Bible Query – Early Manuscripts of Philippians

October 27, 2022 version

 

Q: In Php, what are early New Testament manuscripts we have preserved today?

A: Here are many of them.

p16 Php 3:10-17; 4:2-8 (late 3rd century) The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a picture of p16 on p.86.

3rd/4th century - 1968 - The Text of the New Testament.

p46 Chester Beatty II 100-150 A.D. has 84 verses of Philippians. Specifically it has Php 1:1,5-15,17-28; 1:30-3:12; 2:14-27; 2:29-3:8; 3:10-21; 4:2-12; 4:14-23 and other parts of Paul’s letters and Hebrews. The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p46 on p.192. It also says on p.197-198 that the quality and the stichiometric marks show that a professional scribe wrote this.

First half of 3rd century - 1936 - Frederic G. Kenyon according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

2nd century, 200 A.D. - 1935 - Ulrich Wilken according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

200 A.D. - 1968 - The Text of the New Testament.

81-96 A.D. - 1988 - Young Kyu Kim according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

About 200 A.D. - 1975 - Aland et al. Third edition.

About 200 A.D. - 1998 - Aland et al. Fourth revised edition.

Early to middle 2nd century - 1999 - The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts. This is based in part on the handwriting being very similar to Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 8 (late first or early second century) and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2337 (late first century).

p61 Romans 16:23,25-27; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 2-6; 5:1-3, 5-6, 9-13; Philippians 3:5-9, 12-16, Colossians 1:3-7, 9-13, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; Titus 3:1-5, 8-11, 14-15 Philemon 4-7. c.700 A.D.

c.700 A.D. - 1968 - The Text of the New Testament.

About 700 A.D. - 1975 - Aland et al. Third edition.

About 700 A.D. - 1998 - Aland et al. Fourth revised edition.

Vaticanus [B] 325-350 A.D. All of the New Testament up to Hebrews 9:15. Missing are 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Revelation.

Sinaiticus [Si] 340-350 A.D. All of Philippians

Alexandrinus [A] (c.450 A.D.) All of Philippians

Ephraemi Rescriptus [C]

Bohairic Coptic [Boh] 3rd/4th century

Sahidic Coptic [Sah] 3rd/4rth century

Vulgate [Vulg] 4th and 5th centuries

Claromontanus

Armenian [Arm] from 5th century

Georgian [Geo] from 5th century

Peshitta Syriac [Syr P] 400-450 A.D.

Ethiopic [Eth] from c.500 A.D.

Palestinian Syriac [Syr Pal] from c.6th century

Peshitta Syriac [Syr P] 411-435 A.D. Over 350 manuscripts.

Philoxenian Syriac [Syr Ph] 507/508 A.D. Bishop Philoxenus of Mabug

Harclean Syriac [Syr H] 616.A.D Thomas of Harkel

Gothic 493-555 A.D.

Slavonic

 

Q: In Php, what are the textual variations with the Textus Receptus, the basis for the KJV?

A: Jay P. Green, Sr. in the Interlinear Bible records variations in approximately 12 words between the Textus Receptus and the majority text. These are in 12 places (Philippians 1:6,7,23; 2:1,21,27,27; 3:3,8,13; 4:3,23). He does not record any additional alternates.

 

Q: In Php, what are some of the textual variations?

A: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians has a total of 1,629 Greek words in 104 verses. This is the count in Aland et al. 5th revised edition, 4th revised edition, and 3rd edition, including 7 words in brackets. The text of the 3rd edition is on-line at http://www.greekbible.com. Philippians has an estimated word-for-word accuracy of 97.8%, with 37 words in question. These are in 22 verses (25 places). Of these 17 are single word, 6 are two-word, and 2 are four-word.

   Below are the variations with the primary choice and the top alternate choice. Aland et al. 5th revised edition, 4th revised edition, and 3rd edition,, from which this primarily is based, also give a judgment of the degree of certainty per variation. The list below does not include many places where the evidence for a particular reading is so strong that the alternatives are very unlikely. See the next question for which manuscripts support which variants.

   Many of the differences are due to the Chester Beatty Papyrii saying one thing and the Byzantine Lectionary and other manuscripts saying another.

Php 1:1 “bishops/elders” vs. “fellow bishops/elders” (only in Chrysostom, Armenian, and other later manuscripts, so 1 word not counted in the totals)

Php 1:11 “and praise of God” vs. “and praise of Christ” (Claromontanus) vs. “God and our praise” (Chester Beatty 100-150 A.D.) (2 words)

Php 1:14 “speak the word” vs. “the word of the God” (2 words)

Php 1:16,17 Reverse the order of these two verses in some later manuscripts. (However, no major manuscripts have this, so this is not counted in the totals)

Php 2:1 “any” (tis) (masculine-feminine) in almost all manuscripts, (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Claromontanus, Ephraemi Rescriptus) vs. “any” (ti) (neuter) in a few miniscules. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 11 p.126 thinks that (ti sp...) might be the original reading, and (tis sp…) was accidentally changed.

Php 2:2 “in you think” is “the same you think”

Php 2:4 singular vs. plural form of the Greek word “each” 2 times (2 words)

Php 2:5 “this” vs. “this for”

Php 2:7 “men (or man as in mankind)” (most manuscripts) vs. “[a] man” (p46, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Peshitta (P) Syriac, Palestinian (Pa) Syriac, Cyprian, Hilary) (1 letter)

Php 2:9 “the/which name which” (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus) vs. “[a] name which”

Php 2:11a “should confess” (aorist subjunctive) (p46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) vs. “shall/will confess” (future indicative) (Alexandrinus, Claromontanus/Claromontanus, Ephraemi Rescriptus)

Php 2:11b “Lord” vs. “Lord Jesus”

Php 2:12 “as in” vs. “in” (Vaticanus, Bohairic Coptic, Sahidic Coptic, Chrysostom)

Php 2:19 “the Lord Jesus” vs. “our Lord Jesus the Messiah” (Syriac Peshitta) (3 words not counted in the totals)

Php 2:21 “Jesus Christ” (p46, Claromontanus/Claromontanus, Alexandrian family excluding Vaticanus) vs. “Christ Jesus” (Vaticanus)

Php 2:26 “longing for” vs. “longing to see”

Php 2:30 “Christ” vs. “the Christ” vs. “[the] Lord” (2 words)

Php 3:3 “in the Spirit of God” (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Rescriptus, corrected Claromontanus/Claromontanus) vs. “God in Spirit” (2 words)

Php 3:12a “already been perfected” vs. “already been apprehended/received” or “already perfect.” As to whether it should be “been perfected” or “been made perfect”, this is an English translation issue. (4 words)

Php 3:12b “Christ Jesus” (p46, p61, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, some Bohairic Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, some Chrysostom, some Byzantine Lectionary) vs. “for Christ Jesus” Byzantine Lectionary) vs. “Jesus Christ (Peshitta Syriac, some Bohairic Coptic, Ethiopic, some Chrysostom) vs. “Jesus” (Vaticanus, original Claromontanus, Sahidic Coptic, Clement of Alexandrian, Tertullian) (2 words, but second choice not likely, so 1 word counted in the totals)

Php 3:13 “not my own” vs. “not my own yet”

Php 3:15 “let us think (subjunctive)” (p16, p46, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Claromontanus, Byzantine Lectionary, Armenian, Georgian, Chrysostom, Pelagius, some Jerome) vs. “we think (indicative)” Sinaiticus, Clement of Alexandria, some Jerome) (2 letters different [omega to “ou”, so 1 word not counted in the totals)

Php 3:16 changes the case of two words and changes “basic principles” (p16, p46, original Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Sahidic, Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Ethiopic) to “thoughts” (2 words)

Php 3:21 accent marks of the Greek word for “him”. A third variant is “himself”

Php 4:3a “and (kai)” (every manuscript) vs. “vai” Textus Receptus so not counted in the totals

Php 4:3b “fellow-worker” vs. “Syzygus” in other languages (0 words different in Greek, so not counted in the totals)

Php 4:3c “the rest of the fellow workers of mine” (p46, 2nd corrector Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus Byzantine Lectionary) vs. “the fellow works of mine and the rest” (p16 apparently, original Sinaiticus, Georgian) (4 words)

Php 4:7 “hearts of you and the minds of you” (p46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Claromontanus, Byzantine Lectionary, Peshitta (P) Syriac, Harclean Syriac, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Georgian, Chrysostom, Pelagius) vs. “hearts of you” (some Vulgate) vs. “body” (late manuscripts), vs. “minds and the body” (apparently p16, and some Vulgate) (4 words but not counted in the totals)

Php 4:8 “praise” (p46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, most manuscripts) vs. “praise these things consider” (original Claromontanus/Claromontanus)

Php 4:13 “[He] whom empowers/strengthens me” vs. “Christ whom empowers/strengthens me”

Php 4:16 “unto/to the need” vs. “the need”

Php 4:19 “will fill up all” (different conjugation) (plur-omega-sei) vs. (plur-omega-sai)

Php 4:23a “your spirit” (p46, original Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Claromontanus, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic) vs. “you all” (Corrected Sinaiticus, most miniscules, Peshitta (P) Syriac, Harclean (H) Syriac, Textus Receptus)

Php 4:23b “amen” at the end is absent (Vaticanus, Sahidic Coptic, Chrysostom), vs. “amen” (p46, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Byzantine Lectionary, many others)

Postscript in some manuscripts:, “To Philippians written from Rome, by/of/through/via Epaphroditus” (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus)

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 Orthodox Corruption of Scripture by Bart Ehrman, 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 Php, 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.


This chart shows variants of early writers and manuscripts of Philippians. The darker the shading the later the writing. Shaded verses mean we are virtually certain of the correct reading. For each verse, the variant Aland et al. views as correct is labeled as “1”, the next choice “2”, and so on. Corrections to manuscripts by later scribes are not included. “A” after a choice simply means the choice with the fewest words. A question mark means it is probably but not certain the manuscript had these words. Parentheses means fragmentary or hard to read. Where there is more than one number, such as “1 /2?”, this means that one or more manuscripts in the family give the first choice, and one or more manuscripts are not clear, but appear to give the second choice. A parenthesis, such as (6), means that through translation or loss of letters are not sure, but it appears to support reading 6. Other writers not included here are Eusebius, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory-Nyssa, Didymus, Victorinus-Rome, Priscillian, Rufinus, Ephipanius, Cyril, Jerome

 

Place of variant

Words

p46

Iren

Clem A

Tert.

Origen

Cyp.

Nov.

Rebp

p16

B

Si

Ital b

Ital d

Vulgate

Hilary

Chrysost

Pelag.

Ethiop.

A

C

D

I

Sah

Boh

Fay

Armen

Georg’n

Syr P

Syr H

Syr Pal

Byzant

Php 1:1

1

 

-

-

-

 

-

-

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

2

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

Php 1:11

2

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

1

1

(2?)

-

1

1

-

1

-

2

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

-

1

Php 1:14

2

1

-

3

-

-

2

-

-

-

3

3

2

(2)

3

-

1/3

1?/2

3

3

-

4

-

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

-

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Php 2:1

1

1

-

-

-

 

-

-

-

 

1

1

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Php 2:2

1

1

-

-

-

 

-

-

-

 

1

2

 

 

2

-

 

 

1

2

2

1

 

 

 

 

1?

 

1

1

 

1

Php 2:4

2

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

-

2

3A

-

2

-

3A

1

2

-

-

3

2?

-

2

-

2

2

-

2

Php 2:5

1

2

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

1

1

2

2

1?/2

-

2

2

1

1

1

2

-

1

1

-

1

1

(2)

2

2

2

Php 2:7

1

2

-

-

-

 

2

1

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

Php 2:9

1

1

-

2

-

1/ 2

-

2

-

-

1

1

-

-

-

-

2

-

1

1

1

2

-

1

1/2

-

2

2

-

-

-

2

Php 2:11a

1

1

1

1

-

1/ 2

1

1

1

-

1

1

1

1

1/ 2?

-

1

1

1

2

2

2

-

 

 

-

1

-

-

-

-

1/2

Php 2:11b

1

1?

-

1

-

1/ 2

2

2

2

-

1

1

2

1

1/ 2?

1/ 2

1

1

1

1

1

1

-

 

1

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

Php 2:12

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

1

1

1

1/ 2?

-

1

1

2

1

1

1

-

 

 

-

2

2

1

1

-

1

Php 2:26

1

3?

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3

2

1

2

1

-

1

1

2

2

2

2

-

1

2

-

2

1/ 2

2

2

2

1

Php 2:30

2

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

3

1

1

1

-

2/4

1

 

3

5A

2

-

1

3

-

3

2

1

3

-

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Php 3:3

2

3

-

-

-

2

-

-

-

-

1

1

2

2

1?/2

-

2

2

2

1

1

2

-

1

1

-

1

1

2

2

-

1

Php 3:12a

4

1

-

3

3

4

-

-

-

 

4

1

 

 

1

-

1/3

4

3

1

-

4

 

4

1/3

 

1

1

3

 

 

1/2

Php 3:12b

1

1

-

4

4

1

-

-

-

-

4

1

4

4

-

4

1/ 3

4

3

1

-

4

-

4

1/3

-

1

1

3

-

-

1/2

Php 3:13

1

1

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

2?

1

2

1

1

1/ 2?

-

1/2

1

2

2

-

2

 

1

2

 

1

2

1

2

-

1

Php 3:15

1

1

-

2

-

1

-

-

-

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

-

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

1

1

-

-

-

1

Php 3:16

2

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

1

1

3

4

1

5

4

1

1

-

3

1?

1

1

-

4

4

(5)

5

-

5

Php 3:21

1

-

-

-

?

 

?

-

-

-

2

2

 

 

4

?

1/4

 

 

2

-

2

 

1?

1?

 

4

 

1

1

 

1/4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Php 4:3c

4

1

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

2?

1

2

1

1

1

-

1

1

-

1

-

1

-

1

1

-

1

1/ 2

1

1

1

1

Php 4:7

1

1

-

-

-

1/ 2

-

-

-

4?

1

1

2

3

1/ 2?

2

1

1

1

1

-

1

-

1

1

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

Php 4:8

1

1

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

1

1

1

2

1/ 2

-

1

1

1

1

-

2

-

1

1

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

Php 4:13

1

-

-

1

-

2

-

-

-

-

1

1

1

1

1

-

2

1

2

1

-

1

1

1

1

-

1

1/ 2

2

2

-

2

Php 4:16

1

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

1

1

1

-

(1)

1

-

4

-

3

-

(1)

(1)

-

3

2

-

-

-

1

Php 4:19

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

2

2

2

-

1

-

2

1

-

2

-

-

-

-

1

1

-

-

-

1/2

Php 4:23a

2

 

-

-

-

 

-

-

-

 

1

1

 

 

 

-

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

1

1

 

1

 

2

2

 

 

Php 4:23b

1 amen

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

2

1

2

2

-

1

1

2

2

-

2

-

1

2

-

2

2

2

2

1

2

postscript

7

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

-

(2)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Place of variant

words

p46

Iren

ClemA

Tert.

Origen

Cyp.

Nov.

Rebp

p16

B

Si

Ital b

Ital d

Vulgate

Hilary

Chrysost

Pelag.

Ethiop.

A

C

D

I

Sah

Boh

Fay

Armen

Georg’n

Syr P

Syr H

Syr Pal

Byzant

For the variations, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus only agree in 16 out of 25 places (64%). The unanimous Byzantine Lectionary and Sinaiticus agree in 7 out of 19 places (37%).

by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.