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2 Liturgical Influences on the Text of the New Testament
Tommy Wasserman
https://brill.com/display/book/9789004522053/BP000002.xml
3.4 The Ethiopian Eunuch’s Confession of Faith (Acts 8:37)
A final example of liturgical influence on the text is the large addition in Acts 8:37, which has early and wide attestation, albeit mainly by witnesses that share many other “Western” variants (E; Ir; it vgcl syh** mae).81 The addition is a reply to the Ethiopian Eunuch’s question, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (NRSV). Philip’s reply, which is omitted in all modern text-critical editions, was incorporated by Erasmus in the Textus Receptus: εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος· εἰ πιστεύεις ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας, ἔξεστιν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν πιστεύω τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν (“Philip replied: ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ He replied and said, ‘I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God’ ”). Irenaeus referred to the account and cited the confession as early as the late-second century.82
Many scholars have inferred that this addition reflects an early ritual. For example, Oscar Cullmann calls it “the oldest baptismal ritual when it gives the liturgical answer, ἔξεστιν, to the question in verse 36 which itself … is liturgical in character.”83 Metzger states that this confession of faith “was doubtless used by the early church in baptismal ceremonies, and may have been written in the margin of a copy of Acts.”84 Further, Zuntz points out that this pericope “is found in virtually all of the older systems of lessons” and that “at Edessa it was especially set aside for reading at baptisms.” For those reasons, Zuntz concludes, “one understands why the little dialogue between Philip and the catechumen is expanded into a ‘baptismal creed.’ ”85
More recently, however, a number of other scholars have denied that this passage reflects an early liturgy.86 For example, Friedrich W. Horn points out that the addition does not look like a proper baptismal formula (cf. Matt 28:19; Did. 7.1; Justin, 1 Apol. 61; and Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5)—such would not have been omitted from an early baptismal liturgy anyway—but rather the addition represents a paradigmatic and anti-heretical confession of faith that was suitable for insertion here:
Horn further states that there is no evidence in early Christian literature connecting such a confession with baptism.88 Nonetheless, the addition in 8:37 should be evaluated in the light of the other “Western” expansions above—especially those connected with baptism. They all likely go back to one main redactor who seems to have been influenced by the ritual practice of his time, a redactor who made various additions in these passages and consistently expanded the divine title to κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Thus, in my opinion, Philip’s reply and the Eunuch’s confession in 8:37 reflect liturgical influence, regardless of whether the actual confession was used verbatim in liturgy or not.89
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81
The variant has support also from significant minuscules like 323 and 1739 as well as several Byzantine witnesses (but not the mainstream). On the other hand, it is omitted from the group of witnesses associated with minuscule 614 that share many other “Western” variants. Codex Bezae (D 05) is lacunose.
82
Irenaeus, Haer. 3.12.8 (Fr. Gr. 20 in SC 211:214): Τοῦτον εἶναι Ἰησοῦν καὶ πεπληρῶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν γραφήν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ εὐνοῦχος πεισθεὶς καὶ παραυτίκα ἀξιῶν βαπτισθῆναι ἔλεγε· “Πιστεύω τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν.” Greek text in Adelin Rousseau and Louis Doutreleau, eds., Irénée de Lyon: Contre les hérésies: Livre III–2, SC 211 (Paris: Cerf, 1974).
83
Oscar Cullmann, Baptism in the New Testament, Studies in Biblical Theology, First Series 1 (London: SCM Press, 1950), 71 (translation by J.K.S. Reid from the German original, Die Tauflehre des Neuen Testaments [Zürich: Zwingli-Verlag, 1948]); cf. F.F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Acts, NICNT (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1977), 190: “This addition certainly reflects primitive Christian practice. When a convert was formally admitted to Christian fellowship by baptism, he made a public confession of his new faith, probably in response to a definite question.”
84
Metzger, Textual Commentary, 315.
85
Zuntz, Opuscula Selecta, 203.
86
Gerhard Barth, Die Taufe in frühchristlicher Zeit, BThST 4 (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1981), 48 n. 93; Friedrich W. Horn, “Apg 8,37, der Westliche Text und die frühchristliche Tauftheologie,” in The Book of Acts as Church History: Text, Textual Traditions and Ancient Interpretations: Apostelgeschichte als Kirchengeschichte: Text, Texttraditionen und antike Auslegungen, ed. Tobias Nicklas and Michael Tilly, BZNW 120 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2003), 225–239, here 236–239; Jens Schröter, “Die Taufe in der Apostelgeschichte,” in Ablution, Initiation, and Baptism: Late Antiquity, Early Judaism and Early Christianity, vol. 1: Methodological Considerations, ed. David Hellholm et al., BZNW 176 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2011), 557–586, here 574–575.
87
Horn, “Apg 8,37,” 239.
88
Horn, “Apg 8,37,” 237.
89
The passage in John 9:38–39a may represent another early addition due to liturgical usage of the text in the context of baptism. The confession of the man born blind, the remark that he worshiped Jesus, and the reintroduction of Jesus as the speaker (ὁ δὲ ἔφη· πιστεύω, κύριε· καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς·) is missing from early and significant witnesses, 𝔓75 א* W b (l) sams ly cw. Raymond Brown notes that “these verses contain some non-Johannine peculiarities” and suggests that they may represent “an addition stemming from the association of John ix with the baptismal liturgy and catechesis. Verse 38 describes a rather liturgical gesture.” See Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII), AB 29 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966), 375.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NTTextualCriticism/posts/7577487255671542/
===========================
2 Liturgical Influences on the Text of the New Testament
Tommy Wasserman
https://brill.com/display/book/9789004522053/BP000002.xml
3.4 The Ethiopian Eunuch’s Confession of Faith (Acts 8:37)
A final example of liturgical influence on the text is the large addition in Acts 8:37, which has early and wide attestation, albeit mainly by witnesses that share many other “Western” variants (E; Ir; it vgcl syh** mae).81 The addition is a reply to the Ethiopian Eunuch’s question, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (NRSV). Philip’s reply, which is omitted in all modern text-critical editions, was incorporated by Erasmus in the Textus Receptus: εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος· εἰ πιστεύεις ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας, ἔξεστιν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν πιστεύω τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν (“Philip replied: ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ He replied and said, ‘I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God’ ”). Irenaeus referred to the account and cited the confession as early as the late-second century.82
Many scholars have inferred that this addition reflects an early ritual. For example, Oscar Cullmann calls it “the oldest baptismal ritual when it gives the liturgical answer, ἔξεστιν, to the question in verse 36 which itself … is liturgical in character.”83 Metzger states that this confession of faith “was doubtless used by the early church in baptismal ceremonies, and may have been written in the margin of a copy of Acts.”84 Further, Zuntz points out that this pericope “is found in virtually all of the older systems of lessons” and that “at Edessa it was especially set aside for reading at baptisms.” For those reasons, Zuntz concludes, “one understands why the little dialogue between Philip and the catechumen is expanded into a ‘baptismal creed.’ ”85
More recently, however, a number of other scholars have denied that this passage reflects an early liturgy.86 For example, Friedrich W. Horn points out that the addition does not look like a proper baptismal formula (cf. Matt 28:19; Did. 7.1; Justin, 1 Apol. 61; and Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5)—such would not have been omitted from an early baptismal liturgy anyway—but rather the addition represents a paradigmatic and anti-heretical confession of faith that was suitable for insertion here:
Horn further states that there is no evidence in early Christian literature connecting such a confession with baptism.88 Nonetheless, the addition in 8:37 should be evaluated in the light of the other “Western” expansions above—especially those connected with baptism. They all likely go back to one main redactor who seems to have been influenced by the ritual practice of his time, a redactor who made various additions in these passages and consistently expanded the divine title to κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Thus, in my opinion, Philip’s reply and the Eunuch’s confession in 8:37 reflect liturgical influence, regardless of whether the actual confession was used verbatim in liturgy or not.89
================================
81
The variant has support also from significant minuscules like 323 and 1739 as well as several Byzantine witnesses (but not the mainstream). On the other hand, it is omitted from the group of witnesses associated with minuscule 614 that share many other “Western” variants. Codex Bezae (D 05) is lacunose.
82
Irenaeus, Haer. 3.12.8 (Fr. Gr. 20 in SC 211:214): Τοῦτον εἶναι Ἰησοῦν καὶ πεπληρῶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν γραφήν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ εὐνοῦχος πεισθεὶς καὶ παραυτίκα ἀξιῶν βαπτισθῆναι ἔλεγε· “Πιστεύω τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν.” Greek text in Adelin Rousseau and Louis Doutreleau, eds., Irénée de Lyon: Contre les hérésies: Livre III–2, SC 211 (Paris: Cerf, 1974).
83
Oscar Cullmann, Baptism in the New Testament, Studies in Biblical Theology, First Series 1 (London: SCM Press, 1950), 71 (translation by J.K.S. Reid from the German original, Die Tauflehre des Neuen Testaments [Zürich: Zwingli-Verlag, 1948]); cf. F.F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Acts, NICNT (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1977), 190: “This addition certainly reflects primitive Christian practice. When a convert was formally admitted to Christian fellowship by baptism, he made a public confession of his new faith, probably in response to a definite question.”
84
Metzger, Textual Commentary, 315.
85
Zuntz, Opuscula Selecta, 203.
86
Gerhard Barth, Die Taufe in frühchristlicher Zeit, BThST 4 (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1981), 48 n. 93; Friedrich W. Horn, “Apg 8,37, der Westliche Text und die frühchristliche Tauftheologie,” in The Book of Acts as Church History: Text, Textual Traditions and Ancient Interpretations: Apostelgeschichte als Kirchengeschichte: Text, Texttraditionen und antike Auslegungen, ed. Tobias Nicklas and Michael Tilly, BZNW 120 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2003), 225–239, here 236–239; Jens Schröter, “Die Taufe in der Apostelgeschichte,” in Ablution, Initiation, and Baptism: Late Antiquity, Early Judaism and Early Christianity, vol. 1: Methodological Considerations, ed. David Hellholm et al., BZNW 176 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2011), 557–586, here 574–575.
87
Horn, “Apg 8,37,” 239.
88
Horn, “Apg 8,37,” 237.
89
The passage in John 9:38–39a may represent another early addition due to liturgical usage of the text in the context of baptism. The confession of the man born blind, the remark that he worshiped Jesus, and the reintroduction of Jesus as the speaker (ὁ δὲ ἔφη· πιστεύω, κύριε· καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς·) is missing from early and significant witnesses, 𝔓75 א* W b (l) sams ly cw. Raymond Brown notes that “these verses contain some non-Johannine peculiarities” and suggests that they may represent “an addition stemming from the association of John ix with the baptismal liturgy and catechesis. Verse 38 describes a rather liturgical gesture.” See Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII), AB 29 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966), 375.
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