Andrew Wilson, «Scribal Habits in Greek New Testament Manuscripts.», Vol. 24 (2011) 95-126
New Testament textual criticism lays considerable stress upon the ways that scribes altered the text. Singular readings provide the most objective and reliable guide to the sorts of errors scribes produced. This paper reports on a study of 4200 singular readings from 33 chapters of the New Testament, providing new insights into scribal habits and the history of the text.
114 Andrew Wilson
3.- D substitutes αγαθον δομα for πνευμα αγιον
4.- Θ substitutes δοματα αγαθα for πνευμα αγιον
Disharmonizations:
1.- 1247 substitutes ημεις for υμεις
2.- 489 substitutes υμας for υμεις
3.- 2487 transposes: πονηροι υμεις
4.- 1242* omits πονηροι υπαρχοντες οιδατε
5.- 2542 transposes δοματα διδοναι αγαθα
6.- L80 substitutes διδοντες for διδοναι
7.- 2643 omits υμων
8.- G substitutes ποσων for ποσω
9.- 2643* omits αυτον
10.- 472 substitutes αυτω for αυτον
These results show scribes disharmonizing at more than double the
rate they harmonized. As we shall see, this situation is typical in passages
with close parallels. In this study, harmonizations were divided into three
categories: (1) to the immediate context, (2) to general usage (e.g. “our
father in heaven”, “scribes and Pharisees”) and (3) to parallel or remote
influences.
Harmonization Disharmonization
Passage Immediate General Parallel
Total Total HT, HA, Ditt. Net
Context Usage Passages
Matt 1-3, 6-7, 10-
16 5 58 79 137 (50) 87
12, 20-21, 26
Mark 1-3, 6 11 7 50 68 107 (23) 84
Luke 10, 11 54
24 5 28 57 167 (37) 130
Total 51 17 136 204 411 (110) 301
These raw numbers need to be qualified. When we also factor in the
length of harmonizations and disharmonizations we get a clearer view of
what is happening:
Harmonizations Disharmonizations
Word
Parallel GU IC Total Total (HT, HA, Ditt.) Net
Length
1 69 6 21 96 277 (55) 222
54
In Luke 11, all singular readings, additions, omissions, substitutions and transposi-
tions, were examined in the first thirteen verses; thereafter only the additions and omis-
sions were checked for harmonization and disharmonization.