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Hence the fuller reading, which now is too scrupulously defended by many, is almost always a counterfeit; whereas the shorter reading is genuine. In such passages the witnesses, however few they are, provided that they have sufficient antiquity, ought to have weight : in which particular the Latin witnesses are again conspi- cuous, as we have remarked, a little while ago, at ch. i. 11. Where such crumbs are treated of, it is indeed better in such an abundance of bread to pass over something genuine, than eagerly to catch at anything heterogeneous and infected by human feeling. That is undoubtedly to be preferred in every place, which is required by reasons peculiar to the passage under consideration. Here no critic can compel others to agree with hbn ; hut , on the other hand , others can have no control over him. We return to the particle quickly. The Lord repeatedly announces His coming in the Apocalypse, and chiefly so from ch. ii. 5 to ch. iii. 20 : and that in such a manner, that He may make His coming gradually nearer. The particle quickly is used at last, ch. iii. 11 ; and therefore in the passage now before us, ch. ii. 16, it has not yet a place.
17. Yrttyov XsvxijVj xai s<xi rqv ^\fr\<pov mo/ao, xaivbv ysypa fi/x'svov) The an- cients used to write many things on stones (see Not. on Gregory of Neocaesarea, Paneg. p. 139), and especially votes. Sam. Petit, var. lect. c. 8, shows that the white stone was a ticket for receiving food (fiirrioswg), and he compares that with this passage. But in this place, the white stone and the new name is a reward by itself, and therefore it is placed after the hidden manna.
18. T rig h Qua rsipoig sytxXnciag) The Alex, cod., and also Tertullian , read rOj h Qua r/poig, without the addition of the word iv.vJKr\6iag} Where the angels of the seven churches are mentioned together, ch. i. 20, the name of the church at Thyatira is not excepted. Now, where the series comes separately to the angel in Thyatira , the omis- sion of the word church (for some in ancient times said that there was no church there at that time) certainly agrees with the small number of Christians in that town. An address is made to them separately in ver. 24. Among the Hebrews, ten persons at least were required to constitute a holy assembly : again, when there were seven- teen Christians at Neocaesarea, Gregory was given to them as bishop. Therefore the flock at Thyatira might have been small and unknown, which could scarcely support the name of a church , and yet had an angel. St Carpus is reported to have been here.
1 A omits UkKyigiccs; but Ch Vulg. have it. A reads rH for rijg ; C omits it. — E.
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