Subject: a 20th century Russian scribe

From: "Mr. Helge Evensen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 23:37:58 -0700

The following message is included in this post for two reasons:

a) First, it is quoted as a test message (to see if my computer problems 
are solved, if anyone will report it back to me).

b) Second, it is included in the belief that at least some on the list 
will benefit from it.

This is something I received from the Majority Text Society. It is a 
report from a Russian Pastor, by the name of Dimitry Deriagine. I quote 
it in full:

(I am not sure that I am doing the typing right in this post, if my 
computer problem has not been fixed. But I am now aware that the 
apostrophe has been converted into a code in my messages on some 
computers, and that where
my program (Netscape 2.02) shifts lines of itself, the "=20" sign has 
showed up on some computers. In this post, therefore, I break the lines
myself (or at least I try to be consistent in it) and avoid the 
apostrophe.
I would appreciate if someone could tell me if the appearance of this
post is any better than that of my previous messages). 

"A Testimony of the 20th Century Russian Scribe

Before the political reforms in Russia started the Greek text of the New
Testament was unavailable even for a student of the Philological Faculty
of the University. It was impossible to borrow the text from the
University Library or to make a photocopy of the same as it was
prohibited. The only possibility to get the text was to rewrite it from
a copy in the reading-room of the Library. And it was a very painstaking
task. When later examining my own scribal habits I noticed that my
tendency as a scribe was to shorten the text especially at the parallel
passages of the Synoptic Gospels. The text of the Russian bible was also
unavailable. So the people made handwritten and typewritten copies of
the same. Very often they copied the text not from a printed edition, but
from another typewritten or handwritten copy. People also corrected these
copies in accordance with what they memorized (and often wrongly) to be
read from the Scripture in the Church. Very often they created a more
difficult reading instead of a more easier one. The type of errors
incorporated into the text of the Scripture often was of the same kind
which can be found in the early papyri.
	Works of dissident (underground) poets were never published in
Russia during the period of communist dictatorship. So, these circulated
in handwritten or typewritten form. But the fans of the poets (by whom
these poets were nearly deified) corrupted their works. It was very
difficult to prove the fact of the corruption at that time as printed
editions containing the works under question was unavailable.

	Using the data of copying of Sacred and secular writings in the
XX century in Russia and the data of transmission of the Old Church
Slavonic text of the New Testament (in XI-XVI AD) it is very easy to
demonstrate, for example, that a "harder reading" is usually not the
original one".

(Signed) Dimitry Deriagine

-- 
- Mr. Helge Evensen