Matt 6:13 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην


The so-called doxology of the Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:13) was labeled a spurious addition to the text and vociferously attacked by Erasmus and most later Greek New Testament editors, even though it occupies a place in 98.6% (1507 of 1528) of all Greek NT manuscripts, including the following from the 9th century and earlier: E G K L M U V W Δ Θ Π Σ Φ Ω 047 0211 0233 0257 0287 [f1-pt f13] 33. 399. 461. 565. 566. 892. 1080. 1424. 1500. 2224. The doxology is absent in ℵ B D Z 0170 [f1-pt] 1090c and in 10 other insignificant witnesses from the 14th century or later.

The basic arguments against accepting the doxology into the text include: (1) the various forms in which it is found, indicating a supplemental nature; (2) its absence from early Greek witnesses (ℵ B D Z) and the Latin version; (3) its absence from early church fathers (particularly Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine); (4) the lack of any apparent reason why anyone would have deleted it. But these reasons seem insufficient in light of the following considerations:

1. The doxology is present not only in 98.6% of all Greek manuscripts (see the Text und Textwert information below) but also in Old Latin manuscripts k/1 (quoniam est tibi virtus in saecula saeculorum) f/10 g1/7 q/13, in the Old Syriac Curetonian (but without "and the power") and the Syriac Peshitta, Harklensis and Palestinian versions, in the Coptic Sahidic, Fayyumic (though both without "the kingdom and"), and part of the Bohairic versions, and in the Gothic, Ethiopic, Georgian, and Armenian versions. The Didache from ca. 100 has the doxology (though without "the kingdom and"), and it appears in the 3d-century pseudonymous Gnostic text Prayer of the Apostle Paul (cf. Mueller, 28). The doxology is also cited in the 4th century by Gregory of Nyssa (De oratione Dominica 5 [end]; also without "the kingdom"), Ephrem the Syrian (Paraeneticus 50), Caesarius (Dial. 1:29), the Apostolic Constitutions (3.18), and Chrysostom (Ad populum Antiochenum 17; In orationem Dominicam 5; Hom. Matt. 19.6 (twice); 22.2; Hom. Rom. 16.10), in the 5th century by Isidore of Pelusium (Ep. 4.24 (twice), and in later centuries by many others including Euthymius Zigabenus (Comm. Matt. 6.13) and Theophylact (Ennarratio Matt. 4).

2. Historical criticism does not allow that Jesus would have ended the model prayer without a doxology (cf., e.g., Luz, 323; Schlatter, 217). While this observation does not necessarily commend the doxology present in most Greek witnesses as primary, it does however emphasize the internal consistency of those manuscripts that contain it. Also, this observation cannot be used to argue that early scribes would have added the doxology to preserve the Jewish reputation of Jesus, for not even a single scribe of the 1600 manuscripts of Luke gives evidence of such a motive. Even if one grants the validity of a motive to include a doxology where none was present originally, the manuscript evidence indicates what one might expect, namely, that Matthew the Jew would have been more inclined to add it than Luke the Gentile.

3. The doxology attested by the manuscript tradition shows no signs of Christian theology; rather, it is completely Jewish in formulation and theology (cf. Betz, 414). This not only argues in favor of a 1st-century origin of the doxology, but also questions whether later Christian scribes or editors, had they their choice, would have added a decidedly Jewish formulation to Matthew's Gospel rather than a distinctly Christian one.

4. Form-critical considerations do not allow the doxology to be regarded as a natural emanation from the earliest Christian doxologies, which generally begin with or use the dative in indirect speech and not, as the doxology found in most manuscripts of Matt 6:13, a οτι followed by a genitive in direct speech (cf., e.g., Weber, 45–6). On these distinctions compare the form of Matt 6:13 with that in the following passages: Rom 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 16:27; 1 Cor 15:57; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 3:21; Phil 4:20; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tim 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1 Pet 1:3; 4:11; 5:11; 2 Pet 3:18; Jude 25; Rev 1:6; 7:12; 12:10; 19:1–2. Except for three passages in a literary genre quite unlike that of Matthew (Rev 4:11; 15:3–4; 16:5–6), the form-critical differences between the doxological form found in Matthew and those found everywhere else are striking. The Christian doxologies from the NT are in the third person, but the one in Matthew is in the second person, as if Jesus were standing face to face with God his Father. Moreover, the likelihood that the supposedly later Christian interpolator not only would have departed from the normal Christian doxological forms used in the many passages adduced above but also would have put words into the mouth of Jesus himself at the climax of his universally popular model prayer is extremely low, especially when a pietistic doxology in the third person would have been more appropriate to such a one's purpose (e.g., "to God be the kingdom . . .").

5. The nearly universal use of the doxology in the liturgies of the early churches gives rise to a historical-critical problem if one assumes the original absence of the doxology in Matthew. It is remarkable that Paul, when alluding to the final request of the Lord's Prayer for deliverance from "evil," himself moves immediately into a doxology, "to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen!" (Gal 1:4; cf. also 2 Tim 4:18). Did Paul himself originate this practice, or was his practice merely derivative of the pattern of one higher than himself? If Paul originated the pattern, the failure of the presumed interpolator to imitate his form and indirect terminology is striking (cf. point 4 above). If anyone other than Jesus or Paul began the tradition, who could it have been, and, more importantly, how did it come to pass that nearly everyone in the living tradition of the church imitated it? The same critical questions apply to all the liturgies that include the doxology in various forms after the Lord's Prayer (but to my knowledge always beginning with οτι). It is with this rationale in mind that Wolf (1:133) concludes, "It is more probable that these words were brought into the liturgies from the text of Matthew than from them into it."

6. The problem of the doxology's origin only increases due to its dissimilarity from other precedents. "The passage in 1 Chr 29:11–12 that is often adduced as the model for [the doxology] is too far removed in its wording. Rabbinic traditions also offer only analogies" (Niederwimmer, 137). The object of Jewish benedictions (such as after the beginning of the Shema or after the Alenu prayer) is always only "the kingdom." Furthermore, it is unexpected, to say the least, that it is precisely any mention of the kingdom that is missing from a number of early variations of the doxology. Why should this be, given that the kingdom was so central to all Jewish doxologies? (See point 9.9 below for a possible solution to this dilemma.) Additionally, why should a reference to the kingdom have been added (presumably later on) to nearly all Greek manuscripts if it was not central to Christian doxologies?

7. Besides obvious but minimal contamination from the actual liturgical traditions (see point 8 below), the amount of variation one finds in the Greek manuscript tradition containing the doxology is not abnormal for a text of its length (cf. the Text und Textwert information below). First, fully 1416 manuscripts contain the entire doxology as printed in the Robinson-Pierpont GNT (2005) without a single letter of variation, while 13 additional manuscripts have it with minor transcriptional omissions or dittographies. Second, 3 late manuscripts omit "amen" and 16 omit "forever amen." Third, 20 late manuscripts add "and ever" following "forever," perhaps from liturgical influence. Fourth, 5 late manuscripts omit "and the glory," probably accidentally. Fifth, 6 manuscripts (all late) omit "and the power," again, probably by accident. Sixth, a single manuscript omits "the kingdom and," perhaps accidentally or for other reasons (see particularly point 9.9 below). Seventh, a single manuscript in place of "forever amen" reads "of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever," no doubt influenced by the actual wording of the most popular liturgical formulas. Finally, 3 late manuscripts omit "amen." The salient points are that: (1) 1416 (94%) of the manuscripts that have the doxology preserve it completely intact, letter for letter; (2) all the manuscripts from the 10th century and earlier (105 witnesses!) contain the doxology completely intact, letter for letter (E G K L M S U V W Δ Θ Π Σ Φ Ω 047 0211 0233 0257 0287 14. 24. 27. 29. 33. 34. 36. 63. 67. 100. 106. 123. 144. 151. 161. 175. 262. 274. 278. 299. 344. 364. 366. 371. 399. 405. 411. 420. 461. 478. 481. 564. 565. 566. 568. 584. 652. 773. 875. 892. 942. 994. 1073. 1076. 1077. 1078. 1079. 1080. 1110. 1120. 1166. 1172. 1203. 1223. 1225. 1266. 1281. 1346. 1347. 1357. 1392. 1421. 1422. 1424. 1452. 1458. 1500. 1582C. 1663. 1701. 1816. 2142. 2172. 2193. 2224.  2290S. 2324. 2369. 2373. 2414. 2509. 2545. 2722. 2812. 2835); (3) any witnesses that contain variations of the doxology are all very late (a couple from the 11th century but mostly much later), few in number, have little claim to authenticity, and mostly result from the commonest type of scribal error, namely, omission. Needless to say, such a state of the manuscript tradition is certainly not what one should expect to find were the doxology added to Matthew's Gospel little by little over time, or added in one form or another from the very beginning in various parts of the Greek-speaking Christian world. Even if only one form of the doxology were added at a certain time and in a single place, it does not seem very likely that that particular form would have been incorporated almost ubiquitously and so uniformly into the manuscript tradition to the extent that it has.

8. There is no doubt that various forms of the doxology present in liturgical traditions had an influence on the Greek manuscript tradition of the doxology, but the influence was minimal. Briefly, after the word "glory" 9 manuscripts add "of the Father," 1 adds "of the Father and the Son," and 15 add "of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (5 of which expand "forever" into "now and always and forever (and ever)." Of these, 4 omit "and the power," 6 omit "amen," and 1 omits "and the power and the glory." That all of these alterations are evidently secondary to the earlier and overwhelmingly attested form (see point 7 above) is very likely due to the facts that (1) they are all reflected in the liturgical traditions from which they must derive and (2) their representation in the manuscript tradition is very late. In fact, of these 25 witnesses, only one is from the 11th century, while 4 are from the 12th, 6 from the 13th, 5 from the 14th, 6 from the 15th, and 3 from the 16th. With this in mind, it is truly remarkable that 105 manuscripts from the 10th century and earlier (namely, all of them) display the doxology of the majority of manuscripts (94% of those that have it, or 1416 mss) without any variation at all (cf. point 7 above).

9. The problem why the doxology, if possibly original, might have been omitted in a few manuscripts or passed over in silence by certain fathers deserves serious consideration.

9.1. Scrivener (Introduction, 2:324) mentions that the silence of some writers might be due partly to the absence of the doxology in the form of the Lord's Prayer as given in Luke 11:2–4, and that, while it is probable that the doxology was interpolated from the liturgies, "it is just as probable that it was cast out of St. Matthew's Gospel to bring it into harmony with St. Luke's (xi. 4)." If this were the only explanation it would not warrant much attention, but its force is better felt in tandem with other weightier reasons.

9.2. The doxology's appearance to some to be a cumbersome addition, in combination with its absence in the account of Luke (11:2–4), could have aroused the motive of a critic, especially one familiar with the reckless "Western" additions of the second century, to remove the words (cf., e.g., Whitney, 1:71; Baumgarten, 28–9). Scholz's criticism (1:16) is instructive in this regard: "For inasmuch as the thought of verse 12 is strengthened by the argument of verses 14 and 15, can anyone really persuade himself that the entire doxology for the purpose of assurance was superficially attached in such a way that in verse 14 Jesus could only with great roughness return to the subject of verse 12?" Scholz's comment draws attention to the circumstance that critical minds, no matter the century, could have observed the apparent disruption of the flow of thought between vv. 12 and 14 and sought to remedy the situation. By removing the doxology the remedy would only have been partial, though, as the petitions for delivery from temptation and the evil one (v. 13) keep the apparent interruption intact. At least Wettstein (1:327), who dismisses the doxology, honestly concedes that not just the doxology but also what precedes it (i.e., v. 13) non inter se cohaerere ("is internally inconsistent") with the flow of the passage.

9.3. The absence of the doxology in various witnesses of the Old Latin version, putting aside the cause of its omission for the moment, could have contributed to the doxology's omission in all those under its vast influence. Two examples may suffice. First is the circumstance that the so-called Comma Johanneum (1 John 5:7–8) found its way into a multitude of Latin manuscripts and many church fathers even though it occupies a place in only a few late and otherwise insignificant Greek manuscripts. Second, in Matt 5:44 the Old Latin and Vulgate offer virtually the only textual support for the absence of only the second clause, "bless those who curse you," while including the other three clauses (cf. the four clauses in the Byzantine text). The likeliest explanation is that the earliest interpreter, whether aware of the textual problem there or not, intentionally or unintentionally and yet rather uniquely caused benefacite ("do good") to follow diligite inimicos vestros in Matthew just as it does in Luke 6:27 and 35. Although I have not searched out the quotations of the Latin fathers at this place, it is likely that many of them follow the early editorial pattern of the Old Latin and Vulgate, and also that comparison with Luke was a contributing factor. Needless to say, if the doxology were already absent in the Latin copies, e.g., of Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine, there should be no wonder why they failed to comment on it. In addition, one cannot rule out the possibility that the Old Latin version, which was often copied alongside the Greek text in bilingual manuscripts of the early period, came to affect the transmission of the Greek tradition. To this cause may be attributed those many Western accretions that are attested only in a single or a few Greek copies, just as Bengel himself (Apparatus, 465) draws attention to a certain bilingual Greek NT manuscript in his excursus on 1 John 5:7–8 in relation to omissions, that that manuscript ex Latino tamen sine dubio derivatum, "is derived without a doubt from the Latin."

9.4. The editorial industry of an early critic, perhaps a precursor to or in emulation of famous critics such as Marcion and Tatian, could have eliminated the doxology in imitation of a literary technique seen elsewhere in religious literature. For example, the middle verse of Psalm 145, namely the so-called nun strophe, was omitted perhaps intentionally, since it formed the center and locus of climax for that psalm. As is well known, the Lord's Prayer forms not only the center of the present pericope on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, but also the very center of the entire Sermon on the Mount. From a critical Marcion-like editorial perspective, a more fitting place for such an elliptical procedure, especially at a place where the words were already universally known, can hardly be imagined. The stunning correspondence between the two "omissions" (the doxology in some witnesses of Matthew and the nun strophe of Psalm 145:13b [LXX 144:13b] in the Massoretic text) is that just before the omission in the psalm reference is made to "thy kingdom/dominion" (4x), "thy power/might" (2x), "glory" (2x), and "everlasting/for all generations" (2x) (cf. 145:11–13a).

9.5. Burgon (Causes, 85) was adamant that it was liturgical use itself that caused not the addition but rather the omission of the doxology: "It was the invariable practice from the earliest of time for the Choir to break off at the words 'But deliver us from evil.' They never pronounced the doxology. The doxology must for that reason have been omitted by the critical owner of the archetypal copy of St. Matthew" from which those few manuscripts, Origen, and the Old Latin derived their text. This plausible explanation, without other contributing factors, cannot be seen as decisive due to (1) the lack of certainty regarding the time of this practice's origin and (2) the possibility that the absence of the doxology in certain Greek copies is what caused the doxological words not to be spoken in the first place. In other words, the explanation involves a non sequitur but nevertheless might be true.

9.6. The function of the doxology in direct speech rather than indirect, discussed in point 4 above, is encumbered with enough theological tension to present a motive for its alteration or removal. Put simply, the doxology ascribes all the kingdom, power, and glory to God alone, and nothing to Jesus himself. The fact that most liturgies of the Lord's Prayer ascribe glory not just to God but rather to the triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit affirms this difficulty. An early copyist, knowing that Jesus mentions his own glory in his other famous prayer (John 17:22, 24) and also his own ubiquitous authority at the end of Matthew (28:18), could well have felt the tension. In fact, the difficulty is exacerbated due to the time period of the variation's rise, the obscure second century during which the battles of orthodoxy and heresy raged the hottest. What better proof-text for a separationist theology than Jesus himself ascribing all the glory to God alone in a prayer! And so from this perspective what might be termed an anti-separationist orthodox corruption could have spawned.

9.7. The severe warning against vain repetitions issued by Christ himself just a few verses earlier (6:7) may have caused some to tamper with the clause, or omit it altogether, out of fear that the clause was beginning to approach the status of "vain repetition" in liturgical services. In fact, Wettstein (1:327) argues that whoever added the doxology took Christ's admonition into account when formulating its supposedly awkward order (kingdom-power-glory), which otherwise should have aligned more properly with the order of the three petitions (i.e., glory-kingdom-power = hallowed be thy name ... thy kingdom come ... thy will be done), as if altering the order in such a way were somehow better at complying with Jesus' command. The point is that prayer is to be engaged in with an attitude of sincerity and not in imitation of magical repetitions.

9.8. Evidence shows, however, that heterodox groups from the early period also used the the Lord's Prayer (including the doxology). Thus we find in the 2d- or 3d-century the Gnostic Prayer of Paul the Apostle: "For thine is the kingdom and the glory and the praise and the greatness for ever and ever amen” (cf. Müller, 28). And so we also find in the Greek magical papyri a certain Silvanus praying both to God and to "holy Serene" to deliver him from a demon and every sickness and malady, and to this end he recites the "evangelistic healing prayer," which is none other than the Lord's Prayer, followed by "for thine is the glory forever," and then closing with other "magical" phrases: "In the beginning was the Word. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. O Light from light, true God, be gracious to me, your servant, O Light! Holy Serene, fall upon me, that I may be completely healed" (cf. Papyri Graecae magicae: Die griechischen Zauberpapyri (ed. K. Preisendanz and A. Henrichs; vol. 2; 2d ed.; Stuttgart: Teubner, 1974). As fascination with the apparent magical powers of the Lord's Prayer grew, especially in Egypt, the act of an orthodox scribe or editor to "protect" the doxology from unholy use may have been, rather paradoxically, to remove it from a written copy. In fact, some scholars regard Christ's prohibition in 6:7 as directed specifically against magical formulations (Betz, Sermon, 364; see also Betz's other works cited below).

9.9. A final motivation for the doxology's omission in a few witnesses is found in the disciplina arcani, "the discipline of the secret," which fell on especially fertile soil in the environs of Egypt and Italy where the philosophical attractiveness of secret knowledge was extremely popular. Yet even apart from this, the precedent for secrecy is already present in the biblical record itself. In the Gospel of Matthew we see reference made to the "mystery of the kingdom" (13:11). Jeremias (130) in particular states that "when we turn to the early Christianity, we repeatedly come across cryptic sayings and a concern to keep the most sacred things from profanation," a popular example being the secrecy surrounding the prediction of the death of Jesus (Mark 8:27–33; 9:9). One sees in 2 Esdras 12:13–39 that the revelation is commanded to be revealed only to those with enough wisdom to understand the words and to keep them safe, i.e., protected from abuse and misuse. Some scholars even hold that the author of the Gospel of John intentionally omitted the account of the Lord's Supper because he did not want to reveal the sacred formula to the general public, or rather that he "hid" the significance of the ritual within the Bread of Life discourse in John 6. Kilpatrick, moreover, argues that the shorter Western text of Luke 22:19–20 can be explained by Hellenistic influences and that the omission is especially indicative of the mystery cults that preserve knowledge of the most sacred practices (especially ritualistic) for only the initiated. Similarly, as the Lord's Prayer was inextricably tied to the rituals of baptism and the Lord's Supper from the earliest of times, there is evidence that it too fell under the disciplina arcani as practiced by some Christian groups. Even Ambrose (Cain et Abel 1.9.37 [PL 14:335]) in fourth-century Italy instructs Christians: "Beware of revealing out of carelessness the secret of the confession or of the Lord's Prayer." Well before Ambrose was Clement of Alexandria, who interpreted all of Scripture as a series of symbols and allegories. For Clement, the meaning of Scripture was of its very nature hidden and mysterious to all but the initiated, and thus he argued that Christianity, as the true philosophy, ought to be more mysterious than those worldly and false philosophies (cf. Strom. 5.8–8). But even before Clement's time the mysterious Kabbalah system was developing from the esoteric and theosophical currents present among the Jews of Palestine and Egypt by the end of the first century (cf. Scholem, 8), and eventually the doxology itself became a prooftext for that cult's sephirothic triad: kingdom (malkuth [מלכות]), power (netzah [נצח]), and glory (hod [הוד]) (cf. Olearius, 218–20). It is along these socio-historical currents that a case can be made that in one place or another the doxology held such a sacred and mysterious position (cf. point 9.8 above) that it too fell under the disciplina arcani of certain practitioners and thus, not out of vice but rather out of extreme reverence, it was removed from some Greek copies and especially from an important archetype of the Latin version (cf. esp. Ambrose above). Indeed, a corroborating factor for some (cf. point 9.1 above) may have been that even Luke himself hid the doxology from his readers. For others, removal of just the reference to the kingdom in the doxology was enough to satisfy the desire to keep the "mystery of the kingdom," well, truly mysterious to all but the initiated (cf. the absence of "the kingdom" in the Didache, Sahidic, Fayyumic, Gregory of Nyssa, etc.).

When all the above arguments are considered, it seems more likely that the doxology could have been truncated by a few, especially by the creator(s) of the Latin version, which those who opposed the authority of the words may have followed as their supreme guide and authority, than that the means and opportunity were at hand for some unnamed powerful force to add the expression so successfully that nearly all the Greek manuscripts and most early versions exhibit it. Still the biggest problem for those who oppose the textual primacy of the doxology is that if it was the frequent habit of leaders from the beginning to add doxologies to the end of their prayers (cf. point 4 above), and if they habitually added it fully in the Greek manuscripts and mostly in this version or that, why is no interpolation of even a single word of the doxology attested at the end of the Lord's Prayer in Luke's Gospel, whether from the form found in Matthew's Gospel or, more essential yet for the opposing theory to have any weight, from any of the forms found in the dozens of different liturgies that existed among the early churches? By far the most common liturgical traditions include reference to the Trinity after the threefold ascription, but as it turns out this liturgical accretion only came to affect a few Greek manuscripts (cf. point 8 above). In the end, it is reasonable to conclude that the liturgical formulas of the doxology all derive from the doxology's prior presence in the canonical Gospel of Matthew, and not the other way around.

Finally, if the doxology belongs at the end of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew, its presence following the petition for deliverance from the evil one is striking. The οτι followed by the threefold ascription transports one immediately back to the threefold temptation of Christ by the evil one himself (4:1–11), where in the final temptation all the kingdoms (βασιλεια) and their glory (δοξα) were shown to Jesus, who replies that the Lord "thy" (σου) God alone was to be worshiped and served. The devil's immediate departure demonstrates to whom the power, the second or central of the doxological ascriptions, belongs. It is in this simple contextual sense that the doxology, which should no longer be so immediately spurned as a near-universal and spurious addition to the text of Matthew, may be explained.


Text und Textwert #19 results:

1 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
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796 797 798 799 800 801 803 804 805 806 808 809 811 817 818 819 820 822 824 825 826 828 830 833 834 835 836 839 843 844 845 852 854 855 856 858 860 861 863 864 867 871 875 877 878 880 881 888 889 892 893 895 896 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 932 933 934 935 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 948 949 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 968 970 971 972 973 974 975 978 979 980 982 983 986 987 988 989 991 992 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1017 1018 1019 1020 1023 1024 1025 1026 1028 1029 1030 1032 1033 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042S 1043 1044 1046 1047S 1048 1052 1054S 1056S 1057 1058 1059 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1068 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1088 1089 1090* 1091 1092 1093 1095 1096 1097 1110 1111 1113 1114 1117 1118 1120 1121 1122 1123 1125 1126 1127 1130 1131 1132 1133 1135 1136 1138 1139 1144 1145 1146 1148 1149 1152 1155 1157 1158 1159 1160 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167 1168 1169 1170 1171 1172 1173 1174 1178 1179 1180 1181 1182 1185 1187 1188 1189 1190 1191 1192 1193 1194 1195 1196 1197 1198 1199 1200 1202 1203 1204 1205 1207 1208 1210 1211 1212 1213 1214 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219 1222 1223 1224 1225 1226 1229 1230 1232 1233 1234 1235 1236 1237 1238 1239 1240 1241 1242 1243 1247 1248C 1250 1251 1252 1260 1261 1262 1263 1266 1268 1269 1272 1273 1278 1279 1280 1281 1282 1285 1288 1289 1290 1291 1292 1293 1294 1296 1297 1298 1299 1301 1302 1303 1305 1309 1310S 1312 1313 1314 1315 1316 1317 1318 1319 1320 1321 1322 1323 1324 1325 1326 1327 1328 1329 1330 1331 1333 1334 1335 1336 1338 1339 1340 1341 1343 1345 1346 1347 1350 1352 1353 1354 1355 1356 1357 1358 1359 1362 1364 1365 1367 1377C 1383 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 1491C 1492 1493 1494 1495 1496 1497 1498 1499 1500 1501 1502 1503 1505 1506 1508 1510 1511 1519 1521 1528 1530 1531 1533 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 1579C 1580 1581 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 1625 1626 1628 1629 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1637 1639 1640 1641 1642 1643 1645 1646 1647 1649 1651 1652 1653 1659 1660 1661 1663 1664 1665 1666 1667 1668 1670 1672 1675 1676 1677 1678 1680 1682 1685 1686 1687 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 1695 1697 1698 1699 1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1712 1713 1797 1800 1802 1804 1808 1813 1814 1816 1823 1901C 1966 2095 2097 2099 2101 2107 2108 2109 2117 2118 2120 2121 2122 2123 2126 2127 2131 2132 2133 2135 2139 2141 2142 2146 2147 2159 2172 2173 2174 2175 2176* 2177 2178 2181 2191 2193 2195 2199 2201 2204 2206 2207 2213 2215 2217 2220 2221 2224 2229 2236 2255 2260 2261 2263 2265 2266 2267 2273 2277 2278 2280 2281 2283 2284 2287 2290S 2291 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 2397 2398 2400 2404 2405 2406 2407 2411 2414 2415 2420 2422 2426 2430 2439 2442 2444 2446 2451 2452C 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 2524 2525 2528S 2530 2533 2539 2545 2546 2549 2550 2554 2555 2559S 2561 2562 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 2691 2692 2694 2695 2702 2703 2705 2706 2707 2709 2710 2713 2714 2718 2721 2722 2724 2726 2727 2728S 2734 2735 2745 2749 2754 2756 2757 2760 2765 2766 2767 2770 2774 2775 2779 2780C 2781 2783 2787 2788 2806 2808 2809 2810 2812 2819 2831 2835 2836
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1416

1B οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
851
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1C οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
0233*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1D οτι εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
745*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1E οτι σου η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
53
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1F οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα τους αιωνας αμην
752* 1248* 1579* 1901*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 4

1G οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις αιωνας αμην
891C
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1H οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας μην
579
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1I οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας
22* 679C 688
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 3

1J οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις ωνας
1577*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1K οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις ωνας αμην
1577C
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1L οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος εις τους αιωνας αμην
422 731 1206 2708
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 4

1M οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η και η δοξα του πατρος εις τους αιωνας αμην
679*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1N οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του εις τους αιωνας αμην
1491*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1O οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος αιωνας αμην
512
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1P οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος
784
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1Q οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δοξα του πατρος εις τους αιωνας αμην
1780 2729
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

1R οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου εις τους αιωνας αμην
1377*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1S οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος εις τους αιωνας αμην
225 310 418 1050 1228 1348 2715 2730
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 8

1T οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος εις τους αιωνας αμην
1253
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1U οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος εις τους αιωνας αμην
2452*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1V οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος νυν και αει και εις τους αιωνας
513 740 1060
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 3

1W οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος νυν και αει και εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων
931 2693S
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

2 Omit
01 03 05 035 0170 1 118* 130 205 209 372 890 1090C 1582* 2701S 2737 2780* 2786
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 18

3 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα
154* 306 354 590 596 719 723 733 737 842 891* 1021 1137 1532 1534 2100
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 16

3B οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα αμην
118C
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

4 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων αμην
31 38 113 131 324 552 760 873 969 1053 1186 1227 1375 1578 1688 2148 2176C 2182 2223 2523
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 20

5 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις εις τους αιωνας αμην
57 827 886 1671 2112
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 5

6 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
61 152 375 555* 1221 1342
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 6

7 οτι σου εστιν η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
2567
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

8 οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος εις τους αιωνας
157
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

9 αμην
17 30 288*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 3

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

Supplemental Bibliography:

Bandstra, Andrew J. "The Lord's Prayer and Textual Criticism: A Response." Calvin Theological Journal 17 (1982): 88–97.

------. "The Original Form of the Lord's Prayer." Calvin Theological Journal 16 (1981): 15–37.

Baumgarten, Siegmund Jakob. Authentiam doxologiae Matth. VI. com. xiii obviae a recentissimis oppugnationibus vindicatam. Halae: Hilligeriana, 1753.

Benzenberg, Heinrich. "Vindiciae breves doxologiae Matth. VI, 13," pages 97–119 in vol. 2 of Symbolae literariae. Edited by Johann Peter Berg. 4 vols. Hagae comitum et Duisburgi: C. Plaat Bibliopolae, 1784.

Betz, Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells. Edited by Hans Dieter Betz. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

------. "Secrecy in the Greek Magical Papyri." Pages 153–76 in Hans G. Kippenberg and Guy G. Stroumsa (eds.), Secrecy and Concealment: Studies in the History of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Religions. Studies in the History of Religions 65. Leiden: Brill, 1995.

------. The Sermon on the Mount. Edited by Adela Y. Collins. Hermeneia 54. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.

Breitinger, Johann Jakob. Dissertatio epistolica qua argumenta quibus clausulae O. D. αυθεντια vulgo propugnari solet modeste expenduntur. Zürich: Museum Helveticum, 1748.

Bruggen, Jakob van. "Abba, Vader! Tekst en toonhoogte van het Onze Vader." Pages 9–42 in De biddende kerk. Edited by C. Trimp. Groningen: De Vuurbaak, 1979.

------. "The Lord's Prayer and Textual Criticism." Calvin Theological Journal 17 (1982): 78–87.

Heumann, Christoph August. Erklärung des Neuen Testaments. 12 vols. (esp. 1:83–88). Hannover: Förster, 1750–63.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. Translated by Norman Perrin. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1966.

Kannaday, Wayne C. Apologetic Discourse and the Scribal Tradition. SBLTCS 5. Atlanta: SBL, 2004.

Kilpatrick, George D. “Luke xxii. 19b–20.” Journal of Theological Studies 47 (1946): 49–56.

Luz, Ulrich. Matthew 1–7. Translated by James Crouch. Hermeneia 61A. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007.

Mueller, Dieter. "The Prayer of the Apostle Paul." Pages 27–8 in The Nag Hammadi Library. Edited by James M. Robinson. Revised ed. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1990.

Morus, Alaxandre. Causa Dei. Medioburgi: Anthonii de Later, 1653.

Niederwimmer, Kurt. The Didache: A Commentary. Edited by Harold W. Attridge. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.

Olearius, Gottfried. Observationes sacrae ad Evangelium Matthaei. Lipsiae: Theophili Georgi, 1713.

Schlatter, Adolf. Der Evangelist Matthäus. 6th ed. Stuttgart: Calwer, 1963.

Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah. Jerusalem: Keter, 1974.

Twells, Leonard. A Critical Examination of the Late New Text and Version of the New Testament. London: R. Gosling, 1731.

Weber, Michael. Eclogae exegetico-criticae ad nonnullos librorum N.T. historicorum locos. Halis: Schimmelpfennigianis, 1827.

Wernsdorf, Gottlieb. Vindiciae orationis Dominicae. Wittembergae: Christiani Gerdesil, 1714.

Whiston, William. The Sacred History of the Old and New Testament. 6 vols. (esp. 5:268–72). London: n.p., 1745.

Witsius, Herman. Sacred Dissertations on the Lord's Prayer. Translated by William Pringle. Edinburgh: Thomas Clark, 1839.



Literature that may quote the doxology (listed chronologically):

Didache 8.2 (Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers [2 vols.; LCL 24; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1919] 1:320)

Didache 9.4 (Lake, 1:322)

Didache 10.5 (Lake, 1:324)

Prayer of the Apostle Paul (cf. Dieter Mueller, "The Prayer of the Apostle Paul," in The Nag Hammadi Library (ed. James M. Robinson; rev. ed.; San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1990), 28.

Ephrem the Syrian, Paraeneticus 50 (J. S. Assemani, Sancti Ephraem Syri opera omnia [6 vols.; Romae: Joannem Mariam Henricum Salvioni, 1732–1746] 2:186C)

Ephrem the Syrian, Oratio in vanam vitam et de poenitentia (Assemani, 3:314B)

Ephrem the Syrian, In illud: Attende tibi ipsi 10 (Assemani, 1:252D)

Caesarius of Nazianzus, Dialogus 1.29 (PG 38:889)

Basil of Caesarea, Liturgia (PG 31:1648B)

Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 17: Ad cives Nazianzenos 13 (PG 35:981A)

Gregory of Nyssa, De oratione Dominica 5 (PG 44:1193A)

Apostolic Constitutions 3.18 (PG 1:800C)

Apostolic Constitutions 7.24 (PG 1:1016C)

John Chrysostom, Ad populum Antiochenum de statuis 17 (PG 49:180)

John Chrysostom, De angusta porta et In orationem Dominicam 5 (PG 51:48)

John Chrysostom, Homiliae in Matthaeum 19.6 (PG 57:282) (twice)

John Chrysostom, Homiliae in Matthaeum 22.2 (PG 57:301)

John Chrysostom, Homiliae in epistulam ad Romanos 16.10 (PG 60:564)

Isidore of Pelusium, Epistulae 4.24 (twice) (PG 78:1073D and PG 78:1076B)

Basil of Seleucia, Oratio 35: in Publicanum et Pharisaeum 3 (PG 85:384A)

Opus Imperfectum 14 (PG 56:714)

Pseudo-Ambrose, De sacramentis 4.5.24 (PL 16:460B)

(Pseudo-)Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homily 19: Martyrium sancti Longini centurionis 16 (PG 93:1560B)

Pseudo-Chrysostom, Interpretatio orationis Pater noster (PG 59:628)

Pseudo-Chrysostom, De salute animae (PG 60:738)

Euthymius Zigabenus, Commentariorum in Matthaeum 6.13 (PG 129:241C)


Theophylact, Enarratio in Evangelium Matthaei 4 (PG 123:205C)

Matt 5:22 εικη

Only eight Greek manuscripts from before the 13th century omit εικη (p64 ℵ* B Ω 135 137* 364 371*), which Metzger (13) nevertheless dismisses with a single sentence: "Although the reading with εικη is widespread from the second century onwards, it is much more likely that the word was added by copyists in order to soften the rigor of the precept, than omitted as unnecessary."

Metzger's statement mirrors that of Erasmus (2:25–26), who after invoking the authority of Jerome who said that it was "not found in the old and trustworthy exemplars" states, "And it appears that it was added by some impudent person who wanted, as it were, to mitigate that which in general appeared to be a rather hard saying." Bèze (1:31) offers no reasons but assumes the authenticity of εικη: "Therefore not all anger is to be condemned, such as that kind which is commended in the name of zeal and also that which the Peripatetic philosophers not insincerely call 'the crag of fortitude': but in the end what is censured is that [anger] which is either unjust or immoderate (Eph 4:26)." Grotius (1:117) likewise concurs: "The anger which has the best justification is that which is derived from the indignation of the offended Divine, namely, that of which kind Christ exhibited in Mark 3:5." Mill (12) boldly states that "there is no reason why the expression εικη should have been omitted" (emphasis mine), and that although it was admitted into the text from the margin of some manuscript to soften what was thought to be a rather hard saying, it nevertheless is "ancient" because "it entered the manuscripts basically from apostolic times." Whitby (Examen, 108–9) responds to the notion that εικη was added from the margin of some manuscripts thus: "Indeed I favor very little this kind of reasoning, neither do I easily believe that something uncustomary could have crept into the text that was publicly recited in the Churches of Christianity without a rather weighty cause which I wholly fail to discover in this place." He nevertheless does agree with a certain sentiment of Mill, namely, that "indeed no one would have omitted the expression on purpose; however, it could have been omitted from the negligence of scribes, since it is generally admitted that such occurred very often in other places." Whitby (Paraphrase, 5:72–3) rightly judges that Justin's citation (ος δ αν οργισθη, ενοχος εστιν εις το πυρ) cannot be considered as evidence against εικη, since it is "only a brief recapitulation of the whole: and you may as well argue, that neither Raca nor μωρε was in that verse, as that εικη was not there." Mastricht (Appendix:2) comments in favor of the word: "Sense does not escape the expression should the passage be alleviated or explained rightly; for 'anger' passion is natural to man, and if it is controlled, he does not sin in his behavior. Cf. Eph 4:26 where it says 'without a cause' in certain Latin manuscripts." Bengel (Apparatus, 98; Gnomon, 174) defends the omission and likewise mentions no reason why εικη, if original, might have been omitted.

The primary patristic comments are conveniently quoted in Wettstein (1:296–7). Jerome (Commentariorum in Matthaeum) at Matt 5:22: "In certain manuscripts 'without a cause' [sina causa] is added. As for the rest, in the true ones the sentence is definite, and anger is completely taken away, with the Scripture saying, 'He who is angry with his brother.' For if we are commanded to offer the other cheek to the one striking us, and to love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us, every occasion for anger is removed. Therefore 'without a cause' must be erased, since the anger of man does not perform the righteousness of God." Jerome (Commentariorum in Epistulam ad Ephesios) at Eph 4:31: "'Without a cause' was added in vain, for we are not permitted to be angry even with a cause." Jerome (Adversus Pelagianos 2): "But 'without a cause' was not added in most old manuscripts with the result of course that we should not be angry even for any reason." Augustine (Retractationum 1.19): "The Greek manuscripts do not have 'without a cause,' as placed here, although the sense itself is the same." John Cassian (De institutis coenobiorum 8.20): "'Without a cause' is superfluous and was added by those who did not at all think that anger should be excluded in the case of just causes, since certainly no one, however provoked without reason, says that he is angry without a cause. Therefore it appears that it was added by those who did not understand the intention of Scripture to cut off the fuel of voluntary anger by all means and to leave no occasion at all for indignation, lest, when we are commanded to be angry with justification, even without justification an occasion is provided for us to become angry."

Wettstein (1:296–7) observes that Augustine's comment that the Greek copies did not have "without a cause" is uncritical since he was merely copying Jerome, and Jerome was speaking to the situation of the Latin manuscripts and not of the Greek. Against Jerome's theological reason for omitting εικη, Wettstein responds that it is "rather light," for "it is just as much that the Legislator can command that we take off natural anger as that we cut off all anger; which is why anger is so often spoken of, being attributed so many times to God, and to Christ in Mark 3:5. Paul certainly in Eph 4:26 does not forbid us to be angry, but rather wants us to be so angry that we do not sin. . . . Consequently, the sole authority of Jerome could not induce us to attempt to change anything whatsoever against the consensus of the Greek and Latin fathers and versions."

Matthäi (68–9) judges that εικη was removed "on the authority of certain interpreters," and calls attention to this passage's Greek scholium which is entitled "The practice of the law" and the origin of which he connects with Origen: "But others say that εικη was added by some in vain. Wherefore one must not be angry at all. For how is a place left open for some to be angry when we are commanded to love even our enemies?" The verbal similarities ("almost word for word") between this scholium and Jerome's quotations led Matthäi to use violent language: "Jerome . . . judged that εικη should be erased. Why? Of course, because it was omitted by Origen, whom he imitated like a slave, but also whose commentaries and other written works he fraudulently and criminally commends in place of the manuscripts of the New Testament."

Griesbach (1:46–50) boldly introduces a more mature argument for the authenticity of εικη: "We have no doubt that it was omitted on purpose. For so rigid was the teaching on behavior among most of the teachers of the ancient church that they supposed that not only 'to be angry without a cause' but also all anger whatsoever was to be prohibited under Christian law. One of them supposed that the εικη, as if impeding the zeal of Christian perfection and being less suitable to our most holy teacher, had been inserted into the text by those who were wishing to reach heaven by a more favorable way. Therefore he erased it by dots above or below in his own manuscript. He was followed afterwards by others who were influenced by the same prejudiced opinions when coming across the verse." Griesbach concedes that the variation already existed in Origen's time, but that Origen approved of the shorter reading, partly for theological reasons, partly also perhaps because εικη seemed superfluous. He also notes that the witnesses against εικη "are refuted by other equally old and weighty manuscripts originating from the same families," not to mention the manuscripts that even Jerome and Augustine confessed to contain it, including "all other Greek manuscripts (Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine) . . . . And so εικη is victorious both by the multitude and, which is greater, by the weightiness of the witnesses. . . . But yet in this kind of reading, where integrity of judgment is very easily corrupted by comments of theological opinions, we very willingly concede that one cannot assign so much weight to the allegations of the fathers as he can to them in places of a different kind." He continues, "What pertains to the internal importance of probability, everyone who is acquainted with the spirit of the first centuries and the character of the earlier fathers will grant to us that there were by far more incentives present for the word εικη to have been deleted than added." Moreover, after reviewing the statements of Jerome and John Cassian, Griesbach observes, "Jerome attributes so much to reasons of this kind that when he was observing that manuscripts disagreed among themselves he boldly (see his comment in that place) pronounced: 'Therefore "without a cause" ought to be scratched off!' This because he considered it so wrong that not long before he seriously asked someone whether any prudent man would bring together documentation of some importance that would be of such critical understanding to the faith [as this passage without εικη]."

Kühnöl (143–4) defends the expression, while Bloomfield (Annotations, 4–5) says the problem in his mind remains "an open question." Scrivener (Six Lectures, 119–22) deals with the passage at length, calling Jerome Origen's "follower" and the later versions that omit εικη "distinctly traceable to the influence of Origen over Jerome's mind." Scrivener, like Griesbach, compares the motive for the omission here with that for the omission of "falsely" (ψευδομενοι) in 5:11 by D and some Latin manuscripts. He continues, "We will not hesitate to say that on the whole external evidence preponderates in favour of the retention of 'without cause.' It is the earlier, fuller, less equivocal."

Whitney (1:64–5) rightly explains that anger is "a feeling perfectly compatible with a holy, sinless frame of mind," and, considering Mark 3:5 and Eph 4:26, that there is "a holy anger as well as one that is sinful; the former awakened by a just provocation, being a righteous indignation, while the latter is without just ground, and is to be condemned. . . . Εικη seems to have been stricken out of the text under a misapprehension of the true meaning of οργιζομενος," for if one gives to οργιζομενος "the stronger sense of cherishing angry feelings or harboring a wrathful, malicious purpose, of course the bracketed words are not only superfluous, but altogether inappropriate. But this is a sense which the word hardly admits." Whitney's concluding sentence well summarizes transmissional probabilities: "The false reading of these manuscripts was evidently confined within comparatively narrow limits, and soon disappeared, the offensive word being everywhere recognized as genuine."

To summarize: (1) at least 1449 Greek manuscripts have εικη, including the Old Latin, Syriac, Coptic, and others, and many church fathers; (2) the word was offensive to some, like Jerome, a circumstance that easily could have occasioned its removal; (3) a misapprehension of οργιζομενος to mean malicious hatred, which is always sinful (cf. Matt 5:44, and Jesus' correspondence of anger and hatred in 5:21–22), could have caused some to omit the word as superfluous; (4) εικη could have been omitted accidentally, either from the sheer brevity of the word, from parablepsis error (ε . . . ε), or both. For a brief modern treatment of the passage, see David Alan Black ("Jesus on Anger: The Text of Matthew 5:22a Revisited," Novum Testamentum 30:1 [1988]: 1–8).

Text und Textwert #13 results:

1    αυτου εικη
01C2 05 07 017 019 021 028 030 031 032 036 037 038 041 042 047 055 0211 0233 0257 0287 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 43 44 45 46 47 49 51 52 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 80 83 84 86 89 90 98 100 105 107 108 111 112 113 116 117 118 119 120 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 136 137C 138 140 141 142 143 144 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 160 161 162 163 164 167 169 170 171 174 175 178C 179 180 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 199 200 201 202 204 205 207 208 209 210 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 224 225 226 227C 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 240 243 244 245 246 247 248 251 259 260 261 262 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277C 278 279 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 293 296 297 298 299 300 301 303 304 305 306 310 324 329 330 331 333 334 335 343 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 358 359 360 361 363 366 367 371C 373 374 375 376 377 379 380 386 387 388C 390 391 392 393 394 395 399 402 405 406 408 409 410 411 413 414 415 418 419 420 422 423 428 431 435 438 439 440 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 461 470 471 473 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485C 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 501 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 523 524 525 527 528 529 530 532 534 535 537 543 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 560 561 563 564 565 566 568 569 571 573 574 575 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 590 592 594 596 597 600 645 649 651 652 655 657 660 662 664 666 668 672 676 677C 679 680 683 684 685 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 696 697 699 700 703 706 707 708 709 711 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 733 734 735 736 737 738 740 741 744 745 746 747 750 751 752 753 754 755 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 768 769 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 783 785 786 787 788 789 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 803 804 806 808 809 811 817 818 819 820 822 824 825 826 827 828 830 833 834 835 836 837 839 842 843 844 845 851 852 854 855 856 858 860 861 863 864 871 872 873 875 877 878 880 886 888 889 890 891 892 893 895 896 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 937 938C 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 948 949 951 952 953 954 955 956 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 978 979 980 982 983 986 987 988 989 992 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1023 1024 1025 1026 1028 1029 1030 1032 1033 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1046 1047 1048 1050 1052 1053 1054 1056 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 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1095 1096 1097 1110 1111 1113 1114 1117 1120 1121 1122 1123 1125 1126 1127 1130 1131 1132 1133 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1144 1145 1146 1148 1149 1152 1155 1158 1159 1160 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167 1168 1169 1170 1171 1172C 1173 1174 1178C 1179 1180 1181 1182 1185 1186 1188 1189 1190 1191 1192 1193 1194 1195 1196 1198 1199 1200 1202 1203 1204 1205 1206 1207 1208 1209 1210 1211 1212 1213 1214 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 1226 1227 1228 1229 1230 1232 1233 1234 1235 1236 1237 1238 1239 1240 1241 1242 1243 1247 1248 1250 1251 1252 1260 1261 1262 1263 1266 1268 1269 1273 1278 1279 1280C 1281 1282 1285 1288 1289 1290 1291 1292 1293 1294 1296 1297 1298 1299 1301 1302 1303 1305 1309 1310 1313 1314 1315 1316 1317 1318 1319 1320 1321 1322 1323 1324 1325 1326 1327 1328 1329 1330 1331 1333 1334 1336 1338 1339 1340 1341 1342 1343 1345 1346 1347 1350 1352 1353 1354 1355 1357C 1358 1359 1362 1364 1365 1367 1375 1377 1383 1385 1386 1387 1388 1389 1390 1391 1392 1393C 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1400 1401 1402 1403 1404 1406 1408 1409 1410 1413 1414 1415 1416 1418 1420 1421 1422 1424 1432 1434 1435 1436 1438 1439 1440 1441 1442 1443 1444 1445 1446 1447 1448 1449 1450 1452 1453 1454 1455 1456 1457 1458 1460 1461 1462 1463 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 1556C 1557 1558 1559 1560 1562 1563 1564 1570 1572 1573 1575 1576 1577 1578 1579 1580 1581 1582 1583 1584 1585 1586 1587 1588 1589 1590 1591 1592 1594 1595 1597 1600 1601 1602 1603 1604 1605 1606 1608 1612 1613 1615 1617 1620 1622 1623C 1624 1625 1628 1629 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1637 1639 1640 1641 1642 1645 1646 1647 1649 1651 1652 1653 1659 1660 1661 1664 1665 1666 1667 1668 1670 1671 1672 1675 1676 1677 1678 1680 1682 1685 1686 1687 1688 1690 1691 1692 1694 1695 1697 1698 1699 1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1712 1713 1780 1797 1800 1802 1804 1808C 1813 1814 1816 1823 1901 1966 2095 2097 2099 2100 2101 2107 2108 2109 2112 2117 2118 2120 2122 2126 2127 2131 2132 2133 2135 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 2265 2266 2267 2273 2277 2278 2280 2281 2284 2287 2290 2291 2292 2295 2296 2297 2301 2304 2314 2315 2317 2321 2322 2323 2324 2328 2352 2354 2355 2356 2362 2367 2369 2370 2371 2372 2373 2374 2375 2382 2383 2386 2387 2388 2390 2394 2398 2400 2404 2406 2407 2411 2414 2415 2420 2422 2426 2439 2442 2444 2446 2451 2452 2454 2458 2465 2467 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 2518 2520 2521 2523 2524 2525 2528 2530 2533 2539 2545 2546 2550 2554 2555 2557 2559 2561 2562 2567 2571 2577 2578 2579 2581 2583 2585 2590 2591 2592 2598 2603 2604 2605 2606 2608 2610 2612C 2613 2614 2615 2616 2620 2622 2623 2624 2633 2635 2636 2637 2645 2646 2650 2653 2656 2658 2660 2665 2670 2676 2680 2684 2685 2687 2689 2691 2692 2693 2694 2695 2697 2701 2702 2703 2705 2707 2708 2709 2710 2713 2714 2715 2718 2722 2724 2726 2727 2728 2729 2730 2734 2735 2745 2749 2754 2756 2757 2760 2765 2766 2767 2770 2774 2775 2779 2780 2781 2783 2786 2787 2788 2806 2808 2809 2810 2812 2826 2831 2835 2836
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1437

1B    αυτω εικη
165 1118 1187 1609 1643
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 5

1C    αυτου {οργιζομενος} εικη
939
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

2    αυτου
P64 01* 03 045 48 73 109 135S 137* 198 263 364 371* 372 500 663 782 784 1001 1272 1356 2263 2283 2397 2405 2430S 2706 2737
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 28

3    εικη
5 388* 412 732 938* 1693
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 6

U1 Homoeoteleuton: τη κρισει (5:21) [... τη κρισει (5:22)]
173 178* 211 227* 277* 295 344 389 485* 522 544 546 591 677* 805 1009 1015 1172* 1178* 1280* 1357* 1393* 1556* 1623* 1808* 2381 2516 2673
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 28

U2    Homoeoteleuton: τω αδελφω αυτου [... τω αδελφω αυτου]
1312
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

Matt 4:10 οπισω μου

This variation represents one of the many places where the Textus Receptus deviates from the broad consensus of Greek manuscripts (for inclusion of οπισω μου see below, including C2 D E L M U Z Γ Ω 047 055 0211 33 [+1345 mss] b h l* sy-[s].c.h** sa-mss bo-mss). For another relatively significant deviation of the Textus Receptus from the consensus text, cf. the note on Matt 3:11.

A likely orthodox corruption occurred when a higher regard for the interpretation of the text over the text itself led to the removal of οπισω μου between the words υπαγε and Σατανα in a number of witnesses (ℵ B C*vid K P S V W Δ Σ 0233 f1.13 565 579* 700 892*vid [+145 mss] f k vg sy-p sa-ms mae1 bo; Ir-latvid Tert Or Hil). The same motivation may have caused orthodox scribes to remove υπαγε οπισω μου Σατανα from Luke 4:8 (ℵ B D L W Ξ f1 33 205 579 700 788 892* 2542 pc lat sy-s.p sa bo-pt), although the disruption there could have been caused by the command appearing before the end of Jesus' temptation in Luke's account.

Wettstein (1:272–3) demonstrates, beginning with Origen, the early and widespread notion that Jesus could not have said υπαγε οπισω μου to Satan, because (so Pseudo-Ignatius) it was impossible for Satan to turn and follow him, and (so Victor) because it is a good thing to be behind Jesus, and (so Jerome) because Jesus would not censure the Apostle Peter and Satan with the same words. Jerome even interprets Matt 16:23 in such a way that has Jesus directing the word υπαγε to the Devil, namely, "Go away," and υπαγε οπισω μου to Peter, namely, "follow my way." Wettstein charges: "It appears that this emendation [i.e., omission] arose from the cleverness of Origen, who also has deleted the words οπισω μου from unwilling manuscripts at Luke 4:8." Matthäi (54–5) similarly states: "I believe that οπισω μου was removed lest it appear that Peter and the Devil received the same response," and that although Euthymius Zigabenus thinks that Matthew did not write οπισω μου but that Luke did, according "to the other Greek interpreters οπισω μου should be removed both in Matthew and in Luke." Matthäi notes the Catena to Mark 8:33 that says: "But to Satan when he was tempting Jesus he did not say, 'Go behind me, Satan,' but 'Go, Satan;' but to Peter (Mark 8:33) while he was still a sinner, and therefore not yet behind Jesus, he said, ' Go behind me, Satan,' that is, 'follow me.'" Matthäi rightly argues, "But surely, if υπαγε οπισω μου signifies nothing but ακολουθει μοι ['follow me'], by no means would Christ have spoken such to the Devil." Many scribes and interpreters reasoned similarly and thus removed the words. Wettstein also notes the ludicrousness of Jesus commanding Satan to follow him.

Thus with good reason Griesbach (36–9) states that "the reading οπισω μου, inasmuch as it is more difficult, rougher, and more unusual, altogether must be preferred over the other, which by the omission of these words proves that some readers plucked out a scruple that was vexing to them," and that the οπισω μου is supported by "witnesses of the most diverse kind, conspiring among themselves in a friendly manner." Griesbach continues, "For we know that already Origen and Pseudo-Ignatius, whom Victor, Euthymius, Jerome, and others followed thereafter, were of this opinion, that υπαγειν οπισω τινος did not signify anything other than ακολουθειν τινι, and thus by a deliberate and judicious plan Jesus indeed said to Peter (Matt 16:23) υπαγε οπισω μου σατανα, but to the tempter υπαγε σατανα, without this addition. I voluntarily grant that the shorter reading was rather widely propagated especially due to the authority of Origen." Furthermore, Griesbach correctly states that the omission predates Origen, since Irenaeus and Tertullian do not quote the words, and thus Origen cannot be said to have created the omission, contrary to Wettstein's special pleading.

Kühnöl (100–01) concurs that the words were deleted "by those interpreters to whom the formula υπαγω οπισω μου did not appear to signify anything other than ακολουθειν τινι, and who therefore thought that indeed Jesus rightly could say to Peter in Matt 16:23, υπαγω οπισω μου Σατανα, but not however to that insidious one." He further judges that υπαγε οπισω μου actually stands for υπαγε απ εμου και ουκετι ακολουθει οπισω μου ['depart from me and no longer follow after me'], for "never does the formula υπαγε οπισω μου signify, 'Go behind me,' but οπισω μου rather indicates 'withdrawal' or 'departure' on account of the added word υπαγειν, neither even did Jesus command Peter, as Beza advises at Mark 8:33, to follow him from behind; for he who follows us from behind certainly does not depart. The opposite formula is spoken below in verse 19: δευτε οπισω μου, 'go after/behind me,' that is, 'follow me.' And so the words υπαγε οπισω μου denote: 'depart, get out of my sight' (geh mir aus den Augen), 'get thou away from me;' moreover this reading, inasmuch as it is the more difficult and is fortified by the authority of more than enough manuscripts, was very rightly received in succession by Griesbach, Matthäi, Knapp, Vaterus, and Scholz."

In short, there is no plausible reason why scribes would have wanted to add what most ancient commentators thought Jesus could not or would not have said to Satan, and consequently the motive was present and the temptation great for many to remove the words, not add them (from Matt 16:23). Finally, the presence of the words both here and in regard to Peter was a purposeful tactic to reveal to the reader the seriousness of Peter's improper motives. Cf. also Burgon (Traditional Text, 169–70) for many patristic citations and sources.


Text und Textwert #9 results:

1    υπαγε οπισω μου σατανα
04C2 05 07 019 021 030 035 036 045 047 055 0211 2 3 4C 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24C 26 28 29 30 31 33 35 37 38 40C 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61T 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 73 74 75 76 77 78 80 83 84 86 89 90 98 99 100 105 106 107 108 109 111 112 113 117 118S 119 120 121 122 123C 125 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135S 137 138 140 141 142 143 144 146 147 149 150 151C 152 153 155 156 157 160 162 163 165 167 170 171 174 178 179 180 182 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 195 198 199 200 201 202 204 205 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 243 244 245 246 247 248 251 259 260 261 262C 263 266 267 269 270 272 274 275 276 277C 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 290 291 293 296 297 298 299 300 301 303 304 305 306 310 324 329 330 331 333 343 344 345 346 348 349 350S 351 352 353 354 355 358 359 360 361 363 364 365 367 370 371 373 374 375C 376 377 380 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 402 405 406 408C 409 410 411C 412 413 414 415 418 419 422 423 428 431 435 438 439 440 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 470 471 473 475 476 477 479 480 482 483 484 485 489C 490 491 492 493 494 495 496C 497 498 500 501 504 505 506 508 509 510 511 512 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 529 530 532 534 535 537 543C 544 547 548C 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 560 561 563 564* 566C 568 569 571 573 574 575 577 578 579C 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 590 591C 592 596 597 645 649 651 655 657 660 662 664 666 668 672 676 677C 679 680 683 684 685 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 696 697 703 706 708 709 711 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 722 723 724* 725 726 727 728 729 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 740 741 744 745 746 747 750 751 752 753 754 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 765 766 768S 769 772S 773 774 775 776 778 779 780C 781 782 783 785 786 787 789S 790 791 792 794 795 796 797 798 799 801 803 804 806 808 811 817 818 819 820 822 824 825 827 828 830S 833 834 835 836 839C 842 843 844 845 851 852 854 855 856 858 860 861 863 864 871C 872C 873 875 877 878 880 886 888 889 890 891 892C 893 895 896C 899C1 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 948 949 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 978 979 980 982 983 986 987 988 989 992 994C 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 1029 1030 1032 1033 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042S 1043 1044 1046 1047S 1048 1050 1052 1053 1054S 1057C 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1068 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078C 1081 1082 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1095 1096 1097 1110 1111 1113 1114 1117 1120 1121 1122 1123 1125 1126 1127 1131 1132 1133 1136 1137 1138 1139 1144 1145 1146 1148 1149 1152 1155 1158 1159 1160 1163 1164 1165 1167 1168 1169 1170 1171 1173 1174 1179 1180 1181 1182 1185 1186 1187C 1188 1189 1190 1191C 1192 1193 1194 1195 1196 1197 1198 1199 1200S 1202 1203 1204 1207 1208 1209C 1210 1211 1212 1213 1214 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219C 1221C 1222 1223 1224 1225 1226 1227 1228 1229 1230 1232 1233 1234 1235 1236 1237 1238C 1239 1240 1241 1242 1243 1247 1248 1250 1251 1252 1253 1260 1261 1262 1263 1266 1268 1269 1273 1278 1279 1280 1282 1285 1288 1289 1290 1291 1292 1294 1296 1297 1298 1299 1301 1302 1305 1309 1310S 1312 1314C 1315 1316 1317 1318 1319 1320 1322 1323 1324 1326 1327 1328 1329 1330 1331 1333C 1334 1335 1336 1338 1339 1340 1341 1345 1346 1350 1352 1353 1354 1356 1357 1358 1359 1362 1364 1365 1367 1375 1377 1383 1385 1386 1387 1388 1389 1390 1391 1392 1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1400 1401 1402 1403 1404 1406 1408 1409 1410 1413 1414S 1415 1416 1418 1420 1421 1424 1432 1434 1435 1436 1439 1440 1441 1442 1443 1444 1445 1446 1447 1448 1449 1450 1454 1455S 1456 1457 1460C 1461 1462 1463 1465 1466 1467 1468 1471 1472 1473 1474 1475 1476 1477 1479 1480 1481 1482 1483C 1484 1485 1487 1488 1489 1490 1491 1492 1493 1494 1495 1496 1497 1498C 1499 1501 1502 1503 1505 1506 1508 1510 1511 1519 1521 1528 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1539 1540 1541 1542C 1543 1544 1545 1547 1549 1550 1551 1552 1553 1555 1556 1557 1558 1559 1560 1563 1570 1572 1573 1574 1575 1576 1577 1578 1579 1580 1581C 1582C 1583 1584 1585 1586 1587 1588 1589C 1590 1591 1592 1594 1595 1597 1600 1601 1602 1604 1605 1606 1608 1609 1613 1615 1617 1620 1622 1623 1624 1625 1628 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1637 1639 1641 1642 1643 1645 1646 1647 1649 1651 1652 1653 1660 1661 1664 1665 1666 1667 1668 1670 1671 1675 1676 1678 1680 1682 1685 1686 1687 1688 1690 1691C 1692 1693 1694 1695 1697 1698 1699 1700 1702 1703 1704 1712 1713 1780 1797 1800 1802 1808 1813 1814 1816 1823 1901 1966 2095 2097 2099 2107 2112 2117 2118 2120 2122 2123 2127 2131 2132 2135 2141 2142 2146 2147 2148 2159 2172 2173C 2174 2175 2176 2177 2178 2182 2191 2193C 2195 2201 2204S 2206 2207 2213 2215 2217 2220 2221 2229 2236 2238 2255 2260 2261 2263 2265 2266 2273 2277 2278 2280 2281 2283 2284 2290S 2291 2292 2295 2296 2297 2301 2304 2306 2314C 2315 2317 2322 2323 2324 2328 2352 2354 2355 2356 2367 2369C 2370 2371 2372 2373 2374 2382 2383 2386 2387 2388 2390 2394 2397 2400 2404 2405 2406 2407 2414 2420 2422 2426 2430 2439 2442 2444 2446 2450 2451 2452 2454 2458 2465 2467 2470 2471 2472 2475 2476 2477 2478 2482 2483 2487 2488 2489 2490 2492 2494 2496 2497 2499 2502 2503 2508 2509 2510 2511 2518 2520 2521 2523 2524 2525 2528S 2530 2533 2539 2545 2546 2550 2554 2555 2557 2561 2562 2567 2577 2578 2579 2581 2583 2590S 2591S 2592 2598 2603 2604C 2605 2606 2608S 2610 2612 2613 2614 2615 2616 2620 2622 2623 2624 2633 2635 2636 2637C 2645 2646* 2650 2651S 2653 2656 2658 2660 2665 2666 2670 2673 2676 2685 2687 2689S 2691 2692 2693S 2694 2695 2697 2701S 2702 2703 2705 2706 2707 2709S 2710 2713 2714 2715 2718 2721 2724 2726 2727 2728S 2729 2730 2734 2735 2745 2749 2753 2756 2757 2760 2765 2766 2767 2770 2773 2774 2775 2779 2780 2781 2786 2788C 2806 2808 2809 2810 2812C 2831 2835 2836
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1348

1B    υπαγε μου σατανα
1191*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

2    υπαγε σατανα
01 03 04* 017 024 028 031 032 037 042 0233 1 4* 6 13 14 22 24* 27* 34 36 39 40* 61L 72 114 123* 124 136 148 151* 158 161 164 169 173 183 194 196 240 262* 265 268 271 273 277* 278 289 334 372 375* 379 399 408* 411* 420 461 472 478 481 489* 496* 507 513 527 528 543* 546 548* 564C 565 566* 579* 591* 600 677* 699 700 707 724C 730 755 777 780* 788 793 809 826 837 839* 871* 872* 892* 896* 899* 899C2 947 951 994* 1057* 1078* 1079 1080 1083 1118 1135 1166 1172 1178 1187* 1205 1206 1209* 1219* 1221* 1238* 1281 1303 1313 1314* 1321 1325 1333* 1347 1355 1422* 1422C2 1438 1452 1458 1460* 1464S 1470 1478 1483* 1486 1498* 1542* 1546 1581* 1582* 1589* 1603 1629 1640 1672 1691* 2101 2109 2126 2133 2173* 2181 2193* 2199 2224 2267 2287 2314* 2321 2362* 2369* 2381 2411 2415 2479 2507 2516 2559S 2571 2585 2604* 2637* 2646C 2680 2684 2708 2737 2754 2812*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 180

3    υπαγε οπισω σατανα
27C 51 1272 1422C1 2362C
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 5

4    υπαγε σατανα οπισω μου
652 2223 2474
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 3

5    σατανα
2788*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

Matt 1:25 τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον

A few witnesses (ℵ B Zvid 071vid 1 33 788 1192 1582* it mae1 [sy-c sa bo]) depart from the consensus and read simply υιον instead of τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον, which latter expression Bengel (Apparatus, 93) and others suggest entered here from Luke 2:7, an explanation Whitney (1:58–61) calls "pure conjecture." The older nature of the longer reading is established by its presence in a completely Matthean sequence of Tatian's Diatessaron (2.1–7 = Matt 1:18–25), a fact openly conceded by Hort (Appendix, 8) and other critics such as von Soden (1:3) and corroborated by its appearance in the Latin translation of Ephrem's commentary, where it is quoted three times as primogenitum (cf. Mösinger, 25). Mill (Prolegomena, §18), Wettstein (1:239), Griesbach (1:17), Meyer (35), and others suggest that the shorter reading originated in a diligent but futile attempt to suppress the notion that Mary gave birth to more babies after Jesus was born (Griesbach logically suggests the same motivation behind the omission of πριν η συνελθειν αυτους in two manuscripts in 1:18). Fritzsche (55) calls this explanation absurd, arguing instead that the phrase was omitted on account of its clearly superfluous appearance, since the child of one expressly referred to as a virgin (1:23) would obviously be her firstborn. Griesbach plainly states that it appears less probable that the phrase was moved to this place from Luke 2:7, and additional evidence confirms his judgment. The probability is great that the appearance of τεξεται υιον not only once in 1:21 but again in 1:23 would have influenced a careless scribe to repeat the manner of expression upon the third appearance of the verb τικτω in so short a space, namely, she shall bear a son . . . she shall bear a son . . . she bore a son). Assimilation to the nearby context is always more probable than harmonization to a remote parallel, especially (so Whitney) if the error occurred in the earliest of times before Matthew's gospel travelled alongside others. Whitney further argues on grammatical grounds that Matthew at the very least would not have written υιον without the definite article after it appeared without such in 1:21 and 1:23 in anticipation of the son that was to be born, pointing to the addition of τον or αυτης or both by scribes who perceived the problem created by earlier scribes, and that πρωτοτοκον completes the idea that Joseph did not "know" Mary until after Jesus' birth, indicating, as is suggested elsewhere (Matt 12:46; 13:55, 56; Mark 6:3, etc.), that Joseph and Mary later had children together. Intrinsically, as Whitney states, the expression is "just what might be expected to have been written by this evangelist." The authenticity of τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον is to be preferred not only because it has second-century attestation and remarkable internal arguments in its favor but primarily because of its presence in the overwhelming consensus of all Greek manuscripts (ca. 1450 manuscripts), including important representatives from every texttype (C D E K L M S U V W Γ Δ Π 087 565 892, etc.); thus the internal evidence merely corroborates the conclusion already called for by the external evidence due to the apparent habitual accuracy of the consensus Greek text.

Text und Textwert #4 results:

1    τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον
04 05* 07 017 021 022 028 030 031 032 036 037 041 042 045 047 055 087 0211 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 26 27C 28 29 31 34 35 36 37 38 39 40S 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 63 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 80 83 84 86 89 90 98 100 105 106 107 108 109 111 112 113 114 116 117 118S 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135S 136 137 138 140 141 142 143 144 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 160 161 162 163 164 165 167 169 170 171 173 178 179 180 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 195 196 198 199 200 201 202 204 205 207 208 209 210S 211 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 240 243 244 245 246 247 248 251 259 260 261 262 263 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 293 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 303 304 305 306 310 324 329 330 331 333 334 335 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350S 351 352 353 354 355 358 359 360 361 363 364 365 367 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 379 380 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 399 402 405 406 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 418 419 420 422 423 428 431 438 439 440 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 461 470 471 472 473 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 500 501 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 527 528 529 530 532 534 535 537 543 544 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 560 561 563 564 565 566 568 569 571 573 574 575 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 591 592 594 596 597 600 645 649 651 652 655 657 660 662 663 664 666 668 672 676 677 679 680 683 684 685 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 696 697 699 700 703 706 707 708 709 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 736 737 738 740 741 744S 745 746 747 750 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 769 772S 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 785 786 787 789S 790 791 792 793 794S 795 796 797 798 799 801 803 804 805 806 808 809 811 817 818 819 820 822 824 825 826 827 828 830 833 834 835 836 837C 839 842 843 844 845 851 852 854 855 856 858 860 861 863 864 871 872 873 875 877 878 880 881 886 888C 889 890 891 892 893 895 896 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 931 932 933 934 935 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 978 979 980 982 983 986 987 988 989 992 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1023 1024 1025 1026 1029 1030 1032 1033 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042S 1043 1046 1047S 1048 1050 1052 1053 1054S 1056 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 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 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1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 1398 1399 1401 1402 1403 1404 1406 1408 1409 1410 1413 1414S 1415 1416 1418 1420 1421 1422 1432 1434 1435 1436 1438 1439 1441 1442 1443 1444 1445 1446 1447 1448 1449 1450 1452 1453 1454 1455 1456 1457 1458 1460 1461 1462 1463 1464 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 1501 1502 1503 1505 1506 1508 1510 1511 1519 1521 1528 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1538 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1545 1547 1549 1550 1551 1552 1553 1555 1556 1557 1558 1559 1560 1563 1570 1572 1573 1574 1575 1576 1577 1578 1579 1581 1582C 1583 1584 1585 1586 1587 1588 1589 1590 1591 1592 1594 1595 1597 1600 1601 1602 1603 1604 1605 1606 1609 1612 1613 1615 1617 1620 1622 1623 1625 1626 1628 1629 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1637 1639 1640 1641 1642 1643 1645 1646 1647 1649 1652 1653 1659 1660 1661 1662 1663 1664 1665 1667 1668 1670 1671 1672 1676 1678 1679 1680 1682 1685 1686 1687 1688 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 1695 1697 1698 1699 1700 1702 1703 1704 1713 1780 1797 1800 1802 1803 1804 1808 1813 1814 1816 1901 1966 2095 2097 2099 2100 2101 2107 2109 2112 2117 2118 2120 2122 2123 2126 2127 2131 2132 2133 2135 2139 2141 2142 2146 2147 2148 2159 2173 2174 2175 2176 2178 2181 2182 2191 2193 2195 2199 2201 2204S 2206 2207 2213 2215 2217 2220 2221 2223 2224 2229 2236 2238 2255 2260 2261 2263 2265 2266 2267 2273 2277 2280 2281 2283 2284 2287 2290S 2291 2292 2295 2296 2297 2301 2304 2306 2314 2315 2317 2321 2322 2323 2324 2328 2352 2354 2355 2356 2362 2367 2369 2370 2371 2372 2373 2374 2381 2382 2383 2386 2387 2388 2390 2394 2396 2397 2398 2400 2404 2405 2406 2407 2411 2414 2415 2420 2422 2426 2430 2439 2442 2444 2446 2450 2451 2452 2454 2458 2465 2467 2470 2472 2474 2476 2477 2478 2479 2482 2483 2487 2488 2490 2492 2494 2496 2497 2499 2502 2503 2507 2508 2509 2510 2511 2516 2518 2520 2521 2523 2524 2525 2528S 2530 2533 2539 2545 2546 2550 2554 2555 2557 2559S 2561 2562 2567 2571 2577 2578 2579 2581 2585 2590S 2591S 2592 2597 2598 2603 2604 2605 2606 2608S 2612 2613 2614 2615 2616 2620 2622 2623 2624 2633 2634 2635 2636 2637 2645 2646 2650 2651S 2653 2656 2658 2660 2665 2666 2670 2673 2676 2680 2684 2685 2687 2689 2691 2692 2693S 2694 2701S 2702 2705 2706 2707 2708 2709 2710 2713 2714 2715 2718 2721 2724 2726 2727 2728S 2729 2730 2734 2735 2737 2745 2749 2756 2757 2760 2765 2767 2770 2773 2774 2775 2780 2786 2788 2806 2808 2809 2810 2812 2831 2835 2836
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1446

1B    τον υιος αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον
30
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1C    τον υιον αυτοις τον πρωτοτοκον
837* 1546 2695
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 3

1D    τον υιον αυτου τον πρωτοτοκον
279 513
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

1E    τον υιον αυτος τον πρωτοτοκον
1374
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

1F    τον υιον αυτης τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον
27* 1291
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2

1G    τον υιον αυτης πρωτοτοκον
888*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

2    υιον
01 03 035 1 33 788 1192 1582*
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 8

3    τον υιον αυτης
1182
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 1

4    τον υιον τον πρωτοτοκον
05C2 019
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: 2