[B-Greek] The Strength of the Text at Matthew 28:18-20
Danny Dixon
bereandad2003 at yahoo.com
Wed Nov 26 16:16:18 EST 2003
Regarding the reading at Matthew 28:19 in most texts, I found the reasoning in the following quotation is interesting:
"Eusebius was present at the council of Nicaea and was involved in the debates aobut Arian teaching and whether Christ was God or a creation of God. We feel confident that if the manuscripts he had in front of him read "in the name of the, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," he wold never have quoted it as "in my name." Thus we believe that the earliest manuscripts read "in my name," and that the phrase was enlarged to reflect the orthodox position as Trinitarian influence was spread" (Mark Graseser, John Lynn, John Schoenheit, ONE GOD & ONE LORD, 2nd ed. [Indianapolis: Christian Educational Services, 2000], p. 455).
Certainly in this forum I should NOT be interested in any sort of theological debate on unitarian versus trinitarian perspectives on God. I'm just finding it very strange that first UBS4 and Nestle27 don't mention the in my name variant. Are even the Eusebius quotes (ORATION IN PRAISE OF EMPEROR CONSTANTINE, 16.8; and ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, III.5.2) mentioned in the apparatuses?
The authors further reason as follows:
If Matthew 28:19 is accurate as it stands in modern versions, then there is no explanation for the apparent disobedience of the apostles, since there is not a single occurrence of them baptizing anyone according to that formula . . .
As Steven pointed out, it is not any form of BAPTIZEIN that is modified by EN TWi ONOMATI MOU, but rather MAQHTEUSATE PANTA TA EQNH EN TWi ONOMATI MOU. So Graeser, Lynn, and Schoenheit are missing the point anyway from a textual perspective. If Eusebius elusive text existed anywhere, however, it seems to me to be something OTHER THAN a phrase in Matthew 28, which stands on its own merits in the tradition.
Comments?
Danny Andre' Dixon
Riverside, CA
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