Revision Revised
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/burgon/revision_revised.v.html
https://books.google.com/books?id=nXkw1TAatV8C&pg=PA85
(5) The record of the same Evangelist (S.
Luke xxiii. 38) that the Inscription over our Saviour's Cross was written ... in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew,
disappears entirely from our Revised version; and this, for no other reason, but because the incident is omitted by b c l, the corrupt Egyptian versions, and Cureton's depraved Syriac: the text of which (according to Bp. Ellicott
283) is of a very composite nature,—
sometimes inclining to the shortness and simplicity of the Vatican manuscript (b): e.g. on the present occasion. But surely the negative testimony of this little band of disreputable witnesses is entirely outweighed by the positive evidence of א a d q r with 13 other uncials,—the 086 evidence of
the entire body of the cursives,—the sanction of the Latin,—the Peschito and Philoxenian Syriac,—the Armenian,—Æthiopic,—and Georgian versions; besides Eusebius—whose testimony (which is express) has been hitherto strangely overlooked
284—and Cyril.
285 Against the threefold plea of Antiquity, Respectability of witnesses, Universality of testimony,—what have our Revisionists to show? (a) They cannot pretend that there has been Assimilation here; for the type of S.
John xix. 20 is essentially different, and has retained its distinctive character all down the ages. (b) Nor can they pretend that the condition of the Text hereabouts bears traces of having been jealously guarded. We ask the Reader's attention to this matter just for a moment. There may be some of the occupants of the Jerusalem Chamber even, to whom what we are about to offer may not be altogether without the grace of novelty:—
That the Title on the Cross is diversely set down by each of the four Evangelists,—all men are aware. But perhaps all are not aware that
S. Luke's record of the Title (in ch. xxiii. 38) is exhibited in
four different ways by codices a b c d:—
a exhibits—ΟΥΤΟΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ
b (with א L and a) exhibits—Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ ΟΥΤΟΣ
c exhibits—Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ (which is
Mk. xv. 26).
d (with e and ff2) exhibits—Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ ΟΥΤΟΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ (which is the words of the Evangelist transposed).
We propose to recur to the foregoing specimens of licentiousness by-and-by.
286 For the moment, let it be added that 087 codex x and the Sahidic version conspire in a fifth variety, viz., ΟΥΤΟΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΙΗΣΟΥΣ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ (which is S.
Matt. xxvii. 37); while Ambrose
287 is found to have used a Latin copy which represented ΙΗΣΟΥΣ Ο ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΣ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ (which is S.
John xix. 18). We spare the reader any remarks of our own on all this. He is competent to draw his own painful inferences, and will not fail to make his own damaging reflections. He shall only be further informed that 14 uncials and the whole body of the cursive copies side with codex a in upholding the Traditional Text; that the Vulgate,
288—the Peschito,—Cureton's Syriac,—the Philoxenian;—besides the Coptic,—Armenian,—and Æthiopic versions—are all on the same side: lastly, that Origen,
289—Eusebius,—and Gregory of Nyssa
290 are in addition consentient witnesses;—and we can hardly be mistaken if we venture to anticipate (1st),—That the Reader will agree with us that the Text with which we are best acquainted (as usual) is here deserving of all confidence; and (2ndly),—That the Revisionists who assure us that they did not esteem it within their province to construct a continuous and complete Greek Text; (and who were never authorized to construct
a new Greek Text at all; ) were not justified in the course they have pursued with regard to S.
Luke xxiii. 38. This is the King of the Jews is the only idiomatic way of rendering into English the title according to S. Luke, whether the reading of a or of b be adopted; but, in order to make it plain that they
reject the Greek of a
in favour of b, the Revisionists have gone out of their way. They have instructed the two Editors of The Greek Testament with the 088 Readings adopted by the Revisers of the Authorized Version
291 to exhibit S.
Luke xxiii. 38 as it stands in the mutilated recension of Drs. Westcott and Hort.
292 And if
this procedure, repeated many hundreds of times, be not constructing a new Greek Text of the N. T., we have yet to learn what
is.
283On Revision,—p. 42 note. See above, p. 78 note.
284Eclog. Proph. p. 89.
285In Luc. 435 and 718.
286See pages 93 to 97.
287i. 1528.
288So Sedulius Paschalis, ap. Galland. ix. 595.
289iii. 2.
290Euseb. Ecl. Proph. p. 89: Greg. Nyss. i. 570.—These last two places have hitherto escaped observation.
291See above, pp. 49-50, note 2.
292Viz., thus:—ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐπιγραφὴ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ, Ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὗτος.
