Luke 11:37-54 - Revision of the Textus Receptus

The gospel according to Luke

Chapter 11

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37. εν δε τω λαλησαι ηρωτα[1] αυτον φαρισαιος τις[2] οπως αριστηση παρ αυτω εισελθων δε ανεπεσεν And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. And he went in and reclined at the table.

38. ο δε φαρισαιος ιδων εθαυμασεν οτι ου πρωτον εβαπτισθη προ του αριστου And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner.

39. ειπεν δε ο κυριος προς αυτον νυν υμεις οι φαρισαιοι το εξωθεν του ποτηριου και του πινακος καθαριζετε το δε εσωθεν υμων γεμει αρπαγης και πονηριας And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness.

40. αφρονες ουχ ο ποιησας το εξωθεν και το εσωθεν εποιησεν Foolish ones! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

41. πλην τα ενοντα δοτε ελεημοσυνην και ιδου παντα καθαρα υμιν εστιν But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, all things are clean to you.

42. αλλ[3] ουαι υμιν τοις φαρισαιοις οτι αποδεκατουτε το ηδυοσμον και το πηγανον και παν λαχανον και παρερχεσθε την κρισιν και την αγαπην του θεου ταυτα [4] εδει ποιησαι κακεινα μη αφιεναι[5] But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you pass by justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone.

43. ουαι υμιν τοις φαρισαιοις οτι αγαπατε την πρωτοκαθεδριαν εν ταις συναγωγαις και τους ασπασμους εν ταις αγοραις Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.

44. ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι εστε ως τα μνημεια τα αδηλα και οι ανθρωποι [6] περιπατουντες επανω ουκ οιδασιν Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites![7] For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them do not know it.”

45. αποκριθεις δε τις των νομικων λεγει αυτω διδασκαλε ταυτα λεγων και ημας υβριζεις And answering, one of the lawyers said to him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

46. ο δε ειπεν και υμιν τοις νομικοις ουαι οτι φορτιζετε τους ανθρωπους φορτια δυσβαστακτα και αυτοι ενι των δακτυλων υμων ου προσψαυετε τοις φορτιοις And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47. ουαι υμιν οτι οικοδομειτε τα μνημεια των προφητων οι δε πατερες υμων απεκτειναν αυτους Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48. αρα μαρτυρειτε[8] και συνευδοκειτε τοις εργοις των πατερων υμων οτι αυτοι μεν απεκτειναν αυτους υμεις δε οικοδομειτε αυτων τα μνημεια Truly you bear witness and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs[9].

49. δια τουτο και η σοφια του θεου ειπεν αποστελω εις αυτους προφητας και αποστολους και εξ αυτων αποκτενουσιν και εκδιωξουσιν[10] For this reason the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,

50. ινα εκζητηθη το αιμα παντων των προφητων το εκχυνομενον[11] απο καταβολης κοσμου απο της γενεας ταυτης that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,

51. απο του[12] αιματος αβελ εως του αιματος ζαχαριου του απολομενου μεταξυ του θυσιαστηριου και του οικου ναι λεγω υμιν εκζητηθησεται απο της γενεας ταυτης from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I say to you, it will be required of this generation.

52. ουαι υμιν τοις νομικοις οτι ηρατε την κλειδα της γνωσεως αυτοι ουκ εισηλθετε[13] και τους εισερχομενους εκωλυσατε Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53. λεγοντος δε αυτου ταυτα προς αυτους ηρξαντο οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι δεινως ενεχειν και αποστοματιζειν αυτον περι πλειονων And as he said these things to them[14], the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak about many things,

54. ενεδρευοντες αυτον [15] ζητουντες θηρευσαι τι εκ του στοματος αυτου ινα κατηγορησωσιν αυτου lying in wait for him, seeking[16] to catch him in something he might say that they might accuse him[17].

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[1] NA-Text reads “ερωτα” (present instead of imperfect), which is supported by codices א, A, B and Θ. The TR is supported by papyrus 45, codex C, the Byzantine manuscripts and Theophylact. No need of correction.

[2] NA-Text omits “τις” (certain).

[3] NA-Text reads “αλλα”.

[4] NA-Text and Vg-St add “δε”, which is supported by papyrus 75, codices א¹, B, C, K, L, X, Δ, Θ, Π, Ψ, 0108, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, minuscules 33, 579, 597, 1009, 1071, 1079, 1216, 1546 and 2148. The Bohairic Coptic version is divided. The omission is supported by papyrus 45, codices א*, א², A, E, F, G, H, W, family of manuscripts ƒ¹, minuscules 28, 157, 180, 205, 565, 700, 892, 1006, 1010, 1195, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1243, 1253, 1292, 1342, 1344, 1365, 1424, 1505, 1646, 2174, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Syriac Sinaiticus version and Theophylact. Both are well supported. The omission of the conjunction has been maintained in the text.

[5] NA-Text and Vg-St reads “παρειναι” (“neglect” instead of “leave undone”), which is supported by papyrus 75, codices א¹, B*, L, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, minuscules 700, 1071, 1241. The Bohairic Coptic version is divided. The omission is supported by papyrus 45, codices א*, א², B², C, E, F, G, H, K, W, X, Δ, Θ, Π, Ψ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹, minuscules 28, 157, 180, 205, 565, 892, 1006, 1010, 1195, 1230, 1242, 1243, 1253, 1292, 1342, 1344, 1365, 1424, 1505, 1646, 2174, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Syriac Sinaiticus version and Theophylact. Both are well supported. Codex A reads “παραφιεναι”. It is possible to posit harmonization to the parallel passage in Matthew 23:23, but the support is too strong in favor of “αφιεναι” from a diversity of witnesses. It is not likely that all those scribes in different tranmission lines had all the same idea of harmonizing this passage. The TR stands as the correct reading.

[6] NA-Text brackets “οι”. M-Text, WPF³⁵ and P-text omit it. The omission is supported by papyrus 75, codex A, D, W, both families of manuscripts ƒ¹ and ƒ¹³ and the Byzantine manuscripts. The inclusion is supported by codices א, B, C, L, Θ, Ψ, minuscules 33, 579, 1241 and Theophyhlact. The omission is more ancient and supported by a good assortment of different manuscripts. It has been adopted in the text, following the M-text.

[7] NA-Text and Vg-St omit “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”, which is supported by papyri 45 and 75, codices א, B, C, L, family of manuscripts ƒ¹, minuscules 33, 1241, 2542, the Syriac Sinaiticus, the Curetonian Syriac and the Sahidic Coptic version. The inclusion is supported by codices A, (D), W, Θ, Ψ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, the Byzantine manuscripts, the old Latin codices, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. It is unlikely that scribes in multiple transmission lines would have had the same idea of adding the Matthean formula only here and not in verse 47. Harmonization to verse 47 may be the very reason for the omission of these words.

[8] NA-Text reads “μαρτυρες εστε” and renders “are witnesses”.

[9] NA-Text omits “their tombs”. The Alexandrian text has evidently preserved the harder reading, but this omission appears to have crossed the line into the non-sensical. The object is clearly missing in this context. Luke used this verb intrasitively in 14:30 and 17:28, but in those contexts the lack of an object makes sense. In 14:29, the context is a foundation laid and a man not able to finish. Then it makes sense to build upon this context that the man began “to build” and was not able to finish. In 17:28, we have the pairs “eat and drink”, “buy and sell” and “plant and build”, so it is expected that the verb “building” will follow the same pattern of intrasitive verbs as the context unfolds. But the context here demands an object as opposed to those two passages. What may have happened here was some sort of parableptic error by an early scribe like this: OIKOΔOMEITEAYTWNTAMNHMEIAΔIATOYTO, thus missing “their tombs”. Even if the shorter reading is original, no one will disagree that “their tombs” or a similar object is implicit in the sentense and should be added in the translation.

[10] NA-Text reads “διωξουσιν”. Same meaning, but less intense.

[11] NA-Text reads “εκκεχυμενον”.

[12] NA-Text omits the definite article “του”. Twice in the verse.

[13] NA-Text reads “εισηλθατε”. Same verbal tense spelled differently.

[14] NA-Text reads “And as he went out from there” (Gr.: “κακειθεν εξελθοντος αυτου”).

[15] M-Text, P-Text and WPF³⁵ omit “και”, which is supported by codices A, C, (D), W, Ψ, family of manuscripts ƒ¹³, minuscule 33, the Byzantine manuscripts, the old Latin codex it^aur, the Peshitta, the Harklean Syriac version and Theophylact. The conjunction has been removed from the Greek text following the M-Text.

[16] NA-Text omits “and seeking”.

[17] NA-Text omits “that they might accuse him”, which is most certainly due to a scribal error in the Alexandrian transmission line caused by parablepsis (αυτου ινα κατηγορησωσιν αυτου, thus missing “that they might accuse him”). 

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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. P-Text: 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!