Bible Query - Early
Manuscripts of 2 Thessalonians
Q: In 2 Thess, what are early New Testament manuscripts we have preserved today?
A: Here are many of them.
p30 1 Thess 4:12-13,16-17; 5:3,8-10,12-18,25-28; 2 Thess 1:1-2; 2:1,9-11 (early 3rd century)
p92 Eph 1:11-13,19-21; 2 Thess 1:4-5,11-12 (c. 300 A.D.) The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p92 on p.614.
Alexandrinus [A] c.450 A.D.
Vaticanus [B] 325-350 A.D.
Sinaiticus [Si] 340-350 A.D.
Claromontanus [D] 6th century
Bohairic Coptic [Boh] 3rd/4th century
Sahidic Coptic [Sah] 3rd/4rth century
I Washington, D.C. 5th century
Gothic 493-555 A.D.
Italic [Ital] 4th to 13th centuries
Vulgate [Vulg] 4th and 5th centuries
Armenian [Arm] from 5th century
Georgian [Geo] from 5th century
Ethiopic [Eth] from c.500 A.D.
Sinaitic Syriac 4th-7th century
Palestinian Syriac [Syr Pal] from c.6th century
Peshitta Syriac [Syr P] 411-435 A.D... Over 350 manuscripts.
Harclean Syriac [Syr H] 616.A.D Thomas of Harkel
Q: In 2 Thess, what are the manuscript variations with the Textus Receptus, the basis for the KJV?
A: Jay P. Green, Sr. in the Interlinear Bible records variations in 6 words between the Textus Receptus and the majority text. These are in 5 places (2 Thessalonians 1:8,10,12; 2:4; 3:6). He does not record any additional alternates.
Q: In 2 Thess, what are some of the manuscript variations?
A: The book of 2 Thessalonians has a total of about 826 Greek words and a word-for-word accuracy of 98.5%, with only 12 words in question. These are in 8 verses (9 places), out of 47 total verses. Below are the variations with the primary choice and the top alternate choice. Aland, from which this primarily is based, also gives a judgment of the degree of certainty for each variation.
2 Thess 1:2 "our Father and Lord" vs. "Father and our Lord" vs. "the Father and Lord" (2 words)
2 Thess 2:3 "of wickedness" vs. "of sin"
2 Thess 2:4 "in the Temple of God to sit" vs. "in the Temple of God as God to sit"
2 Thess 2:8 "the Lord Jesus" vs. "the Lord"
2 Thess 2:8 "will consume" vs. "will destroy"
2 Thess 2:13 "first" vs. "from the beginning"
2 Thess 3:6 "they received" vs. "you received"
2 Thess 3:16 "way" vs. "place/location"
2 Thess 3:18 "amen" at the end vs. absent
Bibliography for this question: The Greek New Testament Third Edition by Kurt Aland et al., The Greek New Testament Fourth Edition by Kurt Aland et al., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by George Ricker Berry, the Interlinear Bible by Jay P. Green, The Expositor's Bible Commentary volume 8, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament 2nd edition by Bruce M. Metzger, The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts edited by Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Expositor's Greek Testament edited by W. Robertson Nicoll, and footnotes in the NASB, NIV, NKJV, and NRSV Bible translations. Manuscripts of the Greek Bible : An Introduction to Paleography by Bruce M. Metzger also has interesting information on the characteristics and quality of the copying of each manuscript.
Q: In 2 Thess, how do the early manuscripts compare with each other?
A: The table below shows each of the places in question, and the number says which variant is in each manuscript.
|
Place |
words |
Si |
A |
B |
D |
I |
Sah |
Boh |
Origen |
Ital |
Vg |
Eth |
Chrys |
Byz |
Arm |
Geo |
Syr Pal |
Syr P |
Syr H |
|
2 Thess 1:2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1?/(2?)/3? |
(2)/3 |
1/ 2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1/(3) |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 Thess 2:3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1/ 2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
||||
|
2 Thess 2:4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
- |
1 |
1 |
1/ 3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
2 Thess 2:8 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1/2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
2 Thess 2:8 |
1 |
~2 |
1 |
1 |
- |
1?/3? |
1?/3? |
- |
3 |
3 |
- |
- |
3 |
3 |
|||||
|
2 Thess 2:13 |
1 |
2 |
- |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1/ 2 |
1/ 2? |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
||||
|
2 Thess 3:6 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
~1 |
2/4 |
- |
2 |
2 |
- |
2 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
|||
|
2 Thess 3:16 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
(1) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
2 Thess 3:18 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1/2 |
1/ 2 |
1?/2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
Place |
words |
Si |
A |
B |
D |
I |
Sah |
Boh |
Origen |
Ital |
Vg |
Eth |
Chrys |
Byz |
Arm |
Geo |
Syr Pal |
Syr P |
Syr H |
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