What historical evidence supports the inclusion of Matthew 17:21 in early manuscripts? Scope of the Inquiry Matthew 17:21 : “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” The question is whether this sentence formed part of the original text of Matthew’s Gospel. Textual evidence, patristic testimony, and versional distribution must all be weighed. Versional Evidence • Old Latin: Codex Vercellensis (a, 4th c.) and Codex Veronensis (b, 5th c.) both include the sentence, showing it in the Western tradition by the mid-300s. • Latin Vulgate (Jerome, AD 405): retains the verse, testifying that the manuscripts Jerome considered “more ancient” supported inclusion. • Syriac: Old Syriac Curetonian and Sinaitic (c. AD 200), as well as the Peshitta (~AD 350), all read the verse. • Coptic: The Sahidic (3rd c.) is mixed—some early fragments omit, but the Bohairic (4th/5th c.) and later Sahidic copies include, indicating early awareness of both forms. • Armenian, Georgian, Gothic, and Ethiopic versions overwhelmingly include, pointing to a geographically wide spread before the 5th century. Patristic Citations • Origen, Commentary on Matthew 13.7 (early 3rd c.), quotes the wording while discussing fasting and exorcism. • Didymus the Blind, On the Trinity 3.35 (mid-4th c.), cites the clause. • John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 57 (c. AD 390): “For this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” • Jerome, Against Jovinian 2.15, appeals to the verse in defense of fasting. • Augustine, Letter 236.2, uses the verse in a pastoral context. These citations pre-date or are contemporary with the oldest extant manuscripts, confirming its currency in multiple language areas. Liturgical and Lectionary Evidence Byzantine and Georgian lectionaries (𝔩547, 𝔩954, etc.) assign Matthew 17:21 to the 10th Sunday after Pentecost. Its presence in settled worship before the 6th century argues against later interpolation. Internal and Contextual Considerations Matthew often condenses Mark yet keeps Markan key statements when they bear theological weight. Mark 9:29 contains the same clause, so the charge of harmonization could cut both ways: either Matthew originally shared the saying and Alexandrian copyists omitted it (perhaps accidentally after the –οντα/τοῦτο line ending) or a scribe added it from Mark. Matthew’s immediate context (17:19-20) speaks of the disciples’ power failure and the need for faith. Prayer-and-fasting completes the pedagogical triad of faith, prayer, and discipline, fitting the Matthean didactic style. Scribal Tendencies Omission is more common than addition, especially when homoioteleuton occurs. In Greek uncials, v. 20 ends with “…μεταβῇ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ,” and v. 21 begins similarly with “τοῦτο δὲ τὸ γένος,” an easy skip. The shorter Alexandrian reading may therefore be the result of parablepsis. Modern Critical Editions UBS5 and NA28 place the verse in the apparatus, rating the shorter reading “B.” Yet the editors acknowledge its dominance in the Byzantine, Western, and early versional traditions. The Robinson-Pierpont Majority Text and the Textus Receptus print the verse in the body, reflecting manuscript frequency. Summary of Evidential Weight 1. Geographic spread: Greece (D, W), Egypt (Coptic), Syria (Peshitta), North Africa (Old Latin), Western Europe (Vulgate). 2. Chronological depth: attested in the early 3rd-century fathers and versions, only a century after the autograph. 3. Numerical strength: well over 90 % of all Greek manuscripts. 4. Liturgical entrenchment: cited in lectionaries and sermons long before the Middle Ages. 5. Internal fit: completes Matthew’s theological instruction and parallels Mark without redundancy. Implications for Canonical Authority Given the concurrence of extensive manuscript support, ancient translations, and patristic usage, Matthew 17:21 belongs in the canonical text. Where modern critical editions bracket it, the faithful reader may still receive it confidently as Scripture, trusting that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) and that God providentially preserved His word through the fullness of the manuscript tradition. |
    |