Page:The New Testament in the original Greek - 1881.djvu/662

564 Thus in Matt. xi 5 it expresses the secondary omission of, with a change of punctuation; and in Matt. xxi 28 it expresses the secondary addition of, with a change of accentuation. It is likewise employed for alternative punctuations.

Where there are two or more secondary readings, they are separated by v. in the margin, unless they differ from each other merely by the omission or addition of words; in which case they are distinguished from each other by brackets in the margin, enclosing part or the whole of the longer reading. Thus there are two secondary readings in Matt. xiii 30, both and ; in xvii 17, both  and  alone; and in xviii 10, both  and the omission of these or any corresponding words. Sometimes one of two secondary readings differs from the primary reading by omission only, so that it can be expressed by simple brackets in the text, while the other stands as a substitution in the margin. Thus in Matt. ix 18, being the primary reading,  and  are both secondary readings.

A few alternative readings and punctuations are examined in the Appendix: they are indicated by Ap. attached to the marginal readings.

Secondary readings of an orthographical character are reserved for another part of the Appendix.

Wherever it has appeared to the editors, or to either of them, that the text probably contains some primitive error, that is, has not been quite rightly preserved in any existing document, or at least in any existing document of sufficient authority, Ap.† is placed in the margin, the extreme limits of the words suspected to contain an error of transcription being indicated by the marks ⸢ ⸣ in the text. All such places are the subject of notes in the Appendix. In a few cases a reading apparently right, and also attested largely though not by the best documents, being probably a successful ancient conjecture, is placed within †† in the text, the better attested reading being printed with Ap. in the margin, and a note inserted in the Appendix. See Introduction §§ 361—368, 380, 88.