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Rh to a definite locality, are quotations by Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, and occasionally other Alexandrian Fathers, and the two principal Egyptian Versions, especially that of Lower Egypt. These facts, taken together, shew that the readings in question belong to a partially degenerate form of the Non-Western Pre-Syrian text, apparently limited in its early range, and apparently originating in Alexandria. It cannot be later in date than the opening years of the third century, and may possibly be much earlier. Some of its readings at one time attracted the attention of critics, owing to certain peculiarities in their secondary attestation: but the greater number have been confused with other Non-Western readings, doubtless owing to the accidental loss of all Greek MSS having an approximately unmixed Alexandrian text. Had D of the Gospels and Acts and D2E3F2G3 of the Pauline Epistles all in like manner perished, it would have been in like manner far harder than now to form a clear conception of the Western text, and consequently of early textual history.

183. The more startling characteristics of Western corruption are almost wholly absent from the Alexandrian readings. There is no incorporation of matter extraneous to the canonical texts of the Bible, and no habitual or extreme licence of paraphrase; though a certain amount of paraphrase and what may be called inventive interpolation finds place in the less read books, that is, the Acts and Catholic Epistles (especially 1 Peter), and probably the Apocalypse. The changes made have usually more to do with language than matter, and are marked by an effort after correctness of phrase. They are evidently the work of careful and leisurely hands, and not seldom display a delicate philological tact which