BlueFalcon
August 21st 2004, 07:26 AM
I don't know who started this thing about trusting in "the earliest and most reliable" MSS of the Greek NT, but whoever started it should be given the gold medal of spin.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if two MSS of the NT disagree, then either (1) one is right and the other is wrong, or (2) both are wrong (and thus the right reading is either lost or in other MSS).
So I will use this universal law of non-contradiction to demonstrate something: in almost any given variant unit of the NT the "earliest and most reliable" MSS must be wrong!
Here is an extremely minimized list from John 1. In each case, take your pick: (1) either one reading is right and the other two or three wrong, or (2) none of them is original! (And from now on you may no longer ignorantly use the phrase the "earliest and most reliable" to describe the following MSS.)
1:3 ouden (P66 Aleph* D) vs. oude en (B etc.)
1:3 estin (Aleph D) vs. hn (B etc.)
1:6 hn onoma (Aleph* D*) vs. onoma (B etc.)
1:17 caris de (P66) vs. caris (B etc.)
1:19 apesteilan (P66* P75 Aleph L) vs. apesteilan pros auton (B C*)
1:19 erwthswsin (B etc.) vs. erwthsousin (P75 L 33) vs. eperwthswsin (Aleph)
1:20 hrnhsato kai wmologhsen (B etc.) vs. hrnhsato wmologhsen (L 33) vs. hrnhsato (Aleph)
1:21 auton (B etc.) vs. auton palin (Aleph)
1:21 ti oun su hlias ei ([P66] P75 C*) vs. ti oun hlias ei (Aleph L) vs. su oun ti hlias ei (B)
1:21 kai legei (B etc.) vs. legei (Aleph)
1:22 autw su (P66c P75) vs. autw (Aleph B etc.)
1:25 kai hrwthsan auton kai eipan (B etc.) vs. kai eipan (Aleph)
1:26 iwannhs legwn (Aleph B etc.) vs. iwannhs (P75)
1:26 esthken (P66 etc.) vs. sthkei (B L) vs. eisthkei (P75 [Aleph])
1:27 o opisw (P66 P75 C* L) vs. opisw (Aleph* B)
1:27 eimi egw (P66c B etc.) vs. eimi (P66* P75 Aleph C L)
1:28 en bhqania egeneto (B etc.) vs. egeneto en bhqania (P66 Aleph)
1:32 katabainon ws peristeran (B etc.) vs. ws peristeran katabainon (Aleph) vs. katabainon wsei peristeran (P66 etc.)
1:33 tw udati ((P66 Aleph) vs. udati (B etc.)
1:33 agiw (Aleph B etc.) vs. agiw kai puri (P65c C*)
1:35 epaurion palin (Aleph B etc.) vs. epaurion (P5 P75)
1:36 qeou (Aleph B etc.) vs. qeou o airwn thn amartian tou kosmou (P66* C)
1:37 kai hkousan (B etc.) vs. hkousan (Aleph*)
1:37 maqhtai autou (P55 Aleph B) vs. autou maqhtai (P66 P75 C* L)
1:38 strafeis de (B etc.) vs. strafeis (Aleph*)
1:38 akolouqountas (Aleph B etc.) vs. akolouqountas autw (P66 C*)
1:39 meqermhneuomenon (P66 P75 B C L) vs. ermhneuomenon (Aleph* etc.)
1:39 oyesqe (P5 P66 P75 B C* L) vs. idete (Aleph etc.)
1:41 proton (P66 P75 B) vs. protos (Aleph* L etc.)
1:42 embleyas de (P75 etc.) vs. embleyas (P66 Aleph B L etc.)
1:46 kai eipen (B etc.) vs. eipen (Aleph)
1:46 o filippos (P66c P75 B L) vs. filippos (P66* Aleph etc.)
1:47 o ihsous (P66 P75 Aleph L) vs. ihsous (B)
1:49 autw naqanahl (P66 P75 B L) vs. naqanahl kai eipen (Aleph) vs. naqanahl kai legei autw (A)
1:49 su ei alhqws (P66*) vs. su ei (Aleph B etc.)
1:49 ei o basileus (P66 Aleph etc.) vs. basileus ei (P75 A B L)
1:50 upokatw ths sukhs (Aleph B etc.) vs. upo thn sukhn (P66)
1:50 meizw (B L etc.) vs. meizona (P66 Aleph) vs. meizwn (P75)
Yours,
BlueFalcon
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if two MSS of the NT disagree, then either (1) one is right and the other is wrong, or (2) both are wrong (and thus the right reading is either lost or in other MSS).
So I will use this universal law of non-contradiction to demonstrate something: in almost any given variant unit of the NT the "earliest and most reliable" MSS must be wrong!
Here is an extremely minimized list from John 1. In each case, take your pick: (1) either one reading is right and the other two or three wrong, or (2) none of them is original! (And from now on you may no longer ignorantly use the phrase the "earliest and most reliable" to describe the following MSS.)
1:3 ouden (P66 Aleph* D) vs. oude en (B etc.)
1:3 estin (Aleph D) vs. hn (B etc.)
1:6 hn onoma (Aleph* D*) vs. onoma (B etc.)
1:17 caris de (P66) vs. caris (B etc.)
1:19 apesteilan (P66* P75 Aleph L) vs. apesteilan pros auton (B C*)
1:19 erwthswsin (B etc.) vs. erwthsousin (P75 L 33) vs. eperwthswsin (Aleph)
1:20 hrnhsato kai wmologhsen (B etc.) vs. hrnhsato wmologhsen (L 33) vs. hrnhsato (Aleph)
1:21 auton (B etc.) vs. auton palin (Aleph)
1:21 ti oun su hlias ei ([P66] P75 C*) vs. ti oun hlias ei (Aleph L) vs. su oun ti hlias ei (B)
1:21 kai legei (B etc.) vs. legei (Aleph)
1:22 autw su (P66c P75) vs. autw (Aleph B etc.)
1:25 kai hrwthsan auton kai eipan (B etc.) vs. kai eipan (Aleph)
1:26 iwannhs legwn (Aleph B etc.) vs. iwannhs (P75)
1:26 esthken (P66 etc.) vs. sthkei (B L) vs. eisthkei (P75 [Aleph])
1:27 o opisw (P66 P75 C* L) vs. opisw (Aleph* B)
1:27 eimi egw (P66c B etc.) vs. eimi (P66* P75 Aleph C L)
1:28 en bhqania egeneto (B etc.) vs. egeneto en bhqania (P66 Aleph)
1:32 katabainon ws peristeran (B etc.) vs. ws peristeran katabainon (Aleph) vs. katabainon wsei peristeran (P66 etc.)
1:33 tw udati ((P66 Aleph) vs. udati (B etc.)
1:33 agiw (Aleph B etc.) vs. agiw kai puri (P65c C*)
1:35 epaurion palin (Aleph B etc.) vs. epaurion (P5 P75)
1:36 qeou (Aleph B etc.) vs. qeou o airwn thn amartian tou kosmou (P66* C)
1:37 kai hkousan (B etc.) vs. hkousan (Aleph*)
1:37 maqhtai autou (P55 Aleph B) vs. autou maqhtai (P66 P75 C* L)
1:38 strafeis de (B etc.) vs. strafeis (Aleph*)
1:38 akolouqountas (Aleph B etc.) vs. akolouqountas autw (P66 C*)
1:39 meqermhneuomenon (P66 P75 B C L) vs. ermhneuomenon (Aleph* etc.)
1:39 oyesqe (P5 P66 P75 B C* L) vs. idete (Aleph etc.)
1:41 proton (P66 P75 B) vs. protos (Aleph* L etc.)
1:42 embleyas de (P75 etc.) vs. embleyas (P66 Aleph B L etc.)
1:46 kai eipen (B etc.) vs. eipen (Aleph)
1:46 o filippos (P66c P75 B L) vs. filippos (P66* Aleph etc.)
1:47 o ihsous (P66 P75 Aleph L) vs. ihsous (B)
1:49 autw naqanahl (P66 P75 B L) vs. naqanahl kai eipen (Aleph) vs. naqanahl kai legei autw (A)
1:49 su ei alhqws (P66*) vs. su ei (Aleph B etc.)
1:49 ei o basileus (P66 Aleph etc.) vs. basileus ei (P75 A B L)
1:50 upokatw ths sukhs (Aleph B etc.) vs. upo thn sukhn (P66)
1:50 meizw (B L etc.) vs. meizona (P66 Aleph) vs. meizwn (P75)
Yours,
BlueFalcon