Bible Query – Early Manuscripts of 2 Thessalonians

October 27, 2022 version

 

Q: In 2 Thess, what are early New Testament manuscripts we have preserved today?

A: Here are many of them.

p30 1 Thess 4:12-13,16-17; 5:3,8-10,12-18,25-28; 2 Thess 1:1-2; 2:1,9-11 (early 3rd century)

p92 Eph 1:11-13,19-21; 2 Thess 1:4-5,11-12 (c. 300 A.D.) The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p92 on p.614.

Alexandrinus [A] c.450 A.D.

Vaticanus [B] 325-350 A.D.

Sinaiticus [Si] 340-350 A.D.

Claromontanus [D] 6th century

Bohairic Coptic [Boh] 3rd/4th century

Sahidic Coptic [Sah] 3rd/4rth century

I Washington, D.C. 5th century

Gothic 493-555 A.D.

Italic [Ital] 4th to 13th centuries

Vulgate [Vulg] 4th and 5th centuries

Armenian [Arm] from 5th century

Georgian [Geo] from 5th century

Ethiopic [Eth] from c.500 A.D.

Sinaitic Syriac 4th-7th century

Palestinian Syriac [Syr Pal] from c.6th century

Peshitta Syriac [Syr P] 411-435 A.D. Over 350 manuscripts.

Harclean Syriac [Syr H] 616.A.D Thomas of Harkel

 

Q: In 2 Thess, what are the textual variations with the Textus Receptus, the basis for the KJV?

A: Jay P. Green, Sr. in the Interlinear Bible records variations in 6 words between the Textus Receptus and the majority text. These are in 5 places (2 Thessalonians 1:8,10,12; 2:4; 3:6). He does not record any additional alternates.

 

Q: In 2 Thess, what are some of the textual variations?

A: Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians has a total of 823 Greek words in 47 verses. This is the count in Aland et al. 5th revised edition, 4th revised edition, and 3rd edition, including 5 words in brackets. The text of the 3rd edition is on-line at http://www.greekbible.com. 2 Thessalonians has an estimated word-for-word accuracy of 98.4%, with 13 words in question. These are in 9 verses (10 places).

   Below are the variations with the primary choice and the top alternate choice. Aland et al. 5th revised edition, 4th revised edition, and 3rd edition, from which this primarily is based, also give a judgment of the degree of certainty per variation. The list below does not include many places where the evidence for a particular reading is so strong that the alternatives are very unlikely. See the next question for which manuscripts support which variants.

2 Thess 1:2 “our father” vs. “the Father”

2 Thess 1:2 “our Father and Lord” vs. “Father and our Lord” vs. “the Father and Lord” (2 words)

2 Thess 1:8a “Lord Jesus will” vs. “Lord will”

2 Thess 1:8b “destroy” vs. “consume”

2 Thess 1:10 “who believe” vs. “who have believed” (NU, M)

2 Thess 1:10 “you believe” vs. “you are persuaded” (1 word, slient support)

2 Thess 2:2 “Christ” vs. “the Lord” (NU)

2 Thess 2:3 “of wickedness” vs. “of sin” vs. “of lawlessness” (NU)

2 Thess 2:4 “in the Temple of God to sit” vs. “in the Temple of God as God to sit” (only in later witnesses such as corrected Bezae Cantabrigiensis, so 2 words not counted in the totals)

2 Thess 2:8a “the Lord Jesus” vs. “the Lord”

2 Thess 2:8b “will consume” vs. “will destroy”

2 Thess 2:13 “first fruits of salvation” vs. “from the beginning of salvation”

2 Thess 2:16 “of God of our Father” vs. “of God of Father” vs. “of God and Father”

2 Thess 2:13 “first” vs. “from the beginning”

2 Thess 2:13 “God chose you” vs. “God chose you as His firstfruits”

2 Thess 3:6 “they received” vs. “you received” vs. “he received”

2 Thess 3:8 “of the night and of the day” vs. “throughout the night and day” (2 words)

2 Thess 3:16 “way” vs. “place/location”

2 Thess 3:18 “amen” at the end vs. absent

2 Thess 2:18 [absent] vs. subscription “For/to Thessalonians B” vs. “For/to” Thessalonians B epistle” (Bezae Cantabrigiensis) (not counted in the totals)

Bibliography for this question: The Greek New Testament Third Edition by Kurt Aland et al., The Greek New Testament Fourth Edition by Kurt Aland et al., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by George Ricker Berry, the Interlinear Bible by Jay P. Green, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 8, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament 2nd edition by Bruce M. Metzger, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture by Bart Ehrman, The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts edited by Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Expositor’s Greek Testament edited by W. Robertson Nicoll, and footnotes in the NASB, NIV, NKJV, and NRSV Bible translations. Manuscripts of the Greek Bible : An Introduction to Paleography by Bruce M. Metzger also has interesting information on the characteristics and quality of the copying of each manuscript.

 

Q: In 2 Thess, how do the early manuscripts compare with each other?

A: The table below shows each of the places in question, and the number says which variant is in each manuscript.

This chart shows variants of early writers and manuscripts of 2 Thessalonians. The darker the shading the later the writing. Shaded verses mean we are virtually certain of the correct reading. For each verse, the variant Aland et al. views as correct is labeled as “1”, the next choice “2”, and so on. Corrections to manuscripts by later scribes are not included. “A” after a choice simply means the choice with the fewest words. A question mark means it is probably but not certain the manuscript had these words. Parentheses means fragmentary or hard to read. Where there is more than one number, such as “1 /2?”, this means that one or more manuscripts in the family give the first choice, and one or more manuscripts are not clear, but appear to give the second choice. A parenthesis, such as (6), means that through translation or loss of letters are not sure, but it appears to support reading 6.

Place of variant

words

Sah

Boh

Iren

Origen

B

Si

Lucifer

Chrys

Pelag

Ital b

Ital d

Vg

Eth

A

D

I

Arm

Geo

Syr Pal

Syr P

Syr H

Byz

2 Thess 1:2

2

1?/(2?)/3?

(2)/3

-

1

2

1

-

1

-

-

2

1

3

1

2

1

1

1/(3)

3

1

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Thess 2:3

1

1

1

2

1/ 2

1

1

-

2

2

2

2

 

1

2

2

-

1

1

-

2

2

2

2 Thess 2:4

1

1

1

1/ 2

1

1

1

-

2

-

1

1

1

1

1

-

-

1

1

-

2

2

2

2 Thess 2:8a

1

1

1/2

1/ 2

1

2

1

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

-

1

2

-

1

1

2

2 Thess 2:8b

1

1?/3?

1?/3?

1

-

1

~2

-

3

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

 

3

3

3

2 Thess 2:13

1

2

1

-

-

1

2

-

2

1

2

2

1/ 2?

2

-

2

-

2

2

-

3

1

2

2 Thess 2:16

1

-

1

-

-

1

1

-

 

-

-

2

1/ 2

1

2

1

-

1

 

 

1

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Thess 3:6

1

2/4

-

-

-

4

1

3

2

3

(3)

3

2

-

1

~1

-

4

3

-

3

5

2

2 Thess 3:8

2

-

-

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

2

2

2

-

 

 

-

-

 

2 Thess 3:16

1

1

1

-

-

1

1

-

1

2

2

2

2

1

2

2

-

(1)

1

-

1

1

1

2 Thess 3:18

1 amen

1

1/2

-

-

1

1

-

2

1

2

2

1?/2

2

2

2

-

2

2

-

2

2

2

Place of variant

words

Sah

Boh

Iren

Origen

B

Si

Lucifer

Chrys

Pelag

Ital b

Ital d

Vg

Eth

A

D

I

Arm

Geo

Syr Pal

Syr P

Syr H

Byz

On the second variant place in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Claromontanus (D) is present but illegible.

In 2 Thess 3:13, A is present but illegible

 

by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.