Sayings Ascribed to Our Lord by the Fathers and Other Primitive Writers; And Incidents in His Life Narrated by Them, Otherwise Than Found in Scripture (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874 Excerpt: ...history of the woman who was "accused of many sins before the Lord" is supposed to be that narrated in S. John viii. 1--11. The twelve verses of John vii. 53--viii. 11 are omitted by the Sinai, Vatican, and Alexandrian MSS., by Codex Ephraem, a few other Uncials, and more than fifty Cursive MSS., by the best MSS. of several important versions, and by more than thirty Lectionaries. It does not seem to have been known to Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, or Chrysostom. The omission from the Lectionaries, which were intended for public reading, may perhaps be accounted for by the nature of the passage. With regard to the MSS. and Versions the question is different; for it is difficult to suppose that the horror with which the Primitive Church regarded sins of this kind so far affected the minds of those who were engaged in the sacred work of transcribing the Scriptures, as to make them forget honesty, and induce them to cut out the words and deeds of Christ. The narrative is to be found in Codex Bezae, in a form rather different from that of the Authorised Version, her sin being in ver. 3 spoken of in a general manner, "a woman taken in sin," though it is described in ver. 4 as in the received text. Bishop Wordsworth states that there are three forms of the history with verbal variations, --that contained in Codex Bezse, that of the received text, and a third supported by many MSS. Under these various forms it is to be found in several Uncial MSS., in more than 300 Cursives, and several Versions, and is mentioned by Jerome and Augustine as being found in many MSS., and was received by them as genuine. Naturally, the result of such conflicting testimony has been, that critical writers hold various opinions. It is considered as a true history, thou...