Dykes on Von Soden

H. von Soden further categorized many of his Byzantine text-type witnesses into several sub-groups, denoted by variations of his K symbol. Some are shown above in the key for Revelation - Ko and Kc. A recent investigation of von Soden's Kr group, has greatly expanded the number of MSS falling within this group which von Soden first discovered. It is seen in the gosepl manuscripts, and according to von Soden it is not known ("unverkennbar" - page 1918, volume 3, Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments ) or as yet studied in the Pauline corpus.

Via research done on the gospel of Luke (via the IGNTP) and noted by Frederik Wisse, The Profile Method for the Classification and Evaluation of Manuscript Evidence as applied to the continuous Greek text of The Gospel of Luke, pages 92ff.; more than 200 MSS fit into this group. Bascially it is a group of Greek minuscule MSS written in (or distinctive in) the 12th century. It is identifiable by its text, its use of various liturgical apparatuses, and by certain similarities which von Soden was able to quickly note when categorizing his witnesses (such as the inclusion, or placement of John 7:53 - 8:11, -- the woman caught in adultery). This large group clearly indicates that the Byzantine scholars were (and apparently had been for some time) bringing the text of the Greek New Testament into a single standard form. I refer to this as the Byzantine Ecclesiastical Standard, and it began being formed probably in the late 9th century.

This Kr group reflects the standard, especially for scribes loyal to Constantinople and its orthodoxy. For copyists and scribes in the outlying areas (such as North Africa, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Calabria, Sicily, et cetera), some departure may be noted from the "standard" text-type. These minuscule manuscripts are usually referred to as "provincial" {i.e. outlying regions}. Recognizing a MS as provincial is a fine evaluation factor -- the provinciality of a witness-- for within these basic Byzantine text-type manuscripts will be found other readings from various sources. Some of which may be very early, some due to intentional changes, some due to dialectical alterations, some from the influence of the Latin liturgy, and some from exemplars of ancient antiquity, perhaps even the proto-Byzantine text-type! There is room for much research in each of these areas, especially in the Pauline corpus.