Do Byzantine MSS Have Less Disagreements? (Part 2)

            Today we continue to look into a question about the rates of disagreements in the two main Alexandrian manuscripts (Vaticanus and Sinaiticus), asking if their rate or disagreement is uniquely high compared to other pairs of manuscripts, particularly manuscripts which attest to the Byzantine Text.  Our sample manuscript-pair to contrast with B and À are Codex Alexandrinus (A) and minuscule 2474 (the Elfleda Bond Goodspeed Gospels). 

            In Part 1, we saw that in Luke 19:1-27, while B and À disagree 20 times (including three transpositions), A and 2474 disagree 14 times.  We also saw that the disagreements in B and À in those verses involve 49 letters’ worth of disagreement – but in A and 2474, the disagreements involve 69 letters’ worth of disagreement. 

            Now let’s see how each pair of manuscripts disagrees in Luke 19:28-48, using the same ground-rules as before.

Luke 19:28-48:  Comparison of Codex A and 2474

28 – no differences

29 – no differences

30 – 2474 reads ω instead of ον before ουδεις (+1, -2)

30 – (2474 transposes so as to read αυτον αγάγετε)

30 – 2474 reads μοι at the end of the verse (+3) [Agreeing with G and N.] 

31 – no differences

32 – no differences

33 – no differences

34 – no differences

35 – (2474 transposes so as to read εαυτων τα)

36 – 2474 reads αυτων instead of εαυτων (-1)

37 – no differences

38 – 2474 does not have βασιλευς (-8)

38 – 2474 transposes so as to read ειρήνη εν ουνω

39 – no differences

40 – (several itacisms here, but no significant variants)

41 – 2474 reads αυτη instead of αυτην (-1)

42 – 2474 reads σου after ημερα (+3)

42 – Codex A does not have νυν δε εκρύβη απο οφθαλμων σου (-25) [h.t. error]

43 – no differences

44 – 2474 reads λιθων instead of λιθον (+1, -1)

45 – no differences

46 – Codex A reads οτι after γεγραπται (+3)

46 – 2474 reads κληθήσεται instead of εστιν (+10, -5)

46 – 2474 transposes so as to read εποιήσατε αυτον

47 – Codex A does not have οι after αρχιερεις και (-2)

48 – no differences

Luke 19:28-48:  Comparison of À and B

28 – no differences

29 – B reads εγετο instεad of εγενετο (-2)

29 – B does not have Ελεων (-5)

30 – À does not have και after εκαθισεν (-3)

31 – no differences

32 – no differences

33 – no differences

34 – no differences

35 – À reads επεβίβασαν instead of επεβίσαν (+2)

36 – À reads αυτων instead of εαυτων (-1)

37 – À reads πασων instead of παντων (+3, -4)

38 – À does not read ὁ ερχόμενος (-10)

38 – À reads εν before ειρήνη (+2)

39 – no differences

40 – B does not read οτι before εαν (-3)

41 – no differences

42 – no differences

43 – À reads περεμβαλουσιν instead of περιβαλουσιν (+2, -1)

43 – À does not read σε before και συνέξουσιν (-2)

43 – À does not read σε before πάντοθεν (-2)

44 – no differences

45 – no differences

46 – À does not read και εσται before ο οικος (-8)

47 – À does not read ιερω.  Οι δε (-8)

48 – no differences

            And now for the totals:  A and 2474 disagree 14 times in Luke 19:28-48, and these differences involve 58 letters’ worth of difference. Meanwhile, B and À disagree 15 times in Luke 18:28-49, and these differences involve 66 letters’ worth of difference. 

            In Luke 19 (combining the results in Parts 1 and 2), A and 2474 disagree 28 times, and their disagreements involve 127 letters’ worth of difference.  B and À disagree 35 times, and their disagreements involve 115 letters’ worth of difference.  All in all, this comparison indicates that the texts of Byzantine manuscripts are capable of as much intramural competition, so to speak, as the texts of Alexandrian manuscripts.

           But the possibility exists that we are looking non-typical samples.  Let’s dig a little further in Part 3 by exploring one of the sub-groups of the Byzantine Text:  manuscripts from family 35, which has a reputation for uniformity.

Do Byzantine MSS Have Less Disagreements? (Part 1)

            In the Gospels, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus disagree 3,036 times.  This has been interpreted by some researchers (such as John Burgon, in the late 1800s) as proof that at least one of the two manuscripts which were the main basis for the 1881 revision by Westcott & Hort – a compilation which resembles the Nestle-Aland compilation – is very unreliable.

            But what is the typical rate of disagreement between two of the manuscripts that display the text that Burgon preferred – the “traditional text,” or as it is better-known today, the Byzantine Text?  Let’s find out, or at least get some idea, by selecting a passage from the Gospels, and discovering how many times B and À disagree in that passage – and then select two Byzantine manuscripts and discover how many times they disagree in the same passage.  The two Byzantine manuscripts we shall examine are Codex Alexandrinus (from the 400s) and minuscule 2474, the Elfleda Bond Gospels (from the 900s).  The test-passage under consideration is chapter 19 of the Gospel of Luke; we shall first consider verses 1-27, and then verses 28-48.  In both comparisons, readings of the first hand shall be considered.

            The comparison between A and 2474 was done by comparing the transcript of A in Swanson’s Horizontal Line text of Luke to the online page-views of 2474.  The comparison between À and B was done by comparing Swanson’s transcriptions.  For both comparisons, I have overlooked differences in word-contractions, and allowed most vowel-exchanges and minor orthographic variants to pass unmentioned.   

Luke 19:1-27:  Comparison of Codex A and 2474

                                     

1 – 2474 has ο Ις after δήρχετο (+3)

2 – 2474 has ουτος instead of αυτος (+1, -1)

2 – 2474 has αυτος instead of ουτος (+1, -1)

2 – 2474 does not have ην before πλούσιος (-2)

3 – no differences

4 – 2474 reads εις το after προσδραμων (+5)

4 – 2474 reads τον Ιν where A reads αυτον (+5, -5)

4 = 2474 reads δι’ after οτι (+2)

5 – no differences      

6 – no differences

7 – 2474 reads αυτον after ιδόντες (+5)

7 – 2474 reads απαντες instead of παντες (+1)

8 – 2474 reads ημιση instead of ημισυ (+1, -1)

9 – 2474 does not have εν before σωτηρια (-2)

10 – no differences

11 – no differences

12 – no differences

13 – no differences

14 – no differences

15 – no differences

16 – no differences

17 – no differences

18 – no differences

19 – no differences

20 – 2474 reads μνας instead of μνα (+1)

21 – no differences

22 – 2474 does not read δε after λεγει (-2)   

23 – 2474 reads εκομισάμην αν το εμον συν τόκω instead of συν τόκω αν αυτο ανέπραξα (+16, -14)  [A remarkable agreement between 2474 and Codex G (011, from the 800s).] 

24 – no differences

25 – no differences

26 – no differences

27 – no differences

Luke 19:1-27:  Comparison of À and B

1 – no differences

2 – À reads ην and not αυτος before πλούσιος (+2, -5)

3 – no differences

4 – À reads του ιδειν instead of ινα ιδη (+4, -3)

5 – À reads ὁ before Ις (+1)

6 – no differences        

7 – [À transposes to ανδρι αμαρτωλω]

8 – À reads ὁ before Ζακχαιος (+1)

8 – À reads τοις before πτωχοις (+4)

9 – À reads ὁ before Ις (+1)

9 – À does not read εστιν (-5) 

10 – À reads απο after το (+3)

11 – À reads αυτοις instead of αυτους (+1, -1)

11 – [À transposes after παραχρημα]

12 – no differences

13 – no differences

14 – no differences

15 – no differences

16 – À reads προσηργάσα instead of προσηργάσατο (-2)

17 – À reads ευ instead of ευγε (-2)

17 – [À transposes to δουλε αγαθέ]

18 – no differences

19 – no differences

20 – À reads τερος instead of ετερος (-1)

21 – no differences

22 – no differences

23 – À has an extra ουν (+3)

24 – À reads αρε instead of αρατε (-2)

25 – À reads Κε after αυτω (+2)

26 – À does not read υμιν (-4)

27 – À reads κατασφάξετε instead of κατασφάξατε (+1, -1)

            And now for the totals:  in Luke 19:1-27, 2474 disagrees with A 14 times, involving a total of 69 letters’ worth of disagreement.  (That variant in verse 23 was huge.)  Meanwhile, À disagrees with B 20 times (including three mere transpositions), involving 49 letters’ worth of disagreement.  

            We should take into consideration that several centuries separate the production of Codex Alexandrinus and 2474, while probably less than 50 years separate B and À.  We should also consider the possibility that 2474 is not quite a typical medieval manuscript.  Nevertheless, judging from this particular comparison, it looks like Burgon’s criticism of B and À’s high level of disagreement is a criticism that can be aimed at some pairs of Byzantine manuscripts as well.

            The comparison continues with the rest of Luke 19 in Part 2.