Introduction to the textual criticism of the Greek New TestamentNestle, Eberhard
Religion
Introduction to the textual criticism of the Greek New Testament
Nestle, Eberhard
Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, Textual
The latter part of this decree was carried into effect in the papacy of
Sixtus V. His predecessor, Pius V., began the work of revising the text
of the Bible, and a “Congregatio pro emendatione Bibliorum” gave
twenty-six sittings to it in the year 1569. His successor seems to have
allowed the work to lapse, but Sixtus V. appointed a new commission for
the purpose under the Presidency of Cardinal Caraffa. The Pope himself
revised the result of their labours, which was printed at the Vatican
Press that he had founded. This edition, which takes its name from him,
was issued under the Bull “Aeternus ille” of the 1st March 1589, and
published in the following year. It is the first official edition of the
Vulgate. Sixtus died on the 27th August 1590, and was succeeded by four
Popes in the space of two years. [Sidenote: Clementine.] His fourth
successor in the Chair of Peter, Clement VIII., issued a new edition
under the name of the old Pope, accompanied by the Bull “Cum sacrorum”
of the 9th November 1592. This edition, containing a preface written by
Cardinal Bellarmin, was substituted for the former, and has continued
from that day without any alteration as the authorised Bible of the
entire Roman Church. The text of this second edition approximated more
closely to that of Henten, for which the Commission of Pope Sixtus had
also expressed their preference, though their printed edition went
rather by that of Stephen. The number of the variations between these
two editions has been estimated at 3000. For our purpose both alike are
superseded by the edition of Wordsworth and White. It may be added that
the first edition to contain the names of both the Popes upon the title
page is that of 1604. The title runs: “Sixti V. Pont. Max. iussu
recognita et Clementis VIII. auctoritate edita.” Those printed at Rome
at the present day are entitled: “Sixti V. et Clementis VIII. Pontt.
Maxx. iussu recognita atque edita.” See below, p. 132.
An enumeration of all the manuscripts of the Vulgate mentioned by
Tischendorf in his eighth edition, or even of the earliest and most
important of them, cannot be attempted. Those, however, mentioned by
Gebhardt in his _Adnotatio Critica_ are given here, with the notation
adopted by Wordsworth and White.
The best manuscripts, in the judgment of the English editors, are Codex
Amiatinus, Codex Fuldensis, and the one in the Ambrosian Library at
Milan (C 39 inf.), written in the sixth century. (M in W.-W.; not cited
by Tischendorf.)
am. Amiatinus (_vide supra_, p. 122), written ca. 700, is an excellent
manuscript, and particularly interesting as containing in the
introduction a double catalogue of the Books of the Bible resembling
that of the Senator Cassiodorus. See Westcott, _Bible in the Church_,
Appendix B; _Canon_, Appendix D. (A in W.-W.) (See Plate VI.)
bodl. Bodleianus, of the seventh century, formerly belonging to the
Library of St. Augustine at Canterbury. (O in W.-W.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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