The ancient Versions are of fairly uniform character through the N.T. The most valuable are all available here, except the Cure- tonian Syriac confined to the Gospels.
From the fourth century onwards Patristic references to 1 Corinthians become numerous and full, and afford the critic greater help than in some other Epistles. But the definite and certain aid forthcoming from this quarter is less than might have been expected.
Considering the length of the Epistle, it contains few conspicuous textual difficulties, none of grave exegetical importance. Its text has been from the first carefully preserved. In the following conspectus of various readings all Greek words are spaced in which the Textus Receptus is emended by the note. Where the reading is doubtful, a query follows the alternative reading supplied in the notes—a query after the spacing indicating a reading more likely than not, a query without the spacing indicating a possible but less probable reading. Orthographical corrections occurring passim, which belong to the N.T. written dialect as this is represented by the five great uncials and exhibited in the standard N.T. Grammars, must be taken for granted throughout.
Excluding the numberless corrections of the kind just noticed and those concerning only points of grammar or the ordo verborum, there are more than 200 emendations which affect the sense of the Epistle. Chapters vii. 29, 33 f., xv. 51 are instances of special com- plication. The restoration of the true text in iii. 1, 4, iv. 2, vii. 3, χι. 29, xv. 47 brings out the finer edge of Paul’s style. The Received Text of vi. 20 and vii. 5 contains ecclesiastical glosses ; in iv. 6 and ix. 15 it has helped out Paul’s anacolutha; its habit of extending the shorter names of Christ blunts his meaning—notably in ix. 1 and xvi. 22. The group of (liturgical ?) additions to the genuine text in xi. 24 ff. deserves particular attention. uvybeia (vili. 7) and ἱερόθυτον (x. 28) are interesting words restored by criticism. A few readings are noted in the digest which have little or no intrinsic worth, but are of interest in their bearing on the history of the text, especially where they illustrate the peculiarities of the ‘“‘ Western ” tradition. One conjectural emendation is adopted, viz., that of Westcott and Hort in ch. xii. 2.
3. History oF THE EpistTLe. This is the first N.T. writing to be cited by name in Christian literature. ‘Take up,” says Clement of Rome to the Corinthians (1 Ep., xlvii.), ‘the letter of the blessed Paul the Apostle. What was the first thing he wrote to you in the beginning of the Gospel? Ofa truth he wrote to you in the Spirit