Textual variants in the First Epistle to the Corinthians

Textual variants in the First Epistle to the Corinthians are the subject of the study called textual criticism of the New Testament. Textual variants in manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to a text that is being reproduced. An abbreviated list of textual variants in this particular book is given in this article below.

Most of the variations are not significant and some common alterations include the deletion, rearrangement, repetition, or replacement of one or more words when the copyist's eye returns to a similar word in the wrong location of the original text. If their eye skips to an earlier word, they may create a repetition (error of dittography). If their eye skips to a later word, they may create an omission. They may resort to performing a rearranging of words to retain the overall meaning without compromising the context. In other instances, the copyist may add text from memory from a similar or parallel text in another location. Otherwise, they may also replace some text of the original with an alternative reading. Spellings occasionally change. Synonyms may be substituted. A pronoun may be changed into a proper noun (such as "he said" becoming "Jesus said"). John Mill's 1707 Greek New Testament was estimated to contain some 30,000 variants in its accompanying textual apparatus^[1] which was based on "nearly 100 [Greek] manuscripts."^[2] Peter J. Gurry puts the number of non-spelling variants among New Testament manuscripts around 500,000, though he acknowledges his estimate is higher than all previous ones.^[3]

Legend[edit]

A guide to the sigla (symbols and abbreviations) most frequently used in the body of this article.^[4]^[5]

General sigla

# beginning with 0: uncial

# not beginning with 0: minuscule

^* superscript: original reading

^c superscript: scribal correction

^ms superscript: individual manuscript

^mss superscript: multiple manuscripts

^pt superscript: partial attestation

^vid superscript: uncertain reading

arab: Arabic versions

arm: Armenian versions

𝔐 or Byz: Byzantine text-type

cop: Coptic versions

sa: Sahidic version

bo: Boharic version

eth: Ethiopic versions

ƒ: Greek manuscripts family

geo: Georgian versions

goth: Gothic versions

it: Italic/Vetus Latina

lat: most Italic and Vulgate

latt: all Italic and Vulgate

𝔓: papyrus

𝑙: individually numbered lectionary

Lect: most or all numbered lectionaries

parenthesized (): approximate reading

rell: all other extant manuscripts

slav: Slavic versions

syr: Syriac versions

vg: Latin Vulgate

ς: Textus Receptus

Uncial sigla: א‎: Codex Sinaiticus (01); A: Codex Alexandrinus (02); B: Codex Vaticanus (03); C: Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (04); D^ea: Codex Bezae (05); D^p: Codex Claromontanus (06); K^e: Codex Cyprius (017); K^ap: Codex Mosquensis I (018); L^e: Codex Regius (New Testament) (019); L^ap: Codex Angelicus (020); P^apr: Codex Porphyrianus (025); S: Codex Vaticanus 354 (028); V: Codex Mosquensis II (031); W: Codex Washingtonianus (032); Z: Codex Dublinensis (035); Γ: Codex Tischendorfianus IV (036); Δ: Codex Sangallensis 48 (037); Θ: Codex Koridethi (038); Ξ: Codex Zacynthius (040); Π: Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament) (041); Φ: Codex Beratinus (043); Ψ: Codex Athous Lavrensis (044); Ω: Codex Athous Dionysiou (045); ff¹: Codex Corbeiensis I; ff²: Codex Corbeiensis II; g¹: Codex Sangermanensis I; k: Codex Bobiensis

Critical editions: T8th: Tischendorf's 8th Edition of Editio Octava Critica Maior; WH: Westcott and Hort (1881); NA: Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle–Aland); UBS: United Bible Societies; ECM: Editio Critica Maior

Textual variants[edit]

Textual variants in the First Epistle to the Corinthians

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1:8

ημερα – majority

παρουσια – D F G

3 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 2

1 Corinthians 2:1

μυστηριον – 𝔓⁴⁶, א, Α, C, 88, 436, it^a,r, syr^p, cop^bo

μαρτυριον – B D G P Ψ 33 81 104 181 326 330 451 614 629 630 1241 1739 1877 1881 1962 1984 2127 2492 2495 Byz Lect it vg syr^h cop^sa arm eth

ευαγγελιον – Theodoret

σωτηριον – 489, ℓ 598^pt, ℓ 599^[6]

1 Corinthians 2:4

πειθοις σοφιας λογοις (plausible words of wisdom) – (א λογος) B (D^gr 33 πιθοις) D^c 181 1739 1877 1881 it^r1 vg^ww eth

πειθοις σοφιας (plausible wisdom) – 𝔓⁴⁶ G^gr

πειθοι σοφιας (plausible wisdom) – 35 it^f,g

πειθοις ανθρωπινης σοφιας λογοις – C Ψ (A P 326 330 πιθοις) 81 88 104 436 451 614 629 1241 1984 2127 2492 Byz vg^cl syr^h cop^bo

πειθοις ανθρωπινης σοφιας – 630

πειθοις ανθρωπινης σοφιας και λογοις – 131

1 Corinthians 2:14

του θεου – 𝔓¹¹, 𝔓⁴⁶, א, A, B, C, D, G, P, Ψ, 33, 81, 88, 104, 181, 326, 436, 614, 629, 630, 1241, 1739, 1877, 1881, 1962, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect, it, vg, syr^h, cop, arm

αγιου – eth

omitted by 2 216 255 330 440 451 823 1827 syr^p

2 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 3

1 Corinthians 3:3

ἔρις – 𝔓¹¹, א, B, C, P, Ψ, 81, 181, 630, 1739, 1877, 1881, it, vg

ἔρεις – A

ἔρις διχοστασία – 623, Chrysostom

ἔρις καί διχοστασίαι – 𝔓⁴⁶, D, 33, 88, 104, 181, 326, 330, 436, 451, 614, 629, 1241, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect

ἔρις καί ἀρχοστασία – 1962

ἔρεις καί διχοστασίαι – G^a

1 Corinthians 3:4

ουκ ανθρωποι – 𝔓⁴⁶, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, 33, 81, 1175, 1506, 1739, 1881;

ουχι σαρκικοι – Sinaiticus², Ψ, and the Byzantine manuscripts read;

ουχι ανθρωποι – D F G 629;^[7]

0 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:1

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5:5

κυρίου – 𝔓⁴⁶, B, 630, 1739, Marcion , Tertulian, Origen

κυρίου Ἰησοῦ – א, Ψ, 81, 181, 326, 614, 1877, 1985, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect

κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ – D, 1984

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ – 629

κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ – 048, cop^bo, eth

κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ – A, F, G, P, 33,^[8] 88, 104, 330, 436, 451, 629, 241, 1881, 1962, 2127, it, vg, syr^{p, h}, cop^{sa, bo}, arm, Origen

0 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:1

2 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 7

1 Corinthians 7:5

τη προσευχη (prayer) – 𝔓¹¹, 𝔓⁴⁶, א*, A, B, C, D, F, G, P, Ψ, 33, 81, 104, 181, 629, 630, 1739, 1877, 1881, 1962, it vg, cop, arm, eth

τη νηστεια και τη προσευχη (fasting and prayer) – א^c, K, L, 88, 326, 436, 614, 1241, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect, syr^p,h, goth

τη προσευχη και νηστεια (prayer and fasting) – 330, 451, John of Damascus^[9]

1 Corinthians 7:14

αδελφω – 𝔓⁴⁶, א*, A, B, C, D, F, G, P, Ψ, 33, 181, 1739, 1877, 1962, d, e, f, g, cop

ανδρι – א^c, D^c, K, L, 81, 88, 104, 326, 330, 436, 451, 614, 630, 1241, 1881, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect, syr^h, goth, arm, eth

ανδρι τω πιστω – 629 it

0 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8:1

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 9

1 Corinthians 9:20

μη ων αυτος υπο νομον (being not himself under the law) – omitted by D² K (L) Ψ 81 88 326 330 424 451 460 614 629^c 1241 1518 1852 1881 1984 1985 2138 2464 2492 Byz Lect syr^p eth geo slav Origen^pt Nestorius Theodoret

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:9

Χριστον – 𝔓⁴⁶ D G K Ψ 88 330 451 614 629 630 1241 1739 1881 1984 2492 2495 Byz Lect

κυριον – א, B, C, P, 33, 104, 181, 326, 436, 1877, 2127

θεον – A, 81

omit by 1985

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:24

υμων – 𝔓⁴⁶, א*, A, B, C*, 33, 1739, arm

υμων κλωμενον – א^c, C³, D^b,c, G, K, Ψ, 81, 88, 104, 181, 326, 330, 436, 451, 614, 629, 630, 1241, 1739^mg, 1877, 1881, 1962, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect

υμων θρυπτομενον – D^gr

υμων διδομενον – c, dem, f, t, x, z^c, vg (tradetur), cop, eth

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12:9

χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω ενι πνευματι – A B 33 81 104 436 630 1881 it vg

χαρισματα ιαματων εν πνευματι – 1739

χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω αυτω πνευματι – א C³ D G K P 0201 88 181 330 451 614 629 1241 1877 1962 1984 1985 2127 2492 2495 Byz Lect

χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω πνευματι – 𝔓⁴⁶

χαρισματα ιαματων – C

χαρισματα – Ψ

4 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13:2

κἂν ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν – Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

κἂν ἔχω προφητείαν – Westcott and Hort 1881^[10]

καὶ ἔχω προφητείαν – Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν – Tischendorf 8th Edition, Nestle 1904, Byz.^[10]

1 Corinthians 13:2

κἂν ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν – Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

κἂν ἔχω πᾶσαν – Westcott and Hort 1881^[10]

καὶ ἔχω πᾶσαν – Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν – Tischendorf 8th Edition, Nestle 1904, Byz.^[10]

1 Corinthians 13:2

μεθιστάναι (to (re)move/(ex)change)– Alexandrian text-type, Tischendorf 8th Edition, Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

μεθιστάνειν – Byz., Westcott and Hort 1881, Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants]^[10]

1 Corinthians 13:3

καυχήσωμαι (I may boast) – Alexandrian text-type. By 2009, many translators and scholars had come to favour this variant as the original reading on the grounds that is probably the oldest.^[11]

καυθήσωμαι (I may be burnt/burned) – Mostly Western and Byzantine text-type MSS and "a majority of patristic writers". In 1989, this was the most commonly favoured variant by translators and scholars, but because it is probably not the oldest variant, and may be grammatically incorrect, a large amount of translators and scholars had abandoned it by 2009. Malone (2009) objected that it would be somewhat unlikely that a supposedly correct original (καυχήσωμαι) would have been deliberately 'corrected' by a scribe, resulting in a supposedly incorrect variant (καυθήσωμαι).^[11]

καυθήσομαι (I will be burnt/burned) – As of 2009, a minority of scholars favoured this reading as the original.^[11]

? – ^[12]

καθήσωμαι – 330*^[13]

καυθήσεται – 1877 2492 Syr^p,h Clem^[13]

καυθήσηται – John of Damascus^[13]

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 14

1 Corinthians 14:40

verses 14:34-35 included after 14:40 – D F G 88^[14]

4 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:3

ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον (I received) – omitted by b, Ambrosiaster, Irenaeus^lat, Tertullian?

1 Corinthians 15:15

εἴπερ ἄρα νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται (if in fact the dead do not rise) – omitted by D, a, b, r, bam, ful**, harl*, kar, mon, reg, val*, pesh, Ambrosiaster, Irenaeus (lat), Tertullian?

1 Corinthians 15:47

δευτερος ανθρωπος – א*, B, C, D, F, G, 0243, 33, 1739, it, vg, cop^bo eth

δευτερος ο κυριος – 630

δευτερος ανθρωπος ο κυριος – א^c, A, D^c, K, P, Ψ, 81, 104, 181, 326, 330, 436, 451, 614, 629, 1241, 1739^mg, 1877, 1881, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect

δευτερος ανθρωπος πνευματικος – 𝔓⁴⁶

δευτερος – cop^sa Cyril

1 Corinthians 15:51

μέν (on the one hand) – Byz^[15]

omitted by א‎, (A), C, G₃, 17^[15]

1 Textual variants in 1 Corinthians 16

1 Corinthians 16:15

οικιαν Στεφανα – 𝔓⁴⁶ א* A B C² Ψ 075 Byz cop

οικιαν Στεφανα και Φορτουνατου – א ² D 104 629 1175 1241 2464 pc b vgst cop^bo

οικιαν Στεφανα και Φορτουνατου και Αχαικου – C*^vid F G 365 2495 pc vg^cl syr^h

References[edit]

^ Adam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707)
^ Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154
^ Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113
^ Metzger, Bruce Manning; Ehrman, Bart D. (2005). The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 54, 62–86, 102–103. ISBN 0-19-516667-1.
^ J.P. van de Giessen (2003). "Legenda tekstkritische notities". bijbelaantekeningen.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
^ UBS3, p. 581.
^ NA26, p. 444
^ Note [b] on 1 Corinthians 5:5 in NET Bible
^ UBS3, p. 591.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "1 Corinthians 13:2 Greek Text Analysis". biblehub.com. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Malone, A. S. (2009). Burn or Boast? Keeping the 1 Corinthians 13,3 Debate in Balance. Biblica, 90(3), 400–406.
^ ^a ^b Caragounis 2004, p. 549.
^ ^a ^b ^c Caragounis 2004, p. 550.
^ Daniel B. Wallace (1998). "The Textual Problem of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35". Biblical Studies Press. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
^ ^a ^b Westcott and Hort (1882), Introduction and Appendix, § 325.

External links[edit]

The Comparative Critical Greek New Testament Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
Variantes textuais (in Portuguese)
Varianten Textus receptus versus Nestle-Aland

[1] Adam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707)

[2] Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154

[3] Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113

[4] Metzger, Bruce Manning; Ehrman, Bart D. (2005). The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 54, 62–86, 102–103. ISBN 0-19-516667-1.

[5] J.P. van de Giessen (2003). "Legenda tekstkritische notities". bijbelaantekeningen.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 May 2022.

[6] UBS3, p. 581.

[7] NA26, p. 444

[8] Note [b] on 1 Corinthians 5:5 in NET Bible

[9] UBS3, p. 591.

[1_Cor_13:2-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "1 Corinthians 13:2 Greek Text Analysis". biblehub.com. Retrieved 8 February 2023.

[Malone-11] Malone, A. S. (2009). Burn or Boast? Keeping the 1 Corinthians 13,3 Debate in Balance. Biblica, 90(3), 400–406.

[FOOTNOTECaragounis2004549-12] Caragounis 2004, p. 549.

[FOOTNOTECaragounis2004550-13] Caragounis 2004, p. 550.

[14] Daniel B. Wallace (1998). "The Textual Problem of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35". Biblical Studies Press. Retrieved 22 March 2013.

[Hort_1882_§_325-15] Westcott and Hort (1882), Introduction and Appendix, § 325.

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Textual variants in the First Epistle to the Corinthians

Legend[edit]

Textual variants[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]