l i b r a r y o f n e w t e s t a m e n t s t u d i e s TexTuAL OpTimiSm A Critique of the united Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament Kent D. ClarKe JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT SUPPLEMENT SERIES 138 Executive Editor Stanley E. Porter Editorial Board David Catchpole, R. Alan Culpepper, Margaret Davies, James D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler, Robert Jewett, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Robert W. Wall Sheffield Academic Press Textual Optimism A Critique of the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament Kent D. Clarke Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 138 Dedicated to the Memory of Clint Holte, 1972-1994, a simple man and close friend who taught me that one can possess peace even in the midst of suffering... Copyright © 1997 Sheffield Academic Press Published by Sheffield Academic Press Ltd Mansion House 19 Kingfield Road Sheffield SI 19AS England Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library EsISBN 9781850756491 CONTENTS Acknowledgments 7 List of Charts, Tables and Lists 9 Abbreviations 11 Introduction 13 Chapter 1 THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES' GREEK NEW TESTAMENT 17 1. The Textual Tradition behind the UBSGNT 17 2. The Editions of the UBSGNT 52 Chapter 2 A STATISTICAL PRESENTATION OF THE UBSGNT 70 1. Analysis of Variant Letter-Ratings (A, B, C, D) within Each UBSGNT Edition and within Each Biblical Book 74 2. Variants that Have Been Newly Added or Dropped from the UBSGNT4 92 3. Analysis of Variant Letter-Ratings (A, B, C, D) as Compared throughout All UBSGNT Editions and within Each Biblical Book 108 4. Various Possible Reasons for the Rating Changes from Previous UBSGNT Editions to the UBSGNT4 121 Chapter 3 AN EVALUATION OF TWO SPECIFIC TEXT-CRITICAL PROBLEMS IN THE UBSGNT4 154 1. A Textual Inquiry into the Exceptional Variant at Luke 19.25 155 2. A Textual Inquiry into the Exceptional Variant at Acts 2.44 167 6 Textual Optimism 3. Concluding Summary of the Textual Inquiry into the Exceptional Variants 180 Conclusion 183 Appendices 185 Bibliography 341 Index of References 348 Index of Authors 349 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with some apprehension that I offer this work lest some feel I have been overly pessimistic in my assessment of the United Bible Societies' fourth edition of The Greek New Testament, However, let me express at the outset my sincere appreciation for the efforts of the UBSGNT Committee, members both past and present. They have without doubt, over the years, continued to produce one of the most useful critical edi- tions of the Greek New Testament available. In many regards the UBSGNT4, which reflects the extent of our modern text-critical method- ology, deserves the right to be called the 'Standard Text'. However, the Committee states on page vi of the UBSGNT4 that it is 'always genuinely grateful to readers for their proposals and suggestions'. I have taken this invitation to heart, and, therefore, offer this monograph as constructive criticism to a group of worthy and dedicated scholars. Although every care has been taken to insure the accuracy of the statistics and calculations included in this work, it is improbable that an analysis of this nature can remain error free. For these shortcomings I alone shoulder the responsibility. Where errors or discrepancies have been found throughout the process of writing and later proofreading, every step has been taken to correct these. On some occasions this has involved painstakingly recalculating over and over again the figures for an entire section. At the same time, I am confident that any remaining oversights have little substantial effect upon the results. I would like to express my gratitude to some who have helped me in the writing of this study. My mentor and friend, Professor Stanley E. Porter of Roehampton Institute London, was a constant source of support, whose editorial expertise turned the early draft into a pub- lishable work. Professor Craig A. Evans of Trinity Western University, Vancouver, and Dr Larry Perkins of Northwest Baptist Seminary, Vancouver, read the early draft and provided both insightful comments and encouragement. Dr Kevin Bales, from the Sociology Department at Roehampton Institute London, offered oversight and patient assistance 8 Textual Optimism in explaining the use and application of the Chi-square to a wary the- ologian, and Dr Eugene A. Nida wrote heartening correspondence on several difficult issues. To Eric Christianson, Doreen Pursglove, and the editors at Sheffield Academic Press, who, among other difficult tasks, labored over a considerable number of detailed charts and inconsistent lists, I would also like to express my gratitude. Finally, I am indebted to my wife, Lauren, for her encouragement, good humor, and wisdom. CHARTS, TABLES AND LISTS Differences between the UBSGNT and the Nestle-Aland Editions 68 Chart 1: Analysis of Variant Letter-Ratings (A, B, C, D) within Each UBSGNT Edition and within Each Biblical Book 76 Chart 2: Analysis of Variant Letter-Ratings (A, 5, C, D) within Each UBSGNT Edition and within Each Biblical Book Viewed as Percentages 77 Chi-Square (%2) Statistics for Variant Letter-Ratings (A, B, C, D) within each UBSGNT Edition 79 Critical Values of Chi-Square (%2) 80 Summary Comparing Total Number of New Variants Added to UBSGNT4 98 Summary Comparing the Change of Figures in the UBSGNT4 98 Chi-Square (%2) Statistics for Variant Letter-Ratings (A, 5, C, D) within Each UBSGNT Edition excluding^ New Variants in UBSGNT4 100 Summary Comparing Variants Added and Variants Dropped from the UBSGNT4 102 New Variants Added to the UBSGNT4 103 Variants Dropped from the UBSGNT4 105 Variants Added or Dropped in Editions Prior to the UBSGNT4 107 Chart 3: Analysis of Variant Letter-Ratings (A, B, C, D) as Compared throughout All Editions and within Each Particular Book 113 Fluctuating Variants 118 Exceptional Variants 119