JW:
7:4
and [when they come] from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)
Interesting Textual Criticism issue here:
https://www.laparola.net/greco/index.php
καὶ χαλκίων καὶ κλινῶν] A
D E F G H K W X Θ Π Σ f1 f13 28c 33 157 180 205 565 579 597 700 892 1006 1009 1010 1071 1079 1195 1216 1230 1241 1242 1243 1253 1292 1344 1365 1424 1505 1546 1646 2148 2174 Byz Lect (l10 l80 l303 l313 l333 l374 l1127 l1761 χαλκίων)
ita itaur itb itc itd itf itff2 iti itl itq (itr1) vg syrp syrh copsa(mss) goth arm eth geo slav
Diatessarona Diatessaronp
Origen ς WH (NA [καὶ κλινῶν]) NRtext CEI Rivtext Nv NM
καὶ χαλκίων] p45vid א B L Δ 28* 440 1053 1342 2200 l48 l292 copsa(ms) copbo NRmg ND Rivmg Dio TILC
κλινῶν] = Bed.
https://biblehub.com/greek/2825.htm
Some of the best quality for omission but pretty, pretty good quality for original. So which is the difficult reading? The most common meaning of the offending word is "bed" which includes any type of sleeping furniture/item such as couches. "Couches" fits the verse a little, you generally can use somewhere to sit while eating. This type of extreme, even comical, picture of fanatical ritual washing of everything connected to eating, even your seat, does fit "Mark's" extremely contrived (fictional) writing style. For the more important Transcriptional component of The Difficult Reading Principle it's more likely copyists exorcised than added since Jewish Ritual of washing a couch was seen by those wanting a historical GMark as unhistorical/fictional. So GMatthew/GLuke. And so "couch" likely original. Just like when a random Hamas leader tells a random Israel critic that just because Hamas has always refused to recognize Israel, it was organized to refuse to recognize Israel, it is supported by those who refuse to recognize Israel and its only promise is to refuse to ever recognize Israel, that does not mean that Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, you shouldn't be surprised.
Here, just because the best witnesses support omission, you shouldn't be surprised because as my Award winning Thread:
Cumulative Weight of Early Witness for Difficult Readings
indicates the average high quality Manuscript will usually be on the wrong side of The Difficult Readings.
With "couches" used in a seat context this connects or at least provides some interesting parallel between the supposed Jewish Ritual in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11:
7:4 and [when they come] from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)[couches]
Verses:
11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and them that bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves;
16 and he would not suffer that any man should carry a vessel through the temple.
The matching/parallels between the two, both (mis)describing Jewish Ritual, would explain the impossible/improbable/trivial items in both:
- 1) Baptism before eating (still waiting for someone, anyone who thinks GMark was written close to 70 to explain all these anachronisms).
2) "Pouring" of cups is likely original (Note that this supports "fist" translation in 7:3).
3) Ritual washing of couches.
4) One guy turns over the tables.
5) One guy turns over the tables without getting killed or even having anyone remember.
6) One guy prevents vessels from being carried (to prevent Ritual Washing I suppose).
Sadly, the biggest historical irony here is that 7:4 caused even more Christians to die (from not washing hands) than Jews murdered by Christians because the Jews did wash their hands.
Joseph
Published works and statements about the Holocaust