Dwayne Green's latest livestream on the text of Acts 8:37 is a MUST SEE!
There are many things I could say about this fascinating discussion, but one of the first things you'll notice is how important and relevant in the discussion are the ancient versions (including the Armenian) and the ancient church fathers. So I decided to write this post to remind everyone who produces an edition of the Greek New Testament to PLEASE include in your apparatus the leading versions and fathers. If you do, I will thaw into a gratitude puddle.
Now, I will give credit to the ECM that many versions are listed. But hey, why not include the Armenian as well? I like the Armenian version because it is a very literal translation. It's also early. It dates back to the 5th century and was made from both Syriac and Greek texts. According to Bruce Metzger, Armenia was the first kingdom to accept Christianity as its official religion in the late 3rd century.
That's earlier than Constantine did! You may not also realize that Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, predates the founding of Rome. Amazing.
I hope one day to return to Armenia. It has an awesome Museum of Ancient Manuscripts, which I've had the privilege of visiting on three different trips to that country.
I obviously had to peruse their New Testament manuscripts. Whenever I see a textual variant in my Greek New Testament, I always like to see what the Armenian version reads. Interestingly enough, it frequently agrees with the Byzantine text. Below are major textual variants I've written about in such journals as New Testament Studies and Novum Testamentum.
The readings I argued for in those essays are given in black. Notice that only in one case does the Armenian go with the Critical Text. Oh sure, the Armenian version isn't as ancient as Coptic or the Old Latin ("Itala"), but it's still a very old translation. I hope one day its readings will be included in the ECM, but what I think probably doesn't matter very much.
By the way, I LOVED teaching in Armenia. No words can describe the rejoicing in my heart when students get excited about the study of God's word!
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| My class in Yerevan. Half of these students were from neighboring Iran. |