Josep Rius-Camps - Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, «The variant readings of the western text of the acts of the apostles (XIII)», Vol. 15 (2002) 111-132
Josep Rius-Camps continues his series of notes on the readings of Codex Bezae in the text of Acts, in collaboration with Jenny Read-Heimerdinger. The present section deals with the events following Stephen’s death, namely the persecution of the Jesus-believers and the ministry of Philip.
Having undertaken a joint project to publish in English a commentary comparing the message of the Bezan text of Acts with that of the Alexandrian
tradition, adopting as a basis the commentary in Catalan of Josep Rius-Camps, we will continue the series of notes on the Acts of the Apostles
in both our names using the format of the English publication (of which the first volume on Acts 1–5 has recently appeared).
The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles (XIII) 123
Ψ 33. 614. 1611. 2344. 2412 ‖ παÏαλ. (+ καὶ DB) χωλ. á¼Î¸ÎµÏαπεύοντο D*,
(multi enim) paralysin passi clodi curabantur d (69).
B03 distinguishes between the paralysed and the lame, and views their
healing as a completed, or overall, event with the aorist; D05* speaks of
the ‘paralysed lame’, and uses the imperfect tense to express their healing,
in line with the series of imperfect verbs in the preceding clauses.
8.8 á¼Î³á½³Î½ÎµÏ„ο δὲ πολλὴ χαÏá½± B P74 ) A C 81. 1175 … á¼Î³. δὲ χαÏá½° μεγάλη 88.
945. 1739. 1891 … καὶ á¼Î³. χαÏá½° μεγάλη E H P Ψ 049. 056. 1. 33. 69. 323.
614c. 927. 1245. 1505. 1611. 2344. (2412). 2492. 2495 ‖ χαÏá½± τε μεγάλη
á¼Î³. D (gaudium magnum factum est d).
The construction of B03 is not found elsewhere in Luke’s work, χαÏá½°
μεγάλη being the usual expression (Lk. 2:10; 24:52 [not B03]; Acts 15:3).
The position of the phrase at the head of the sentence in D05 underlines
its importance, with the connective τε presenting the joy as being the
dominating effect of Philip’s activity11.
8.9 Ï€ÏοϋπῆÏχεν ... μαγεύων καὶ á¼Î¾Î¹ÏƒÏ„άνων B P74 ) A C P 81. 1175 (d) …
Ï€ÏοϋπῆÏχεν ... μαγ. κ. á¼Î¾á½·ÏƒÏ„ων DB E H P Ψ 049. 056. 1. 33. 69. 88. 614.
945. 1241. 1245. 1611. 1739. 2344. 2412. 2492. 2495 pler ‖ Ï€ÏοϋπάÏχων
... μαγ. á¼Î¾á½·ÏƒÏ„ανε D*vid.
The verb Ï€ÏοϋπάÏχω is used to compose a periphrastic form of the
verb to indicate a state of affairs that had already existed for some time.
B03 reads an imperfect with the participles μαγεύων and á¼Î¾Î¹ÏƒÏ„άνων
depending on it (cf. Lk. 23:12 B03). D05, on the other hand, reads the
present participles Ï€ÏοϋπάÏχων and μαγεύων, followed by á¼Î¾á½·ÏƒÏ„ανε
which represents a form of the imperfect of á¼Î¾á½·ÏƒÏ„ημι, constructed on
á¼Î¾Î¹ÏƒÏ„άνω12. Delebecque citing Blass, gives á¼Î¾á½·ÏƒÏ„ανεν13; Wetstein suggests
ἑξέστανε p.m.’14. In the MS, the letters εξε... can be read, indicating that
the original form was εξειστανε[ν].
8:13 ἦν Ï€ÏοσκαÏτεÏῶν B P74 ) Ds.m. rell ‖ ἦν καὶ Ï€Ï. D*, et adhaerebat
d.
11
Cf. S.H. Levinsohn, Textual Connections in Acts (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987), pp.
121-23.
12
See Bauer, W., A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early
Christian Literature (ed. and trans. W.F. Arndt and F.W. Gingrich; Chicago: Chicago Uni-
versity Press, 1957), á¼Î¾Î¯ÏƒÏ„ηµι.
13
Les deux Actes des Apôtres (Paris: Gabalda, 1986), p. 63.
14
See F.H. Scrivener, Bezae Codex Cantabrigiensis (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pickurick
Press, 1978), p. 442.
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