[B-Greek] Very interesting GNT, _A Readers Greek New Testamen t_

Dr. Don Wilkins drdwilkins at sbcglobal.net
Wed May 5 21:36:23 EDT 2004


I for one appreciate the clarification, and yes, it has been pointed out 
once again that the RGNT is for reading purposes, which evidently means 
its raison d' etre is to provide the reader with convenient access to 
the meanings of infrequent words. Otherwise one would obviously be 
better served to use UBS or NA if price were not a decisive issue. But 
the example offered of Matt. 9:1 just happens to be a rather innocuous 
one. Two examples that I offered in my earlier post (4/29), in Matt. 
4:10 and 23:5, appear to have been actual choices of weak readings by 
the CBT. The NIV phrase "from me" in Matt. 4:10 seems to be a paraphrase 
of the Byzantine reading OPISW MOU, which can easily be explained as an 
absent-minded attempt by ancient copyists to harmonize Matt. 4:10 with 
Matt. 16:23 and Mark 8:33. Or to quote Metzger (A Textual Commentary):

	If the words OPISW MOU were originally in the text, no satisfactory 
reason can be found to account for their
	omission. On the other hand, if they were originally absent, 
copyists who recalled the words of Jesus to
	Peter...(Mt 16:23, where there is no variation of reading), would 
have been likely to supply them here.

Should one say of this reading as well, "no harm done"? Other than for 
the fact that it perhaps indicates a harmonizing tendency using inferior 
readings, no harm, no foul (no blood, no ambulance). But what of all the 
other readings? Some are probably at the level of Matt. 9:1, but we'll 
have to wait and see. Fortunately Kent Clarke and Scott Bekker are 
working through the 231 variations, and will eventually inform us of 
their findings.

With apologies for extending this thread ad nauseam,
Don Wilkins

On Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 11:32 AM, bgreek at ntresources.com wrote:

> Verlyn Verbrugge, the RGNT editor at Zondervan, has asked that I post 
> the
> following information re. the RGNT.
> - - -
> In connection with the 231 variations, it is important to point out 
> that the
> Greek text used in the GRNT does not have the official endorsement of 
> the
> Committee on Bible Translation of the NIV. The textual decisions 
> reflected
> in it are the conclusions primarily of Edward Goodrick, who worked with 
> John
> Kohlenberger on the NIV Exhaustive Concordance.
>
> This is especially important to point out in connection with a verse 
> like
> Matthew 9:1. In Matthew 9:1 the NIV reads, "Jesus stepped into a boat,
> crossed over and came to his own town." Now the UBS text simply reads,
> "Having embarked on a boat, he crossed over and went into his own town."
> There is no "Jesus" in the UBS text, and the only Greek uncials that 
> read
> IHSOUS here are C3, F, and Theta. This is obviously a very poorly 
> attested
> reading. You will see a IHSOUS in the RGNT, however, because Goodrick
> assumed that the CBT had adopted this reading. I have talked with 
> people on
> CBT, and I know for a fact that CBT did NOT adopt this reading. They 
> were
> simply doing what the three uncials and other later manuscripts were
> doing--attempting to give a subject to the verbs in Matthew 9:1 FOR 
> CLARITY
> SAKE.
>
> Is it a disaster to have IHSOUS in the RGNT? For the students for whom 
> this
> Greek New Testament is intended, I would say No. They are learning to 
> READ
> the GREEK NEW TESTAMENT. Will a pastor using RGNT severely misinterpret 
> the
> text because IHSOUS is in there? Again, the answer is NO--especially 
> since
> in reading the footnote, he or she will discover the word is not in UBS.
> Let's not make this New Testament more than it claims to be.
> - - -
>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> Rodney J. Decker, Th.D., Assoc. Professor/NT
> Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA, USA
> URL: www.NTResources.com
> PURL: purl.oclc.org/NT_Resources/
> Email: <rdecker> at <NTResources.com>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>
> ---
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