What historical evidence supports the inclusion of Matthew 18:11? Text “For the Son of Man came to save the lost.” — Matthew 18:11 Early Versions and Translations • Old Latin: it(a), it(aur), it(b), it(c), it(e), it(ff2) all include; Jerome retained it in the Vulgate (405 A.D.). • Syriac: Peshitta (2nd c.) and Harklean (7th c.) both carry the line; the Palestinian Syriac lectionary cycle likewise. • Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic: mixed evidence—Sahidic frequently retains it; Bohairic has both forms, showing awareness, not ignorance, of the verse. • Gothic (4th c.) includes. • Armenian (5th c.) and Georgian (5th c.) include. The verse therefore crosses linguistic, geographical, and ecclesiastical boundaries by the early 400s. Patristic Citations • Origen, Commentary on Matthew XIII (3rd c.): quotes the line within his exegesis of Matthew 18. • Didymus the Blind, Commentary on Psalm 88 (4th c.): cites verbatim. • Chrysostom, Homily LIX on Matthew 18 (c. 390): expounds, “For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.” • Augustine, Sermon 18 on the Gospels: uses the text as Matthew’s. • Ambrose, Exposition of Luke VII; Jerome, Contra Pelagianos II; and Theodoret, Commentary on Matthew—all reference it. Patristic usage begins before 250 A.D. and is continuous into the Middle Ages, confirming reception as authentic. Internal Congruence within Matthew • Verses 10–14 form a tight literary unit built around the “lost sheep” motif (vv. 12–13). Verse 11 supplies the thematic hinge: the mission statement explaining why the Shepherd seeks. • Omission would leave a logical gap between angelic advocacy (v. 10) and the parable (v. 12). • Stylistic fit: Matthew often inserts Christological summaries (cf. 9:13; 20:28). The wording matches his redactional habit of shortening Luke’s two-verb clause (“seek and save,” Luke 19:10) to the single verb σῶσαι, consistent with Matthew’s economy. • Probability of accidental omission: v. 10 ends with τοῖς ἐν οὐρανοῖς; v. 12 opens with τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ; early Alexandrian scribes often dropped single-line statements caught between similar endings (homoeoteleuton). External Historical Indicators • Diatessaron (Tatian, c. 170) combines Matthew’s context with the wording of Luke but includes the sentence within the Matthew section, implying it stood in his Matthew copy. • Fourth-century Church Orders (Apostolic Constitutions I.4.14) read the verse during catechetical instruction on redemption. • Medieval Greek catenae (e.g., Oecumenius, 10th c.) preserve continuous commentary that assumes the verse’s presence; there is no discussion of its authenticity, showing universal acceptance in the Byzantine East. Counter-Arguments and Rebuttal 1. “Alexandrian omission proves originality.” • Early does not equal superior; textual critics weigh breadth alongside age. Multiple text-types (Western, Caesarean, Byzantine) independent of one another contain the verse. 2. “Probable harmonization to Luke 19:10.” • Matthew’s wording lacks Luke’s διζητῆσαι (“to seek”)—hardly a slavish harmonization. • Pattern of Matthew abbreviating or adapting Lukan material elsewhere argues for authorial, not scribal, activity. 3. “Liturgical gloss.” • Lectionaries quote Scripture; they do not create readings. Verse 11 is in continuous-text codices centuries before the earliest extant lectionaries. Theological Coherence The statement encapsulates the gospel message running from Genesis 3:15 through Isaiah 53:11 and culminating in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Its removal blunts the Christological summit of the chapter, which the early church guarded zealously. Preservation rather than creation accords with scribal reverence for the dominical logion. Conclusion The preponderance of Greek witnesses, the wide and early versional testimony, continuous patristic citation from the third century onward, strong internal coherence, and the improbability of accidental or purposeful addition combine to authenticate Matthew 18:11 historically. The evidence warrants retaining the verse as genuine Scripture: “For the Son of Man came to save the lost.” |
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