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).
126 Josep Rius-Camps and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
8:23 εἰς Î³á½°Ï Ï‡Î¿Î»á½´Î½ πικÏίας καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας á½Ïῶ σε ὄντα B P74
) DB rell ‖ á¼Î½ γ. πικÏ. χολῇ καὶ συνδέσμῳ ἀδ. θεωÏῶ σε ὄντα D*, lac. d.
The variants in this clause affect first, the initial preposition and the
associated case of the nouns they govern, then secondly, the word order
of the first pair of nouns, and finally, the verb. Whereas with á¼Î½ in D05,
Peter views Simon as already in the undesirable state he describes, it is
possible that with εἰς in B03 he sees him as heading towards that state;
that said, B03 tends to use εἰς with a static force equivalent to the meaning
of á¼Î½21. The phrase χολὴν πικÏίας translates a Hebrew idiom in which the
noun in the genitive has an adjectival force (‘bitter gall’)22. The construc-
tion occurs elsewhere in the New Testament, always with the noun in the
genitive in second place which is the Hebrew word order, as is seen here
in the second pair of nouns (cf. in Luke’s writings, e.g. Lk. 4:22; 16:9; Acts
9:15). By disrupting the word order pattern here, D05 sets up a chiastic
structure with the second pair of nouns (genitive-dative // dative-genitive)
which reinforces Peter’s description of Simon’s desperate state.
As for the verb, finally, θεωÏῶ conveys more readily the sense of inner
perception than does á½Ïῶ.
8:24 εἶπεν B P74 ) rell ‖ εἶπ. Ï€Ïὸς αá½Ï„ούς D mae, lac. d.
A prepositional phrase which makes explicit the addressee after a
verb of speaking is typically used to insist on the relationship between
the speaker and hearer, and is considerably more common in the text of
D05 than in B0323. It concords with the reading of παÏακαλῶ in D05
(see next vl) and also the detail at the end of the verse describing Simon’s
distress.
∆εήθητε B P74 ) rell ‖ ΠαÏακαλῶ˙ δεήθ. D 614. 1611. 2412 pc gig r syh**
mae, lac. d.
The insistence of Simon Magus echoes not only the earlier narrative
description (cf. 8:18 D05), but in a more distant past, the pleading of
Simon Peter during the incident of the miraculous catch of fish, when he
begs Jesus to leave him (Lk. 5:8 D05), though there, too, only in D05.
á½‘Ï€á½²Ï á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦ B P74 ) DB rell ‖ πεÏὶ á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦ D* 88. 1175 pc, lac. d.
There is a slight difference in Simon’s request: ‘pray for me’ (B03) or
‘pray about me’ (D05).
21
Read-Heimerdinger, The Bezan Text, pp. 192-95.
22
Zerwick-Grosvenor, Analysis, p. 376.
23
Read-Heimerdinger, The Bezan Text, pp. 176-82.
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