Did the OT Variant Readings of the Early Church Fathers Actually Exist or Were They Outright Forgeries?

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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Secret Alias
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Did the OT Variant Readings of the Early Church Fathers Actually Exist or Were They Outright Forgeries?

Post by Secret Alias »

For instance Mark's citation of Isaiah as:

I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.

Justin's numerous false citations and most importantly Tertullian's citation of Daniel 9:1, 23 - 27 as:

"In the first year under Darius, son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldees, I Daniel understood in the books the number of the years.... And while I was yet speaking in my prayer, behold, the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the vision in the beginning, flying; and he touched me, as it were, at the hour of the evening sacrifice, and made me understand, and spake with me, and said, Daniel I am now come out to imbue thee with understanding; in the beginning of thy supplication went out a word. [5] And I am come to announce to thee, because thou art a man of desires;103 and ponder thou on the word, and understand in the vision. Seventy hebdomads have been abridged104 upon thy commonalty, and upon the holy city, until delinquency be made inveterate, and sins sealed, and righteousness obtained by entreaty, and righteousness eternal introduced; and in order that vision and prophet may be sealed, and an holy one of holy ones anointed. And thou shalt know, and thoroughly see, and understand, from the going forth of a word for restoring and rebuilding Jerusalem unto the Christ, the Leader, hebdomads (seven and an half, and105 ) lxii and an half: and it shall convert, and shall be built into height and entrenchment, and the times shall be renewed: [6] and after these lxii hebdomads shall the anointing be exterminated, and shall not be; and the city and the holy place shall he exterminate together with the Leader, who is making His advent; and they shall be cut short as in a deluge, until (the) end of a war, which shall be cut short unto ruin. And he shall confirm a testament in many. In one hebdomad and the half of the hebdomad shall be taken away my sacrifice and libation, and in the holy place the execration of devastation, (and106 ) until the end of (the) time consummation shall be given with regard to this devastation."

Are these variants merely 'variants' or to be considered as outright forgeries? If they are forgeries doesn't that weaken the case against the claim of the same Church Fathers that the heretics and their 'evil' are responsible for textual variants in the NT?
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Ibn Rushd
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Re: Did the OT Variant Readings of the Early Church Fathers Actually Exist or Were They Outright Forgeries?

Post by Ibn Rushd »

They may have been quoting from "memory" or chose to alter it to suit their own writings.
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