Josep Rius-Camps - Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, «The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles (XX) (Acts 14:1-27)», Vol. 22 (2009) 107-132
Acts 14:1-27 continues the story of the mission of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles, illustrating what happened when they had decided to turn from the Jews (cf. 13.46-47) to devote their attention to the Gentiles. Following an account of Paul's initial struggle with this decision, brought out more clearly in Codex Bezae, Luke describes the mitigated success of his first deliberate attempts to talk with the Gentiles about the gospel. The establishment of the first churches as a result of the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas is described as the passage concludes by bringing the missionaries back to Antioch of Syria, where Luke is careful to maintain the focus on the Gentiles.
		
			The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles            115
 [d]      10a Paul, looking intently at him       10a And he, looking intently
          and seeing that he had faith to         at him and seeing that he had
          be healed, said to him in a loud        faith to be healed, said to him in
          voice, ‘To you I say in the name        a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on
          of the Lord Jesus: Stand upright        your feet’.
          on your feet and walk’.
 [e]      10b And at once, without fur-           10b And immediately, he leapt
          ther ado, he sprang up and              up and walked,;
          walked.
 [e’]     11 When the crowds saw what             11 and when the crowds saw what
          Paul had done, they raised their        Paul had done, they raised their
          voices in Lycaonian saying, ‘The        voices, in Lycaonian, saying,
          gods have become like mortals           ‘The gods have become like mor-
          and have come down to us’.              tals and have come down to us’.
 [d’]     12 (Barnabas they called Zeus,          12 (They called Barnabas Zeus,
          but Paul Hermes, since he was           but Paul Hermes, since it was he
          interpreting the message.)              who was the interpreter of the
                                                  message.)
 [c’]     13 The priests of the local Zeus        13 The priest of the Zeus who
          Propolis, bringing bulls and            was in front of the city, bring-
          garlands to them at the gates,          ing bulls and garlands to the
          wished to sacrifice with the            gates, wished to sacrifice with
          crowds.                                 the crowds.
 [b’]     14 When Barnabas heard, and             14 When the apostles Barnabas
          Paul, tearing their clothes they        and Paul heard, tearing their
          rushed right out into the crowd,        clothes they rushed out into the
          crying out and shouting, 15             crowd, crying out and saying, 15
          ‘Men, what is this that you are         ‘Men, what is this that you are
          doing? We are mortal men just           doing? We also are mortal men,
          like you, and we proclaim to            just like you, and we proclaim
          you the good news of God, so            good news, that you turn from
          that you would turn from these          these powerless things to a liv-
          powerless things to the living          ing God, who made heaven and
          God, the one who made heaven            earth and the sea and all things
          and earth and the sea and all           in them, 16 who in past genera-
          things in them, 16 who in past          tions allowed all the nations to
          generations allowed the various         go their own ways; 17 and yet he
          nations to go their own ways; 17        did not leave himself without a
          and certainly, he did not leave         witness, since he has done good
          himself without a witness, since        to you, giving you rain from
          he has performed good to you,           heaven and fruitful seasons, and
          giving you rain from heaven and         filling your hearts with food and
          fruitful seasons, and filling your      gladness.’.
          hearts with food and gladness.’.