Lectionary Year A
September 1, 2002
Matthew 16:21-28

Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation

(JFC) A. COMPARISON OF TRANSLATIONS

Comparison of the Contemporary English Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, and the New Revised Standard Version. The Contemporary English Version is published by the American Bible Society, 1995 and calls itself a “’user-friendly’ . . . translation”. I find it useful in public readings.

Verse	CEV	Jerusalem	NRSV
21	began telling	began to make it clear	began to show
	He said, " I must go...	he was destined to go	he must go
	make me suffer terribly	suffer grievously	undergo great sufferings
	I will be killed	and be put to death	and be killed
22	and told him to sop talking like that	started to remonstrate with him	began to rebuke him
	God would not let this happen to you, Lord!	heaven preserve you, Lord	God forbid it, Lord!
23	you're in my way	an obstacle in my path	a stumbling block
	because you think like everyone else and not like God	because the way you think is not God's way but man's	for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things
24	want to be my followers	wants to be a follower of mine	any want to become my followers
	you must forget yourself	let him renounce himself	let them deny themselves
25	if you want to save your life, you will destroy it	for anyone who wants to save his life, will lose it	for those who want to save their life, will lose it
	but anyone who loses his life for my sake, will find it	and those who lose their life for my sake, will find it	and those who lose their life for my sake, will find it
26	what will you gain if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?	what, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?	for what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
	what would you give to get back your soul?	or what has a man to offer in excahnge for his life?	or what will they give in return for their life?
27	will soon come in the glory of his father and with his angels	is going to come in the glory of his father and with his angels	is to come with his angels in the glory
	to reward all people for what they have done	he will reward each one according to his behavior	he will repay everyone for what has been done
28	I promise you	I tell you solemnly	Truly I tell you
	will not die	will not taste death	will not taste death
	with his kingdom	with his kingdom	in his kingdom

(JFC) B. TEXTUAL CRITICISM

A previous Nestles’ text had, in verse 21, the full name "Iesous Christos" as did several redactors of Syriac, middle Egyptian and Bohairic editions. However, more of the reliable witnesses prefer the text as received. Metzger in TCGNT says the committee prefers to retain the “customary ho Iesous.” Later in that verse (21), some witnesses would change the order of the words "eis Hierosoluma apelthein." However, the preponderance of witnesses would retain the received order. Then still in that verse (21) a few witnesses would add after the word for scribes, the words, “of the people”. It probably wouldn’t be needed, since the readers and hearers of the original story would understand the Sanhedrin would be “of the people”. Our critical apparatus shows us that the parallel Gospels include the phrase, “after three days to oppose” in place of "trite ehmera egerthhnai". Too few other witnesses prefer this change at this place in Matthew’s Gospel.

In verse 22 some witnesses would replace "erxato epitiman auto legon" with e"rxato auton ( -to Q) epitiman legon." Others would add the conjunction "kai", while still others omit the verb "erxato" altogether. Most witnesses, however, prefer the textus receptus. Then one uncial proposes to reverse the two words "soi touto", while yet another few witnesses would omit the pronoun "soi". An uncertain exclamation, to be sure, but not clarified by any of these suggestions.

In verse 23 a few uncials and a minuscule would change "strafeis", an aorist passive participle into an imperfect tense verb. Textus receptus seems more likely original. Then Blass cj] would change the first person pronoun "mou" to second person, "sou", while others would offer various other cases and forms. The suggested alterations seem not to make sense in the context of the dialogue reported. More uncials and many other witnesses prefer the printed one. Several witnesses prefer genetive singular forms of the final article and noun in this verse. The plural, "ton anthropon", probably was original, its numbers add to the emphasis made here.

In verse 25, one uncial would delete the article "ho", prior to Jesus’ name. No, it’s usually included and the longer, even of one letter, is probably original.

In verse 26, "ofelethesetai", would get changed to "ovfeleitai" which means the same thing yet not to so great a degree. The former makes the point and is longer, so, we go with it.

Then, in verse 27 several witnesses would replace "ten praxin", with "ta erga", which is simply another word that means, “the work, the deed, the action, the accomplishment”. Same difference, couldn’t matter.

Next in verse 28, a few uncials, some minuscules and the majority of Latin witnesses would omit "hoti", indicating that those mentioned are those that Jesus means to signal out of the crowd. The word probably is needed for clarity’s sake even if it makes the verse 3 characters longer. A few witnesses would omit the article "ton", from the phrase "ton ode estotn". It is probably original and necessary to retain it. Then others would change the "estoton" to "esthkoton" which would make it plural. Nevertheless, a vast majority of witnesses prefer the text as received.

(JFC) C. ROUGH TRANSLATION

21 From then Jesus began to explain to the disciples that He would have to to Jerusalem go and much to suffer at the hands of the elders and of the priests and of the scribes and to be put to death and on the third day to be raised. 22 And took aside Him Peter and began to rebuke Him saying, “God forbid it of You, Lord. Not shall this be to You.” 23 But having been turned around He said to Peter, “Go away from Me, Satan; causing trouble to Me, for not do you think with God but with men.
24 Thereupon Jesus said to the disciples of His, “Whoever wills to be a disciple of Mine, must disown himself and take up the cross of his and follow Me. 25 For whoever would will the life of his to save shall lose the same; but whoever would lose the life of his for the sake of Me shall find the same. 26 For what shall it profit one if the whole world he gains but the life of his he would forfeit? Or what one shall give something offered in exchange of the life of his? 27 For going the son of man to be brought in the glory of the father of his with the angels of his, and thereupon he will give back everything according to the deed of his. 28 Truly I say to you that some here in this place are standing who will not taste death until they would see the son of man coming in the kingdom of his.”

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