Textus Receptus Bibles
Wessex Gospels c.1175
Anglo-Saxon
|11:1||& hit wæs geworðen þa se hælend þis ge-endyde hys twelf leorning-cnihtes be-beodende. hë for þanen þæt he lærde & bodede on heora burgan.|
|11:2||Ða Iohannes on benden ge-hyrde cristes weorc. þa sente he to hym twegen. his leorning-cnihtes.|
|11:3||& cwæð. Eart þu þe to cumene ert. oððe we oðres sculon abyden.|
|11:4||Se hælend answerede & cwæð to heom. gað & kyðað iohanne. þa þing þe ge ge-hyrden & ge-seagen.|
|11:5||Blinde ge-seoð. healte gað. hrefle synd aclensede. deafe ge-hereð. deade arisað. þærfen bodigeð.|
|11:6||& eadig ys se þe ne swicð Note: MS. swicd. on me.|
|11:7||Ða hyo ut-eoden soðlice þa on-gan se hælend seggen be Iohanne. & cwæð to þam menige. hwi eode ge ut on wæsten geseon winde aweged reod.|
|11:8||oððe hwi eode ge ut ge-seon man hnescen certlen ge-scridne. Nu þa þe sind hnescen certlen ge-scridde senden on kynges husen.|
|11:9||Ac hwæt geode ge ut witegan to ge-seon. ic eow segge eac mare þanne witegan.|
|11:10||þes is soðlice be þam awriten ys. nu ich sænde minne ængel be-foran þine anseone. se þe gerewað þinne weig beforen þe.|
|11:11||Soðliche ich eow segge ne aras be-twux wifen bearnen mare Iohanne þan fulluhtere. Soðlice se læsse ïs. is on heofene riche hym mare.|
|11:12||Soðlice fram iohannes dagen fulluhteres oð þis. heofene rice þoleð nead & strece nymað þæt.|
|11:13||Soðlice ealle witegan & lage. witegedan oððe iohannes.|
|11:14||& gyf ge willeð ge-lyfan he is helias þe to cumene ys.|
|11:15||se þe earan hæbbe to geherene ge-hyre.|
|11:16||Soðlice hwam telle ic þas cneornysse geliche. heo is gelich sittendon cnapen on foretige þa rymað to heora efenlicon.|
|11:17||& cweðeð. we sungen eow. & ge ne fricodon. & we cwyddun & ge ne weapan.|
|11:18||Soðlice iohannes com ne etende ne drinkende. & hyo cwæðan he hafð deofel-seocnysse.|
|11:19||Mannes sunu com etende & drinkende & hyo cweðeð. her is ætul man & win-drinkinde. manfulre & synfulre freond. & wisdom ys gerihtwiseð fram heora bearmen (sic).|
|11:20||Þa on-gan he hysfan þa burga on þam wæren gedon manega his mænega. for-þan þe hy ne deden deadbote.|
|11:21||Wa þe corozaim. wa þe bethsaida. for þam gyf on tyro & sydon wæren ge-done þa manige þe syndde don on eow. ge-fern hyo deden deadbote on hæren & on æscan.|
|11:22||Þeah ic segge ync tyre & sydonie byoð for-gyfendlicur on domes daig þanne eow.|
|11:23||Ænd þu capharnaum cweðst þu byost þu up-ahafan oððe heofone. ac þu niðer wurst oð helle. For-þan gyf on sodome lande wæren gedone þa manega þe gedone synd on þe. witodlice hyo wunedon oð þisne dayg.|
|11:24||Þeah-hwaþere ich segge eow þt sodome-wäre lande. beoð forgefendlichre on domes daig þanne þe.|
|11:25||Se hælend cwæð &sweriende. Ich andette þe drihten. heofenes & eorþan. þu þe byheddest þas þing fram wisen & gleawun. & onwruge þa litlingan.|
|11:26||Swa fæder for-þan hyt wæs swa ge-cweme be-foran þe.|
|11:27||Ealle þing me synde ge-sealde fram mine fæder. & nan man ne kan þanne sune buto se fader. ne nan man ne kan þanne fæder bute se sune. & þam þe se sune wile unwregan.|
|11:28||Cumeð to me ealle þa þe swinkeð & ge-seamede synd. & ich eow ge-blissige.|
|11:29||Nemeð min göc ofer eow. & leornigeð æt me. for-þam ich eom bylehwit & eadmod on heortan. & ge ge-metað reste owren sawlen.|
|11:30||Soðlice min goc is winsum & min berðene is leoht.|
Wessex Gospels c.1175
The Wessex Gospels (also known as the West-Saxon Gospels) are a full translation of the four gospels of the Christian Bible into a West Saxon dialect of Old English. Designated Royal MS 1 A XIV, it is historically important.
- The Wessex Gospels are the oldest translations into English without the Latin.
- The gospels are written in the Old English West Anglo-Saxon dialect of Northumbria.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV is written on parchment and is also known as the Codex Evangeliorum Anglice.
- The title written at the top of the page, 'Text[us] iv evangelior[um] anglice', is reproduced in the 14th-century catalogue of the Benedictine Christ Church library, but at the Reformation this book was one of many acquired from religious houses by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1532 to 1534, whose name is written at the top of the page.
- Seven extant copies exist today. The earliest version dates from 990AD.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV was copied directly from MS 441 in the Bodleian library at Oxford. We know this as the same passages have been omitted from both. It has a transmission jump of 185 years.
- MS 441 (990AD) is extant and still resides in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, England. It was given to the library by Baron Hatton in 1671. Paleographical evidence suggests a Canterbury origin. The earliest extant evidence of ownership is through Archbishop Matthew Parker (1504-75).
- MS Corp. Ch Coll Camb 140 (1000AD) is in Corpus Christi College Cambridge.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV (1175AD) is in the British Library and was presented to the British Museum by King George II in 1757 from the Old Royal Library.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV once belonged to the Prince of Wales: Henry Frederick, (1594-1612), eldest child of King James the First.
Why is this important?
- Desiderius Erasmus had access to these MSS before starting his translation of the Textus Receptus. In the five years prior to starting his translation work Erasmus was Professor of Divinity at Cambridge at a time when the university's benefactors owned these manuscripts.
- The King James Bible translators had access to these manuscripts. All the six KJV translation companies where housed at Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster and all had access to the Wessex Gospels.
- The codex contains the long ending in Mark chapter 16.
- The codex contains the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11)