A Textual Commentary On The Greek NT

Mark 1:41

Mark 1:41 splagcnisqei,j {B}

It is difficult to come to a firm decision concerning the original text. On the one hand, it is easy to see why ovrgisqei,j (“being angry”) would have prompted over-scrupulous copyists to alter it to splagcnisqei,j (“being filled with compassion”), but not easy to account for the opposite change. On the other hand, a majority of the Committee was impressed by the following considerations. (1) The character of the external evidence in support of ovrgisqei,j is less impressive than the diversity and character of evidence that supports splagcnisqei,j. (2) At least two other passages in Mark, which represent Jesus as angry ( Mark 3:5) or indignant ( Mark 10:14), have not prompted over-scrupulous copyists to make corrections. (3) It is possible that the reading ovrgisqei,j either (a) was suggested by evmbrimhsa,menoj of ver. Mark 1:43, or (b) arose from confusion between similar words in Aramaic (compare Syriac ethraµam, “he had pity,” with ethra‘em, “he was enraged”). ⁶

⁶ For a discussion of the possibility of confusion in Aramaic, see Eberhard Nestle, Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the Greek New Testament (London, 1901), pp. 262 f.

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A Textual Commentary On The Greek NT

Mark 1:41

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