Ernst Cadman Colwell
Encyclopedia
Ernst Cadman Colwell was an American biblical scholar, textual critic
, and palaeographer. He worked at University of Chicago
.
. According to him the codex 2427 preserved a "primitive text" of the Gospel of Mark ("Archaic Mark"). He found that from 73 singular readings of Codex Vaticanus, 46 are shared with codex 2427. Colwell examined Minuscule 330
and found that the text of the Pauline epistles of this codex is very close textually to the codices 451
, 2400, 2492.
Colwell examined corrections in Papyrus 66
, Codex Sinaiticus
, Codex Alexandrinus
, and Codex Washingtonianus
, and found textual relationship between them. Colwell in his analysis eliminated singular readings.
Colwell discovered that “Definite predicate nouns which precede the verb usually lack the article… a predicate nominative which precedes the verb cannot be translated as an indefinite or a ‘qualitative’ noun solely because of the absence of the article; if the context suggests that the predicate is definite, it should be translated as a definite noun…”
In 1959 Colwell together with M. M. Parvis elaborated a new method of multiple readings textual criticism of the New Testament. This method usually is known as the Claremont Profile Method. They changed the coverage of the list of textual variations from triple to multiple variations. This method was developed in part to provide a rational selection of Greek minuscule manuscripts for the International Greek New Testament Project (IGNTP).
He also examined language of the fourth Gospel.
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
, and palaeographer. He worked at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Life
Colwell recognized an extraordinary textual degree between Minuscule 2427 and Codex VaticanusCodex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...
. According to him the codex 2427 preserved a "primitive text" of the Gospel of Mark ("Archaic Mark"). He found that from 73 singular readings of Codex Vaticanus, 46 are shared with codex 2427. Colwell examined Minuscule 330
Minuscule 330
Minuscule 330 , δ 259 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.It has marginalia.- Description :...
and found that the text of the Pauline epistles of this codex is very close textually to the codices 451
Minuscule 451
Minuscule 451 , α 178 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment...
, 2400, 2492.
Colwell examined corrections in Papyrus 66
Papyrus 66
Papyrus 66 is a near complete codex of the Gospel of John, and part of the collection known as the Bodmer Papyri.-Description:...
, Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, Codex Alexandrinus
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, and Codex Washingtonianus
Codex Washingtonianus
The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 , ε 014 , also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the fourth or fifth century...
, and found textual relationship between them. Colwell in his analysis eliminated singular readings.
Colwell discovered that “Definite predicate nouns which precede the verb usually lack the article… a predicate nominative which precedes the verb cannot be translated as an indefinite or a ‘qualitative’ noun solely because of the absence of the article; if the context suggests that the predicate is definite, it should be translated as a definite noun…”
In 1959 Colwell together with M. M. Parvis elaborated a new method of multiple readings textual criticism of the New Testament. This method usually is known as the Claremont Profile Method. They changed the coverage of the list of textual variations from triple to multiple variations. This method was developed in part to provide a rational selection of Greek minuscule manuscripts for the International Greek New Testament Project (IGNTP).
He also examined language of the fourth Gospel.
Works
- The character of the Greek of the Fourth Gospel. Parallels to the "Aramaisms" of the Fourth Gospel from Epictetus and the papyri, Chicago, IL 1931
- The Four Gospels of Karahissar I, History and Text, Chicago, 1936, pp. 170-222.
- An Ancient Text of the Gospel of Mark, The Emory University, Quarterly 1 (1945), pp. 65-75.
- Some Unusual Abbreviations in ms. 2427, Studia evangelica, ed. K. AlandKurt AlandKurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
, F. L. Cross, T & U 73, Berlin 1959, pp. 778-779. - A Beginner's Reader Grammar for New Testament Greek, by E. C. Colwell and E. W. Tune. Review & ExpositorReview & Expositor-History:Review & Expositor was first published in 1904. Until 1996, it was published by the faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, but after that it was published by an independent board, sponsored by three seminaries: McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, Baptist...
62 (Fall 1965), pp. 485-487. - Studies in Methodology in Textual Criticism of the New Testament (Leiden 1969)