The Causes of the Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels: Being the Sequel to The Traditional Text of the Holy GospelsBurgon, John William
Religion
The Causes of the Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels: Being the Sequel to The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels
Burgon, John William
Bible. Gospels -- Criticism, Textual
Dr. Hort adds no remarks. He seems to have thought, that because he had
got an instance which outwardly met all the requirements laid down,
therefore it would prove the conclusion it was intended to prove. Now it
is evidently an instance of the omission of either of two words from the
complete account by different witnesses. The Evangelist employed both
words in order to emphasize the gratitude of the Apostles. The words are
not tautological. [Greek: Ainos] is the set praise of God, drawn out in
more or less length, properly as offered in addresses to Him[621].
[Greek: Eulogia] includes all speaking well of Him, especially when
uttered before other men. Thus the two expressions describe in
combination the life of gratitude exhibited unceasingly by the expectant
and the infant Church. Continually in the temple they praised Him in
devotion, and told the people of His glorious works.
4. Such are the eight weak pillars upon which Dr. Hort built his theory
which was to account for the existence of his Neutral Text, and the
relation of it towards other Texts or classes of readings. If his eight
picked examples can be thus demolished, then surely the theory of
Conflation must be utterly unsound. Or if in the opinion of some of my
readers my contention goes too far, then at any rate they must admit
that it is far from being firm, if it does not actually reel and totter.
The opposite theory of omission appears to be much more easy and
natural.
But the curious phenomenon that Dr. Hort has rested his case upon so
small an induction as is supplied by only eight examples--if they are
not in fact only seven--has not yet received due explanation. Why, he
ought to have referred to twenty-five or thirty at least. If Conflation
is so common, he might have produced a large number of references
without working out more than was enough for illustration as patterns.
This question must be investigated further. And I do not know how to
carry out such an investigation better, than to examine some instances
which come naturally to hand from the earlier parts of each Gospel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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