A Textual Commentary On The Greek NT

Acts 11:5

Codex Bezae and 241 read e[wj( î⁷⁴ a A B* 104 1319 read a;cri; all other witnesses read a;crij. While the reading e[wj may be ignored, the two others deserve comment.

In Attic Greek a;cri was used predominantly, and it is found extensively in the Septuagint and the New Testament. In later Greek the form with the final sigma came into ever wider usage, though it was condemned by Phrynichus and other grammarians.

Whether Luke followed Attic preference and later scribes corrupted it, or whether he followed the growing tolerance for a;crij and later purist scribes, reacting against the prevailing usage, corrected the spelling according to archaic standards, is a difficult question to answer. A majority of the Committee decided that it was wisest to err (if indeed it is to err) in company with î⁷⁴ a A B* al.

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A Textual Commentary On The Greek NT

Acts 11:5

Old Testament

New Testament