Matthew 16:2b-3 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Gospel of Matthew 16:2b–3 (the signs of the times), the passage describes a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees

Pharisees

The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...

and Sadducees

Sadducees

The Sadducees were a sect or group of Jews that were active in Ancient Israel during the Second Temple period, starting from the second century BC through the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The sect was identified by Josephus with the upper social and economic echelon of Judean society...

over their demand for a sign from heaven. It is one of several passages of the New Testament

New Testament

The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

that are absent from many early manuscripts. The authenticity of the passage has been disputed by scholars since the second half of the 19th century.

Text

Greek

Ὀψίας γενομένης λέγετε, Εὐδια, πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός καὶ πρωὶ, Σήμερον χειμών, πυρράζει γὰρ στυγνάζων ὁ οὐρανός. τὸ μὲν πρόσωπον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ γινώσκετε διακρίνειν, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν οὐ δύνασθε.

Translation (RSV)

When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Similar texts

Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...

12:54-56

When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, «A shower is coming»; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, «There will be scorching heat»; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? (RSV)

The passage in Luke has the following differences:

the questioners are "some of the scribes and Pharisees" instead of "the Pharisees and Sadducees";
the questioners do not demand a "sign from heaven"; and
the "sign of Jonah" of Matt. 16:4 is not mentioned.

Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...

, Logion 91:2

"You test the face of heaven and earth, but you have not known what is ahead of you, you do not know how to test this time".

Manuscript evidence

Include passage
C, D

Codex Bezae

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...

, K

Codex Cyprius

Codex Cyprius, designated by Ke or 017 , ε 71 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, on parchment. It was variously dated in the past , currently it is dated to the 9th century. It was brought from Cyprus to Paris...

, L

Codex Regius (New Testament)

Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....

, (N

Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus

Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus, designated by N or 022 , ε 19 , is a 6th century Greek New Testament codex gospel book. Written in majuscules , on 231 parchment leaves, measuring 32 x 27 cm...

) W

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...

, Δ, Θ

Codex Koridethi

The Codex Koridethi, also named Codex Coridethianus, designated by Θ, 038, or Theta , ε 050 , is a 9th century manuscript of the four Gospels. It is written in Greek with uncial script in two columns per page, in 25 lines per page...

, Π

Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament)

Codex Petropolitanus, designated by Π or 041 , ε 73 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...

, f¹

Family 1

Family 1 is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Group", symbolized as f1. Hermann von Soden calls the group Ih...

, 22

Minuscule 22

Minuscule 22 , ε 288 , known also as Codex Colbertinus 2467. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. Formerly it was assigned to the 11th century...

, 33

Minuscule 33

Minuscule 33 , δ 48 , formerly it was called Codex Colbertinus 2844, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia...

, 565

Minuscule 565

Minuscule 565 , ε 93 , also known as the Empress Theodora's Codex. It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on purple parchment, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...

, 700

Minuscule 700

Minuscule 700 , ε 133 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the Gospels. Formerly it was labelled as 604 in all catalogues , Gregory gave it the number 700....

, 892

Minuscule 892

Minuscule 892 , ε 1016 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on 353 parchment leaves . It is dated palaeografically to the 9th century.- Description :...

, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1079, 1195, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1253

Minuscule 1253

Minuscule 1253 , Θε64 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on paper. Palaeografically it has been assigned to the 15th century...

, 1344, 1365, 1546, 1646, 2148, 2174

Minuscule 2174

Minuscule 2174 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 13th century. It has marginalia.- Description :...

, ℓ 150

Lectionary 150

Lectionary 150, designated by siglum ℓ 150 , is also known as Codex Harleianus. It is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on vellum leaves.- Description :...

^mg, (ℓ 185

Lectionary 185

Lectionary 185, designated by siglum ℓ 185 is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves...

, ℓ 211

Lectionary 211

Lectionary 211, designated by siglum ℓ 211 is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment...

, ℓ 333, ℓ 950 δύνασθε γνῶναι), Byz

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...

, it, vg

Vulgate

The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...

, syr^p

Peshitta

The Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD...

, syr^h, cop^{bo^mss}, eth, geo. Jerome

Jerome

Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...

included this passage in his Vulgate

Vulgate

Bible, but he was aware that most of the manuscripts known to him did not contain it. 794

Minuscule 794 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 794 , δ454 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 14th century...

contains passage, but on the margin.

Exclude passage
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...

, Vaticanus, Codex Mosquensis II

Codex Mosquensis II

Codex Mosquensis II designated by V or 031 , ε 75 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th century...

, Codex Monacensis

Codex Monacensis

Codex Monacensis designated by X or 033 , A3 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th or 10th century...

, Codex Macedoniensis

Codex Macedoniensis

Codex Macedoniensis or Macedonianus designated by Y or 034 , ε 073 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 9th century. The manuscript is lacunose....

, Codex Tischendorfianus IV

Codex Tischendorfianus IV

Codex Tischendorfianus IV – designated by Γ or 036 , ε 70 – is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels, dated palaeographically to the 10th century...

, Uncial 047

Uncial 047

Uncial 047 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Gospels. The codex is dated paleographically to the 8th century. Formerly the codex was designated by Hebrew letter ב...

, 2

Minuscule 2

Codex Basiliensis A. N. IV. 1, known as Minuscule 2 , ε 1214 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, dated palaeographically to the 11th or 12th century. It was used by Erasmus in his edition of Greek text of the New Testament and became the basis for the Textus Receptus in the...

, f¹³

Family 13

Family 13, also known Ferrar Group , is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings — especially in placing the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in the Gospel of Luke, rather than in...

, 34

Minuscule 34

Minuscule 34 , A19 . It is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 10th century.- Description :...

, 39

Minuscule 39

Minuscule 39 , A140 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, written on vellum. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has complex contents and some marginalia.- Description :...

, 44

Minuscule 44

Minuscule 44 , ε 239 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. It has complex contents and full marginalia....

, 84

Minuscule 84

Minuscule 84 , ε 1219 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. It was adapted for liturgical use.- Description :...

, 151

Minuscule 151

Minuscule 151 , A17 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 10th century. The manuscript has complex contents...

, 157

Minuscule 157

Minuscule 157 , ε 207 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on vellum. According to the colophon it is dated to the year 1122. Formerly date was wrongly deciphered as 1128?...

, 180

Minuscule 180

Minuscule 180 , ε 1498, α 300 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. The Gospels palaeographically have been assigned to the 12th century, the rest of New Testament books are dated by colophon to the 1273...

, 194

Minuscule 194

Minuscule 194 , A130 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. It has marginalia.- Description :...

, 272

Minuscule 272

Minuscule 272 , ε 1182 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.It has marginalia.- Description :...

, 274

Minuscule 274

Minuscule 274 , ε 1024 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 10th century.It has marginalia.- Description :...

, 344

Minuscule 344

Minuscule 344 , ε 1007 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 10th century.It has marginalia.- Description :...

, 376

Minuscule 376

Minuscule 376 , ε 100 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Paleographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.It has marginalia.- Description :...

, 445

Minuscule 445

Minuscule 445 , ε 603 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. It is dated by a colophon to the year 1506.- Description :...

, 539

Minuscule 539

Minuscule 539 , ε 141 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century....

, 563

Minuscule 563

Minuscule 563 , ε 160 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.Scrivener labelled it by number 519....

, 595

Minuscule 595

Minuscule 595 , ε 602 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 16th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It was labelled by Scrivener as 468....

, 661

Minuscule 661

Minuscule 661 , ε 179 , is a Greek language minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript has complex contents. Scrivener labelled it by 639e.-Description:The codex contains a complete text of the four Gospels, on...

, 699

Minuscule 699

Minuscule 699 , δ104 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. Some leaves of the manuscript were lost...

, 776

Minuscule 776 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 776 , ε1228 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...

, 777

Minuscule 777 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 777 , ε469 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...

, 780

Minuscule 780 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 780 , ε198 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...

, 788

Minuscule 788 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 788 , ε1033 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century...

, 792

Minuscule 792 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 792 , ε585 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament written on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...

, 826

Minuscule 826 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 826 , ε218 , is a 12th-century Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment.- Description :The codex contains the text of the four Gospels, on 233 parchment leaves...

, 828

Minuscule 828 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 828 , ε219 , is a 12th-century Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment.- Description :The codex contains the text of the four Gospels, on 176 parchment leaves...

, 852, 1073, 1074, 1076

Minuscule 1076 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 1076 , ε1140 , is a 10th-century Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment. The manuscript does not contain gaps.- Description :...

, 1078

Minuscule 1078 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 1078 , A159 , is a 10th-century Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment. It was adapted for liturgical use. The manuscript is not lacunose.- Description :...

, 1080, 1216, 2542, syr^cur

Curetonian Gospels

The Curetonian Gospels, designated by the siglum syrcur, are contained in a manuscript of the four gospels of the New Testament in Old Syriac, a translation from the Aramaic originals, according to William Cureton differing considerably from the canonical Greek texts, with which they had been...

, syr^s, cop^sa, cop^{bo^mss}, arm, Origen

Origen

Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...

.

Question passage
Marked with asterisks (*) or obeli (÷). Codex Basilensis, Codex Athous Dionysiou

Codex Athous Dionysiou

Codex Athous Dionysiou, designated by Ω or 045 , ε 61 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament...

, 348

Minuscule 348

Minuscule 348 , ε 227 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Dated by a colophon to the year 1022 .It has full marginalia.- Description :...

, 707

Minuscule 707

Minuscule 707 , ε152 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript is lacunose...

, 711

Minuscule 711

Minuscule 711 , ε1179 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript is lacunose...

, 829

Minuscule 829 (Gregory-Aland)

Minuscule 829 , ε220 , is a 12th-century Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament on parchment.- Description :...

, 873, ℓ 184

Lectionary 184

Lectionary 184, designated by siglum ℓ 184 is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Westcott and Hort labelled it by 39e, Scrivener by 259e...

.

Relocate passage
Minuscule 579

Minuscule 579

Minuscule 579 , ε 376 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 13th century. Formerly it was labelled as 80e...

does not omit the passage but inserts it after verse 9.

Present scholars

Most scholars regard the passage as a later insertion from a source similar to Luke 12:54–56, or from the Lukan passage itself, with an adjustment concerning the particular signs of the weather.
Scrivener

Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener

The Reverend Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener, LL.D. was an important text critic of the New Testament and a member of the English New Testament Revision Committee which produced the Revised Version of the Bible...

(and Lagrange) argued that the words were omitted by copyists in climates (for example Egypt) where a red sky in the morning does not announce rain.
Manuscript evidence is strong and textual critics take the omission very seriously. Internal evidence also can be used against authenticity. In passage 16:2b–3 Jesus spoke to his opponents in the second person, but in verse 4 he speaks in the third person. Verse 4 can be treated as a direct answer to the request of verse 1.
Gundry

Robert H. Gundry

Robert Horton Gundry is a Biblical scholar. He received a B.A. and a B.D. degree from the Los Angeles Baptist College and Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Manchester University in Manchester, England in 1961 and has taught for several decades at Westmont College in California...

argues for the originality of passage, because of some differences with parallel passage in Luke 12:54–56. It was not rewritten from Luke ad litteram. According to Weiss

Bernard Weiss

Bernard Weiss was a fictional linguist invented by unknown in order to back the theories that differentiate between Valencian and the Catalan language, but it might be also possible the reversed possibility: It was created by an opposer of the Language secessionism to ridicule it and the...

these verses cannot be adapted from Luke. Matthew used another, older source. Davies and Allison hesitate. According to Hirunuma, the "textual status of vv. 2b–3 must remain suspect".

According to Weiss and Tregelles

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles was an English biblical scholar, textual critic, and theologian.- Life :Tregelles was born at Wodehouse Place, Falmouth, of Quaker parents, but he himself for many years was in communion with the Plymouth Brethren and then later in life became a Presbyterian...

the omission was a result of conformation to the preceding Matt. 12:38–39 (and also Mark 8:11-12).

Matthew 12:38–39	Matthew 16:1–4
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.	And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, «It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.» And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah."

Theodor Zahn

Theodor Zahn or Theodor von Zahn was a biblical scholar born in Rhineland, Prussia . He was professor of Theology at Erlangen, and distinguished for his eminent scholarship in connection with the matter especially of the New Testament canon. He stood at the head of the conservative New Testament...

: The word γινωσκετε is used in a way that is unusual for the New Testament, where οιδα is used instead.

Fleddermann notes that "the form πυρραζει appears only in Byzantine writers, a further sign that the passage is a late interpolation".

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...

: "The saying in Matt. 16:2b-3 represents a very early tradition, as does the Pericope Adulterae in John 7:53-8:11. (...) Matt. 16:2b-3 may possibly have been suggested by Luke 12:54-56, but it is not a parallel in the strict sense. In any event both texts must have been admitted in parts of the Greek Gospel tradition at some time in the second century - a period when there was greater freedom with the text. Only then were such extensive insertions possible, but considering the amount of opposition apparently encountered by the Pericope Adulterae, it must have been quite strongly rooted in the evangelical tradition."

According to R. T. France, the passage is probably an early gloss, verse 4. follow directly after 16:2a, and "sign of heaven" was not explained in original text of Matthew, just like "sign of Jonah" from 16:4 which left unexplained.

External links

W. Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels. Vol. 1 Matthew. TVU 174

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Text

Similar texts

Manuscript evidence

Present scholars

See also

Further reading

External links