Confession of the Ethiopian Eunuch explained

The confession of the Ethiopian eunuch is a variant reading in Acts 8:37, widely seen by Textual Critics to be a later interpolation into the text. It is found in the King James Version due to its existence within the Textus Receptus.[1] [2] [3] [4]

It reads in the King James Version as thus:[5]

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
In the Greek of the Textus Receptus, the verse reads thus:
ειπεν δε ο φιλιππος ει πιστευεις εξ ολης της καρδιας εξεστιν αποκριθεις δε ειπεν πιστευω τον υιον του θεου ειναι τον ιησουν χριστον
The variant is not found in the majority Greek manuscripts, including the earliest ones such as Papyrus 45, Codex Sinaiaticus and the Vaticanus.[6] Most modern translations such as the ESV, NEB, NIV, NLT, the CEV among others put the verse within the footnotes. However, the verse remains in the body of the text within some translations such as the KJV, KJ21 and the NKJV. Its omission has a UBS confidence rating of A.[7] However, the verse has been defended by advocates of the King James Only movement and the Textus Receptus position.[8] [9] Acts 8:37 is among the most noteworthy variants found within the Textus Receptus in addition to the Comma Johanneum, the long ending of Mark, the Pericope Adulterae, the reading "God" in 1 Timothy 3:16 and the "book of life" in Revelation 22:19.[10]

Textus Receptus

The confession of the Ethiopian Eunuch found its way into popular translations such as the King James version due to its inclusion within the Textus Receptus made by Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 – 1536). Erasmus himself decided to include the verse in his edition of the Greek text due to its presence in the Latin Vulgate of his day and due to being in the margin of Minuscule 2816 (15th century), which he used in his compilation of the Textus Receptus.[11]

Erasmus argued that its omission could be explained by "carelessness of scribes".[12] However, modern scholarship sees it as a later addition to the text of the New Testament.[13]

History

Although Erasmus saw the variant as authentic, arguing that it was omitted from Greek manuscripts accidentally, it has generally been assumed that the verse was initially a margin added by those who found the narrative of Acts 8 lacking, which later found its way into the body of the text.[14]

Manuscripts

The verse is lacking from most Greek manuscripts such as P45,74 א A B C 33 and 614. The first early appearances of the variant exist in the Old Latin manuscripts, and begins to only appear in the Greek around the 6th century.[15]

  1. Excludes the passage: It is missing from the manuscripts 45 (250ad), 74 (7th century), Codex Sinaiticus (4th century), Vaticanus (4th century). Alexandrinus (5th century), Ephraemi Rescriptus (5th century), Codex Athous Lavrensis (8th-9th century) and a multitude of other codices and cursives. It is missing from most Byzantine text-type manuscripts..[16] It is also omitted by most Syriac copies and some Vulgate manuscripts.[17]
  2. Includes the passage: A few Greek manuscripts such as Codex Laudianus (c. 550) and some miniscules include the verse. It is found in the Codex Glazier (4-5th century), the Harclensis Syriac (7th century), some Old Latin and Vulgate manuscripts alongside some Ethiopian, Georgian and Armenian manuscripts. The confession of the Ethiopian eunuch is also quoted by many early Western writers, such as Ireaneus (130 – c. 202), Cyprian (210 – 258), Ambrose (339 – 397), Augustine (354 – 430), Pacian (310–391 AD) and Bede (672/3 – 735).[18]
  3. Includes the passage within the margin: Minuscule 2816 (15th century) contains the passage within the margin. This was used by Erasmus in his compilation of the TR.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ehrman, Bart D. . The Reliability of the New Testament . Fortress Press . 978-1-4514-1715-9 . en.
  2. Book: White . James R. . The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations? . Baird . Dr Mike . June 2009 . Baker Books . 978-0-7642-0605-4 . en.
  3. The Multivalence of the Ethiopian Eunuch and Acts 8:37 . TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism.
  4. Web site: Why Is Acts 8:37 Omitted from Many Bible Translations? . 2024-05-21 . Catholic Answers.
  5. Web site: Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8:37 - King James Version . 2024-05-21 . Bible Gateway . en.
  6. Web site: Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8:26-36 - New English Translation . 2024-05-21 . Bible Gateway . en.
  7. [Bruce M. Metzger]
  8. Book: White . James R. . The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations? . Baird . Dr Mike . June 2009 . Baker Books . 978-0-7642-0605-4 . en.
  9. Web site: Notes on Acts 8.37 - Trinitarian Bible Society . 2024-05-21 . www.tbsbibles.org.
  10. Book: Andrews, Edward D. . THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS: The "Received Text" of the New Testament . 2023-06-15 . Christian Publishing House . 979-8-3984-5852-7 . en.
  11. Brooke Foss Westcott & Fenton John Anthony Hort, The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881, Cambridge & London, Macmillan & Co.) vol. 2 (Appendix) page 93.
  12. Book: Metzger, Bruce Manning . The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content . 2003 . Abingdon Press . 978-0-687-05263-9 . en.
  13. Book: Hull, Robert F. . The Story of the New Testament Text: Movers, Materials, Motives, Methods, and Models . 2010 . Society of Biblical Lit . 978-1-58983-520-7 . en.
  14. Web site: Acts 8 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges . 2024-05-21 . biblehub.com.
  15. Book: Keener, Craig S. . Acts: An Exegetical Commentary : Volume 2: 3:1-14:28 . 2013-10-15 . Baker Academic . 978-1-4412-4039-2 . en.
  16. Book: Johnston . Peter J. . Unholy Hands on the Bible: An Examination of the Six Major New Versions . Green . Jay Patrick Sr . 1992 . Sovereign Grace Publishers . 978-1-878442-65-9 . en.
  17. Book: Bengel, Johann Albrecht . John Albert Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament: Pointing Out from the Natural Force of the Words, the Simplicity, Depth, Harmony and Saving Power of Its Divine Thoughts . 1862 . Perkinpine & Higgins . en.
  18. Book: Epp, Eldon Jay . Perspectives on New Testament Textual Criticism: Collected Essays, 1962-2004 . 2005-06-01 . BRILL . 978-90-474-0695-2 . en.
  19. Kurt Aland & Barbara Aland, The Text of The New Testament (rev. ed. 1987, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans) pages 303–304.

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