Mark 8:26-27

Mark 8:26-27 (homoioArcton)

                         ...KΑI ΑΠΕΣTΕIΛΕN
ΑΥTON ΕIΣ OIKON ΑΥTOΥ ΛΕΓΩN
MHΔΕ ΕIΣ THN KΩMHN ΕIΣΕΛΘHΣ
MHΔΕ ΕIΠHΣ TINI EN TH KΩMH
KΑI ΕΞHΛΘΕN O IHΣOΥΣ KΑI OI
MΑΘHTΑI ΑΥTOΥ ΕIΣ TΑΣ KΩMΑΣ
KΑIΣΑΡΕIΑΣ THΣ ΦIΛIΠΠOΥ

...And he sent
him away to his home, saying,
"Nor into the town enter,
Nor tell anyone in the town."
And Jesus went on with his disciples,
to the villages of Caesarea Philippi;

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INCLUDE LINE: + A C K X Δ Π 33 700 (892) 1009 1010 1071 1079 1195 1230 1241 1242 1253 1344 1365 (1546) 1646 2148, Byz (Majority of MSS), Lect (all Lectionaries), syr^p,h, cop^(bo), goth, Aeth, Diatess.^a,(p). (D), it^(c),d,(q), (Θ), f¹³, (565), (1216, 2174), (arm), geo ^A, it^{(s),aur,b,f,(ff2),(i),l} vg geo^B, (124), syr^h-mg.

OMIT: ( - MHΔΕ ΕI ΠHΣ TINI EN TH KΩMH) - א, B, L, f ¹, syr ^a, cop^sa,bo,fay, geo¹, (it^k)

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The scribe copies the first line beginning with 'MHΔΕ', then looking back at his exemplar fails to notice TWO lines starting with 'MHΔΕ' and continues from 'KΑI' (in line 4). The similar content in both lines doesn't help either. The error could be made multiple times from the same poorly laid out mastercopy, and once in the transmission stream could be duplicated further. Alexandrian editing practices ensured that this briefer reading would find its way into other copying streams via 'mixture'.

Once again, the shared omission by Aleph/B suggests either a common ancestor, or else a common set of readings by which such manuscripts were corrected by the copyists in the scriptorium where the two were made. But the very argument for a common ancestor identifies this as an error, not the original text (original readings do not distinguish text-types).

Instead of noting the obvious, modern versions follow their blind guides and the critical text of Westcott/Hort. They mistake the identification of an early intermediary text as the original text. Early intermediary texts by definition and nature must contain errors, and these are often identifiable. When errors can be identified, they should not be adopted as though they were original readings.