Matthew 10:23 - Early Byzantine homoeoteleuton

Matthew 10:23 in the Traditional Text apparently runs:

οταν δε διωκωσιν υμας εν τη πολει

ταυτη φευγετε εις την αλλην

αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν ου μη τελεσητε 

τας πολεις του ισραηλ  εως αν ελθη 

ο υς του ανου

The Aleph/B Text & Byz. runs:

οταν δε διωκωσιν υμας εν τη πολει

ταυτη φευγετε εις την ετεραν 

αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν ου μη τελεσητε 

τας πολεις του ισραηλ  εως [αν] ελθη 

ο υς του ανου

This would seem to be a minor variant, not entirely inexplicable, and attributable to some kind of brain boo-boo.

...If not for the following large problem:  Two important Byzantine families, f1 and f13, as well as Origen and even the Diatessaron, and with variants, L  Θ  D  565, and virtually all of the Old Latin witnesses, Syriac-s, Arm Geo. and Hilary have something much fuller: 

.....................οταν δε διωκ-
ωσιν υμας εν τη πολει ταυ-
τη, φευγετε εις την αλλην     (/ετεραν)
καν εκ ταυτης  διωκωσιν υμ- 
ας, φευγετε εις την αλλην      
αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν ου μη
τελεσητε τας πολεις του ισηλ
εως [αν] ελθη ο υς του ανου

  "But when then,  they persecute 

   you in this city,  flee into another, 

   and out of that one,  when they       

   persecute you,  flee into another. ..."...

Click to Enlarge

 With the fuller text, it seems rather obvious that a very early homoeoteleuton type-error may have taken place, sometime after the early Latin translation.  We should not be surprised at this.   The extensive support throughout the Latin tradition, coupled also with major early translations, and even Origen and two major Greek MS families + Uncials as a Greek witness support, leans strongly in favor of a simple, but unfortunately early mistake.

As with other extensive homoeoteleuton lines, there are 18 different possible alignments that would generate the same error at each column width of  10, 20, or 40 cpl.  (= 54 permutations!)  A large number of these could also automatically generate the variation  αλλην / ετεραν  ) depending upon when the scribe ended the line and skipped.  In other words, this is the solution that also explains the other variants in this Variation Unit.  More strong internal evidence in favor of the fuller text.

Thanks to "OOG" on Bible Versions Forum for bringing this to our attention.

peace
Nazaroo

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Interrupting Edit: (heh heh)

- I posted your notes from here on TC-Alt, and James Snapp Jr. pointed out he also supports this possible homeoteleuton and notes the variant in his English translation with textual notes as follows:

e – next, and if they persecute you in that one, flee to another – Aleph/B: the next, Byz: another (text supported by D SyrS)

You can download his Text from the file, "EEEE Matthew Sept 2010.doc" in the Files section of TC-Alternate-list

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Nazaroo monolog...



mr.scrivener

 

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