Sunday, September 22, 2013

Matt 6:15 τα παραπτωματα αυτων

After τοις ανθρωποις a few Greek manuscripts (ℵ D f1 892* pc) and some versions (lat sy-p mae bo-pt) omit τα παραπτωματα αυτων, which is present in important representatives of every early version (b [but without αυτων] f q sy-c.h sa bo-pt goth) and most Greek manuscripts (including B E G K L M S U V W Δ Θ Π Σ Φ Ω 047 055 0211 0233 0257 f13 33. 399. 461. 565. 892C. 1080. 1424. 1500. 2224).
     Bloomfield (GNT, 46) reasons that "it is more likely that the words should have been accidentally omitted by scribes than inserted by critics, espec[ially] since they often omit words when they almost immediately recur," and also (Annotations, 6) that the creators of the versions often "took the liberty to pass over what seemed unnecessary, without any thought of the Hebraistic character, which expresses much that would be suppressed in the western languages" (emphasis original). Alford (1:64) concurs, saying the words were omitted because they were unnecessary and in conformation to the preceding verse, by which he must mean the second clause of 6:14.
     Other considerations first require the four alignments of witnesses for both 6:14 and 6:15 to be presented:
  1. (6:14) forgive men their sins . . . Father will forgive you; (6:15) not forgive men . . . Father will not forgive your sins (ℵ D f1 892* pc sy-p bo-pt)
  2. (6:14) forgive men their sins . . . Father will forgive your sins; (6:15) not forgive men . . . Father will not forgive your sins (lat mae bo-pt)
  3. (6:14) forgive men their sins . . . Father will forgive you; (6:15) not forgive men their sins . . . Father will not forgive your sins (B E G K M S U V W Δ Θ Π Σ Φ 0233 33. 565. 892C. 1080. 1241. 1424 [Byz 1500+ mss] [b] f q sy-c.h sa goth)
  4. (6:14) forgive men their sins . . . Father will forgive your sins; (6:15) not forgive men their sins . . . Father will not forgive your sins (L f13 pc)
Fritzsche (272) questions whether the author himself would have neglected the elegance and balance of alignment 4 and poses the rhetorical question, "Did it not frequently happen that scribes once and again omitted those words that were supposed to have been written many more times?" Fritzsche's opinion wrongly assumes that all the versions and almost all Greek manuscripts reflect accidental corruption of a structure containing nothing apparently needing improvement.
     More seriously, the critic must first decide whether to treat the form of each verse individually or that of both verses together. Griesbach (Commentarius, 1:73) treats each individually, and thus prefers that reading which in each verse exhibits the less perfect parallelism (i.e., alignment 1): "Therefore in both verses we prefer that reading which causes a less perfect parallelism to stand among its members; for scribes labored to patch up this defective [parallelism]." A weakness of Griesbach's view is that it fails to explain why the progenitor of most manuscripts "labored" to balance out 6:15 but cared nothing about the "imbalance" of 6:14. The same might be said for the versions in alignment 2.
     Metzger (14) treats the form of both verses together and, somewhat surprisingly, relates that alignment 3 should be rejected especially because it disturbs the chiastic structure of verses 14 and 15. Contrary to Metzger's rationale and by extension the rule expressed by Griesbach above, it is precisely such a "disturbance" of a chiastic structure that some scribes, but not all or even most, would have wished or even attempted to eliminate. In such a scenario, only alignments 2 and 3 exhibit a disturbance that might have invited alteration, with far superior manuscript evidence favoring alignment 3.
     It is also possible that there was some influence from the form of the passage in the parallel of Mark 11:26, which is missing in a few witnesses (ℵ B L W Δ Ψ pc k l sy-s sa bo-pt) and which some editors reject as an interpolation from none other than Matt 6:15, but wrongly, since the passage in Mark is far too removed in wording from that of Matthew (differences in bold):
  • Matt 6:15: εαν δε μη αφητε τοις ανθρωποις [τα παραπτωματα αυτων], ουδε ο πατηρ υμων αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων.
  • Mark 11:26: ει δε υμεις ουκ αφιετε, ουδε ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων.
Generally, it is more likely that the omission of τα παραπτωματα αυτων in Mark could have caused some scribes to omit those words in Matthew. Confirmation of this scenario comes from those versions (lat mae bo; and a few Greek witnesses) in Matt 6:14 that add "your trespasses" after "heavenly Father" (cf. Mark 11:25). Thus it would not be surprising if those same versions, and perhaps other Greek witnesses, omitted τα παραπτωματα αυτων in Matt 6:15 due to harmonization to Mark 11:26. Furthermore, one of the only two early Greek witnesses for the omission in Matt 6:15 is codex Bezae (D/05), which could have been influenced by the omission of the words in its Latin column.
     Finally, a theologizing scribe may have omitted the words in order to intimate with elegance that the sins of men against us, if compared with our sins against the Father, will vanish away (cf. Bengel, Gnomon, 1:195).
     And so the reading τα παραπτωματα αυτων should be preferred not only because it predominates in the Greek manuscript tradition (only 5 manuscripts before the 12th century omit the words: ℵ D 892* 1357* 1582*) and is supported by important representatives of most of the early versions, but also because those words seemed superfluous, seemed to disfigure the chiasmus, disagreed with the Latin version, disagreed with the parallel of Mark 11:26, and finally seemed theologically less elegant to an early editor of the text.


Text und Textwert #20 results:

1 τα παραπτωματα αυτων
03 07 011 017 019 021 028 030 031 032 037 038 041 042 043 045 047 055 0211 0233 0257 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17C 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31C 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 80 83 84 86 89 90 98 99 100 105 106 107 108 109 111 112 113 114 116 117 119 120 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 131 132 133 134 136 138 140 141 142 143 144 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 167 169 170 171 173 174 175 178 179 180 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 198 199 200 201 202 204 207 208 210 211 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 240 243 244 245 246 247 248 251 259 260 261 262 263 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 280 282 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 293 296 297 298 299 300 301 303 304 305 306 310 324 329 330 331 333 334 335 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 353 354 355 358 359 360 361 363 364 365 366 367 370 371 373 374 375 376 377 379 380 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 399 402 405 406 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 417 418 419 420 422 423 428 431 435 438 439 440 443 444 445 447 448 449 461 470 471 473 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 500 501 504 505 506 507 509 510 511 512 513 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 527 528 529 530 532 534 535 537 543 544 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 560 561 563 564 565 566C 568 569 571 574 575 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 590 591 592 594 595 596 597 600 645 649 651 652 655 657 660 662 663 664 666 668 672 676 677 679 680 683 684 685 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 696 697 700 703 707 708 711 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 737 738 740 741 744 745 746 747 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 765 766 768S 769 772S 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794S 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 803 804 805 806 808 809 811 817 819 820 822 824 825 826 827 828 830 833 834 835 836 839 842 843 844 845 851 852 854 855 856 858 860 861 863 864 867 871 873 875 877 878 880 881 886 888 889 890 891 892C 893 895 896 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 948 949 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 978 979 980 982 983 986 987 988 989 991 992 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1023 1024 1025 1026 1028 1029 1030 1032 1033 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042S 1043 1044 1046 1047S 1048 1050 1053 1056S 1057 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1068 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1089 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1385 1386 1387 1388 1389 1390 1391 1392 1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1400 1401 1402 1403 1404 1406 1407 1408 1409 1410 1413 1414S 1415 1418 1420 1421 1422 1424 1432 1434 1435 1436 1438 1439 1441 1443 1444 1445 1446 1447 1448 1449 1450 1451 1452 1453 1454 1455 1456 1457 1458 1460 1461 1462 1463 1464S 1465 1466 1467 1468 1470 1471 1472 1473 1474 1475 1476 1477 1478 1479 1480 1481 1482 1483 1484 1485 1486 1487 1488 1489 1490 1491 1492 1493 1494 1495 1496 1497 1498 1499 1500 1501 1502 1503 1505 1506 1508 1510 1511 1519 1521 1528 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1538 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1544 1545 1546 1547 1548 1549 1550 1551 1552 1553 1555 1556 1557 1558 1559 1560 1562 1563 1564 1570 1572 1573 1575 1576 1577 1578 1579 1580 1581C 1582C 1583 1584 1585 1586 1587 1588 1589 1590 1591 1592 1594 1595 1597 1600 1601 1603 1604 1605 1606 1609 1613 1615 1617 1620 1622 1623 1624 1625 1628 1629 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1637 1639 1640 1641 1642 1643 1644 1645 1646 1649 1651 1652 1653 1659 1660 1661 1663 1664 1665 1666 1667 1668 1670 1671 1672 1675 1676 1677 1678 1680 1682 1685 1686 1687 1688 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 1695 1697 1698 1699 1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1712 1713 1714 1780 1797 1800 1802 1804 1808 1813 1814 1816 1823 1901C 1966 2095 2097 2099 2100 2101 2107 2108 2109 2112 2117 2118 2120 2121 2122 2123 2126 2127 2131 2132 2133 2135 2139 2141 2142 2146 2147 2148 2159 2172 2173 2174 2175 2176 2177 2178 2181 2182 2191 2193 2195 2199 2201 2204 2206 2207 2213 2215 2217 2220 2221 2223 2224 2229 2236 2238 2255 2260 2261 2263 2265 2266 2267 2273 2277 2278 2280 2281 2283 2284 2287 2290S 2292 2295 2296 2297 2301 2307 2314 2315 2317 2321 2322 2323 2324 2328 2352 2354 2355 2356 2362 2367 2369 2370 2371 2372 2373 2374 2375 2381 2382 2383 2386 2387 2388 2390 2394 2396 2398 2400 2404 2405 2406 2407 2411 2414 2415 2420 2422 2426 2430 2439 2442 2444 2446 2451 2452 2454 2458 2460 2465 2470 2471 2472 2474 2475 2476 2477 2478 2479 2482 2483 2487 2488 2489 2490 2492 2494 2496 2497 2499 2502 2503 2507 2508 2509 2510 2511 2515 2516 2518 2520 2521 2523 2524 2525 2528S 2530 2533 2539 2545 2546 2549 2550 2554 2555 2559S 2561 2562 2567 2571 2577 2578 2579 2581 2583 2585 2586 2590 2591 2592 2598 2603S 2604 2605 2606 2608 2610 2612 2613 2614 2615 2616 2620 2622 2623 2624 2633 2634 2635 2636 2637 2645 2646 2650 2651S 2653 2656 2658 2660 2665 2670 2673 2676 2680 2684 2685 2687 2689 2691 2692 2693S 2694 2695 2702 2703 2705 2706 2707 2708 2709 2710 2713 2714 2715 2718 2721 2722 2724 2726 2727 2728S 2729 2730 2734 2735 2745 2749 2754 2756 2757 2760 2765 2766 2767 2770 2774 2775 2779 2781 2783 2787 2788 2806 2808 2809 2810 2812 2819 2831 2835 2836
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1480

1B τα {τοις ανθρωποις} παραπτωματα αυτων
1088
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1C αυτων
1285*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1D τα παραπτωμα αυτων
137 1168
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

1E τα παραπτωματα υμων
283 446 818 1052 1348* 1647 1901* 2291
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 8

1F τα πτωματα αυτων
135S
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1G τα περιπτωματα αυτων
295
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1H τα προσωπα αυτων
1288
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

2 Omit
01 05 1 22 118 130 205 209 279 372 892* 1357* 1582* 2701S 2737 2786
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 16

3 τα παραπτωματα
17* 699
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

U1 Homoeoteleuton: αποδωσει σοι εν τω φανερω (6:6) [... αποδωσει σοι εν τω φανερω (6:18)]
1602
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

U2 Homoeoteleuton: τα παραπτωματα αυτων (6:14) [... τοις ανθρωποις τα παραπτωματα αυτων (6:15)]
31* 352 566* 1054 1581*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 5

U3 Homoeoteleuton: ουρανιος τα παραπτωματα υμων (6:14) [... υμων αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων (6:15)]
706 2397
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

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