Josep Rius-Camps - Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, «The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Aspostles (XXV) (Acts 18:24–19:40).», Vol. 26 (2013) 127-163
In the text of Acts according to Codex Bezae, a fourth and final part of the book begins at 18.24. It is Paul’s ultimate goal of Rome that separates it from the earlier missionary phases and confers unity on the remainder of the book. In this opening section (Section I), his activity will be centred for three years in Ephesus, the main city of Asia, where he will meet with some success despite hostility from some of the Jews. In his dealings with the Gentiles, opposition will also be encountered because of the threat posed by his teachings to the trade of the city. The Bezan narrator indicates plainly that Paul’s travel to Ephesus should have been the initial stage of his journey to the imperial capital. Additional references in Codex Bezae to the directions given to Paul by the Holy Spirit make clear that his visit had been prepared for by the work of Apollos; however, it was contrary to his own intentions, which were rather to go back to Jerusalem. The struggle against the divine leading is seen as Paul terminates his stay in Asia once he has carefully prepared for his return to Jerusalem.
158 Josep Rius-Camps and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
19:31 ὄντεϛ B P74 אrell || ὑπάρχοντεϛ D.
Luke uses the two verbs εἰμί and ὑπάρχω as parallel terms, with
ὑπάρχω the stronger term used to underline the notion of existence or
even possession (B-A-G, ὑπάρχω, 1, ‘exist [really], be present, be at one’s
disposal’). ὑπάρχω is found as a variant reading for εἰμί at a number
of places: Lk. 11:13 B03; Acts 4:34 D05; + 14:9 D05; 16:21 D05; 17:27
B03; 19:40 B03. The participle ὑπάρχοντεϛ here does not affect the sense
but does highlight the friendship of the Asiarchs because it is the more
unusual verb.
19:32 (ἄλλο) τι B P74 אrell || om. D d gig vg.
τι, omitted by D05, is not essential with the neuter pronoun ἄλλο. The
same variant is seen at 21:34, where again D05 does not read τι.
ἦν γὰρ ἡ ἐκκλησία συγκεχυμένη B P74 אrell, erat enim ecclesia confusa
d || ἡ γὰρ ἐκκλ. ἦν συγκ. D.
With the word order of B03, γάρ serves to clarify the previous com-
ment by accounting for the different shouts, whereas in D05 it presents
an expansion, focusing on the assembly and the confusion that reigned.
οἱ πλείουϛ B P74 אrell, plures d || οἱ πλεῖστοι D; Ephr.
B03 reads the comparative οἱ πλείουϛ for the superlative of D05: ‘οἱ
πλεῖστοι de D est préférable à οἱ πλείουϛ, qui peut prendre quelquefois
le sens du superlatif dans le N.T.’ (Delebecque, Les deux Actes, p. 118).
19:33 συνεβίβασαν B P74 אA E 33. 323. 945. 1739. 1891. 2344 pc || κατ-
D*, distraxerunt d ar c dem e gig p ph ro w, detraxerunt vg | προ- DD.H H
L P Ψ 049. 056. 614 M vgCT syh.
The verb συμβιβάζω in B03 has the occasional sense of ‘instruct’ in
biblical literature (B-A-G, συμβιβάζω, 4), whereas καταβιβάζω in D05
literally means to ‘bring down’ (B-A-G, καταβιβάζω; with τινά, ‘make
someone come down’).
προβαλόντων B P74vid אA E H Ψ 049. 69. 226. 440. 618. 945. 1241. 1243.
1505. 1611. 1739. 1837. 1854. 2492 || προβαλλόντων D, propellentibus d
L P 056. 33. 323. 614. 2344 pm.
The participle, which can be taken in a causal rather than a tempo-
ral sense in both texts, is aorist in B03 and present in D05. The aorist
concords with the sense of the main verb συνεβίβασαν (they instructed
Alexander because they saw that the Jews had put him forward to make a
defence). The present in turn concords with the main verb κατεβίβασαν
of D05, conveying the sense of continuous motion (they made Alexander
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