The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles 111 εὐθέωϛ is read four times in Acts D05 but is omitted by a01/B03, each time in the context of a supernatural event: here at 13:11, when the magician became blind; at 14.10 in combination with παραχρῆμα, when the lame man got up; 16.18, as the spirit of divination left the girl in Philipi; 19:6, when the Holy Spirit fell on the Ephesians. All the other occurrences in Acts of the adverb εὐθέωϛ, including two omitted by D05 (16:10; 17:14), arise in the context of a human action, with the sole exception of 9:18 (D05 lac.) when Paul’s sight was restored. παραχρῆμα is also used in a supernatural context, though not exclusively: 3:7, the lame man’s feet were made strong (the lame man stood D05); 5:5 D05 (om. παραχρῆμα AT), Ananias died; 5:10, Sapphira fell and died at Peter’s feet; 12:23, the angel of the Lord struck Herod; 16:26 (om. παραχρῆμα B03), the doors of the prison were opened; 16:33, the Philippian jailor was baptized. The connective δέ in B03 views the fulfilment of Paul’s words as a new development; καί in D05, especially combined with εὐθέωϛ, presents it more as an expected counterpart. (ἔπεσεν) ἐπ’ αὐτόν D P74 a rell ‖ om. B P45vid. The omission of ἐπ’ αὐτόν by B03 is probably due to homoioteleuton, for the idea that the mist and darkness was a general phenomenon contradicts the following statement, namely that the magician loocked for someone to guide him. 12 τότε ἰδών B P45.74 a rell, tunc cum vidisset d ‖ ἰδὼν δέ D gig (syp aeth); Lcf.— ἐθαύμασεν καὶ (ἐπίστευσεν) D, miratus est et credidit d E (gig) syp aeth; Lcf Ephr Vig ‖ om. B P45.74 a rell. The observation that ‘τότε ἰδών ‘ne se lit nulle part ailleurs’28 is not especially significant since τότε commonly introduces a prompt and conclusive response in the narrative of Acts, such as the proconsul’s belief, which is presented here by B03 as the outcome of the present incident29. D05, on other hand, first makes the comment that the proconsul marvelled, which does not need to be underlined as prompt nor was it in itself the conclusive response, and so τότε is not appropriate. This is a clear example of the articulation of the text being adjusted to the story is being told; it is not a simple matter of scribal habit or liking for certain words. M.E. Boismard – A. Lamouille, Le texte occidentale des Actes des Apôtres: 28 Reconstitution et Réhabilitation. I. Introduction et textes; II. Apparat critique (Paris 1984) II, 89. Read-Heimerdinger, The Bezan Text, 211–225. 29