A compleat history of the canon and writers, of the books of the Old and New Testament, by way of dissertation, with useful remarks on that subject ... by L.E. Du Pin ... ; done into English from the French original.

SECT. III. The Rise and occasion of the Faults that might have crept into the Greek Text of the New Testament.

THE Faults which have crept into the Greek Manuscripts of the New Testa∣ment, as well as into all other Books, are owing generally to these two causes; viz. to the Negligence of the Copiers, and to the boldness of those who have ventur'd to reform the ancient Copies. But these two general Causes pro∣duce different Effects for which particular Reasons may be assign'd.

The carelesness of the Copiers may occasion Omissions, Errors, and sometimes Additions. These Omissions may happen through Inadvertency or Distracti∣on, which might have caus'd the Transcriber to have omitted several Words or entire Sentences. This frequently happens with respect to Particles or Stops. When two periods which come one after another, begin or end with the same Words, the Transcriber might easily omit one of the Sentences. The Inadvertency of the Copiers may likewise produce the Repetition of the same Words or Phrases, but then 'tis such an Error as is easie to be discover'd.

The Alterations happen by the carelesness of the Copiers, when they take or put one Letter for another, or one Word for another, by reason of the Re∣semblance there is between the Letters or Words, in their Figure or Sound. Lastly, this carelesness is the cause of very considerable Additions, when they insert into the Text, the Scholias or Notes which were in the Margent of the Manuscripts which they copied, without heeding that these were such Explicati∣ons as ought not to have been added to the Text. These are the principal Reasons that can be alledg'd for the Alterations which might happen through the Inadvertency of the Copiers.

These Alterations which happen'd by the Liberty that some took expresly and deliberately of reforming the Text, might proceed from as many Causes, as there were Motives to incline them to this Reform. The chief Causes of these Alterations with respect to the Copies of the New Testament are such as fol∣low.

1. It might so happen, that the Hereticks have struck out or alter'd such pas∣sages as were contrary to their Errors, or have added others that have favour'd them. Thus the Ebionites falsified the Gospel of Saint Matthew, and the Mar∣cionites that of Saint Luke. But these gross Falsifications were soon discover'd, they never deceiv'd any Catholick, and were never admitted into the Copies they made use of. It might likewise happen that some other Hereticks had on∣ly retrench'd, alter'd, or added some very short passages, or that this Altera∣tion might have been made, without being easily perceiv'd. There were seve∣ral of the Fathers who thought that they had found out instances of this in several places of the New Testament; as when Saint Ambrose accuseth the Ari∣ans for having struck out in the third Chapter of Saint John's Gospel, vers. 6. these Words, Quia Deus Spiritus est. When Socrates upbraids the Nestorians for having struck out of the fourth Chapter of the first Epistle of Saint John vers. 3. these Words: Every Spirit, that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh, is not of God. And others have accus'd the Followers of Mardonius, of having added in the seventh Chapter of Saint John's Gospel, vers. 39. The Epithet Holy, and of having read it as it is at present in the Greek; As yet the Holy Ghost was not come upon them, instead of, The Spirit was not as yet given them. But these sorts of passages are not very many, and when they are duly enquir'd in∣to, it appears to be a mistake, or at least doubtful, to say that they have been corrupted maliciously, and with a design of favouring any Error.

2. It might have so happen'd that even the Orthodox themselves meeting with difficult passages which they thought to be contrary to the Analogy of Faith, or to the other Gospels, might through an indiscreet Zeal have reform'd these passages. 'Tis upon this Account, that Saint Epiphanius observes, That some of the Orthodox have struck out that passage in Saint Luke, Chap. 19. Vers. 41. where 'tis said that Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because this seem'd to them to be unbecoming our Saviour: others upon the same Motive have added to the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Kings which Saint Matthew had omitted, in order to render it conformable to the Old Testament. Lastly, 'tis very usual to find One Evangelist reform'd from another Evangelist, and that added to, or re∣trench'd from one Gospel, which is either added or left out in another. By the same motive (if Saint Jerome may be credited in the Case) were those wise Men mov'd who have left out of the 35th. Verse of the thirteenth Chapter of Saint Matthew's Gospel, the name of Prophet cited in that place; because the name of Isaiah is there inserted instead of that of Asaph, and because that Prophecy was not Isaiah's, they were afraid lest the Evangelist should have been suppos'd to have cited a falshood, perhaps 'tis upon the same account that in the beginning of Saint Mark's Gospel, Chap. 1. Vers. 2. The Name of Isaiah has been struck out, because the Prophecy there cited, begins with the Words of Malachy.

3. There have been some Copies wherein have been inserted several Additions taken out of Apocryphal Books, and particularly some there were in Saint Matthew's Gospel taken out of the Gospel of the Hebrews. Origen produ∣ces an Instance of this in Saint Matthew, Chap. 12. Vers. 12. Where these Words were inserted, Jesus therefore said, I was weak because of the Weak, I was hungry because of the Hungry, and I was thirsty for the sake of those who were Thir∣sty. We have already mention'd several other Instances of those Additions taken out of the Apocryphal Gospels.

4. The Criticks have sometimes reform'd the Text, because they have look'd upon it as faulty. They have met with a Sense that shock'd them in the Text, and which might be reform'd by taking away one single Word. They have determin'd that the Text ought to be read so, or so, and have boldly correct∣ed the Text upon a mere Conjecture. For instance, in the first Epistle of Saint Peter, Chap. 2. Vers. 23. It is in the Greek, Jesus Christ committed himself to him that judgeth righteously; Judicanti se justè, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Now because it seem'd some∣what odd to say that Jesus Christ was judg'd by a righteous Judge, therefore some have taken out the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 righteously, and clapp'd in the Word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 unrighteously.

5. Another sort of Additions or Alterations are those Supplements or Illu∣strations, which do not alter the Sense, but render it more clear, or determine it. The Copiers or the Regulators of the Copies having taken a great deal of Liberty upon this Respect, being perswaded that it was enough for them to keep strictly to the Sense, and that they should do some Service in explaining it more clearly. But sometimes they have been mistaken, and have determin'd the Text by such Words as give it quite another Sense, and have not explain'd it in its full Extent and Force.

6. Lastly, the Text has sometimes been reform'd, either from the Ancient Vulgar Latin, as we have observ'd of the Cambridge Manuscripts, or from Saint Jerome's Version, as some Criticks have remark'd concerning several Greek Ma∣nuscripts of a more modern date.

These are very near all the Causes of the Alterations, Additions, or Omissi∣ons which could have been made in the Greek Copies of the New Testament. The Causes of the Evil being discover'd, it will be the easier to apply a Reme∣dy thereto according to the Rules of Criticism.