Chapter IV: Preface (3)

This is not all however. Survey the preceding enumeration geographically, and note that, besides 1 name from Gaul,—at least 2 stand for Constantinople,—while 5 are dotted over Asia Minor:—10 at least represent Antioch; and—6, other parts of Syria:—3 stand for Palestine, and 12 for other Churches of the East:—at least 5 are Alexandrian,—2 are men of Cyprus, and—1 is from Crete. If the articulate voices of so many illustrious Bishops, coming back to us in this way from every part of ancient Christendom and all delivering the same unfaltering message,—if _this_ be not allowed to be decisive on a point of the kind just now before us, then pray let us have it explained to us,—What amount of evidence _will_ men accept as final? It is high time that this were known.... The plain truth is, that a case has been established against א A B D and the Latin version, which amounts to _proof_ that those documents, even when they conspire to yield the self-same evidence, are not to be depended on as witnesses to the text of Scripture. The history of the reading advocated by the Revisionists is briefly this:—_It emerges into notice in the IInd century; and in the Vth, disappears from sight entirely._

Enough and to spare has now been offered concerning the true reading of S. Luke ii. 14. But because we propose to ourselves that _no uncertainty whatever_ shall remain on this subject, it will not be wasted labour if at parting we pour into the ruined citadel just enough of shot and shell to leave no dark corner standing for the ghost of a respectable doubt hereafter to hide in. Now, it is confessedly nothing else but the high estimate which Critics have conceived of the value of the testimony of the old uncials (א A B C D), which has occasioned any doubt at all to exist in this behalf. Let the learned Reader then ascertain for himself the character of codices א A B C D hereabouts, by collating _the context in which S. Luke ii. 14 is found_, viz. the 13 verses which precede and the one verse (ver. 15) which immediately follows. If the old uncials are observed all to sing in tune throughout, hereabouts, well and good: but if on the contrary, their voices prove utterly discordant, _who_ sees not that the last pretence has been taken away for placing _any confidence at all_ in their testimony concerning the text of ver. 14, turning as it does on the presence or absence of _a single letter_?... He will find, as the result of his analysis, that within the space of those 14 verses, the old uncials are responsible for 56 “various readings” (so-called): singly, for 41; in combination with one another, for 15. So diverse, however, is the testimony they respectively render, that they are found severally to differ from the Text of the cursives no less than 70 times. Among them, besides twice varying the phrase,—they contrive to omit 19 words:—to add 4:—to substitute 17:—to alter 10:—to transpose 24.—Lastly, these five codices are observed (within the same narrow limits) to fall into _ten_ different combinations: viz. B א, for 5 readings;—B D, for 2;—א C, א D, A C, א B D, A א D, A B א D, B א C D, A B א C D, for 1 each. A therefore, which stands alone _twice_, is found in combination 4 times;—C, which stands alone _once_, is found in combination 4 times;(130)—B, which stands alone 5 times, is found in combination 6 times;—א, which stands alone 11 times, is found in combination 8 times;—D, which stands alone 22 times, is found in combination 7 times.... And now,—for the last time we ask the question,—With what show of reason can the unintelligible εὐδοκίας (of א A B D) be upheld as genuine, in defiance of _the whole body of Manuscripts_, uncial and cursive,—the great bulk of the Versions,—and the mighty array of (upwards of fifty) Fathers exhibited above?

(C) We are at last able to proceed, with a promise that we shall rarely prove so tedious again. But it is absolutely necessary to begin by clearing the ground. We may not go on doubting for ever. The “Angelic hymn” and “The last 12 Verses” of S. Mark’s Gospel, are convenient places for a trial of strength. _It has now been proved_ that the commonly received text of S. Luke ii. 14 is the true text,—the Revisionists’ emendation of the place, a palpable mistake. On behalf of the second Gospel, we claim to have also established that an important portion of the sacred narrative has been unjustly branded with a note of ignominy; from which we solemnly call upon the Revisionists to set the Evangelist free. The pretence that no harm has been done him by the mere statement of what is an undeniable fact,—(viz. that “the two oldest Greek manuscripts, and some other authorities, omit from verse 9 to the end;” and that “some other authorities have a different ending to the Gospel,”)—will not stand examination. Pin to the shoulder of an honourable man a hearsay libel on his character, and see what he will have to say to you! Besides,—_Why have the 12 verses been further separated off from the rest of the Gospel?_ This at least is unjustifiable.

Those who, with Drs. Roberts and Milligan,(131) have been taught to maintain “_that the passage is not the immediate production of S. Mark_,”—“_can hardly be regarded as a part of the original Gospel_; but is rather an addition made to it at a very early age, whether in the lifetime of the Evangelist or not, it is impossible to say:”—such Critics are informed that they stultify themselves when they proceed in the same breath to assure the offended reader that the passage “is nevertheless _possessed of full canonical authority_.”(132) Men who so write show that they do not understand the question. For if these 12 verses _are_ “canonical Scripture,”—as much inspired as the 12 verses which precede them, and as worthy of undoubting confidence,—then, whether they be “the production of S. Mark,” or of some other, is a purely irrelevant circumstance. The _Authorship_ of the passage, as every one must see, is not the question. The last 12 verses of Deuteronomy, for instance, were probably not written by Moses. Do we therefore separate them off from the rest of Deuteronomy, and encumber the margin with a note expressive of our opinion? Our Revisionists, so far from holding what follows to be “canonical Scripture,” are careful to state that a rival ending to be found elsewhere merits serious attention. S. Mark xvi. 9-20, therefore (_according to them_), is _not certainly_ a genuine part of the Gospel; _may_, after all, be nothing else but a spurious accretion to the text. And as long as such doubts are put forth by our Revisionists, they publish to the world that, _in their account_ at all events, these verses are _not_ “possessed of full canonical authority.” If “the two oldest Greek manuscripts” _justly_ “omit from verse 9 to the end” (as stated in the margin), will any one deny that our printed Text ought to omit them also?(133) On the other hand, if the circumstance is a mere literary curiosity, will any one maintain that it is entitled to abiding record in the margin of the _English Version_ of the everlasting page?—_affords any warrant whatever for separating _“the last Twelve Verses”_ from their context_?

(D) We can probably render ordinary readers no more effectual service, than by offering now to guide them over a few select places, concerning the true reading of which the Revisionists either entertain such serious doubts that they have _recorded_ their uncertainty in the margin of their work; or else, entertaining no doubts at all, have deliberately thrust a new reading into the body of their text, and _that_, without explanation, apology, or indeed record of any kind.(134) One remark should be premised, viz. that “various Readings” as they are (often most unreasonably) called, are seldom if ever the result of conscious _fraud_. An immense number are to be ascribed to sheer accident. It was through erroneous judgment, we repeat, not with evil intent, that men took liberties with the deposit. They imported into their copies whatever readings they considered highly recommended. By some of these ancient Critics it seems to have been thought allowable _to abbreviate_, by simply leaving out whatever did not appear to themselves strictly necessary: by others, to _transpose_ the words—even the members—of a sentence, almost to any extent: by others, to _substitute_ easy expressions for difficult ones. In this way it comes to pass that we are often presented, and in the oldest documents of all, with Readings which stand self-condemned; are clearly fabrications. That it was held allowable to assimilate one Gospel to another, is quite certain. Add, that as early as the IInd century there abounded in the Church documents,—“Diatessarons” they were sometimes called,—of which the avowed object was to weave one continuous and connected narrative “out of the four;”—and we shall find that as many heads have been provided, as will suffice for the classification of almost every various reading which we are likely to encounter in our study of the Gospels.