1st Corinthians 15:52-54

1st Corinthians 15:52-54 (Traditional Text)

κοιμηθησομεθα παντες δε αλλαγησομεθα
εν ατομω εν ριπη οφθαλμου εν τη εσχατη
σαλπιγγι σαλπισει γαρ και οι νεκροι εγερθησον-
ται αφθαρτοι και ημεις αλλαγησομεθα δει γαρ
το φθαρτον τουτο ενδυσασθαι αφθαρσιαν και
το  θνητον τουτο ενδυσασθαι
αθανασιαν οταν δε
το φθαρτον τουτο ενδυσηται  αφθαρσιαν και
το  θνητον τουτο ενδυσηται  αθανασιαν τοτε
γενησεται ο λογος ο γεγραμμενος
..........."κατεποθη ο θανατος εις νικος..."



...and we all shall be changed;
- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last
trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed: for it behoveth
this corruptible to .......... put on incorruption, and
this mortal to put on immortality; but when
this corruptible may have put on incorruption, and
this mortal may have put on immortality, then 
shall be brought to pass the word that hath been written,

`The Death was swallowed up -- to victory;

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INCLUDE LINE: B! C(2vid) D! K P Ψ (33) 81 88 104 181 330 436 451 614(mg) 629(c) 630 (1241) 1739(mg) 1877(mg) 1881 1962 1984 (1985 2127) 2492 2495 Byz Maj (Majority of all continuous MSS) l(809m)/1441(m) it-d/(e) Syr-p/h Origen Cyprian Chrysostom Jerome Augustine Euthalius Theodoret Cosmos John-Damascus

OMIT: Aleph* 088 (629) it-ar Ambrosiaster Hilary Athanasius (G 614* 1877* it-f/g Cop-bo(ms)

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With 19 letters of homeoarcton (similar beginning), and 14 letters of homoioteleuton (similar ending), only a two-letter difference is left over! As a scribal gloss it is absurd, but understood as yet another haplographic accident, it is all too plain.


Its hard not to sympathize with the scribe who tripped holding this wedding cake full of Haplographic opportunities.


This is a case so shamefully obvious that both Nestle and the UBS editors felt obligated to leave the line in the text with no more than a list of variant MSS for a footnote.

Still, Hort felt equally obligated to worship the singular witness of Aleph, even against his beloved Codex B! Its hard not to suspect Hort's hidden agenda of eliminating as much NT verse as possible...

The usual (but unusually small) handful of confused copyists follow Aleph to nowhere.

Luckily, most 'modern' translations also felt obligated to follow the (strangely correct) judgment of the UBS-text here, and leave the verses in, with the exception of the always foolish New English Bible (NEB). We must document it here nonethless, because at least a few 'modern' versions took it seriously.

Apparently we won't be putting on incorruption, until the corruption of Codex Sinaiticus has fully tired us all out.

Yet there is no real excuse for the exact flub that Aleph makes, somehow failing to drop the middle line, also nearly identical with its paired counterpart. This "every-other-line" similarity is not unique in poetry or prose, but the expected mistake was both lines; the scribe of Aleph was seemingly so addled with ale that he blundered twice, once to drop the line, and once to find his place again at the wrong place...(roll eyes here).

Still, even this double gaffe was not enough to disguise the original haplography from the watchful eyes of the UBS committee. If only they were asleep at the wheel less often....