By: Zachary Skarka, Guest Contributor
Zachary Skarka is a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham. His doctoral thesis is “The Text and Transmission of Colossians” under Professor H.A.G. Houghton. Skarka worked as a graduate student intern at the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts in 2018–2019 while he was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary.
One of the many manuscripts digitized by the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) from the National Library of Greece in Athens is GA 075. GA 075 is a 10th century majuscule of Paul with commentary. The biblical text is in a petite majuscule hand, whereas the commentary is written in minuscule script.
GA 075, fol. 169v, image from CSNTM
While there is much that could be said about this manuscript, this post is going to focus on unique readings in GA 075 that share a common characteristic, harmonization. In this From the Library post, we will discuss harmonization and examine some examples in GA 075.
What is Harmonization?
Harmonization occurs when a scribe brings a reading from a parallel passage into the text being copied. This happens quite frequently in the Synoptic Gospels because of their many shared stories and teachings. Harmonization also occurs with similar passages in Paul’s letters, especially Colossians and Ephesians.
Colossians and Ephesians both have a set of household codes, instructions for wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters. These occur in Colossians 3:18–4:1 and Ephesians 5:22–6:9. Some of these verses have similar wording. For example, where Colossians 3:18 begins with ?? ???????? ??????????? ???? ????????, “Wives, submit to the husbands,” Ephesians 5:22 begins with ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ????????, “Wives, [submit] to your own husbands.” Because of the parallel passage in Ephesians and because of the lack of specificity in Colossians, many manuscripts of Colossians have the word ?????? before ???????? as in Ephesians. While many manuscripts contain this example of harmonization, there are several cases in which GA 075 is the only known manuscript to contain a given harmonized reading.
Harmonization in GA 075
Ephesians 5:21 serves as a connection from the material in the previous verses to the household codes mentioned above. Ephesians 5:21 is only five words in Greek, ????????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (NIV). While Colossians does not have a similar verse, GA 075 has the same five words before Colossians 3:18.
GA 075, fol. 183v, image from CSNTM
Since these words do not occur in any other manuscript of Colossians, the best explanation for their presence in GA 075 is harmonization to the parallel passage in Ephesians.
While harmonization in Colossians occurs most often with Ephesians, it happens with other epistles as well. A unique reading in GA 075 appears to be a harmonization with 1 Thessalonians. In Colossians 1:10, where every other manuscript has the phrase ??????????? ????? ??? ??????, “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” GA 075 has ??????????? ????? ??? ????, “to walk in a manner worthy of God.”
GA 075, fol. 170v, image from CSNTM
The only other place in the New Testament where the verb ????????? and the adverb ????? occur together is in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, which ends the parallel phrase with ??? ????. Therefore, the most likely explanation for the difference in GA 075 is harmonization with the reading in 1 Thessalonians.
Finally, GA 075 has a unique reading that is not a harmonization with a passage in another Pauline epistle, but a harmonization within Colossians. Colossians 1:19 says ??? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ?? ??????? ??????????, “because in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” GA 075 has the words ??? ???????? after the phrase ??? ?? ???????, changing the translation to “because in him all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell.”
GA 075, fol. 172v, image from CSNTM
These words are found after the phrase ??? ?? ??????? in Colossians 2:9 as well. Therefore, the presence of ??? ???????? in GA 075 is best explained by harmonization with the parallel phrase in Colossians 2:9.
While GA 075 has other readings that are worthy of study, including other harmonized readings that are shared with other manuscripts, these unique readings are especially worthwhile. Without the work of preservation being done by CSNTM, unique readings like the ones discussed above could be lost to history.