Table Of Content
A Gospel Synopsis of the Greek Text of Matthew, Mark and Luke
New Testament Tools,
Studies and Documents
New Testament Tools, Studies, and Documents (NTTSD) combines two series, New
Testament Tools and Studies (NTTS) and Studies and Documents (SD). The former was
founded by Bruce M. Metzger in 1965 and edited by him until 1993, when Bart D. Ehrman
joined him as co-editor. The latter series was founded by Kirsopp and Silva Lake in 1935,
edited by them until the death of Kirsopp Lake in 1946, then briefly by Silva Lake and
Carsten Høeg (1955), followed by Jacob Geerlings (until 1969), by Irving Alan Sparks (until
1993), and finally by Eldon Jay Epp (until 2007).
The new series will promote the publication of primary sources, reference tools, and
critical studies that advance the understanding of the New Testament and other early
Christian writings and writers into the fourth century. Emphases of the two predecessor
series will be retained, including the textual history and transmission of the New
Testament and related literature, relevant manuscripts in various languages, methodologies
for research in early Christianity. The series will also publish a broader range of studies
pertinent to early Christianity and its writings.
Editors
Bart D. Ehrman, Ph.D.
James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Eldon J. Epp, Ph.D.
Harkness Professor of Biblical Literature Emeritus and
Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Emeritus,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
VOLUME 45
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ntts
A Gospel Synopsis of the Greek Text
of Matthew, Mark and Luke
A Comparison of Codex Bezae and Codex Vaticanus
Edited by
Jenny Read-Heimerdinger and Josep Rius-Camps
In Collaboration with
Enric Muñarch
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A gospel synopsis of the Greek text of Matthew, Mark and Luke : a comparison of Codex Bezae and
Codex Vaticanus / edited by Jenny Read-Heimerdinger and Josep Rius-Camps ; in collaboration
with Enric Muñarch.
pages cm. — (New Testament tools, studies, and documents)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-26213-3 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-26668-1 (e-book) 1. Bible.
Gospels—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Synoptic problem. 3. Bible. Gospels Greek—Versions.
I. Read-Heimerdinger, Jenny. II. Rius-Camps, Josep.
BS2555.52.G667 2014
226’.0486—dc23
2014005536
issn 0077-8842
isbn �78-�0-04-26213-3 (hardback)
isbn �78-�0-04-26668-1 (e-book)
Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei
Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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nv provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center,
222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, ma 01923, usa. Fees are subject to change.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
Preface vii
Abbreviations viii
Introduction ix
List of Works Cited xix
Part I: Synopsis Matthew – Mark – Luke 1
Part II: Synopsis Mark – Matthew – Luke 116
Part III: Synopsis Luke – Matthew – Mark 196
Preface
In the course of our separate and joint studies range of reference tools and academic publica-
of the New Testament, we have benefited richly tions across the range of linguistic, exegetical
from the many tools available for the close analy- and literary studies; and computers, too, played
sis of the Greek text. These have not only facili- an essential role in the undertaking, more espe-
tated our research but, indeed, made it possible cially in the latter stages for the compilation of
in the first place. They include reference works of the Synopsis in its eighteen columns (six for each
all kinds, as well as editions of the text and, not Gospel). We are conscious that our best efforts to
least, the manuscripts themselves together with check for accuracy and consistency may not have
copies of them in one form or another. With the avoided the presence of errors in such a complex
progressive development of electronic resources, and extensive text, and we welcome any correc-
the number of such tools and their accessibility tions that readers may suggest.
have increased significantly. That is not to say that Throughout the successive stages of the
older works have become redundant—on the endeavour, beyond our gratitude for existing
contrary, they frequently contain treasures that published work we have been ever conscious of
are the fruit of meticulous and detailed exami- our indebtedness to our teachers, from our first
nation of the Greek text, which can scarcely be introduction to biblical and linguistic studies
replaced by digitalized analysis. to the present-day. Their contribution has been
In recognition of our debt to the scholarly complemented by that of our students who, by
world, we would like to offer in turn a new tool their questioning and progressive learning, have
that we hope will serve to advance research in the challenged us to refine our thinking and to hone
field of New Testament studies. Our project of a our own approach to the New Testament text.
new Gospel Synopsis is based, first, on two of the It is thus in a spirit of exploration and mutual
earliest extant manuscripts; these we have exam- enrichment that we wish to share this new Gospel
ined and compared by having recourse to a whole Synopsis.
Abbreviations
BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
JSNTSup. Journal for the Study of the New Testament: Supplement Series
LNTS Library of New Testament Studies
N–A Nestle–Aland
NovTSup. Novum Testamentum Supplementum
NTS New Testament Studies
NTTSD New Testament Tools, Studies and Documents
RCatT Revista Catalana de Teologia
UBS United Bible Societies
Manuscripts Cited
א01 Codex Sinaiticus
B03 Codex Vaticanus
D05 Codex Bezae (Greek)
d5 Codex Bezae (Latin)
Introduction
A Rationale for a New Gospel Synopsis the printed text varies somewhat from one place of varia-
tion to another. At the same time, it also emerges that, in
The purpose of this edition of the Synoptic Gospels is to actual fact, the text of the Gospels selected by the editors
provide an objective tool for New Testament study and is largely that attested by Codex Vaticanus (B03),3 sup-
research that has hitherto not been available. ported more often than not by Codex Sinaiticus (א01).4
Dated to the middle of the 4th century, these manuscripts
1 A Comparison with Existing Synopses present the earliest complete Gospels in Greek and the
Present synopses of the Gospels,1 whether in Greek or in value of many of their readings is confirmed by their pres-
translation, generally adopt the Nestle-Aland/UBS edi- ence among the papyrus fragments from the 3rd and 4th
tion of the Greek text.2 The principle of this text is that centuries (notably 𝔓45.75). It is a text generally associated
it is an eclectic one, with readings taken from many dif- with Alexandria.
ferent manuscripts. Evidence of the procedure followed It is on this edition that work on the Gospels, whether
is apparent throughout the critical apparatus where the textual, exegetical, historical or theological, is almost
support is displayed for the readings selected by the edi- invariably based.5 The editors of N–A27 themselves
tors as being most likely to be original, support that is expressed some hesitation in claiming too much for their
found among the Greek manuscripts and lectionaries, text in terms of its resemblance to ‘the original’,6 while
the early versions and the writings of the Church Fathers. remaining confident in the appropriateness of the eclec-
Alongside this information are presented alternative read- tic method for reconstructing the New Testament text.
ings together with their corresponding witnesses. In con- This confidence is not, however, shared by all scholars, a
sulting the apparatus it can be seen that the support for number of whom dispute either the procedure adopted or
1 The principal synopsis in Greek is that of K. Aland (ed.), Synopsis manuscript has been extensively studied; for a recent collection of
quattuor evangeliorum (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 15th papers on different aspects of it, see P. Andrist (ed.), Le Manuscrit
edn, 2007). B de la Bible (Vaticanus graecus 1209) (Histoire du texte biblique 7;
Online editions that rely on this text include, in Greek: http://www Lausanne: Éditions du Zèbre, 2009).
.textexcavation.com/synopticproject.html (B. Smith; last updated 4 A recent facsimile of Codex Sinaiticus has been published by
2006); http://www.amen-online.org/synopsis/ (O.J. Schmidt- the British Library, Codex Sinaiticus: A Facsimile (Peabody, MA:
Wischhöferlast updated 2009); and in English: http://www.utoronto Hendrickson Publishers, 2011). There is a website devoted to the
.ca/religion/synopsis// (J. Marhsall; last updated 2001). Alternative manuscript and its study: http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/ (last
editions to Aland’s include that of A. Huck, revised by H. Greeven, accessed June 2013).
Synopsis of the First Three Gospels with the Addition of the Johannine 5 See, e.g., B and K. Aland, The Text of the New Testament: An
Parallel (Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1981). Greeven’s text differs Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice
slightly from the N–A/UBS text (see P. Head, ‘Textual Criticism of Modern Textual Criticism (trans. Erroll F. Rhodes; Grand Rapids,
and the Synoptic Problem’, in New Studies in the Synoptic Problem. Michigan: Eerdmans, 1995), pp. 26–30.
Oxford Conference, April 2008. Essays in Honour of Christopher M. 6 ‘It should naturally be understood that this text is a working text . . .:
Tuckett (P. Foster, A. Gregory, J.S. Kloppenborg and J. Verheyden it is not to be considered as definitive, but as a stimulus to further
[eds]; BETL 239; Leuven: Peeters, 2011), pp. 115–56 (141–42). For a efforts toward defining and verifying the text of the New Testament’
fuller presentation of synopses, see J.S. Kloppenborg, ‘Synopses (N–A27, Introduction, p. 45*). While this comment is absent in the
and the Synoptic Problem’, in New Studies in the Synoptic Problem newer 28th edition, there is nevertheless an implicit invitation to
(Foster et al [eds]), pp. 51–86. readers ‘to make a critical assessment of the reconstruction of the
2 B. Aland, K. Aland, J. Karavidopoulos, C.M. Martini and B.M. Greek initial text’ (N–A28, p. 47*). The wording here reflects the chal-
Metzger (eds), Novum Testamentum Graece (Stuttgart: Deutsche lenge made by textual scholars to the notion of an edition represent-
Bibelgesellschaft, 27th edn, 1993= N–A27; 28th rev. edn, 2012 = N–A28); ing the ‘original text’, and illustrates the preference for the concept
The Greek New Testament (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft/ of an ‘initial text’ (Ausgangstext). This has been defined as ‘a stage of
United Bible Societies, 4th edn, 1993 = UBS4). a text’s history that stands between its literary formation, on the one
3 For a facsimile edition of Codex Vaticanus made by Biblioteca hand, and the archetype of the extant manuscripts, on the other’
Apostolica Vaticana, see Bibliorum Sacrorum Graecorum Codex (M.W. Holmes, ‘From ‘Original Text’ to “Initial Text”: the Traditional
Vaticanus B (Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 1999). Goal of New Testament Textual Criticism in Contemporary
Images of the manuscript can be viewed at the website of the Discussion’, in The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary
Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts: http://www Research: Essays on the Status Quaestionis [B.D. Ehrman and
.csntm.org/Manuscript/View/GA_03 (last accessed June 2013). The M.W. Holmes (eds.); NTTSD 42; Leiden: Brill, 2012], pp. 637–88).
