Josep Rius-Camps, «The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles (XIX) (Acts 13:13-43).», Vol. 20 (2007) 127-146
In Acts 13:13-43, Paul and Barnabas are seen continuing their missionary activity, notably in Antioch of Pisidia where Luke describes their visit to the synagogue. He recreates in some detail Paul’s first speech, which is noteworthy for the way in which he presents Jesus as the Messiah first and foremost for Israel, a perspective with which Luke is at odds in Codex Bezae. Paul’s overriding concern for his own people, the Jews, to accept his message is strongly in evidence. However, their negative reaction when he extends the message of Jesus to Gentiles causes him, together with Barnabas, to turn from the Jews to the Gentiles. In the Alexandrian text, their announcement of this fact refers to a change on a local scale within Antioch, but in the Bezan text they make a declaration that represents a radical decision and an event of momentous significance in the history of Israel: in view of the Jews’ hostility to the message of Jesus, they will no longer have privileged possession of the Word of God, the Torah that had originally been entrusted to Israel, since it is to be henceforth shared with the Gentiles. The idea of the sharing of the heritage of Israel with the Gentiles is one that will provoke opposition to Paul wherever he preaches to the Jews in future locations, and a theme that Luke will develop over the subsequent chapters.
138 Josep Rius-Camps and Jenny Read-Heimerdinger
With the article, D05 presents Samuel as a prophet known and familiar
to his audience; the absence of the article highlights the word ‘prophet’ as
if it were not necessarily expected.
13:22 (ἤγειÏεν) τὸν ∆αυίδ B P74 ) A 33. 1175. 2344 | αá½Ï„οῖϛ τὸν ∆αυ. C
E H L P Ψ 049. 056. 614 pm ‖ ∆αυίδ D.
The absence of the article in D05 alone draws attention to the person
of David at this first mention of his name. Comparison may be made with
the earlier mention of Saul at 13:21 where the article is retained because
he is simply the next person to be listed in the history of God’s dealings
with Israel. In contrast, with David a critical point is reached in this
history, and omitting the article is a way of underlining the new direction
Paul’s speech takes as he introduces for the first time not just the person
of David (from whom Jesus will be descended) but also God’s action in
raising him up, ἤγειÏεν, a verb that will become a leitmotiv in the speech
(cf. vv. 23, 30, 37).
τὸν τοῦ (Ἰεσσαί) B P74 ) rell ‖ τὸν υἱόν D, filium d e gig vg syp sa mae
aeth; Or.– ἄνδÏα D, virum d P74 ) rell ‖ om. B.
By means of the genitive article, the B03 reading expresses the idea
that Saul was the son of Jesse, which D05 spells out by including the word
υἱόν. Wilcox identifies the reading of ἄνδÏα as a rendering of both the
Hebrew and the targumic text of 1 Sam 13:14 underlying Paul’s reference
to David (The Semitisms of Acts, pp. 21–24); the LXX, on the other hand,
reads ἄνθÏωπον.
13:23 τούτου ὠθεὸϛ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέÏματοϛ B )2 P74 rell | τούτου ὠθ.)* ‖
ὠθ. οὖν ἀπὸ Ï„. σπ. αá½Ï„οῦ D (deus autem a semine huius d).
The demonstrative article, which serves as a connective to the new,
com-plex clause in B03, switches the focus to David and underlines the
Davidic line of the Messiah. In D05, it is God who is fore-fronted and who
remains in focus as the subject of the new clause, just as he has been of
the previous sentences since v. 17, except for a brief comment at v. 21a.
The connective οὖν serves to round off the first part of his speech.
(κατ’ á¼Ï€Î±Î³Î³ÎµÎ»á½·Î±Î½) ἤγαγεν B P74 ) A E H L P Ψ 049. 056. 0142 M it vg
bo aeth; Ath Chrpt Theoph Aug ‖ ἤγειÏεν D, resurrexit d C 1. 33. 36. 104.
181. 242. 307. 323. 431. 440. 453. 467. 522. 610. 614. 630. 927. 945. 1108.
1241. 1270. 1518. 1611. 1678. 1828. 1838. 1891. 2138. 2298. 2344. 2412 al
gig w vgCT sy sa mae; Chrpt Thret Theoph | om. 1739.
D05 reads the verb á¼Î³Îµá½·Ïω already used to refer to David (cf. v. 22). It
carries the dual sense of ‘to raise up’ and ‘to resurrect’ (cf. Peter in Acts
FOLLOW US