From: CWestf5155@aol.com
Date: Wed Dec 02 1998 - 10:51:57 EST
Dear Ted,
In a message dated 12/2/98 5:43:29 AM Mountain Standard Time, thmann@juno.com
writes:
> (Heb.4:2) "...because it [the Good News] was not united by faith in those
> who heard."
>
> I recently read that only the Codex Sinaiticus can be rendered as above.
> All other ancient MSS read: "...they [referring to those who heard the
> word] not being mixed together [or united] by faith with those who heard
> [referring to Caleb and Joshua]." Is there any justification for such a
> reading? Many thanks.
This is a very interesting problem on at least two fronts.
Ellingworth has a rather good discussion of the implications of the variations
in the NIGTC <<Commentary on Hebrews>>. It all swings on whether the (1)
accusative plural, (2) the nominative singular, or (3) the nominative plural
is chosen for the participle of SUGKERANNUMI, and there are variants which
support all three. It appears that your commentator opted for (3), which
appears to be supported by only one Greek minuscule 104, and therefore appears
to have a scant following. Actually, there are even more variants than that,
but the two major variants are (1) and (2).
As Ellingworth says, this textual problem "shows some tendency to set textual
critics against exegetes". The textual critics opt for "the more difficult
reading" SUGKEKERASMENOUS, saying that the nominative singular was the easier
reading, and therefore it would have been more natural for a scribe to have
altered the accusative, rather than the other way around. The exegetes have
interpretive axes to grind here, which makes them prefer one over the other.
What I find interesting about your commentator is what would motivate him/her
to sport this particular variation. My guess is that your commentator sees
Joshua as the topic of 4:1-11, i.e. 'Christ is Superior to Joshua', and would
like to see Joshua's presence in 4:2, since there is only one other disputed
reference to Joshua in 4:8.
In my opinion, even if 4:2 did refer to Joshua and Caleb, positing a contrast
between Joshua and Christ as the topic of this passage involves weak analysis,
in view of other themes which are repeated, particulary the repeated
exhortation "Make every effort to enter the rest". That has my vote for the
topic of the paragraph/section.
Cindy Westfall
PhD Student, Roehampton
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