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.
188 Josep Rius-Camps and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
long ago’, D05 first of all attaches ταῦτα to an independent statement
(see above), and has an additional concluding sentence. In either case,
there may be an allusion to Isa. 45:21.
15:20 (τῆς πορνείας) καὶ πνικτοῦ B P74 A Ψ 33. 81 pc; Didasc CAp
(PsCl) | κ. τοῦ πνικτοῦ ) P45 C E H L P 049. 056. 1739 M lat syp.h sa (bo)
aeth; Orlat.pt Chr || om. D d gig; Ir1739mg.lat Tert Aug Ambst Ephr.
D05, with a range of patristic support, does not include the requirement
for abstention from πνικτός. It is similarly absent in D05 from the letter
setting out James’ judgement (15:29), and from James’ speech to Paul
(21:25).
(αἵματος), καὶ ὅσα μὴ θέλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς γίνεσθαι ἑτέροις μὴ ποιεῖτε
(ποιεῖν ar Ir) D, et quae volunt non fieri sibi, aliis ne faciatis d ar (sa
aeth); Arist Ir1739mg.lat (itaq quod tibi fieri ab aliis non vis, tu alio
ne feceris DidascfgVer lat*) Eus1739mg (Ephrcomm) | (πορνείας), κ. ὅσα ἂν μὴ
θέλωσιν αὐτοῖς γίν. ἑτ. μὴ ποιεῖν 323. 440. (s945. 1739). 1891 pc || om. B
P45.74 ) rell lat syp.h bo; Orlat.pt CAp Chr.
The form of the so-called ‘Golden Rule’ is not an invention of the
scribe of D05 who thought to create a negative form of the teaching of
Jesus (cf. Mt. 7:12; Lk. 6:31). On the contrary, it is a saying well-attested
in Jewish writings, where it is cited as the answer of Hillel in response
to the request from a Gentile to teach him the Law quickly: ‘Do nothing
to your neighbour that you would hate to have done to you! This is the
entire Torah; all the rest is merely interpretation’ (Sab. 31a, noted by G.
Vermes, in Schürer, The History of the Jewish People, p. 467). Other
Jewish writings testify to the saying: e.g., Tob. 4:15; Ep. Arist. 207; Philo,
Hypothetica I; Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica 8.7.6; T. Naph. [Heb.]
1:6; Targ. Y. I Lev. 19:18 (cf. Strack and Billerbeck, Kommentar, I, p.
460). Further attestation is found in The Teaching of the Two Ways,
which forms the basis of the Didache (Did. 1.2); Agraphon 37, in A.
Resch, Agrapha. Aussercanonische Schriftfragmente, pp. 60-61; Clement
of Alexandria, Stromata, 2.23: 139.2.
The sentence is repeated in the letter written to Antioch according to
D05 (cf. 15:29 below), with similar support.
15:21 (κατὰ πολιν) ἔχει D || om. B P45.74 ) rell.— ἔχει (ἐν ταῖς συναγω-
γαῖς) D* (ἔχει > Dp.m) B rell || om. Ds.m.
B03 reads ἔχει once, whereas D05 repeats the verb, in order to clarify
that where Moses has people proclaiming him in every city is precisely in
the synagogues (Scrivener explains: ‘l. 2 init. ε eras. s. m.: literae ferè tres
[χει?] deperditae inter ε et εν’, p. 444).
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