Bible Query - Early
Manuscripts of Colossians

Q: In Col, what are early New Testament manuscripts we have preserved today?
A: Here are many of them.
p46 Chester Beatty II 100-150 A.D. has 79 verses of Colossians. Specifically it has Col 1:1-2,5-13,16-24; 1:27-2:19; 2:23-3:11; 3:13-24; 4:3-12,16-18 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 325-350 A.D.
Sinaiticus 340-350 A.D.
Bohairic Coptic 3rd/4th century
Sahidic Coptic 3rd/4rth century
Gothic 493-555 A.D.
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 Col, 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 approximately 19 words between the Textus Receptus and the majority text. These are in 16 places (Colossians 1:2,14,20,24,24,27; 2:13,13,16,17,20,20; 3:21,20,24; 4:16). In addition, he also records approximately 3 words in 1 place of alternates.

Q: In Col, what are some of the manuscript variations?
A: The Letter to the Colossians has a total of about 1,570 Greek words and a word-for-word accuracy of 97.9%, with 33 words in question. These are in 25 verses (28 places), out of 95 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.
Col 1:2 "Father" vs. "Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (4 words)
Col 1:3 "to God" vs. "to [the] Father"
Col 1:7 "our behalf" vs. "your(plural) behalf"
Col 1:12 "giving thanks to the Father" vs. "giving thanks together to the Father"
Col 1:12 "us" vs. "you(plural)"
Col 1:12 "made fit/competent" vs. "called" (3 letters different in original Claromontanus, Sahidic Coptic, Gothic, Armenian) vs. "called and made fit/competent" (Vaticanus) (2 words, but only 1 word counted in the totals)
Col 1:14 "redemption" (most manuscripts, including Byzantine Lectionary, Wordsworth-White Vulgate, Stuttgart Vulgate) vs. "redemption through his blood" (Slavonic, Armenian, Clementine Vulgate) (4 words not counted in the totals)
Col 1:14 "sins" vs. "sins through his blood" (3 words not counted in the totals)
Col 1:20 "cross, through/by him" vs. "cross"
Col 1:22 "reconciled" vs. "has reconciled"
Col 2:2 "of God, the Father" vs. "of the Father"
Col 2:7 "in there/it in/with thanksgiving" vs. "in/with thanksgiving"
Col 2:7 "the faith" vs. "in the faith"
Col 2:12 case of the Greek word for "baptism"
Col 2:13 "you being dead" vs. "being dead"
Col 2:13 "forgiven us" vs. "forgiven you (plural)"
Col 2:18 "which he has seen" vs. which he has not seen"
Col 2:23 "humility of mind" vs. "humility"
Col 3:4 "your(plural) life" vs. "our life"
Col 3:6 "coming wrath of God on the sons of disobedience" vs. "coming wrath of God" (3 words)
Col 3:13 "lord" vs. "Christ" vs. "God"
Col 3:16 "Christ" vs. "Lord"
Col 3:16 "God" vs. "Lord"
Col 3:17 "God[,] Father" vs. "God and Father"
Col 3:21 "do not provoke" (apparently p46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 2nd corrector Claromontanus, Byzantine Lectionary, Slavonic, Chrysostom) vs. "rouse to wrath" (Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Rescriptus, original Claromontanus)
Col 4:3 "mystery of Christ" vs. "mystery of God"
Col 4:8 "of us" vs. "of you" (1 letter difference)
Col 4:12 "Christ Jesus" (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Bohairic Coptic) vs. "Christ" (p46, Claromontanus, Chrysostom)
Col 4:15 "her house" vs. "his house"
Col 4:18 "amen" at the end vs. absent
Some manuscripts have the postscript, "To Colossians written from Rome, by/of/through/via Tychicus and Onesimus" (9 words not counted in the totals)
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 Col, 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

p46

p61

Si

A

B

C

D

I

Sah

Boh

Origen

Ital

Vg

Luc

Eth

Chrys

Byz

Arm

Geo

SyrH

Syr P

Syr Pal


Col 1:2

4
   
2

2

1

2

1
 
1
   
1

1/2/3?
   
1

2

1?/2?
   
1

1

Col 1:3

1
 
1?

2

2

1

1
   
1

1
 
1

1?/2
 
1

(1)

2

2

2
     

Col 1:7

1

2
 
2

2
 
1
   
1

1
 
1/ 2

1
   
1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Col 1:12

1

2

1
 
1

2

1

1
 
1?/3?

1/3?
 
1/3/4
       
1

3

1
 
3

1

Col 1:12

1

1

1?

1

1

3

1

2
 
2

1
 
2/(3)

1/ 2?
 
1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

Col 1:12

1
   
1

2

1

2

2
 
1

2
 
2
   
2

2

2

1

2

2

2

1

Col 1:14

4
   
1

1

1

1

1
 
1

1
 
1
   
1

1

1

2

1

2

1

1

Col 1:14

3
                                           

Col 1:20

1

1
 
1

1

2

1

2
 
2

1
 
2
   
2

1/ 2

1

2

1

1

1

2

Col 1:22

1
   
1

1

4

1

5
       
1/5
   
1

1

1

1

1

1

1
 

Col 2:2

1

1
   
6

1

6

4
 
2?

6
 
3/4
     
7

9
   
9

7
 

Col 2:7

1
   
3

2

1

2

1
   
4
 
3
   
3
 
3

3
       

Col 2:7

1
     
1

3

1

5
 
1?/4?

4
 
4/5
   
1

3

4
   
4

4
 

Col 2:12

1

1
 
2

2

1

2

1
   
3
 
3
     
1

2

3

3

3

3

3

Col 2:13

1

2
 
1

1

2

1
   
1

1
 
3A
   
1

3A

1/2/3A

3A

1/ 3

1

1

2

Col 2:13

1

1
 
1

1

1

1

1
 
1?/2?

1
 
1
   
2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Col 2:18

1

1
 
1

1

1

3

1
 
1

1
 
1
 
1

3

2

3

3

3
     

Col 2:23

1

3
 
1

1

3

1
     
1
 
2
     
1

1

1

1

1

1

3

Col 3:4

1

1
 
1
 
2
 
1
 
2

1
       
1

1

2

1

2

2

2

1

Col 3:6

3

2
 
1

1

2

1
   
2

1
 
1/ 2
   
1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

Col 3:13

1

1
 
3

1

1

2

1
 
2

2
 
1/ 2

1
 
2
 
2

4

1/ 2

2

2
 

Col 3:16

1

1
 
3

2

1

2

1
 
1

3
 
1

1/ 2?
 
2

1

1

1

1

1
   

Col 3:16

1

1
 
1

1

1

1

1
 
1

1/2?
 
1/ 2

1
   
1/ 2

2

1

1/ 2

1

1
 

Col 3:17

1

1?
 
1

1

1

1

2
 
1

1
 
1

2
 
1

2

2

2

2

2

1
 

Col 3:21

1

1?
 
1

2

1

2

2
       
1/ 2

1/ 2?
 
1

1

1

2

2
     

Col 4:3

1

1
 
1

1

2

1

1
 
1?/2?

1
 
1

1/ 2?
 
2

1

1

1

1

1

1
 

Col 4:8

1

3
 
2

1

1

3

1
 
1?/3?

3
 
1/ 3

2?
 
(1)

3

3

1

3

3

3

1

Col 4:12

1

3
 
1

1

1

1

3

1

2

1
 
1/ 3
 
1

3

3

3

1
 
3

3

2

Col 4:15

1
   
3

3

1

3

2
 
1

3
         
2

2
   
1

2

1?/3?

Col 4:18

1
   
1

1

1

1

2
 
1

2
 
1/ 2
   
2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1?/2?

Postscript

9
                                           

Place

words

p46

p61

Si

A

B

C

D

I

Sah

Boh

Origen

Ital

Vg

Luc

Eth

Chrys

Byz

Arm

Geo

SyrH

Syr P

Syr
Pal



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