Lectio difficilior potior
Encyclopedia
Lectio difficilior potior (Latin
for "the more difficult reading is the stronger") is a main principle of textual criticism
. Where different manuscripts conflict on a particular word, the principle suggests that the more unusual one is more likely the original. The presupposition is that scribes would more often replace odd words and hard sayings with more familiar and less controversial ones, than vice versa (Carson 1991). It will readily be seen that lectio difficilior potior is an internal criterion, which is independent of criteria for evaluating the manuscript in which it is found, and that it is as applicable to manuscripts of a roman courtois or a classical poet as it is to a biblical text.
This principle has some wider everyday application. If one wants to determine the correct spelling of a name, and finds conflicting versions, it is often the more "difficult" one that is correct, not the one that is most widely used. For example, a British politician is correctly named Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington
— the family name has only one "r", the peerage title two. However, a Google
search, which can often be useful to determine such matters— where there were no definitive authority such as The Complete Peerage— might find:
Choosing the "more common" spelling would thus be wrong in this case. However, even without definite knowledge of what the correct spelling is, Carington is to be preferred because it is clearly the more unusual. If Carrington were correct, there would hardly be such a high incidence of the particular misspelling Carington. But the reverse is not surprising, since people might easily consider the unusual name Carington a mistake and falsely "correct" it, and the principle lectio difficilior potior suggests that the unusual spelling Carington is less likely to be adopted and transmitted.
The principle was one among a number that became established in early eighteenth-century text criticism, as part of attempts by scholars of the Enlightenment
to provide a neutral basis for discovering an Urtext
, independent of the weight of traditional authority. The principle was first laid down by Johann Albrecht Bengel
, in his Prodromus Novi Testamenti Graeci Rectè Cautèque Adornandi, 1725, and employed in his Novum Testamentum Graecum, 1734. It was widely promulgated by Johann Jakob Wettstein
, to whom it is often attributed.
Many scholars considered that the employment of lectio difficilior potior such an objective criterion that it would override other evaluative considerations. The poet and scholar A.E. Housman challenged such reactive applications in 1922, in the provocatively-titled article "The Application of Thought to Textual Criticism".
On the other hand, taken as an axiom, the principle lectio difficilior produces an eclectic text rather than one based on a history of manuscript transmission. "Modern eclectic praxis operates on a variant unit basis without any apparent consideration of the consequences," Maurice Robinson (ref.) has warned, suggesting that to the principle "The reading which would be more difficult as a scribal creation is to be preferred should be added a corollary, difficult readings created by individual scribes do not tend to perpetuate in any significant degree within transmissional history." (Robinson 2001).
Robinson, as a noted proponent of the superiority of the Byzantine text-type
, the form of the Greek New Testament that is found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, would use this corollary to explain differences from the Majority text as scribal errors which were not perpetuated because they were known to be errant or that existed only in a small number of manuscripts at the time. The majority of textual-critical scholars would explain the corollary by the assumption that scribes tended to "correct" harder readings, and thus cut off the stream of transmission, so that earlier manuscripts would have the harder readings and later ones would not; hence they would not see the corollary principle as being a very important one for bringing us closer to the original form of the text.
However, lectio difficilior is not to be taken as an absolute rule either, but as a general guideline: "In general the more difficult reading is to be preferred," is Bruce Metzger's reservation. "There is truth in the maxim: lectio difficilior lectio potior ('the more difficult reading is the more probable reading'), write Kurt and Barbara Aland. But for scholars like Kurt Aland
, who follow a path of reasoned eclecticism that is based on evidence both internal and external to the manuscripts, "this principle must not be taken too mechanically, with the most difficult reading (lectio difficilima) adopted as original simply because of its degree of difficulty". And Martin L. West
cautions, "When we choose the 'more difficult reading' … we must be sure that it is in itself a plausible reading. The principle should not be used in support of dubious syntax, or phrasing that it would not have been natural for the author to use. There is an important difference between a more difficult reading and a more unlikely reading."
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "the more difficult reading is the stronger") is a main principle of textual criticism
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...
. Where different manuscripts conflict on a particular word, the principle suggests that the more unusual one is more likely the original. The presupposition is that scribes would more often replace odd words and hard sayings with more familiar and less controversial ones, than vice versa (Carson 1991). It will readily be seen that lectio difficilior potior is an internal criterion, which is independent of criteria for evaluating the manuscript in which it is found, and that it is as applicable to manuscripts of a roman courtois or a classical poet as it is to a biblical text.
This principle has some wider everyday application. If one wants to determine the correct spelling of a name, and finds conflicting versions, it is often the more "difficult" one that is correct, not the one that is most widely used. For example, a British politician is correctly named Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington
Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington
Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, is a British Conservative politician. He served as British Foreign Secretary between 1979 and 1982 and as the sixth Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. He is the last surviving member of the Cabinets of both Harold Macmillan and Sir...
— the family name has only one "r", the peerage title two. However, a Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search, which can often be useful to determine such matters— where there were no definitive authority such as The Complete Peerage— might find:
- "Peter Alexander Rupert Carington" - 32 hits
- "Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington" - 79 hits
Choosing the "more common" spelling would thus be wrong in this case. However, even without definite knowledge of what the correct spelling is, Carington is to be preferred because it is clearly the more unusual. If Carrington were correct, there would hardly be such a high incidence of the particular misspelling Carington. But the reverse is not surprising, since people might easily consider the unusual name Carington a mistake and falsely "correct" it, and the principle lectio difficilior potior suggests that the unusual spelling Carington is less likely to be adopted and transmitted.
The principle was one among a number that became established in early eighteenth-century text criticism, as part of attempts by scholars of the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
to provide a neutral basis for discovering an Urtext
Urtext
Urtext is a word of German origin; ur- means "original," and text is as in English.In the humanities and social sciences, the word is often used in a metaphorical fashion to refer to a primitive, seminal, or prototypical example of an artistic genre or the basis of an ideological movement...
, independent of the weight of traditional authority. The principle was first laid down by Johann Albrecht Bengel
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Johann Albrecht Bengel , Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it.-Life and career:Bengel was born at Winnenden in Württemberg, Germany....
, in his Prodromus Novi Testamenti Graeci Rectè Cautèque Adornandi, 1725, and employed in his Novum Testamentum Graecum, 1734. It was widely promulgated by Johann Jakob Wettstein
Johann Jakob Wettstein
Johann Jakob Wettstein was a Swiss theologian, best known as a New Testament critic.-Youth and study:...
, to whom it is often attributed.
Many scholars considered that the employment of lectio difficilior potior such an objective criterion that it would override other evaluative considerations. The poet and scholar A.E. Housman challenged such reactive applications in 1922, in the provocatively-titled article "The Application of Thought to Textual Criticism".
On the other hand, taken as an axiom, the principle lectio difficilior produces an eclectic text rather than one based on a history of manuscript transmission. "Modern eclectic praxis operates on a variant unit basis without any apparent consideration of the consequences," Maurice Robinson (ref.) has warned, suggesting that to the principle "The reading which would be more difficult as a scribal creation is to be preferred should be added a corollary, difficult readings created by individual scribes do not tend to perpetuate in any significant degree within transmissional history." (Robinson 2001).
Robinson, as a noted proponent of the superiority of the Byzantine text-type
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
, the form of the Greek New Testament that is found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, would use this corollary to explain differences from the Majority text as scribal errors which were not perpetuated because they were known to be errant or that existed only in a small number of manuscripts at the time. The majority of textual-critical scholars would explain the corollary by the assumption that scribes tended to "correct" harder readings, and thus cut off the stream of transmission, so that earlier manuscripts would have the harder readings and later ones would not; hence they would not see the corollary principle as being a very important one for bringing us closer to the original form of the text.
However, lectio difficilior is not to be taken as an absolute rule either, but as a general guideline: "In general the more difficult reading is to be preferred," is Bruce Metzger's reservation. "There is truth in the maxim: lectio difficilior lectio potior ('the more difficult reading is the more probable reading'), write Kurt and Barbara Aland. But for scholars like Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland
Kurt 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...
, who follow a path of reasoned eclecticism that is based on evidence both internal and external to the manuscripts, "this principle must not be taken too mechanically, with the most difficult reading (lectio difficilima) adopted as original simply because of its degree of difficulty". And Martin L. West
Martin Litchfield West
Martin Litchfield West is an internationally recognised scholar in classics, classical antiquity and philology...
cautions, "When we choose the 'more difficult reading' … we must be sure that it is in itself a plausible reading. The principle should not be used in support of dubious syntax, or phrasing that it would not have been natural for the author to use. There is an important difference between a more difficult reading and a more unlikely reading."
Further reading
- Maurice A. Robinson, 2001. "New Testament Textual Criticism: The Case for Byzantine Priority"
- D. A. Carson, 1991. "Silent in the Churches" in Recovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodRecovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodRecovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is collection of articles on gender roles, written from a biblical perspective, and edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. Crossway Books published the book in 1991 for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood...
: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, Wayne Grudem and John Piper, eds. (Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood). - Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, rev, ed. 1995. The Text of the New Testament an Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism
- Martin L. West, 1973. Textual Criticism and Editorial Technique applicable to Greek and Latin texts (Stuttgart: B.G. Teubner)