Codex Vaticanus and Bentley’s Proposed New Testament Edition: A Preliminary Report

Activity: Lecture / PresentationAcademic

Description

In 1720, the renowned classical scholar Richard Bentley (1662–1742) published a pamphlet on his proposed NT edition. By using as many ancient manuscripts as possible and by analysing ancient versions and patristic citations, Bentley believed that a fourth-century text could be achieved and thus the Textus Receptus would be replaced. Such a proposal was pioneering in the early eighteenth century when NT textual criticism was still in its formation period. At that time Bentley was well-prepared to undertake this ambitious project, given his roles as Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge and King’s Library Keeper, his experience of editing classical literature, and numerous collations he had. Notably in the following years Bentley was able to obtain two collations of Codex Vaticanus (B03) from Rome. Regretfully, this proposed edition has never been realised.
Why did Bentley give up the project? Many scholars suggest that his knowledge about B03 could be the main reason because its readings differ significantly from his emerging text. Epp even calls this manuscript as the “death knell” for the edition. But the hypothesis is based on the contemporary scholarly consensus of the prominence of B03. In Bentley’s time, however, the manuscript was almost neglected and its value was underestimated. Furthermore, the characteristics of the collations Bentley requests should be taken into account. They are not precise and comprehensive enough according to present-day criteria, and in particular the second collation focuses on later corrections in the manuscript. As a preliminary report, this paper aims to reopen the discussion of the influence of B03 on Bentley’s edition from a historical perspective. It will introduce the reception of B03 before the eighteenth century, contextualise Bentley’s proposed edition, and summarise his collations on the manuscript. The analysis will also give nuances to our understanding of the history of the field.
Period1 Aug 2018
Event titleSociety of Biblical Literature International Meeting
Event typeConference
LocationHelsinki, FinlandShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational