks like a symptom of scribal inattentiveness; the copyist’s line of sight drifted from one occurrence of ουτε to the next occurrence.

● 45.  Is the phrase “and with all the soul” in Mark 12:33?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 46.  How many times is Jesus called “Teacher” in Mark 13:1?

            Byzantine Text:  once

            Sinaiticus:  twice

● 47.  It is easier to simply describe the weirdness of Sinaiticus’ text of Mark 13:8 than to present it in a comparison to the Byzantine Text:  the copyist of À wrote “kingdom” instead of “kingdom against kingdom,” and after “earthquake” (σεισμοι), a segment of text is missing; the text resumes with αρχη ωδείνων ταυτα (“These are the beginnings of sorrows”).  It appears that the copyist was very inattentive; besides omitting “kingdom against,” his line of sight also drifted from the letters at the end of σεισμοι to the same letters at the end of λιμοι.

● 48.  In Mark 13:14, does Jesus affirm that the abomination of desolation is mentioned by the prophet Daniel?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 49.  Does Mark 14:19 include the phrase, “And another, ‘Is it I?’”

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 50.  In Mark 14:22, in what order does Jesus give thanks for the bread, and break it?

            Byzantine Text:  He blessed it, and broke it

            Sinaiticus:  he broke it, and blessed it

● 51.  In Mark 14:30, did Jesus mention that the rooster would crow two times?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 52.  Do the false witnesses in Mark 14:58 say that they heard Jesus saying something?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

            Apparently somewhere in the transmission-stream of À, a copyist accidentally skipped from οτι at the beginning of the verse to its next occurrence, thus losing the words in between; another copyist attempted to salvage the omission by inserting ειπεν.

● 53.  What did the high priest ask in Mark 14:61?

            Byzantine Text:  Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?

            Sinaiticus:  Are you the Christ, the Son of God?

● 54.  Does Mark 14:68 say that a rooster crowed?

            Byzantine Text: yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 55.  In Mark 14:71, did Peter say, “I do not know that man of whom you speak,” or, “I do not know the man”?

            Byzantine Text:  I do not know that man of whom you speak.

            Sinaiticus:  I do not know the man

● 56.  Does Mark 14:71 say that a rooster crowed a second time?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no

● 57.  Does Mark 15:28 mention the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 53:12?

            Byzantine Text:  yes

            Sinaiticus:  no; the entire verse is absent

● 58.  Does Mark affirm that Jesus was seen by Mary Magdalene after He arose from the dead?

            Byzantine Text:  yes (in Mark 16:9)

            Sinaiticus:  no; the text of Mark on the replacement-sheet in Sinaiticus stops at the end of 16:8.

● 59.  In the Gospel of Mark, does Jesus instruct His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel?

            Byzantine Text:  yes (in Mark 16:15)

            Sinaiticus:  no; the text of Mark on the replacement-sheet in Sinaiticus stops at the end of 16:8.

● 60.  Does Mark record that Jesus ascended to the right hand of God?

            Byzantine Text:  yes (in Mark 16:19, as affirmed by Irenaeus)

            Sinaiticus:  no; the text of Mark on the replacement-sheet in Sinaiticus stops at the end of 16:8.

           While some of these differences are minor, such as the repetition in 13:1, others involve a difference between a true statement in the Byzantine Text and an error in the text in Sinaiticus, such as in 1:28 and 6:22.  In other cases, the text in Sinaiticus has been expanded via harmonization, such as in 2:12, 8:29, and 10:28.  In other cases, it has been shortened due to a scribal error, such as in 1:32-33, 1:34, 3:8, 4:28, 6:7-8, 6:27-28, 10:35-37, 11:2, 12:25,  13:8, and 14:58.  When one goes from the Byzantine Text of Mark to the text of Mark written by the copyist of Sinaiticus, much more than Mark 16:9-20 disappears; within Mark 1:1-16:8 there is, added up, practically a whole chapter’s worth of verses in Sinaiticus that that have been significantly changed due to scribal corruptions.



Readers are invited to double-check the data in this post.