Mark 6:7-13 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Mark

Chapter 6

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7. και προσκαλειται τους δωδεκα και ηρξατο αυτους αποστελλειν δυο δυο και εδιδου αυτοις εξουσιαν των πνευματων των ακαθαρτων And he called the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8. και παρηγγειλεν αυτοις ινα μηδεν αιρωσιν εις οδον ει μη ραβδον μονον μη πηραν μη αρτον μη εις την ζωνην χαλκον And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only; no bag, no bread, no copper in the belt, 9. αλλ[1] υποδεδεμενους σανδαλια και μη ενδυσασθαι[2] δυο χιτωνας but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics. 10. και ελεγεν αυτοις οπου εαν εισελθητε εις οικιαν εκει μενετε εως αν εξελθητε εκειθεν And he said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from that place. 11. και οσοι αν μη δεξωνται[3] υμας μηδε ακουσωσιν υμων εκπορευομενοι εκειθεν εκτιναξατε τον χουν τον υποκατω των ποδων υμων εις μαρτυριον αυτοις [αμην λεγω υμιν ανεκτοτερον εσται σοδομοις η γομορροις εν ημερα κρισεως η τη πολει εκεινη] And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony against them. [Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”] [4] 12. και εξελθοντες εκηρυσσον[5] ινα μετανοησωσιν[6] And they went out and preached that people should repent. 13. και δαιμονια πολλα εξεβαλλον και ηλειφον ελαιω πολλους αρρωστους και εθεραπευον And they cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them. [1] NA-Text reads “αλλα”. Non-contracted form of the same word. [2] NA-Text and M-Text read “ενδυσησθε”, which is supported by codices א, B*, Θ, minuscule 33 and the Byzantine manuscripts. The TR is supported by codices B2, D, (L), (N), minuscules 892, (1424) and Theophylact. The first and fifth editions of Erasmus’ TR read “ενδυσασθαι”. Then Stephanus changed it to “ενδυσησθε”, which was maintained in Beza’s edition in 1598. Scrivener reverted to Erasmus original reading in 1894. The verbal tense is the same and both are well supported. [3] NA-Text reads “and if any place will not receive you” (Gr.: “και ος αν τοπος μη δεξηται”). Even though Luke reads the same 6 Greek words in 9:5, the external evidence does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that the Byzantine text is the product of scribal harmonization. It is also possible that a scribe added the word “τοπος” to clarify the meaning of the verse for a lesson thinking that it was more focusing on a place than people as suggested by the word “εκειθεν”. [4] NA-Text and VgSt omit “Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”. This omission is supported by codices א, B, C, D, L, W, Δ, Θ, 28*, 565, 892*, 1342, 2427 and 2542, the Sinaiticus Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic version and Bede. The Bohairic Coptic version is divided. The inclusion is supported by codices A, 0133, both families of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13, minuscules 33, 157, 579 and 700, the Byzantine manuscripts, 3 old Latin codices (ita, itf and itq), the Peshitta, the Gothic, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. It is possible that the addition has been imported from Matt. 10:15, but the issue is that Matthew adds “land of” before Sodom and Gomorrah in a genitival form instead of dative. On the other hand, the Alexandrian transmission line may have dropped these words following the parallel passage in Luke 9:5. Matthew 11:24 and Luke 10:12 are not relevant because both omit Gomorrah and are not direct parallels to this passage. The decision would have been much easier if both families of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13, minuscule 33, the Peshitta or at least one important Byzantine majuscule or Theophylact were on the side of the omission and no Coptic version supported the addition. Not necessarily all those factors together but 2 or 3 combined would make a more robust case in favor of the Alexandrian reading, especially because the alleged harmonization is not verbatim. The omission of “land of” does not show up even in textual variants in Matthew as far as I can tell. Lastly, WPF35 and the PT in full agreement with the M-Text solidifies the Byzantine reading unmistakenly in favor of the inclusion. Therefore, these words have been bracketed in the text to honor the evidence for the omission found in majuscules of different text types and preserved in the Latin vulgate. As a side note, the Grek text of the Complutensian Polyglot, which is Byzantine, included this clause, whereas the Latin text in the parallel column omitted it, following the vulgate. [5] NA-Text reads “εκηρυξαν” (aorist instead of imperfect). [6] NA-Text reads “μετανοωσιν” (present instead of aorist).

 

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Notes:

1. Text in red letters are places where the original reading in the Textus Receptus has been revised and corrected;

2. The English translation used as a reference is the WEB brought to conformity as literal as possible to the Textus Receptus. The end product though is not the WEB or a revised WEB and it should not be called WEB. The content of this post is freely available to everyone and it is not supposed to be copyrighted;

3. TR: Textus Receptus. This text is not copyrighted;

4. NA-Text: Nestle-Aland text commonly known as critical text;

5. M-Text: Majority Text;

6. VgSt: Vulgate of Stuttgart;  

7. WPF³⁵: Wilbur Pickering-family 35;

8. PT: Patriarchal Text, also known as Patriarchal Greek New Testament, published by the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

9. The creator of the variant apparatus available in the VarApp kindly gave me permission to freely use the information contained in the material he put together.

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To God all the glory for the preservation of the scriptures! He reigns!