Josep Rius-Camps - Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, «The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles (XXII) (Acts 14:28–15:41)», Vol. 23 (2010) 175-200
In Chapter 15 of Acts, a point of critical importance for the growth of the Church and its relationship with Judaism is reached. Luke narrates the difficulty posed for Jewish Jesus-believers by the increasing number of Gentiles believers and the decision taken by the Church leaders in Jerusalem not to subject them to the usual conditions for proselytes. In the Bezan text, some conflict of opinion between Peter, Paul and Barnabas on the one hand, and James on the other is apparent, a tension that is attenuated in the Alexandrian text. Further conflict is also highlighted in Codex Bezae between Paul and Barnabas who separate following the meeting in Jerusalem.
184 Josep Rius-Camps and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
The use of τε in the B03 text to connect the assembling of the apostles
and elders to the Pharisees’ protest ties the meeting closely to the Pharisees’
intervention, as a response to it. δέ in D05 and )01 presents the assembly
of the apostles and elders as a new development (cf. Levinsohn, Textual
Connections, pp. 135-136).
B03 distinguishes at this point between the apostles and the elders,
with the repetition of the article, as elsewhere in the sequence (cf.
15:4.22.23). D05 considers the apostles and elders to form a single unit
(as at 15:2b and 16:4).
15:7 (πολλῆς δὲ) ζητήσεως B P45.74 ) A Ψ 33. 81. 945. 1175. 1646. 1739.
1837. 1891. 2344 || συν- D, altercatio d C E H L P 049. 056. 614 M l vg.
With the prefix συν-, the noun has the sense of an argument more
than a simple discussion (συνζητέω, Lk. 22:23; 24:15; συνζήτησις, Acts
28:29).
ἀναστὰς Πέτρος B P74 ) DH rell || ἀνέστησεν ἐν πνεύματι Πέτρος D*,
surrexit in spiritu Petrus d l | ἀναστὰς Π. ἐν πν. ἁγίῳ 257. 614. 1799. 2412
syhmg; (Tert Ephr) Cass.— καὶ (εἶπεν) D*, et d l || om. B P74 ) rell.
The presence and action of Peter at this stage in the narrative are
treated in the B03 text as not unusual. The participle ἀναστάς preceding
a verb of speaking is a common way of introducing an important speech
in Acts (cf. 1:15; 13:16; 15:13 D05; with aor. part. σταθείς: 2:14; 17:22).
Attention is drawn in D05, however, to both his presence and his action,
first with the finite verb rather than the participle, and secondly, with
the expression ἐν πνεύματι, unique in Acts (see Read-Heimerdinger,
The Bezan Text, p. 160) and, indeed, in the New Testament except with
reference to David at Mt. 22:43.45 D05.
(ἀρχαίων) ἐν ὑμῖν ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός B P74 ) A C 0294. 33. 36. 81. 88.
181. 436. 630. 927. 945. 1175. 1270. 1739. 1891 al ar (bo; Irlat) CAp Chr |
ἐν ἡμῖν ἐξ. ὁ θ. Ψ 326. 629. 1837. 2344 l vgww; (Rebapt) | ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ θ. ἐξ.
DA, in nobis deus elegit d 323. 614. 1611. 2147. 2412 pc gig | ὁ θ. ἐν ὑμῖν
ἐξ. 226. 440. 547. 618 | ὁ θ. ἐν ἡμῖν ἐξ. E H L P 049. 056. 0142 M (lat) syh
|| ἡμῖν ὁ θ. ἐξ. D* 614. 2412. (056. 0142) | ὁ θ. ἐξ. 69. 189. 2492 pc vgSU syp
sa aeth.— διὰ τοῦ (στόματος) B P74 ) DC rell || διά D* E 69*. 618.
According to B03, Peter refers to God choosing him among the
apostles and the other early disciples, ὑμῖν, to speak to the Gentiles. In
D05, reading ἡμῖν, he refers to a decision made for Israel, for the Jewish
people, by God in the days of old, a reference to the beginning of the
history of Israel (ἀπό with the aorist ἐξελέξατο has the sense ‘as from,
as early as’). B03, not at ease with this reference to the Jews, would
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