Wed Feb 5 17:14:47 1997

From owner-tc-list  Wed Feb  5 17:14:47 1997
Return-Path: 
Received: by shemesh.scholar.emory.edu (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4)
	id RAA06094; Wed, 5 Feb 1997 17:14:46 -0500
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 17:14:23 -0500 (EST)
From: Maurice Robinson 
To: tc-list@shemesh.scholar.emory.edu
Subject: Re: Re Rev. 1:4
In-Reply-To: <33709D23E2@113hum4.humnet.ucla.edu>
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: owner-tc-list@shemesh.scholar.emory.edu
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: tc-list@scholar.cc.emory.edu
content-length: 1446



On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, Vinton A. Dearing wrote:

> When "John" is capitalized in Rev. 1:4  it is because it is the first 
> word in the text of the book. Verses 1-3 are the book's title. 

While this might be a possible thought from within a higher-critical
perspective, the manuscript evidence demonstrates precisely the opposite
(see Hoskier's collation data in vol.2 of his _Concerning the Text of the
Apocalypse_).

While the "real" title of the book varies dramatically (Apocalypse / Apoc. 
of John / Apoc. of John the Theolog / Apoc. of John the Holy Theolog, etc. 
etc. with many varied forms and expansions), as soon as one hits
Apoc.1:1-1:3, the main text reverts back to the "normal" pattern one finds
in the main text of any scriptural book, with little variance among the
MSS, and _no_ indication that 1:1-3 was specifically considered a title in
any normal sense.

There is _no_ basis found among the Greek MSS for the capitalization of
"JOHN" in 1:4 -- that was purely an individual editor's decision related
to printed editions or translations, just as with the inscription on the
cross or "MYSTERY: BABYLON THE GREAT" in the KJV. 

_________________________________________________________________________
Maurice A. Robinson, Ph.D.           Professor of Greek and New Testament
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary     Wake Forest, North Carolina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back