A Critical Examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in New Testament Textual Criticism

269 Pages·2017·1.994 MB·English

by  Peter J. Gurry

ACriticalExaminationoftheCoherence-BasedGenealogicalMethodinNew
TestamentTextualCriticism
New Testament Tools,
Studies and Documents
Editors
BartD.Ehrman,Ph.D.(JamesA.GrayDistinguishedProfessorofReligious
StudiesUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill)
EldonJ.Epp,Ph.D.(HarknessProfessorofBiblicalLiteratureEmeritusandDean
ofHumanitiesandSocialSciencesEmeritus,CaseWesternReserveUniversity,
Cleveland,Ohio;Lecturer/VisitingProfessor,HarvardDivinitySchool,2001–2016)
volume 55
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Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/ntts
A Critical Examination
of the Coherence-Based
Genealogical Method in New
Testament Textual Criticism
By
PeterJ.Gurry
leiden | boston
Allfiguresaswellasanadditionaldatasethavebeenmadeavailableonlineandcanbe
viewedbyscanningtheqrcodeorbyclickingonthedynamiclink(https://doi.org/10.6084/
m9.figshare.5245243).
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Gurry,PeterJ.,author.
Title:Acriticalexaminationofthecoherence-basedgenealogicalmethodinNew
Testamenttextualcriticism/byPeterJ.Gurry.
Description:Boston:Brill,2017.|Series:NewTestamenttools,studies,and
documents,issn0077-8842;volume55|Includesbibliographicalreferences
andindex.
Identifiers:lccn2017034646(print)|lccn2017039102(ebook)|
isbn9789004354548(e-book)|isbn9789004354319(hardback:alk.paper)
Subjects:lcsh:Bible.NewTestament–Criticism,Textual.|Bible.New
Testament–Hermeneutics.
Classification:lcc bs2325(ebook)|lcc bs2325 .g872017(print)|
ddc225.4/046–dc23
lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017034646
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issn0077-8842
isbn978-90-04-35431-9(hardback)
isbn978-90-04-35454-8(e-book)
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
ListofFigures xi
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 Rationale 1
2 Scope 3
3 ANoteonTermsandPercentages 4
4 PreviewoftheArgument 5
part 1
1 TheHistoryandReceptionofthecbgm 9
1 Historyofthecbgm 9
1.1 GenealogyReborn(1982–1997) 10
1.2 CoherenceTakesShape(1997–2005) 13
1.3 ExplanationandExtension(2005–2013) 17
2 Receptionofthecbgm 21
2.1 DavidC.Parker 22
2.2 TommyWasserman 23
2.3 TimoFlink 25
2.4 EldonEpp 26
2.5 DirkJongkind 27
2.6 BengtAlexanderson 29
2.7 OtherReactions 30
3 Conclusion 32
2 ThecbgminTheoryandPractice 35
1 Understandingthecbgm 36
1.1 BasicPrinciples 36
1.2 Procedures 43
2 ApplyingthecbgmtotheCatholicEpistles 65
2.1 TheEffectofthecbgmonReasonedEclecticism 66
2.2 Changesbetweenna27/ubs4,ecm1,andecm2/na28/ubs5 73
2.3 ExampleChanges 74
3 Conclusion 83
vi contents
part 2
3 RecoveringtheInitialText 89
1 DefiningtheInitialText 90
1.1 OriginalDefinitionandSubsequentMisuse 92
1.2 AnAttemptatClarification 99
2 ThecbgmasaMeta-Method 101
2.1 ThoroughgoingEclecticism 102
2.2 ByzantinePriority 105
2.3 Conclusion 107
3 UsingCoherencetoDetectCoincidentalAgreement 110
3.1 PrecedentforthePrinciple 110
3.2 TheQuestionofCircularity 112
4 Conclusion 113
4 ScribalTendenciesinJames 114
1 Method 114
1.1 PreviousStudy 114
1.2 TheProblemwithSingularReadings 117
1.3 ThecbgmasaSolution 119
2 Results 125
2.1 InitialResults 125
2.2 AdditionalTests 130
3 MethodologicalReflections 137
3.1 TheValueofthecbgmforStudyingScribalTendencies 137
3.2 ThecbgmandSingularReadings 137
4 Conclusion 140
part 3
5 AHistoricalTest:TheHarkleanGroupinthecbgm 145
1 ThecbgmandHistoricalReconstruction 145
1.1 IsthecbgmInterestedinHistory? 146
1.2 TheProblemofSoftDataandReversedRelationships 149
1.3 AnInitialAssessment 154
2 TheHarkleanGroupandtheByzantineText 157
2.1 TheHarkleanGroupandtheByzantineTextinthecbgm 159
2.2 PreviousStudyoftheHarkleanGroup 161
2.3 AProposedResolution 165
contents vii
3 Implications 175
4 Conclusion 179
6 TheSelectionofVariantsinthecbgm 180
1 PreviousStudy 180
2 Thecbgm’sBasicPrinciple 185
3 SpecificCases 188
3.1 SingularReadings 188
3.2 Orthographica 192
3.3 NonsenseReadings 195
3.4 Corrections 200
4 Conclusion 204
7 LimitationsandImprovements 206
1 Limitations 206
1.1 ContaminationRemainsaProblem 206
1.2 HistoryisNotParsimonious 207
1.3 ThereisNoShortcuttotheCausesofVariation 208
2 SuggestedImprovements 210
2.1 AllowCoincidentalAgreementstobeRemoved 210
2.2 IncludeMoreDataandAllowforGreaterDiscrimination 210
2.3 ProvideaBetterPresentationofTextualFlowData 213
2.4 AllowtheReconstructionofLostHyparchetypes 214
2.5 TextsNeedtobeDefinedClearlyandConsistently 216
2.6 AllowCoherencetobeStudiedacrossVariationUnits 216
2.7 OpentheMethodtothePublic 217
3 Conclusion 218
SummaryandConclusion 219
Appendixa:Changesinna/ubs/ecm 223
Appendixb:HarkleanReadingsin1John 229
Appendixc:OrthographicainJames 230
Bibliography 233
ScriptureIndex 248
AuthorIndex 250
SubjectIndex 253

Acknowledgements
Writingincursmanydebtsforanauthorandthepresentworkisnoexception.
SincethisbookisarevisedformofmyCambridgedissertation,thefirstperson
tothankismysupervisor,PeterHead,whoguidedthisworkfromfirstproposal
tofinalsubmission—alldespitesomesignificantchangesinhisownlife.His
impatiencewithbadargumentsismatchedonlybyhisgoodhumorandIhave
benefittedenormouslyfromboth.AlthoughIwouldliketoblamehimforany
errors,hegetsnocreditforthose;butformuchof whatIhavelearnedabout
goodscholarship,hecertainlydoes.AsidefromPete,thethesiswasexamined
byProf.J.K.ElliottandDr.HughHoughtonwhosecloseengagementwiththe
argumentfurtherimprovedit.
IhadthepleasureofdoingmyworkatTyndaleHouselibraryinCambridge.
If thereisabetterplacetoresearchtheBible,Ihavenotfoundit.Thecollec-
tion is excellent and the people, even better. Simon Sykes went well beyond
a librarian’s duties by offering prayers and encouragement when they were
neededmost.PeterWilliams,DirkJongkind,andPeterMalikwereregularcon-
versationpartnersaboutallthingstext-critical.Dirkwasparticularlygoodat
helpingmethinkthroughanumberofthornyaspectsofthisstudy.Elizabeth
Robargenerouslyreadtheentirestudyinitsthesisformandgavenumerous
helpful suggestions. Along with these, my family and I are especially grate-
fultotheDixons,Jamiesons,Maliks,Meltons,Myers,Prothros,Salazars,Shins,
Robars,andWisleysandforMateusdeCampos,RuthNorris,FerdieMulder,and
MoniqueCuany.Thislonglistof friendswentthroughthedoctoraltrenches
withusandmadesurewecameoutalive.
I would also like to thank the staff at the Institute for New Testament
Textual Researchin Münster,Germany. In addition tohosting me on several
occasions,theysuppliedmewithinvaluabledataandregularlyansweredmy
pestering questions. Klaus Wachtel and Volker Krüger were instrumental in
setting up the software without which some of my research could not have
beendone.GerdMink,whoinventedthemethodunderscrutinyhere,readthe
entiremanuscriptandprovidedinvaluablefeedbackandclarification.Where
Icontinuetodisagreewithhim,thereadercanbesureitisnotduetoanylack
ofgenerosityorcongenialityonhispart.
For turning the possibility of attending Cambridge into a reality, a great
manypeopledeservecredit.Myfamilyandparticularlymyparentshavelong
supportedmyBiblicalstudies.Membersof FaithBibleChurchinCincinnati,
Ohio have gone far beyond all expectations in helping us to get there. Addi-
tionalhelpwasprovidedbyFitzwilliamCollegeandbytheFacultyofDivinity