Mark 8:11-21 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Mark

Chapter 8

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11. και εξηλθον οι φαρισαιοι και ηρξαντο συζητειν αυτω ζητουντες παρ αυτου σημειον απο του ουρανου πειραζοντες αυτον Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.

12. και αναστεναξας τω πνευματι αυτου λεγει τι η γενεα αυτη σημειον επιζητει[1] αμην λεγω υμιν ει δοθησεται τη γενεα ταυτη σημειον And sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

13. και αφεις αυτους εμβας παλιν εις το πλοιον απηλθεν εις το περαν And he left them, got into the boat[2] again, and departed to the other side.

14. και επελαθοντο [3] λαβειν αρτους και ει μη ενα αρτον ουκ ειχον μεθ εαυτων εν τω πλοιω And they forgot to take bread and they did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them.

15. και διεστελλετο αυτοις λεγων ορατε βλεπετε απο της ζυμης των φαρισαιων και της ζυμης ηρωδου And he warned them, saying, “Take heed! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

16. και διελογιζοντο προς αλληλους λεγοντες οτι αρτους ουκ εχομεν[4] And they were reasoning with one another, saying[5], “It is because we have no bread.”

17. και γνους ο ιησους λεγει αυτοις τι διαλογιζεσθε οτι αρτους ουκ εχετε ουπω νοειτε ουδε συνιετε ετι πεπωρωμενην εχετε την καρδιαν υμων And perceiving it, Jesus[6] said to them, “Why do you reason that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still[7] hardened?

18. οφθαλμους εχοντες ου βλεπετε και ωτα εχοντες ουκ ακουετε και ου μνημονευετε Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

19. οτε τους πεντε αρτους εκλασα εις τους πεντακισχιλιους ποσους κοφινους πληρεις κλασματων ηρατε λεγουσιν αυτω δωδεκα When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”

20. οτε δε τους επτα εις τους τετρακισχιλιους ποσων σπυριδων πληρωματα κλασματων ηρατε οι δε ειπον[8] επτα “And[9] when the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.”

21. και ελεγεν αυτοις πως ουπω[10] συνιετε And he said to them, “How do you not yet understand?”

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[1] NA-Text reads “ζητει”. Those verbs are interchangeable.

[2] NA-Text and VgSt omit “into the boat”. The Clementine vulgate disagrees with the Vulgate of Stuttgart on this omission. The omission is supported by codices א, B, C, L, Δ, minuscule 2144, 2 old Latin codices (it^aur and it^ff2) and some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic version. The inclusion is supported by papyrus 45, codices A, D, K, W, X, Θ, Π, 0131, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, minuscules 28, 33, 124, 565, 579, 700, 892, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1079, 1195, 1216, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1253, 1342, 1344, 1365, 1424, 1546, 1646, 2148, 2174, 2427 and 2542, the old Latin codices it^a, it^d, it^f, itⁱ, it^l, it^q and it^r1, the Syriac Sinaiticus, the Harklean Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic, the Armenian, the Ethiopic, the Georgian, the Gothic, the Peshitta, the Palestinian Syriac, the Bohairic Coptic version, the Diatessaron, Bede and Theophylact. This is evidently an error in the Alexandrian transmission line that can be easily corrected by comparing it with the other transmission lines and the collective witness of the versions. Lastly, the inclusion of the definite article in the TR is better supported than the omission in the M-text and so it has been maintained in the text.

[3] NA-Text, M-Text, PT and VgSt omit “the disciples”. The first and the fifth editions of Erasmus TR and the subsequent editions of Stephanus in 1550 and Beza in 1589 all omitted “the disciples”. Scriveners’ inclusion of “the disciples” does not reflect the previous TR editions. The omission is supported by codices א, B, Θ, Bede and the Byzantine manuscripts. The inclusion is supported by codex D, the Diatessaron and Theophylact. The addition of “the disciples” in the text is a clarification as to the identity of the people who had forgotten to bring bread and must be relegated to the footnote. Therefore, the Greek text and the translation have been corrected following the NA-Text and the M-Text.

[4] NA-Text reads “εχουσιν” (third-person plural instead of first-person plural). This is possibly an adjustment to the text after the omission of “saying”.

[5] NA-Text omits “saying”.

[6] NA-Text omits “Jesus”.

[7] NA-Text omits “still”, which was possibly caused by visual homoieuteleuton (συνιετε ετι, thus missing “still”)

[8] NA-Text and VgSt read “και λεγουσιν [αυτω]” (Latin equivalent: “et dicunt ei”), which is supported by codices B, C, L, (Δ), minuscules 892, the Coptic versions. Codex א omits “αυτω”. The TR is supported by papyrus 45, codices A, D, W, Θ, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts, old Latin, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. The support for the TR is clearly more ancient and more widespread. Besides, “λεγουσιν αυτω” is likely a harmonization to the end of the previous verse.

[9] NA-Text omits “And”. This could be a scribal error caused by visual homoeoteleuton (οτε δε, thus missing “and”) or scribal harmonization with the beginning of the previous verse that read “οτε τους”.

[10] NA-Text reads “ουπω”, which is supported by codices א, C, K, L, Δ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹, minuscules 892, 1241 and 1424, the old Latin codex it^k and the Syriac Sinaiticus version. Another reading that is very well supported is “πως ουπω” according to codices A, D, N, W, Θ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, minuscules 33 and 565, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac version, the vulgate and Theophylact. The TR is supported by codices B, Γ, minuscules 28, 700, 1010, the Byzantine manuscripts and three old Latin codices. “πως ουπω” is more widespread and better accounts for the rival readings. This is the reading in WPF³⁵. It has been adopted in the Greek text. 

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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!