The Causes of the Corruption of the Traditional Text

§ 2

A gloss little suspected, which—not without a pang of regret—I proceed to submit to hostile scrutiny, is the expression ‘daily’ (καθ’ ‘ημεραν) in St. Luke ix. 23. Found in the Peshitto and in Cureton’s Syriac,—but only in some Copies of the Harkleian version362: found in most Copies of the Vulgate,—but largely disallowed by copies of the Old Latin363: found also in Ephraem Syrus364,—but clearly not recognized by Origen365: found again in [Symbol: Aleph]AB and six other uncials,—but not found in CDE and ten others: the expression referred to cannot, at all events, plead for its own retention in the text higher antiquity than can be pleaded for its exclusion. Cyril, (if in such a matter the Syriac translation of his Commentary on St. Luke may be trusted,) is clearly an authority for reading καθ’ ‘ημεραν in St. Luke ix. 23366; but then he elsewhere twice quotes St. Luke ix. 23 in Greek without it367. Timotheus of Antioch, of the fifth century, omits the phrase368. Jerome again, although he suffered ‘quotidie’ to stand in the Vulgate, yet, when for his own purposes he quotes the place in St. Luke369,—ignores the word. All this is calculated to inspire grave distrust. On the other hand, καθ’ ‘ημεραν enjoys the support of the two Egyptian Versions,—of the Gothic,—of the Armenian,—of the Ethiopic. And this, in the present state of our knowledge, must be allowed to be a weighty piece of evidence in its favour.

But the case assumes an entirely different aspect the instant it is discovered that out of the cursive copies only eight are found to contain καθ ‘ημεραν in St. Luke ix. 23370. How is it to be explained that nine manuscripts out of every ten in existence should have forgotten how to transmit such a remarkable message, had it ever been really so committed to writing by the Evangelist? The omission (says Tischendorf) is explained by the parallel places371. Utterly incredible, I reply; as no one ought to have known better than Tischendorf himself. We now scrutinize the problem more closely; and discover that the very locus of the phrase is a matter of uncertainty. Cyril once makes it part of St. Matt. x. 38372. Chrysostom twice connects it with St. Matt. xvi. 24373. Jerome, evidently regarding the phrase as a curiosity, informs us that ‘juxta antiqua exemplaria’ it was met with in St. Luke xiv. 27374. All this is in a high degree unsatisfactory. We suspect that we ourselves enjoy some slight familiarity with the ‘antiqua exemplaria’ referred to by the Critic; and we freely avow that we have learned to reckon them among the least reputable of our acquaintance. Are they not represented by those Evangelia, of which several copies are extant, that profess to have been ‘transcribed from, and collated with, ancient copies at Jerusalem’? These uniformly exhibit καθ ‘ημεραν in St. Luke ix. 23375. But then, if the phrase be a gloss,—it is obvious to inquire,—how is its existence in so many quarters to be accounted for?

Its origin is not far to seek. Chrysostom, in a certain place, after quoting our Lord’s saying about taking up the cross and following Him, remarks that the words ‘do not mean that we are actually to bear the wood upon our shoulders, but to keep the prospect of death steadily before us, and like St. Paul to “die daily”376.’ The same Father, in the two other places already quoted from his writings, is observed similarly to connect the Saviour’s mention of ‘bearing the Cross’ with the Apostle’s announcement—‘I die daily.’ Add, that Ephraem Syrus377, and Jerome quoted already,—persistently connect the same two places together; the last named Father even citing them in immediate succession;—and the inference is unavoidable. The phrase in St. Luke ix. 23 must needs be a very ancient as well as very interesting expository gloss, imported into the Gospel from 1 Cor. xv. 31,—as Mill378 and Matthaei379 long since suggested.

Sincerely regretting the necessity of parting with an expression with which one has been so long familiar, we cannot suffer the sentimental plea to weigh with us when the Truth of the Gospel is at stake. Certain it is that but for Erasmus, we should never have known the regret: for it was he that introduced καθ ‘ημεραν into the Received Text. The MS. from which he printed is without the expression: which is also not found in the Complutensian. It is certainly a spurious accretion to the inspired Text.

[The attention of the reader is particularly invited to this last paragraph. The learned Dean has been sneered at for a supposed sentimental and effeminate attachment to the Textus Receptus. He was always ready to reject words and phrases, which have not adequate support; but he denied the validity of the evidence brought against many texts by the school of Westcott and Hort, and therefore he refused to follow them in their surrender of the passages.]