Codex W: Matt. 4:21-22 - h.t./h.a. Combo

Here is the first example Sanders gave as a first-hand homoeoteleuton blunder in Codex W:

Matt. 4:21-22

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The standard text in the master copy probably ran like this:

[πετρον] και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εις

την θαλασσαν ησαν γαρ αλιεις * και λεγει αυτοις δευτε οπισω μου

και ποιησω υμας αλιεις ανθρωπων οι δε ευθεως αφεντες τα δικτυα
ηκολουθησαν αυτω   και προβας εκειθεν ειδεν αλλους  δυο αδελφους
ιακωβον τον  του ζεβεδαιου   και ιωαννην  τον αδελφον αυτου  εν τω
πλοιω μετα ζεβεδαιου του πατρος αυτων καταρτιζοντας τα δικτυα 
αυτων και εκαλεσεν αυτους οι δε ευθεως αφεντες το πλοιον και τον PAR (πατερα)
αυτων ηκολουθησαν αυτω και περιηγεν ολην την γαλιλαιαν ο IS (ιησους)

διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων ...

This exemplar probably had either 50 or perhaps 25 characters per line.

One can see the comedy of errors unfolding.  The scribe looks from his copy to the master, searching for the line-end "τα δικτυα" but slips 3 lines lower by an homoeoteleuton (similar line end).  He now writes "αυτων", but is distracted once more: he again looks back to his master-copy for the line beginning with "αυτων", and now commits the complimentary line-skip, via homoeoarcton (similar beginning).   Perhaps a younger monk had pestered him with some question, and the exchange was enough to cause the double-fumble.   It was some kind of Kodak moment, or it was just a bad-hair day for the scribe of W.

On the fly, the scribe of W expands some of the lesser known contractions (Nomina Sacra) such as anthropos (man),  probably for readability.  His text now looks like a swiss-cheese:

και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου 
βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εις την 
θαλασσαν ησαν γαρ αλιεις  και λεγει 
αυτοις δευτε οπισω μου και ποιη-
σω υμας αλιεις ανθρωπων οι δε ευ
θεως αφεντες τα δικτυα.../...αυτων  
 .../... ηκολουθησαν αυτω 
και περιηγεν ολην την γαλιλαιαν ο  
IS  διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυ-
των ...

Needless to say, other scribes who may have occasionally used Codex W as an exemplar would have probably rolled their eyes at this zinger, and quietly ignored this reading in favor of any other handy copy.

mr.scrivener