Mark 11:20-26 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Mark

Chapter 11

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20. και πρωι παραπορευομενοι ειδον την συκην εξηραμμενην εκ ριζων And passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21. και αναμνησθεις ο πετρος λεγει αυτω ραββι ιδε η συκη ην κατηρασω εξηρανται And remembering, Peter said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.” 22. και αποκριθεις ο[1] ιησους λεγει αυτοις εχετε πιστιν θεου And answering, Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. 23. αμην λεγω υμιν οτι ος αν ειπη τω ορει τουτω αρθητι και βληθητι εις την θαλασσαν και μη διακριθη εν τη καρδια αυτου αλλα πιστευση[2] οτι α λεγει[3] γινεται εσται αυτω [ο εαν ειπη] [4] Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, he will have whatever he says[5]. 24. δια τουτο λεγω υμιν παντα οσα αν προσευχομενοι[6] αιτεισθε[7] πιστευετε οτι λαμβανετε[8] και εσται υμιν For this reason, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25. και οταν στηκητε[9] προσευχομενοι αφιετε ει τι εχετε κατα τινος ινα και ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αφη υμιν τα παραπτωματα υμων And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. 26. ει δε υμεις ουκ αφιετε ουδε ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions[10].” [1] NA-Text and M-Text add the definite article “ο” before Jesus, which is supported by codices א, B, D, Θ and Theophylact. The text has been corrected with the addition of the article, following the NA-Text and the M-text. [2] NA-Text reads “πιστευη” (present instead of aorist). [3] NA-Text reads “ο λαλει” (interchangeable verb, present instead of aorist). [4] NA-Text and Vg-St omit “For”, which is supported by codices א, B, D, N, Θ, both families of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13, minuscules 28, 565 and 700, old Latin, the Syriac Sinaiticus, the Sahidic Coptic version, some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic version and the Diatessaron. The inclusion is supported by codices A, C, L, W, Y, the Byzantine manuscripts, the old Latin codex itq, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac*, the Bohairic Coptic version and Theophylact. Contrary to Matthew and Luke, Mark never added a conjunction in the middle of this formula (see verses 3:28, 6:11, 8:12, 9:1, 41, 10:15, 29, 11:23, 12:43, 13:30, 14:9, 18, 25, 30). The conjunction has then been removed from the text following the NA-Text. [5] Or “he will have it”, NA-Text and Vg-St omit “whatever he says”. The omission is supported by codices א, B, C, D, K*, L, W, Δ, family of manuscripts ƒ1, minuscules 28, 130, 892, 1542, 1654, 2427, 2786, old Latin, the Syriac Sinaiticus and the Coptic versions. The inclusion is supported by codices A, Ψ, Θ, family of manuscripts ƒ13, minuscules 33, 565, 579, 700, 1342 and 1424, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac, the Palestinian Syriac, the Gothic version, the Diatessaron and Theophylact. The reading in the parallel passage in Matthew 21:21-22 is different and does not offer material for harmonization in this clause. It is more likely that scribes saw this clause as a possible copyist error, once Jesus had just said “what he says” and removed it as an unnecessary repetition, once the sense is complete with “εσται αυτω” (he will have it) and verse 24 ends in a similar way without any addition like this one found in verse 23. But, if that was the case, it is hard to understand how everybody had the same idea across all text-types. It is more prudent therefore to bracket this clause in the Greek text. [6] NA-Text reads “προσευχεσθε και” and renders “whatever things you ask and pray for”. [7] M-Text reads “αιτησθε” (present passive instead of middle voice indicative), which is supported by Codex א (αιτεισθε), B, D (ετεισθαι), part of the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. The Byzantine text is supported by codex Θ (αιτησησηθε) and part of the Byzantine manuscripts. No need of correction. [8] NA-Text reads “ελαβετε” (second aorist instead of present). [9] NA-Text reads “στηκετε”. Same verbal tense spelled differently. [10] NA-Text omits this verse. This omission is supported by codices א, B, L, S, W, Δ, Ψ, minuscules 2, 27**, 63, 64, 121*, 157, 179, 205, 258, 265*, 348, 440, 475*, 482, 565, 597, 700, 892, 1216, 1342, 1574, 1606, 2427, 2 old Latin codices (itk and itl), the Syriac Sinaiticus, the Palestinian Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic, the Armenian and the Georgian version. The Bohairic Coptic version is divided. The inclusion of this verse is supported by codices A, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, N, X, Θ, Π, Σ, 0233, both families of manuscripts ƒ1 and ƒ13, minuscules 28, 33, 180, 1006, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1079, 1195, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1243, 1253, 1292, 1344, 1365, 1424, 1505, 1546, 1646, 2148, 2174, the Byzantine manuscripts, the old Latin codices ita, itaur, itb, itc, itd, itf, itff2, iti, itq and itr1, the Peshita, the Harklean Syriac, the Gothic, the Ethiopic, the Slavic version, the Diatessaron, reflecting a text from the 100’s, Cyprian reflecting a text from the 200’s (Treatise 4, On the Lord’s Prayer, paragraph 23), Augustine and Theophylact. This omission has not been preserved in the Latin scriptures as attested by the inclusion of this verse in the Clementine vulgate and the vulgate of Stuttgart, neither in the Byzantine scriptures as attested by the M-Text, PT and WPF35. The idea that this verse was added from Matthew 6:15 is not reasonable because the wording is quite different. Rather, the loss of this verse is much more easily explained by a simple parableptic error (τα παραπτωματα υμων ει δε υμεις ουκ αφιετε ουδε ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων, thus missing verse 26).

 

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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. Vg-St: 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!