The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament

“The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament” Metzger & Ehrman pp. 250-271

In this chapter Metzger and Ehrman detail a variety of ways in which manuscripts can be altered as they are copied. The chapter is divided into two sections, unintentional and intentional changes, each with a number of sub-points, illustrated with examples found in biblical manuscripts. I’ll summarize each in order.

UNINTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Errors Arising from Faulty Eyesight
Without corrective eyewear it is very easy to mistake some letter combinations for some others. For instance, gamma followed by iota can easily be read as a pi. Many abbreviated forms of words can look like other words as well.
2) Errors Arising from Faulty Hearing
It is quite easy for even a careful listener to make a mistake in transcription by writing a homophone. Of course, not only homophones arise here, but we also can find instances of scribal errors which arose from a scribe conflating multiple words into one because the audible combinations of sounds were very similar.

3) Errors of the Mind
This type of error certainly accounts for many of the variant readings in which synonyms or very similar sounding words may be used in a text. For instance, the substitution of an adverb for an adjective is not uncommon, use of a different prepositions which bear similar force, and the like are common errors. These often can arise when a scribe is attempting to remember a phrase or even a sentence while writing it. Occasionally we also see cases of scribes bringing in statements from elsewhere in Scripture, presumably because the passages are similar.

4) Errors of Judgment
In these errors, a scribe brings a marginal note or other item into the text. In most instances this surely happens because of inattention to detail. Metzger and Ehrman detail this issue in an egregious form in Codex 109, in which two columns of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus are conflated, making Phares the source of the entire human race and God the son of Aram. This is cited as an egregious example. Most examples are of considerably less importance.

INTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Changes Involving Spelling and Grammar
Some of the Greek style found in the New Testament does not reflect the most sophisticated grammatical usage. There are instances where it appears that scribes have attempted to correct some of the grammatical oddities, particularly in Revelation.

2) Harmonistic Corruptions
It is not uncommon to find instances of the wording of an account in one gospel being altered to match that of another gospel more closely or for the wording of a quotation of an Old Testament passage being adjusted to match that of the Septuagint. Occasionally quotations will also be expanded to provide what the scribe considered to be adequate context.

3) Addition of Natural Complements and Similar Adjuncts
The classic example of this phenomenon is conjoining “scribes” and “Pharisees.” It is easy to see instances where some manuscripts say “Jesus” while others say “Jesus Christ” or “the Lord Jesus Christ.”

4) Clearing up Historical and Geographical Difficulties
There are several instances in the New Testament when a quotation is made and is attributed to a different prophet than the one where it is found. A common variant reading is the correction of the attribution or a name being removed so that it is attributed to “the prophet.” Another example of this type of error is adjusting the location of an item or the time when an event took place to be more precise than the original author was.

5) Conflation of Readings
This is similar to #3 above, but takes different readings and actually combines them. For instance, when one account says people are “praising” God and another says they are “glorifying” God, this error would result in a text that says they are “praising and glorifying” God.

6) Alterations Made Because of Doctrinal Considerations
There is evidence that sometimes scribes would omit certain details from a passage of Scripture or would add details in order to protect certain doctrines. For instance, occasionally Joseph and Mary are referred to as Jesus’ parents. This would not be a desirable statement from the point of view which needs to defend Jesus’ divine parentage. One reading of Luke 23:32 could indicate that Jesus was led away with “two other criminals,” implying that he was a criminal. The word “other” was omitted relatively frequently.

7) Addition of Miscellaneous Details
Some texts add statements identifying individuals in more detail. Other details may be added to the text as well, such as an explanation of an action which otherwise would seem slightly oblique. The threefold sanctus in Revelation 4:8 is sometimes multiplied to advance the idea of God’s holiness.

Metzger and Ehrman close the chapter by observing that despite the many ways scribes can make errors in their copies of the text, the New Testament text shows a great deal of care in the history of transmission.