Codex Washingtonianus


The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032, ε 014, also called the Washington Manuscript of the Gospels, and The Freer Gospel, contains the four biblical gospels and was written in Greek on vellum in the 4th or 5th century. The manuscript is lacunose.

Description

The codex is a book of 187 leaves of 20.5–21 cm by 13-14.5 cm with painted wooden covers, consisting of 26 quires.
The text is written in one column per page, 30 lines per page. There are numerous corrections made by the original scribe and a few corrections dating to the late 5th or 6th century. John 1:1-5:11 is a replacement of a presumably damaged folio, and dates to around the 7th century. It is missing Mark 15:13-38 and John 14:26-16:7. The ink is dark brown. The words are written continuously without separation. Accents are absent. The rough breathing mark is used very rarely.
Like in Codex Bezae the Gospels follow in Western order: Matthew, John, Luke, Mark.
The following nomina sacra are used in the Codex :,,,,,,,,, , .
is present and not marked as doubtful or spurious. Luke 22:43-44, John 5:4 and the are omitted by the scribe. It lacks Matthew 5:21-22, and Luke 19:25 ;
It contains Matthew 23:14, as do manuscripts 0104, 0107, 0133, 0138, and most other Byzantine mss.

Text of codex

The Codex is cited as a "consistently cited witness of the first order" in the critical apparatus of the Novum Testamentum Graece. The codex was apparently copied from several different manuscripts and is the work of two scribes. The text-type is eclectic:
It has addition in Mark 1:3, the citation from Is 40:3 is longer. Mark 10:48 is omitted as in codex 1241.
In Matthew 1:10 it reads Αμων for Αμως, the reading of the codex agrees with L, f13 and the Byzantine text.
Matthew 10:12
Matthew 23:3 has the reading τηρειν τηρειται και ποιειται in basic agreement with Majority Text against the United Bible Society's ποιήσατε καὶ τηρεῖτε.
In Mark 2:3 it has ιδου ανδρες ερχονται προς αυτον βασταζοντες εν κρεβαττω παραλυτικον supported only by Old Latin Codex Palatinus instead of usual variant ερχονται φεροντες προς αυτον παραλυτικον αιρομενον υπο τεσσαρων;
In Mark 10:19 — phrase μη αποστερησης omitted, as in codices B, K, Ψ, f1, f13, 28, 700, 1010, 1079, 1242, 1546, 2148, ℓ 10, ℓ 950, ℓ 1642, ℓ 1761, syrs, arm, geo.
In Μark 13:2 it contains addition και μετα τριων ημερων αλλος αναστησεται ανευ χειρων — D W it.
In Mark 9:49 it reads πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται – as manuscripts B L Δ f1 f13 28 565 700 ℓ260 syrs copsa.
In Luke 4:17 it has textual variant καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ βιβλίον together with the manuscripts A, B, L, Ξ, 33, 892, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syrs, h, pal, copsa, bo, against variant καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βιβλίον supported by א, Dc, K, Δ, Θ, Π, Ψ, f1, f13, 28, 565, 700, 1009, 1010 and many other manuscripts.
In Luke 11:19, it omits εἰ δὲ ἐγὼ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια due to homoeoteleuton.
Luke 22:43-44 omitted, as in codices 75, א*, A, B, T, 1071.
In Luke 23:34 omitted words: "And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do." This omission is supported by the manuscripts 75 Sinaiticusa, B, D*, Θ, 0124, 1241, a, Codex Bezaelat, syrsin, copsa, copbo.
In John 7:1 it reads ου γαρ ειχεν εξουσιαν for ου γαρ ηθελεν, the reading is supported by Old Latin: a, b, ff², l, r1, and by Syriac Curetonian.

Freer Logion

The ending of Mark in this codex is especially noteworthy because it includes a unique insertion after Mark 16:14, referred to as the "Freer Logion".

Κακεινοι απελογουντο λεγοντες οτι ο αιων ουτος της ανομιας και της απιστιας υπο τον σαταναν εστιν, ο μη εων τα υπο των πνευματων ακαθαρτα την αληθειαν του θεου καταλαβεσθαι δυναμιν. δια τουτο αποκαλυψον σου την δικαιοσυνην ηδη, εκεινοι ελεγον τω χριστω. και ο χριστος εκεινοις προσελεγεν οτι πεπληρωται ο ὅρος των ετων της εξουσιας του σατανα, ἀλλὰ εγγιζει ἄλλα δεινα. και υπερ ων εγω αμαρτησαντων παρεδοθην εις θανατον ινα υποστρεψωσιν εις την αληθειαν και μηκετι αμαρτησωσιν ινα την εν τω ουρανω πνευματικην και αφθαρτον της δικαιοσυνης δοξαν κληρονομησωσιν.

Translation:

And they excused themselves, saying, "This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirits . Therefore reveal thy righteousness now" - thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, "The term of years of Satan's power has been fulfilled, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was delivered over to death, that they may return to the truth and sin no more in order to inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness which is in heaven.

This text is not found in any other manuscript, but was partially quoted by Jerome:

et illi satisfaciebant dicentes: Saeculum istud iniquitatis et incredulitatis substantia est, quae non sinit per immundos spiritus veram Dei apprehendi virtutem: idcirco iamnunc revela iustitiam tuam.

History

The codex was purchased by Charles Lang Freer on a trip to Egypt in November 1906. Metzger states: "It is the only Greek Gospel manuscript of early date of which we know provenance. Though the exact spot in Egypt where it was found is not known, there are indications that it came from a monastery in the neighbourhood of the Pyramids." The writing is closely related to the Codex Panopolitanus, Henoch manuscript, found in Akhmim in 1886.
There is a subscription at the end of the Gospel of Mark, written in semi-cursive from the 5th century: "Holy Christ, be thou with thy servant Timothy and all of his." The similar note appears in Minuscule 579. Hermann von Soden cited a number of similar subscriptions in other manuscripts.
It is located in the Smithsonian Institution at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and some of it can be viewed on-line. Complete images of the codex are available from the Rights and Reproductions office at the Freer Gallery of Art.
The manuscript is dated by the INTF to the 4th or 5th century.