Codex Bezae

New Testament manuscript
A sample of the Greek text from the Codex Bezae
Name	Bezae
Sign	Dea
Text	Gospels and Acts of Apostles
Date	c. ~400
Script	Greek-Latin diglot
Now at	University of Cambridge
Size	26 × 21.5 cm (10.2 × 8.5 in)
Type	Western text-type
Category	IV

Codex Bezae — The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis ('Beza's Cambridge Book') is a bi-lingual Greek and Latin manuscript of the New Testament written in an uncial hand on parchment. It is designated by the siglum D^ea or 05 in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts, and δ 5 in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts. It contains most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of 3 John. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it is currently dated to the 5th century.

Codex Bezae is renowned for having a distinctive text of the four Gospels and Acts, and is a leading member of the "Western" recension. The manuscript has been studied extensively.

A digital facsimile of the codex is available from Cambridge University Library, which holds the manuscript.

Description

The manuscript is a codex (the precursor to the modern book), containing the text of the four Gospels, Acts and 3 John written on 406 extant parchment leaves, from perhaps an original 534 (sized 26 x 21.5 cm). The text is written in one column per page, with the Greek text on the left face and the Latin text on the right. The text is written colometrically and is full of hiatus. The first three lines of each book are in red letters, with black and red ink alternating the title of books. As many as eleven correctors (designated as G, A, C, B, D, E, H, F, J¹, L, K) have amended the text of the manuscript between the sixth and twelfth centuries.^{: 35–43, 123–163} The Greek text of the codex has some copying errors, e.g., errors of metathesis (the transposition of sounds or syllables in a word), such as seen in John 1:3, where εγενετο (egeneto) was changed into ενεγετο (enegeto); and in Acts 1:9, where υπελαβεν (hypelaben) transforms into υπεβαλεν (hypebalen).

The manuscript employs the following nomina sacra (sacred names/words considered sacred in Christianity); the ones cited here are only nominative case (subject case) examples: ΙΗΣ (Ιησους / Iēsous / Jesus), ΧΡΣ (Χριστος / Christos / Christ), ΠΑΡ (πατηρ / patēr / Father), ΣΤΗ (σταυρωθη / staurōthē / [he] was crucified). Other words which usually feature among the nomina sacra are written out in full: μητερ (mēter / Mother), υιος (huios / Son), σωτηρ (sōter / savior), ανθρωπος (anthrōpos / man), ουρανος (ouranos / sky), Δαυιδ (David), Ισραηλ (Israel), and Ιερουσαλημ (Iērousalēm 'Jerusalem').

Codex contents

The manuscript presents the gospels in the so-called Western order of Matthew, John, Luke and Mark, of which only Luke is complete; after some missing pages the manuscript picks up with the Third Epistle of John (in Latin) and contains part of Acts.^{: xiv}

Missing sections

Matthew 1:1–20, 6:20–9:2, 27:2–12; John 1:16–3:26; Acts 8:29–10:14, 21:2–10, 21:16–18, 22:10–20, 22:29–end^{: xiv–xv}

Omitted verses

Matthew 5:20; 5:30; 9:34; 10:37b; 10:41b; 21:44; 23:14

Mark 15:28

Luke 5:39; Luke 11:32; Luke 11:36; 12:21; 19:25; 23:34; 24:5; 24:12; 24:40

John 5:4

Supplementations (by a later hand)

Matthew 3:7–16; Mark 16:15–20; John 18:14–20:13^{: xiv–xv}

Text type

The Greek text is unique, with many interpolations found in no other manuscript. It has several remarkable omissions, and a capricious tendency to rephrase sentences. Aside from this one Greek manuscript, the type of text is found in Old Latin (pre-Vulgate) versions — as seen in the Latin here — and in Syriac, and Armenian versions. Bezae is the principal Greek representative of the Western text-type.^{: 73}

There is no consensus on the many problems the Greek text presents. Since the Latin text occasionally agrees with Codices Bobiensis and Vercellensis against all others, it "preserves an ancient form of the Old Latin", and is a witness to a text which was current no later than 250 CE.^{: 103} Issues of conformity have dogged the usage of the codex in biblical scholarship. "In general the Greek text is treated as an unreliable witness," but it is "an important corroborating witness wherever it agrees with other early manuscripts."

Some of the outstanding features: Matthew 16:2b–3 is present and not marked as doubtful or spurious. One of the longer endings of Mark is given. Luke 22:43f and the Pericope Adulterae are present and not marked as spurious or doubtful. John 5:4 is omitted, and the text of Acts is nearly 8% longer than the generally received text. It also includes a story of a man working on the Sabbath placed after Luke 6:4 which is not found in any other manuscript.

Acts in Codex Bezae differs quite considerably from other manuscripts, which some argue possibly represents an earlier version directly from Luke.

Notable readings

Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis contains some extraordinary readings. Below is a selection of some of the more notable or unsupported readings, with text and translation.

Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 1:22

διὰ Ησαιου τοῦ προφήτου (through Isaiah the prophet): D it^mss vg^mss syr^{s,(c),h, pal} sa^ms arm Diatessaron^syr Irenaeus^lat

διὰ τοῦ προφήτου (through the prophet): Majority Byz

Matthew 2:17

ὑπὸ κυριου διὰ Ἰερεμίου (by the LORD through Jeremiah): D it^aur

διὰ Ἰερεμίου (through Jeremiah): א B C al

ὑπὸ Ἰερεμίου (by Jeremiah): Majority Byz

Matthew 3:16

καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς περιστερὰν (descending out of heaven like a dove): D it vg^mss syr^h

καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν (descending like a dove): Majority Byz

Matthew 4:4

ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος (proceeds out through the mouth) Omit.: D it^{a, b, g1} Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 5:4–5

Matt 5:5, 4: D 17. 33. 130. lat syr^c Clement Origen Eusebius

Matt 5:4,5: Majority Byz

Matthew 5:11

ψευδόμενοι (falsely) Omit.: D b c d g¹ h k syr^s Tertullian Augustine Incl.: Majority Byz

ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης (for the sake of righteousness): D it^mss

ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ (for my sake): Majority Byz

Matthew 5:19

ὃς δʼ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν (but whoever will do [them] and should teach [them], the same will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens) Omit.: D א* W bo^ms Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 5:32

καὶ ὃς ἐὰν ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσῃ, μοιχᾶται (and whoever should marry her who is divorced, he commits adultery) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, k} Origen^mss Incl.: Majority Byz

ὑπὲρ τῶν επηρεαζοντων υμας, καὶ διωκόντων ὑμᾶς: D L W Δ Θ 047 ƒ¹³ 33. 118. 700. 892. Byz lat syr^{p, h, pal} mae-1 goth Clement Eusebius

ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς: א B ƒ¹ 22 279 660* 1192 2786* it^k syr^{s, c} sa bo Irenaeus^lat Origen Cyprian

Matthew 6:6

πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ (shut the door and pray to your Father in secret): D ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 700. syr^{s, c} bo^mss

πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ (shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret): Majority Byz

Matthew 6:8

ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα (open your mouth): D it^h

αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν (ask him): Majority Byz

Matthew 10:3

Λεββαῖος (Lebbaeus): D it^{k, μ} Origen^lat

Θαδδαῖος (Thaddeus): א B 124 788. 892. 2211. f^13mss 17. 130. 892. it^{aur, c, ff1l} vg sa bo

Λεββαῖος ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Θαδδαῖος (Lebbaeus, called Thaddeus): C² L W X Δ Θ ƒ¹ ƒ^13mss 22. 33. 565. 579. 700. Byz it^f syr^{p, h, pal} arm

Judas Zelotes (Judas the Zealot): it^{a, b, g1,h, q}

omit.: syr^s

Matthew 10:14

τῆς οἰκίας ἢ (that house or) Omit.: D arm Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 10:18

ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνων σταθήσεσθε (you shall be caused to stand before governors) Incl.: D 0171 it^mss syr^s Omit.: Majority Byz

Matthew 10:19

δοθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ τί λαλήσητε (for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak) Omit.: D L it^mss vg^mss Epiphanius Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 11:3

ἐργαζόμενος (Are you the one who is to labor): D*

ἐρχόμενος (Are you the one who is to come): Majority Byz

Matthew 11:5

καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσιν (and the lame are walking) Omit.: D Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 12:34

λαλεῖ ἀγαθὰ (speaks good): D* it^d

λαλεῖ (speaks): Majority Byz

Matthew 13:14

Πορεύθητι, καὶ εἰπὲ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ (Go, and tell the people this) Incl.: D it^mss mae-1 Eusebius Omit.: Majority Byz

Matthew 13:33

ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς (he spoke to them) Omit.: D it^d,(k) syr^{s, c} Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 13:49

κόσμου: (cosmos) D

αἰῶνος τούτου (this age): N co^{sams, bo}

αἰῶνος (age): Majority Byz

Matthew 14:2

ὃν ἐγὼ ἀπεκεφάλισα (whom I beheaded) Incl.: D it^{a, b, ff1,h} vg^mss Omit.: Majority Byz

Matthew 14:3

Φιλίππου (of Philip) Omit.: D it^mss vg^mss Augustine Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 14:8
ἐπὶ πίνακι (on a platter)

Omit.: D Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 15:26

οὐκ ἔξεστιν (it is not permitted): D it^mss syr^{s, c} Origen

οὐκ ἐστιν (it is not): 1293. Tertullian Eusebius

οὐκ καλὸν ἐστιν (right it is not): 544. 1010. geo

οὐκ ἔστιν καλὸν (it is not right): Majority Byz

Matthew 15:30

κωφούς (mute) Omit.: D Incl.: Majority Byz

ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς πάντας (and he healed them all): D it^mss sa bo^ms

ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς (and he healed them): Majority Byz

Matthew 15:32

μήποτε ἐκλυθῶσιν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ (lest they should faint in the way) Omit.: D* Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 15:39

Μαγαδάν (Magadan): א* B D

Μαγεδάν (Magedan): א² Δ^lat lat^mss syr^{s, c,(p)} co^sa Eusebius

Μαγδαλάν (Magdalan): C N W 33. 565. 579. it^q mae-1 co^bo

Μαγδαλά (Magdala): L Δ^gr Θ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 22 892. Byz syr^h

Matthew 16:4

καὶ μοιχαλὶς (and adulterous) Omit.: D it^mss Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 16:16

ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ σῴζοντος (the son of the saving God): D*

ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος (the son of the living God): Majority Byz

Matthew 16:20

ἐπετίμησεν (rebuked): D B* it^e syr^c Origen^mss

διεστείλατο (ordered): Majority Byz

Matthew 17:1

ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν (very high mountain): D Eusebius

ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατʼ ἰδίαν (high mountain by themselves): Majority Byz

Matthew 17:2

λευκὰ ὡς χιών (white as snow): D lat^mss syr^c bo^mss

λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς (white as the light): Majority Byz

Matthew 17:12b

οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει πάσχειν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν (So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands)

Incl. in 17:12: Majority Byz

Place in 17:13: D it^{a, b, c, d, e, ff1,ff2,g1,n, r1}

Matthew 18:10

τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς ἐμέ (these little ones who believe in me): D it^mss vg^mss syr^c co^samss

τῶν μικρῶν τούτων (these little ones): Majority Byz

Matthew 18:16

μαρτύρων (witnesses): Majority Byz

omit: D

Matthew 18:18

omit: D* itⁿ

ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (will be bound in heaven, and whatever you should loosen upon the earth): Majority Byz

Matthew 19:25

ἐξεπλήσσοντο καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα (they were astonished and they were afraid exceedingly): D it^mss vg^mss syr^c

omit: Majority Byz

Matthew 19:29

ἢ πατέρα (or father) Incl.: Majority Byz Omit.: D

ἢ γυναῖκα (or wife) Incl.: Majority Byz Omit.: D

Matthew 20:28

ὑμεῖς δὲ ζητεῖτε ἐκ μικροῦ αὐξήσαι καὶ ἐκ μείζονος ἔλαττον εἶναι εἰσερχόμενοι δὲ καὶ παρακληθέντες δειπνῆσαι μὴ ἀνὰκλινεσθε εἷς τοὺς ἐξἔχοντας τόπους μήποτε ἐνδοξότερον σου ἐπέλθῃ καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ δειπνοκλήτωρ εἴπῃ σοι ἔτι κάτω χὼρει καὶ καταισχυνθήσῃ ἐὰν δὲ αναπεσής εἷς τόν ἥττονα τόπον καὶ ἐπέλθῃ σου ἥττων ἐρεῖ σοι ὁ δειπνοκλήτωρ σύναγε ἔτι ἄνω καὶ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο χρήσιμον But seek to increase from that which is small, and to become less from that which is greater. When you enter into a house and are summoned to dine, do not sit down at the prominent places, lest perchance a man more honorable than you come in afterwards, and he who invited you come and say to you, "Go down lower"; and you shall be ashamed. But if you sit down in the inferior place, and one inferior to you come in, then he that invited you will say to you, "Go up higher"; and this will be advantageous for you.^{: 71}

Incl.: D Φ it^{a aur b cd e ff1 ff2(g1) h(m)n r1 r2} vg^mss syr^{(c), pmshmg} Juvencus Hilary Omit.: Majority Byz

Matthew 21:44

Omit.: D 𝔓¹⁰⁴ 33 it^{a, b, d, e, ff1, ff2, r1} syr^s Irenaeus^lat Origen Eusebius

Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 22:13

Ἄρατε αὐτόν ποδῶν καὶ χειρῶν καὶ Βάλετε αὐτόν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον (Take him by his feet and his hands and cast him into the outer darkness): D it^{a, b, c, d, e, ff1,ff2,h, q, r1} syr^{s, c} Irenaeus^lat Lucifer

Δήσαντες αὐτοῦ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ἐκβάλετε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον (After binding him by his feet and his hands, cast him into the outer darkness): א B L Θ 085 ƒ¹ 22 700. 892. it^{aur, f, g1,l} vg syr^p co Didymus

Δήσαντες αὐτοῦ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ἄρατε αὐτόν καὶ ἐκβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον (After binding him by his feet and his hands, take and cast him into the outer darkness): C (M) W Δ (Φ) 0102 33. (565.)(579.) (1241.) (1424.) Byz it^f syr^(h)

Βάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον (cast^pl [him] into the outer darkness): ƒ¹³

Matthew 22:17

Εἰπέ οὖν ἡμῖν (Therefore, tell us) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff1,ff2,q, r1} syr^s bo^ms Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 22:24

τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ (his wife) Omit.: D Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 22:46

ἐκείνης τῆς ὥρας (from that hour): D W ƒ¹ 1506 it^{a, d, q} syr^{s, c} bo^mss Origen

ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας (from that day): Majority Byz

Matthew 23:26

καὶ τῆς παροψίδος (and the plate) Omit.: D Θ ƒ¹ 2* 700. it^{a, d, e, ff2,r1} syr^s Irenaeus^lat Clement Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 23:34

καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν (and of them, ye will scourge in your synagogues) Omit.: D it^a Lucifer Incl.: Majority Byz

Matthew 24:31

ἀρχομένων δὲ τούτων γίνεσθαι ἀναβλέψατε καὶ ἐπάρατε τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑμῶν διότι ἐγγίζει ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις ὑμῶν (But when these things begin happening, look up and lift up your heads, because that your redemption is approaching) Incl.: D 1093. it^{b, c, d, h, q, r1} Omit.: Majority Byz

Matthew 24:41

δύο ἐπὶ κλίνης μιᾶς εἷς παραλαμβάνεται καὶ εἷς ἀφίεται (two upon one bed; one taken, and one left) Incl.: D ƒ¹³ it^mss vg^mss Origen^mss Omit.: Majority Byz

Gospel of Mark

Mark 1:6

καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ (and a leather belt roundabout his waist) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, ff2,r1,t} vg^ms Incl.: Majority Byz

Mark 1:7

κύψας (stoop) Omit.: D Θ ƒ¹³ 28.* 565. ℓ^844,2211 it^mss Incl.: Majority Byz

Mark 5:9

απεκριτη: D

λεγιων ονομα μοι: א B C L Δ

απεκριθη λεγων: E 565. 700.

λεγεων: A W Θ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ Byz^{: 102}

Mark 10

Verse Order 23, 25, 24, 26: D

Verse Order 23, 24, 25, 26: Majority Byz^{: 123}

Mark 13:2

και μετα τριων ημερων αλλος αναστησεται ανευ χειρων (and within three days another will arise without hands) Incl.: D W it^{a, b, c, d,(e),ff2,i,(k),n, r1} Cyprian Omit.: Majority Byz

Mark 15:34 (see Psalms 22:2)

ὠνείδισάς με (insult me): D it^{c, (i), k} syr^h

ἐγκατέλιπές με (forsaken me): א B Ψ 059. vg Ptolemy Justin Martyr Eusebius

με ἐγκατέλιπες (forsaken me): Majority Byz

Gospel of Luke

Luke 4:17

ἁπτύξας (touched): D*

ἀναπτύξας (unrolled): א D^c K Δ Θ Π Ψ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 28. 565. 700. 1009. 1010. 1071. 1079. 1216. 1230. 1242. 1253. 1344. 1546. 1646. 2148. 2174. Byz

ἀνοίξας (opened): A B L W Ξ 33. 892. 1195. 1241. ℓ 547 syr^{s, h, pal} bo sa

Luke 6:5

τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, θεασάμενός τινα ἐργαζόμενον τῷ σαββάτῳ, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἄνθρωπε, εἰ μὲν οἴδας τί ποιεῖς, μακάριοις εἶ· εἰ δὲ μὴ οἴδας, ἐπικατάρατος καὶ παραβάτης εἶ τοῦ νόμου. (On that same day, seeing someone working on the Sabbath, he (Jesus) said to him, 'Man, if you know what you do, blessed are you; but if you do not know, you are cursed and a transgressor of the law.) Incl.: D Omit.: Majority Byz^{: li}

Luke 7:1

και εγενετο οτε ετελεσεν ταυτα τα ρηματα λαλων ηλθεν: D (it syr^h(mg)

επειδη επληρωσεν παντα τα ρηματα αυτου εις τας ακοας του λαου εισηλθεν: Majority Byz

Luke 7:2

παις (boy servant): D

δουλος (slave): Majority Byz^{: 175}

Luke 9:55–56

και ειπεν, Ουκ οιδατε ποιου πνευματος εστε (But He turned and rebuked them and He said: You do not know what manner of spirit you are of): D (ℓ 1127^m) D geo Epiphanius

καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐκ οἰδατε οἵου πνεύματός ἐστε ὑμεῖς: Byz

Omit.: א A B C L Δ Ξ 28. 33. 71. 157. al

Luke 11:2

ἐφ ἡμᾶς ἐλθέτω σου ἡ βασιλεία (Let thine kingdom come upon us): D

ἐλθέτω τὸ πνεῦμα σου τὸ ἄγιον εφ ημας και καθαρισατω ημας (May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us): 162. 700.

ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου (May your kingdom come): Byz

ἐλθάτω ἡ βασιλεία σου (May your kingdom come): C P W Δ ƒ¹³ 1241

Omit.: geo

Luke 22:1

ηγγισεν: D Codex Regius

εγγιζεν: Majority Byz^{: 232}

Luke 23:34

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν τί ποιοῦσιν (Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing") Omit.: 𝔓⁷⁵ א^a B D W Θ 0124 31.* 38. 435. 597.* 1241. 1808.* it^{a, bc, d} syr^s co Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:1

ἀρώματα (aromatics) Omit.: D it^mss syr^{s, c} co^sa Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:2

ἐλθοῦσαι δὲ εὗρον (Then, upon arriving, they found) Omit.: D 070 it^c sa Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:3

τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (of the Lord Jesus) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l, r1} Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:6

οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλὰ ἠγέρθη Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l, r1} arm^mss geo^mss Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:7

ἁμαρτωλῶν (sinful) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l, r1} Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:9

ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου (from the tomb) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l, r1} arm geo Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:10

ἦσαν δὲ (Now they were) Omit.: A D W Γ 788. 1241. ℓ^mss it^{d, e} syr^{s, c} Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:17

καὶ ἐστάθησαν (and they stood still) Omit.: D Cyril Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:36

καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς εἰρήνη ὑμῖν (and said to them, "Peace be unto you") Omit.: D it^{a, b, e, ff2},l, r¹ Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:37

φαντασμα (phantasma): D Marcion^Tert

πνευμα (spirit): Majority Byz^{: 245}

Luke 24:42

και απο μελισσιου κηριου (and honeycomb of the beehive) Omit.: 𝔓⁷⁵ א A B D L W P 579. 1079. 1377.* 2411. it^{d, e} syr^s sa bo^mss Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:46

ἐκ νεκρῶν (from the dead) Omit.: D sa Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:49

τοῦ πατρός (of the Father) Omit.: D it^e Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:51

καὶ ἀνεφέρετο εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν (and he was being uplifted into the sky) Omit.: א* D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l} Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:52

προσκυνήσαντες αὐτὸν (upon worshiping him) Omit.: D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l} syr^s Incl.: Majority Byz

Luke 24:53

αἰνοῦντες (praising) D it^{a, b, d, e, ff2,l, r1} vg^mss

εὐλογοῦντες (eulogizing) 𝔓⁷⁵ א B C* L syr^{s, pal} sa bo geo

αἰνοῦντες καὶ εὐλογοῦντες (praising and eulogizing) A C² W Δ Θ Ψ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ 33 157 579 Byz it^{aur, c, f, q} vg^mss syr^{p, h} arm

Gospel of John

John 1:4

ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἐστίν (in Him is life): D א it sa^mss

ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ᾓν (in Him was life): Majority Byz

John 4:51

υιος σου: D^gr

υιος αυτου: D^lat

John 4:9

οὐ γὰρ συγχρῶνται Ἰουδαῖοι Σαμαρίταις (for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans) Omit.: *א D it^{a, b, d, e, j} Incl.: Majority Byz

John 5:39

καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν ἁμαρτάνουσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ· (and they are the ones who sin concerning Me): D

καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ· (and they testify concerning Me): Majority Byz

John 6:1

της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος: D Θ 892. 1009. 1230. 1253. it^{b, d, e}

τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῆς Τιβεριάδος: Majority Byz

John 7:8

εγω ουκ αναβαινω (I am not going): א D K 1241.

εγω ουπω αναβαινω (I am not yet going): B L T W Θ Ψ 0105 0180 0250 ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ Byz^{: 269}

John 8:46

Omit.: D

Incl.: Majority Byz

John 11:54

εἰς τὴν χώραν Σαμφουριν ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου (into the region of Sepphoris near the wilderness): D

εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου (into the region near the wilderness): Majority Byz^{: 289}

John 12:8

Omit.: D

Incl.: Majority Byz

John 17:11

καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἐν τῷ τούτῳ τῷ κόσμῳ (and no longer am I in this world): D b c f ff² q

καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ (and no longer am I in the world): Majority Byz

ουκετι ειμι εν τω κοσμω· και εν τω κοσμω ειμι (no longer am I in this world, and I am in the world) Incl.: 𝔓^107(vid) D (a c) r¹ Omit.: Majority Byz

John 20:8

και ιδεν και ουκ επιστευσεν (and saw and did not believe): D

και ιδεν και επιστευσεν (and saw and believed): Majority Byz

Acts of the Apostles

Acts 20:28

του κυριου (of the Lord): D 𝔓⁷⁴ C* E Ψ 33. 36. 453. 945. 1739. 1891.

του θεοῦ (of God): א B 614. 1175. 1505. vg syr bo^ms; Cyprian

τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ (of the Lord and of God): C^c3 L 323 1241 Byz^{: 384}

History

The codex's place of origin is still disputed; both Gaul (France) and southern Italy have been suggested.^{: 261–276} Other proposed places of origin include Egypt, Palestine and Beirut.

The manuscript is believed to have been repaired at Lyon (France) in the ninth century, as revealed by a distinctive ink used for supplementary pages. It was closely guarded for many centuries in the monastic library of St Irenaeus at Lyon. The manuscript was consulted, perhaps in Italy, for disputed readings at the Council of Trent, and was at about the same time collated for Stephanus's edition of the Greek New Testament. During the upheavals of the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, when textual analysis had a new urgency among the Reformation's Protestants, the manuscript was stolen from the monastic library in Lyon when French Huguenots ransacked the library in 1562. It was delivered to the Protestant scholar Theodore Beza, the friend and successor of Calvin, who gave it in 1581 to the University of Cambridge, in the comparative security of England, which accounts for its double name. It remains in the Cambridge University Library (Nn. II 41).^{: 70–73}

Scholar John Mill collated and biblical scholar Johann Jakob Wettstein transcribed (in 1716) the text of the codex. Both did their editions of the Greek Testament, but both did their work carelessly. A much better collation was made about 1732 by John Dickinson.

In 1787, the University of Cambridge appointed Dr Thomas Kipling to edit a facsimile edition which appeared in two volumes in 1793.

The English cleric Frederick H. A. Scrivener edited the text of the codex in 1864 (rewritten text of the codex) and published a photographic facsimile in 1899.

The importance of the manuscript is such that a colloquium held at Lunel, Hérault, in the south of France on 27–30 June 1994 was entirely devoted to it. Papers discussed the many questions it poses to our understanding of the use of the Gospels and Acts in early Christianity, and of the text of the New Testament.

See also

• Biblical manuscript
• Codex Glazier
• List of New Testament Latin manuscripts
• List of New Testament uncials
• Western non-interpolations

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Codex Bezae — (CODEX CANTABRIGIENSIS), one of the five most important Greek New Testament manuscripts, and the most interesting of all on account of its peculiar readings; scholars designate it by the letter D (see BIBLICAL CRITICISM, sub-title Textual). It receives its name from Theodore Beza, the friend and successor of Calvin, and from the University of Cambridge, which obtained it as a gift from Beza in 1581 and still possesses it. The text is bilingual, Greek and Latin. The manuscript, written in uncial characters, forms a quarto volume, of excellent vellum, 10 x 8 inches, with one column to a page, the Greek being on the left page (considered the place of honour), the parallel Latin facing it on the right page. It has been reproduced in an excellent photographic facsimile, published (1899) by the University of Cambridge.

The codex contains only the Four Gospels, in the order once common in the West, Matthew, John, Luke, Mark, then a few verses (11-15), in Latin only, of the Third Epistle of St. John, and the Acts. There are missing, however, from the manuscript of the original scribe, in the Greek, Matt., i, 1-20; [iii, 7-16]; vi, 20-ix, 2; xxvii, 2-12; John i, 16-iii, 26; [xviii, 14-xx, 13]; [Mk. xvi, 15-20]; Acts, viii, 29-x, 14; xxi, 2-10, 16-18; xxii, 10-20; xxii, 29-xxviii, 31; in the Latin, Matt., i, 1-11; [ii, 21-iii, 7]; vi,8-viii, 27; xxvi, 65-xxvii, 1; John, i, 1-iii, 16; [xviii, 2-xx, 1]; [Mk., xvi, 6-20]; Acts viii, 20-x, 4; xx, 31-xxi, 2, 7-10; xxii, 2-10; xxiii, 20- xxviii, 31. The passages in brackets have been supplied by a tenth-century hand. It will be noticed that St. Luke's Gospel alone, of the books contained, is preserved complete. The condition of the book shows a gap between the Gospels and Acts; and the fragment of III John indicates that, as in other ancient manuscript, the Catholic Epistles were placed there. The fact that the Epistle of Jude does not immediately precede Acts is regarded as pointing to its omission from the codex; it may, however, have been placed elsewhere. We cannot tell whether the manuscript contained more of the New Testament, and there is no indication that it was, like the other great uncial manucripts, ever joined to the text of the Old Testament. Besides the hand of the original scribe, there are corrections in several different hands, some probably contemporary with the original, later liturgical annotations and the sortes sanctorum, or formulae for telling fortunes; all these are important for tracing the history of the manuscript

Beza wrote in the letter accompanying his gift that the manuscript was obtained from the monastery of St. Irenaeus in Lyons, during the war in 1562. Lyons was sacked by the Huguenots in that year and this manuscript was probably part of the loot. The reformer said it had lain in the monastery for long ages, neglected and covered with dust; but his statement is rejected by most modern scholars. It is claimed, in fact, that this codex is the one which was used at the Council of Trent in 1546 by William Dupré (English writers persist in calling this Frenchman a Prato), Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne, to confirm a Latin reading of John, xxi, si eum volo manere, which is found only in the Greek of this codex. Moreover, it is usually identified with Codex beta, whose peculiar readings were collated in 1546 for Stephens' edition of the Greek Testament by friends of his in Italy. Beza himself, after having first denominated his codex Lugdunensis, later called it Claromontanus, as if it came not from Lyons, but from Clermont (near Beauvais, not Clermont of Auvergne). All this, throwing Beza's original statement into doubt, indicates that the manuscript was in Italy in the middle of the sixteenth century, and has some bearing upon the locality of the production.

Origin and paleography

It has commonly been held that the manuscript originated in Southern France around the beginning of the sixth century. No one places it at a later dare, chiefly on the evidence of the handwriting. France was chosen, partly because the manuscript was found there, partly because churches in Lyons and the South were of Greek foundation and for a long time continued the use of Greek in the Liturgy, while Latin was the vernacular- for some such community, at any rate, this bilingual codex was produced- and partly because the text of D bears a remarkable resemblance to the text quoted by St. Irenaeus, even, says Nestle, in the matter of clerical mistakes, so that it is possibly derived from his very copy. During the past five years, however, the opinion of the best English textual critics has been veering to Southern Italy as the original home of D. It is pointed out that the manuscript was used by a church practising the Greek Rite, as the liturgical annotations concern the Greek text alone; that these annotations date from the ninth to the eleventh century, exactly the period of the Greek Rite in Southern Italy, while it had died out elsewhere in Latin Christendom, and show that the Byzantine Mass-lections were in use, which cannot have been the case in Southern France. The corrections, too, which concern the Greek text but rarely the Latin, the spelling, and the calendar all point to Southern Italy. These arguments, however, touch only the home of the manuscript, not its birthplace, and manuscripts have travelled from one end of Europe to the other. Ravenna and Sardinia, where Greek and Latin influences also met, have likewise been suggested. It can only be said that the certainty with which till recently it was ascribed to Southern France has been shaken, and the probabilities now favour Southern Italy.

Following Scrivener, scholars universally dated it from the beginning of the sixth century, but there is a tendency now to place it a hundred years earlier. Scrivener himself admitted that the handwriting was not inconsistent with this early date, and only assigned it a later date by reason of the Latinity of the annotations. But the corrupt Latin is not itself incompatible with an earlier date, while the freedom with which the Latin N.T. text is handled indicates a time when the Old Latin version was still current. It probably belongs to the fifth century. Nothing necessitates a later date.

Western text and textual significance

The type of text found in D is very ancient, yet it has survived in this one Greek manuscript alone, though it is found also in the Old Latin, the Old Syriac, and the Old Armenian versions. It is the so-called Western Text, or one type of the Western Text. All the Fathers before the end of the third century used a similar text and it can be traced back to sub-Apostolic times. Its value is discussed elsewhere. D departs more widely than any other Greek codex from the ordinary text, compared with which as a standard, it is characterized by numerous additions, paraphrastic renderings, inversions, and some omissions. (For collation of text, see Scrivener, Bezae Codex, pp. xlix-lxiii; Nestle, Novi Test. Graeci Supplementum, Gebhardt and Tischendorf ed., Leipzig, 1896.) One interpolation is worth noting here. After Luke, vi, 5, we read:B3On the same day seeing some one working on the Sabbath, He said to him:8CO man, if you know what you do, blessed are you; but if you do not know, you are cursed and a transgressor of the law'." The most important omission, probably, is the second mention of the cup in Luke's account of the Last Supper.

The Latin text is not the Vulgate, nor yet the Old Latin, which it resembles more closely. It seems to be an independent translation of the Greek that faces it, though the fact that it contains two thousand variations from its accompanying Greek text have led some to doubt this. Of this number, however, only seven hundred and sixteen are said to be real variant readings, and some of these are derived from the Vulgate. If the translation be independent, both the Vulgate and Old Latin have influenced it greatly; as time went on, the influence of the Vulgate grew and probably extended even to modifications of the Greek text. Chase, however, traces many of the variants to an original Syriac influence. The text, which was in so great honour in the Early Church, possesses a fascination for certain scholars, who occasionally prefer its readings; but none professes to have really solved the mystery of its origin.

Further reading

• Amphoux, Christian-B. (2004). "La grande lacune du Codex de Bèze". Filología Neotestamentaria. 17: 3–26. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010.
• Bernard, Weiss (1897). Der Codex D in der Apostelgeschichte, Texte und Untersuchungen (in German). Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs.
• Boismard, Marie-Émile; Lamouille, A. (1984). Le texte occidental des Actes des Apôtres. Reconstitution et réhabilitation (in French). Paris: Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem.
• Chase, Frederic Henry (1893). The Old Syriac Element in the Text of Codex Bezae. New York: Macmillan.
• Harris, James Rendel (1891). Codex Bezae: A Study of the so-called Western Text of the New Testament. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Harris, James Rendel (1894). Four lectures on the Western Text of the New Testament. London: Cambridge University Press.
• d’Hyères, Sylvie Chabert (2009). L'Évangile de Luc et les Actes des Apôtres selon le Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis (in French). Paris: L’Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-296-08115-4.
• Kenyon, Frederic George (1901). "Codex Bezae". Journal of Theological Studies. 1. New York: Macmillian and Co.: 293–299.
• Klijn, A. F. J. (1969). A Survey of the Researches Into the Western Text of the Gospels and Acts (1949–1959). Leiden: Brill. pp. 1–53.
• Parker, David Charles (1992). Codex Bezae: An Early Christian Manuscript and its Text. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-07236-6.
• Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose (1864). Bezae Codex Cantabrigiensis: Being an exact Copy, in ordinary Type, of the celebrated Uncial Graeco-Latin Manuscript of the Four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. London: Bell and Daldy.
• Strange, W. A. (1992). The Problem of the Text of Acts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521413848.
• Yoder, James D. (1959). "The Language of the Greek Variants of Codex Bezae". Novum Testamentum. 3 (4): 241–48. doi:10.2307/1559941. JSTOR 1559941.
• Yoder, James D. (1961). Concordance to the distinctive Greek text of Codex Bezae. Grand Rapids; Michigan: Eerdmans.

External links

• High resolution digital facsimile of the Codex Bezae with full transcription, from Cambridge University Library
• R. Waltz, Codex Bezae at the Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism (2007)
• Bible Researcher website discusses the Codex Bezae
• The Gospels and Acts according to codex Bezae; greek and latin text, translation and comments
• History of Research on Codex Bezae
• Codex Bezae and the Da Vinci Code The alleged parchment 1 has been copied from Codex Bezae
• Real secrets and hoaxes, of Da Vinci Code, Rennes-le-Château and Codex Bezae, analyzed on the "Mercure de Gaillon"
• Codex Bezae and Codex Claromontanus (in French)
• Catholic Encyclopedia 1910: Codex Bezae
• More information at Earlier Latin Manuscripts