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See Appar. Crit. on this passage, Ed. ii. It often occurs, that not until after the beginning of a vision, He who appears, declares who He is : Exod. iii. 6. But in the present instance that impressive summary, o BXsvsig, that which thou seest , and moreover the vision of John itself, was of itself equivalent to all titles ; while in ver. 1 7, presently after, the express title followed. And from this very fountain are drawn the repeated titles which occur in ch. ii. and iii. Upon the whole, on a review of the verses 8, 17, these words ap- pear to have been introduced [by transcribers] into ver. 11, rather than deemed superfluous [and so omitted by them]. Learned men in general, at the present day, do not readily deem anything superfluous, and many copyists of old were of the same opinion. Such passages are more safely decided by the copies, than by arguments : and under this head the Latin translator has special weight, wherever competent Greek witnesses, however few, prove that he is not affected with his own peculiar blemishes. Would that all would keep this closely in mind ; it would be a very great advantage for the removal of many doubts. On the antiquity of the Latin translator we have spoken in the Apparatus, pp. 391, 419, etc. \i.e. P. I. § xxxii., Obs. vi. xx., Cons, viii., etc.] And this is confirmed by the remarkable agreement of the Latin Fathers with the text of the translator. That age was without numerous additions, which subsequent times have gradually introduced here, as in other places. — s/g fiifiXlov, in a hook) To this book, which has such an origin, and moreover to the other books of which the body of Holy Scripture is composed, who is there that gives as much weight as the subject itself requires, preferring them to the multi- tude of other books ? Eccles. xii. 12.
12. BX'emiv ry\v <puvriv, to see the voice) to see Him, to whom the voice belonged ; or, an instance of Oratio Semiduplex.1
13. llobripr) b'Vfc, Septuagint of the garments of Aaron.
14. 'H > u<pa\r\ xu i a) rpr/}g) h d/a dvoTv : that is, the hair of His head. Thus John saw it.
15. lls'rjpu'Levu) So Uffenb. and one or two others, and the ancient versions. Others read Kivvpu^hoi.2 It is an epithet not of the feet, but of the word yu XxoXifiuvovf and therefore it is not repeated, ch. ii.
1 See Appendix.
2 So Rec. Text. “ De fornace igned,” h. weTrvpafAev*], Vulg. But AC have ir£7rvpu)pcev7)g ; and so Lachm. — E.
3 This observation is less supported by the greater Edition than by the margin of Ed. ii. — E. B.
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