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143

SECTION IX.

I HAVE now sufficiently exemplified the manner, in which the writers of the New Testament were accustomed to cite, to abridge, to amplify, and to combine, passages from the poetical parts of the Old Testament; and frequently to annex, or intermingle with their citations, parallelisms by no means less perfect, of their own original composition. Henceforward, I shall confine myself to parallelisms purely original; commencing with parallel couplets and triplets; examples of which, with occasional annotations, will form the present section.

1. In the first place, then, I shall give a few plain specimens of parallel couplets:

μεγαλύνει η ψυχη μου τον Κυριον

και ηγαλλίασε το πνεύμα μου επι τω Θεω τω σωτηρι μου.
My soul doth magnify the Lord;

And my spirit hath exulted in God my Saviour.

τω αιτούντι σε, διδου

S. Luke, i. 46, 47.

και τον θέλοντα απο σου δανεισθαι, μη απογραφής.

To him that asketh thee, give;

And him that would borrow from thee, turn not away.

εν ώ γαρ κριματι κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε

S. Matt. v. 42.

και εν ώ μέτρω μετρείτε, μετρηθήσεται ύμιν.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.

S. Matt. vii. 2.

In the last line, Griesbach reads μετρηθήσεται instead of αντιμετρηθήσεται. The alteration is sanctioned by seven uncial MSS. of Griesb., by two of Matthäi, by several of the smaller character, and by many Versions and Fathers. It is also demanded by the parallelism: κριματι, κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε, in the first line, require, in order to preserve the balance of the periods, μέτρω, μετρείτε, μετρηθήσεται, in the second line.

Παντι δὲ ὡ εδόθη πολυ, πολυ ζητηθήσεται παρ' αυτού και ὦ παρέθεντο πολύ, περισσότερον αιτησουσιν αυτον.

Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required;

And to whom they have committed much, of him will they demand the more.

ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως, φειδομένως και θερίσει

S. Luke, xii. 48.

και ὁ σπείρων επ' ευλογίας, επ' ευλογίας και θερίσει.

He who soweth sparingly, sparingly also shall reap;
And he who soweth bountifully, bountifully also shall

reap.

2 Cor. ix. 6.

σπειρων εις την σαρκα ἑαυτου, εκ της σαρκός θερίσει φθοραν· σπειρων εις το πνεύμα, εκ του πνεύματος θερίσει ζωην

και

αιώνιον.

He who soweth to his flesh, of the flesh shall reap

corruption;

And he who soweth to the spirit, of the spirit shall reap

life eternal.

Gal. vi. 8.

ὁ άγαθος άνθρωπος, εκ του αγαθού θησαυρου, εκβάλλει αγαθα και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος, εκ του πονηρου Θησαυρου, εκβάλλει πονηρα.

The good man, from the good treasure, bringeth forth good things;

And the evil man, from the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.

S. Matt. xii. 35.

In the received text, the reading is ex TOU aɣadou θησαυρου της καρδιας. The last two words, on the authority of numerous and ancient MSS., Versions, and Fathers, have been very properly rejected by Bengel, Griesbach, Dr. Campbell, &c. They are, in fact, altogether needless, being far more elegantly supplied from the TMs xagdias of the preceding verse: and, if inserted in the first line of this couplet, their insertion would, in order to maintain the parallelism, be necessary in the second line also; an insertion sanctioned by very few MSS., and those of little value. In the parallel place of S. Luke, ch. vi. ver. 45., the words тs xagdias autou, are, of necessity, inserted; because that evangelist, by a transposition with him not unusual, has postponed the clause εκ γαρ του περισσεύματος της xapdias, which, in S. Matthew, is preparatory to this couplet. S. Luke, it will be observed, introduces the additional words into both lines, so as to maintain the equipoise:

ο αγαθος ανθρωπος, εκ του αγαθου θησαυρου της καρδιας άυτου, προφέρει το αγαθον·

και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος, εκ του πονηρου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου, προφέρει το πονηρον.

L

πονηρα

The received text, and even the text of Griesbach, in S. Matt. xii. 35., read тa ayada with the article, and wovnga without it. This difference has occasioned what Bp. Middleton justly calls "a whim"sical distinction" of Casaubon; rendered yet more whimsical by Raphel. The Bishop is of opinion that "either both ayada and πονηρα had the article, or both were without it." The latter branch of the alternative is more probably the right one, both from the doctrine of the Greek article, and from the preponderance in its favour of the best, as well as the most numerous MSS. Either of these readings would preserve the parallelism of members. The present is one of those instances, in which Griesbach not only, after his usual manner, neglects both the grammatical construction, and the balance of periods, but decides against a great mass of external evidence: no less than twenty-seven MSS. of Wetstein, ten of Birch, including Vatic. 1209, and fifteen of Matthäi, among which are several of his best, omit ra before ayada. See Bp. Middleton, Doctrine of Gr. Article, p. 214.

τα

ου το εισερχόμενον εις το ςόμα, κοινοι τον ανθρωπον

αλλα το εκπορευομενον εκ του σόματος, τουτο κοινοι του αν θρωπον.

Not that which cometh into the mouth, defileth the man; But that which goeth forth from the mouth, this defileth the man.

S. Matt. xv. 11.

δι τα αγαθα ποιήσαντες, εις ανάςασιν ζωής·
ὁι δε τα φαύλα πράξαντες, εις ανάςασιν κρίσεως.

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They who have produced good things, unto the resurrec

tion of life;

But they who have practised evil things, unto the resurrection of condemnation.

S. John, v. 29.

The distinctness of the two participles, woatES and weakavres, I have endeavoured to preserve, by rendering the former, "who have produced," the latter, "who have practised." I am well aware, that these terms are promiscuously employed, in several parts of the New Testament: but, in this passage, I conceive they are antithetically used; ποιησαντες being applied to good works, and πράξαντες to evil: a conjecture strengthened by a similar pasof the same writer:

sage

σας γαρ ὁ φαυλα πρασσων, μισει το φως ó

ὁ δε ποιων την αληθειαν, ερχεται προς το φως.

For every one who practiseth evil things hateth the

light;

But he who doeth (or produceth) the truth, cometh to the

light.

πράσσω,

S. John, iii. 20, 21.

S. John, it is to be observed, is the only sacred writer with whom we are here immediately concerned; it is respecting his acceptation of the terms, that we are alone to form our opinion: now, he uses the verb garow, only in these two cases; and his adoption of a word probably not familiar to him, in two antithetical passages exclusively, cannot well be accounted for, but on the supposition, that he wished to give the antithesis all the force in his power: had not this been his intention, the verb wolew

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