The
Western text-type is one of several text-types used in
textual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
to describe and group the textual character of
GreekKoine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Patristic, Common, Biblical or New Testament Greek...
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
manuscriptsA biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek biblion ; manuscript comes from Latin manu and scriptum...
. It is the term given to the predominant form of the
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
text witnessed in the
Old LatinVetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jerome's Vulgate Bible became the standard Bible for Latin-speaking Western Christians. The phrase Vetus Latina is Latin for Old Latin, and the Vetus Latina is sometimes known as the Old Latin...
translation from the
GreekKoine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Patristic, Common, Biblical or New Testament Greek...
; and also in quotations from certain 2nd and 3rd Century Christian writers, including
CyprianSaint Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important early Christian writer. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received an excellent classical education...
,
TertullianQuintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian, was a prolific and controversial early Christian Berber author, and the first to write Christian Latin literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy...
and
IrenaeusSaint Irenaeus , was a Christian Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
. The Western text had a large number of characteristic features, which appeared in text of the Gospels, Book of Acts, and in
Pauline epistlesThe Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
.
The
Western text-type is one of several text-types used in
textual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
to describe and group the textual character of
GreekKoine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Patristic, Common, Biblical or New Testament Greek...
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
manuscriptsA biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek biblion ; manuscript comes from Latin manu and scriptum...
. It is the term given to the predominant form of the
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
text witnessed in the
Old LatinVetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jerome's Vulgate Bible became the standard Bible for Latin-speaking Western Christians. The phrase Vetus Latina is Latin for Old Latin, and the Vetus Latina is sometimes known as the Old Latin...
translation from the
GreekKoine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Patristic, Common, Biblical or New Testament Greek...
; and also in quotations from certain 2nd and 3rd Century Christian writers, including
CyprianSaint Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important early Christian writer. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received an excellent classical education...
,
TertullianQuintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian, was a prolific and controversial early Christian Berber author, and the first to write Christian Latin literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy...
and
IrenaeusSaint Irenaeus , was a Christian Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
. The Western text had a large number of characteristic features, which appeared in text of the Gospels, Book of Acts, and in
Pauline epistlesThe Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
. The Catholic epistles and the
Book of RevelationThe Book of Revelation, also called the Revelation of St. John, the Apocalypse of John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is the last book of the New Testament. It may be shortened to Revelation but never Revelations...
probably did not have a Western form of text.
Description
The main characteristic of the Western text is a love of paraphrase. "Words and
even clauses are changed, omitted, and inserted with surprising
freedom, wherever it seemed that the meaning could be brought
out with greater force and definiteness." One possible source of glossing is the desire to harmonise and to complete. "More peculiar to the Western text is the readiness to adopt alterations or additions from sources extraneous to the books which ultimately became canonical." This text often presents longer variants of text, but in few places, including the end of the Gospel of Luke, it has shorter variants, named
Western non-interpolationsWestern non-interpolations are readings in the Western text-type that are shorter than those of other New Testament text types. The term was coined by F. J. A. Hort....
.
Only one Greek
UncialUncial is a majuscule script commonly used from the 3rd to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters are written in either Greek, Latin, or Gothic.-Development:...
manuscript is considered to transmit a Western text for the four Gospels and the Book of Acts - the fifth century
Codex BezaeThe Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is an important codex of the New Testament dating from the fifth-century. It is written in an uncial hand on vellum and contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the Third...
; while the sixth century
Codex ClaromontanusCodex Claromontanus, symbolized by D
p or 06 , δ 1026 , is a Greek-Latin diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament, written in an uncial hand on vellum. The Greek and Latin text on facing pages.- Description :The codex contains the Pauline epistles on 533 leaves, by...
is considered to transmit a Western text for the letters of
Saint PaulPaul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, Paul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, Paul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, ...
, and is followed in this by two ninth century Uncials: F and G. Many "Western" readings are also found in the Old Syriac translations of the Gospels, the Sinaitic and the Curetonian, though opinions vary as to whether these versions can be considered witnesses to the Western text-type. A number of fragmentary early papyri from
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
also have Western readings,
29,
38,
48; and in addition,
Codex SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus is one of the most important hand-written ancient copies of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters...
is considered to be Western in the first eight chapters of
JohnThe Gospel of John , is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
. The term "Western" is a bit of a misnomer because members of the Western text-type have been found in the Christian East, including Syria.
Witnesses
| Sign |
Name |
Date |
Content |
| 37 |
Papyrus 37Papyrus 37 designated by 37 is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew dating to the 3rd century, sometime around 250-260 CE, due to its affinities with 53 , The correspondence of Heroninos and a letter by...
|
ca. 300 |
fragment of Matt 26 |
| 38 |
Papyrus Michigan Papyrus 38 , designated by 38, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles, it contains only Acts 18:27-19:6.12-16....
|
c. 300 |
fragment of Acts |
| 48 |
Papyrus 48 Papyrus 48 , signed by 48, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles, it contains Acts 23:11-17.23-29....
|
3rd |
fragment of Acts 23 |
| 69 |
Oxyrhynchus XXIV A small fragment from the Gospel of Luke dating to the 3rd century. This fragment omits the entire detailed content of Jesus’ prayer in . Claire Clivaz has suggested that 69 should be regarded 'as a witness to a Marcionite edition of Luke's Gospel'...
|
3rd |
fragment of Luke 22 |
| 0171 Uncial 0171 , ε 07 is two vellum leaves of a late third century Greek uncial codex containing fragments Matthew and Luke. In the Berlin Matthew and Florence Luke are taken. Matthew is a part of the Medici Library collection in Florence, Luke - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Uncial 0171 (in the...
|
|
4th |
fragments Matt and Luke |
| (01) ﬡ |
{Codex SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus is one of the most important hand-written ancient copies of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters...
} |
4th |
John 1:1–8:38 |
| Dea (04) |
Codex Bezae The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is an important codex of the New Testament dating from the fifth-century. It is written in an uncial hand on vellum and contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the Third...
|
c. 400 |
Gospels and Acts |
| W (032) |
Codex Washingtonianus The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum and palimpsest in the fourth or fifth century.- Description :The...
|
5th |
Mark 1:1–5:30 |
| Dp (05) |
Codex ClaromontanusCodex Claromontanus, symbolized by D p or 06 , δ 1026 , is a Greek-Latin diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament, written in an uncial hand on vellum. The Greek and Latin text on facing pages.- Description :The codex contains the Pauline epistles on 533 leaves, by...
|
6th |
Acts, CE, and Pauline Epistles |
| Fp (010) |
Codex Augiensis Codex Augiensis, designated by Fp or 010 , α 1029 is a 9th century diglot uncial manuscript of the Pauline Epistles in double parallel columns of Greek and Latin on the same page....
|
9th |
Pauline Epistles |
| Gp (012) |
Codex Boernerianus Codex Boernerianus, designated by Gp or 012 , α 1028 , is a small New Testament codex, measuring 25 x 18 cm, written in one column per page, 20 lines per page. Dated paleographically to the 9th century...
|
9th |
Pauline Epistles |
Other manuscripts:
25Papyrus 25 , designated by 25, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew, it contains only Matthew 18:32-34; 19:1-3.5-7.9-10....
,
29Papyrus 29 , designated by 29, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles, it contains only Acts 26:7-8.20. The manuscript paleographically had been assigned to the early 3rd century.- Description :The Greek text of this codex...
(?),
41Papyrus 41 , designated by 41, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek and Coptic. It is a diglot, it is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles...
,
066Uncial 066 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 6th century.- Description :...
,
0177Uncial 0177 , is a Greek-Coptic uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 10th century.The codex contains a small parts of the Gospel of Luke 1:73-2:7, on one parchment leaf...
,
36Minuscule 36 , A20 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 12th century.- Description :...
,
88Minuscule 88 α 200 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it had been assigned to the 12th century....
,
181Minuscule 181 , α 101 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 11th century.- Description :...
,
255Minuscule 255 , α174 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 13th century. Formerly it was labeled by 252a and 302p...
,
257Minuscule 257 , α 466 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it had been assigned to the 14th century. Formerly it was labeled by 302a and 260p...
,
338Minuscule 338 , ε 1006 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 10th century.- Description :...
,
383Minuscule 383 , α 353 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 13th century.- Description :...
(Acts),
440Minuscule 440 , δ 260 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 12th century.- Description :...
(Acts), 614, 913, 915, 917, 1108, 1245, 1518, 1611, 1739, 1836, 1874, 1898, 1912, 2138, 2298.
Compared to the
Byzantine text-typeThe Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
distinctive Western readings in the Gospels are more likely to be abrupt in their Greek expression. Compared to the
Alexandrian text-typeThe Alexandrian text-type is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
distinctive Western readings in the Gospels are more likely display glosses, additional details, and instances where the original passages appear to be replaced with longer paraphrases. In distinction from both Alexandrian and Byzantine texts, the Western text-type consistently omits a series of eight short phrases from verses in the
Gospel of LukeThe Gospel of Luke is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension...
; the so-called Western non-interpolations. In at least two Western texts, the
GospelA gospel is a writing that describes the life of Jesus. The word is primarily used to refer to the four canonical texts: the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John, probably written between AD 65 and 80...
s appear in a variant order: Matthew, John, Luke, Mark. The Western text of the Epistles of Paul - as witnessed in the
Codex ClaromontanusCodex Claromontanus, symbolized by D
p or 06 , δ 1026 , is a Greek-Latin diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament, written in an uncial hand on vellum. The Greek and Latin text on facing pages.- Description :The codex contains the Pauline epistles on 533 leaves, by...
and uncials F and G - does not share the periphrastic tendencies of the Western text in the Gospels and Acts, and it is not clear whether they should be considered to share a single text-type.
Although the Western text-type survives in relatively few witnesses, some of these are every bit as early as the earliest witnesses to the Alexandrian text type. Nevertheless, the majority of text critics consider the Western text in the Gospels to be characterised by periphrasis and expansion; and accordingly tend to prefer the Alexandrian readings. In the letters of St Paul, the counterpart Western text is more restrained, and a number of text critics regard it as the most reliable witness to the original.
Textual variants
Μαρκ 13:2
- και μετα τριων ημερων αλλος αναστησεται ανευ χειρων — D W it
Mark 13:33
- omitted phrase και προσευχεσυε (and pray) by codices B, D, a, c, k
Mark 15:34 (see Ps 22:2)
- ὠνείδισάς με (insult me) — D, itc
Codex Colbertinus, designated by 6 or c, is a Latin manuscript of the Bible. Its version of the gospels and Acts follows the Vetus Latina, while the rest of the New Testament follows the Vulgate. It was written in the 11th or 12th century, probably in southern France.The Latin text of the codex...
, (i), kCodex Bobiensis is a fragmentary Latin manuscript of the bible. Specifically, it is an example of a Vetus Latina bible, which were used from the 2nd century until Jerome's Latin translation, the Vulgate, was written in the 5th century. The text contains parts of the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of...
, syrh
- ἐγκατέλιπές με (forsaken me) — Alexandrian mss
- με ἐγκατέλιπες (see Mt 27:46) — Byzantine mss
John 1:4
- ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἐστίν (in him is life) — Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Bezae and some Vetus Latina and Sahidic manuscripts.
- ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ᾓν (in him was life) — this variant is supported by mss of the Alexandrian, Byzantine and Caesarean texts
John 1:30:
- ὑπὲρ — p5
Papyrus 5 , designated by 5, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John dating paleographically to the early 3rd century.- Description :...
, p66Papyrus 66 is a near complete codex of the Gospel of John, and part of the collection known as the Bodmer Papyri.- Description :...
, p75Papyrus 75 is an early New Testament papyrus.- Description :Originally '[it] contained about 144 pages ... of which 102 have survived, either in whole or in part.' It 'contains about half the text of ... two Gospels' - Luke and John in Greek...
, Sinaiticus*, Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209, C*, WS
- περι — Sinaiticus2, A, C3, L, Θ, Ψ, 063
Uncial 063 , ε 64 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 9th century.- Description :The codex contains a part of the Luke 16 — John 6, on 20 parchment leaves...
, 0101Uncial 0101 , ε 48 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. It is dated palaeographically to the 8th century. Formerly it was labeled by TV.- Description :...
, f1Family 1 is a group of the Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the...
, f13Family 13, also known Ferrar Group , is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings — especially in placing the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of Luke, rather than in...
, Byz
John 1:34
- ὁ ἐκλεκτός — p5, Sinaiticus, itb,e,ff2, syrc,s
- ὁ ἐκλεκτός ὑιος — ita, ff2c, syrpalmss, copsa
- ὁ ὑιος — mss of the Alexandrian, Byzantine and Caesarean texts
John 3:15
- ἐν αὐτῷ — p75, B, WS, 083
Uncial 083 , ε 31 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 6/7th century. The codex now is located at the Russian National Library in Saint Petersburg.- Description :...
, 0113
- ἐπ' αὐτῷ — p63
Papyrus 63 , signed by 63, is a copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of John. The surviving text of John are verses 3:14-18; 4:9-10...
, A
- εἰς αὐτον — p63, Sinaiticus, A, Koridethi
The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designed by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page. There are gaps in the text: Matthew 1:1–9, 1:21–4:4, and 4:17–5:4 are missing.The letter...
, Athous Lavrensis, 063, 086Uncial 086 , ε 35 , is a Greek — Coptic diglot, uncial codex of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 6th century.- Description :...
, f1, f13, Byz
John 7:8
- εγω ουκ αναβαινω εις την εορτην ταυτην — Sinaiticus, Bezae, Cyprius, Petropolitanus
Codex Petropolitanus, designated by Π or 041 , ε 73 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated paleographically to the 9th century.- Description :...
, 1071, 1079, 1241, 1242, 1546
- εγω ουπω αναβαινω εις την εορτην ταυτην — Papyrus 66
Papyrus 66 is a near complete codex of the Gospel of John, and part of the collection known as the Bodmer Papyri.- Description :...
, Papyrus 75Papyrus 75 is an early New Testament papyrus.- Description :Originally '[it] contained about 144 pages ... of which 102 have survived, either in whole or in part.' It 'contains about half the text of ... two Gospels' - Luke and John in Greek...
, Vaticanus, RegiusCodex Regius designated by Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century.- Description :...
, BorgianusCodex Borgianus, designated by T or 029 , ε 5 , is a Greek and Sahidic uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated paleographically to the 5th century...
, WashingtonianusThe Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum and palimpsest in the fourth or fifth century.- Description :The...
, MonacensisCodex Monacensis designated by X or 033 , A3 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated paleographically to the 9th or 10th century.- Contents :...
, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, Uncial 0105Uncial 0105 , ε 45 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament. It is dated paleographically to the 10th century. Formerly it was labelled by Wn.- Description :...
, 0180, 0250, f1Family 1 is a group of the Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the...
, f13Family 13, also known Ferrar Group , is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings — especially in placing the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of Luke, rather than in...
, 28Minuscule 28 , ε 168 , formerly known as Colbertinus 4705, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Paleographically it had been assigned to the 11th century.- Description :...
, 700Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogs , Gregory gave for it number 700....
, 892Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . Dated paleografically to the 9th century. Written in one column per page, in 20 lines per page, in minuscule letters.- Description :The codex contains almost complete text of the four Gospels...
, 1010, 1195, 1216, 1230, 1253, 1344, 1365, 1646, 2148, mss of Byz.
See also
- Categories of New Testament manuscripts
New Testament manuscripts in Greek are categorized into five groups. This categorization scheme was introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in Der Text des Neuen Testaments. The categories are based on how each manuscript relates to the various text-types...
- Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
- Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
- Caesarean text-type
Caesarean text-type is the term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings that is claimed to be apparent in certain Greek manuscripts of the four Gospels, but which is not found in any of the other commonly recognized New Testament text-types; the Byzantine...
- Western non-interpolations
Western non-interpolations are readings in the Western text-type that are shorter than those of other New Testament text types. The term was coined by F. J. A. Hort....
- Acts of the Apostles#Text
External links