Josep Rius-Camps - Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, «The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles (XVIII).», Vol. 19 (2006) 99-112
13:1-12 is the section covered by these notes, a passage that marks
an important development in the narrative as Paul becomes the main
protagonist for the rest of the book of Acts. It is in these verses that the
Holy Spirit calls him, by his name of Saul, to be the collaborator of Barnabas
for the work of spreading the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. The mission
begins in Cyprus, where Paul’s strategy of visiting the Jews first, in order to
prepare them for the entry of the Gentiles into Israel, will be shown up by
Luke, in the text of Codex Bezae, to be out of step with the plan of Jesus.
102 Josep Rius-Camp and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
ἀπέλυσαν B P74 a A rell | ἀπ. αá½Ï„ούϛ E lat sy sa bo; Lcf ‖ om. D d.
The main verb is left out of D05. If ἀπέλυσαν αá½Ï„ούϛ was read by
D05, as it is by E08 and the versions, it could be that there was confusion
with the end of the previous line and that the error was caused by
homoieoteleuton: ΑΥΤΟΙΣ … ΑΥΤΟΥΣ. The omission of the accusative
pronoun in B03 is to be noted: in most cases where the pronoun is omitted
after the second of two verbs that have the same object, both verbs take
the direct object. Only here in B03, as at 4:3 B03 and 21:33, the object of
the first verb is indirect and is included, but the object of the second verb
(omitted) is direct2.
[B] 13:4-12 Cyprus
The visit to Cyprus falls into two sub-sequences, which will be dealt
with together since they are intimately connected:
[BA] 13:4-5 Cyprus I: Salamis
[BA’] 13:6-12 Cyprus II: Paphos
Translation
Codex Bezae D05 Codex Vaticanus B03
[Aa] 4 So the ones who had been sent out 4 So they who had been sent out by the
by the Holy Spirit, having gone down Holy Spirit went down to Seleucia, and
to Seleucia from there they sailed away sailed away from there to Cyprus;
to Cyprus.
[b] 5a Once they were in Salamis, they 5a and when they were in Salamis, they
announced the word of the Lord in the began to announce the word of God in
synagogues of the Jews; the synagogues of the Jews;
[b′] 5b yet they had John assisting them. 5b yet they had John as an assistant.
[A’a] 6 When they had gone round the whole 6 When they had gone across the whole
of the island as far as Paphos, they of the island as far as Paphos, they
found a certain magician, a Jewish fal- found a certain magician, a Jewish false
se prophet called by the name of Bar- prophet who had the name of Bar-Jesus
7a and who was with the proconsul,
Iesoua 7a who was with the proconsul,
Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man.
[b] 7b He, having invited Barnabas and 7b He, having called Barnabas and Saul,
Saul, was intent on hearing the word sought to hear the word of God.
of God.
See the analysis by J. Read-Heimerdinger, ‘Tracking of Participants: The Use of the
2
Third Person Pronoun in Acts’, RCatT 31 (2006) 439–455.