scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question

Showing papers in "New Testament Studies in 2007"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The implications of the household code for the sexual treatment of slaves in the Colossian Haustafel must have varied widely according to the belief or non-believing nature of each household and the complexity of familial arrangements.
Abstract: The instructions to slaves and masters in the Colossian Haustafel have long raised questions about their concrete meaning for their intended audience. Drawing principally on recent research on the Roman family, but also on other texts, inscriptions and imagery, this article seeks to show that the implications of the household code for the sexual treatment of slaves must have varied widely. Important factors included the believing or non-believing nature of each household and the complexity of familial arrangements generally. Ultimately, Colossians appears implicitly to recognise a degree of honour in the case of slaves, a view that may sometimes have led to greater respect for familial/sexual boundaries than was otherwise usual.

29 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The redactional pericope in Matt 7.21.23, in which Jesus the final judge condemns certain false Christians, can and should be viewed as an anti-Pauline text as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The redactional pericope in Matt 7.21–23, in which Jesus the final judge condemns certain false Christians, can and should be viewed as an anti-Pauline text. Those rejected by the Matthean Jesus are none other than Paul and those of his circle. This identification is indicated not only by their description as workers of lawlessness, but also by their defence that they are true Christians because they prophesy, work miracles and perform exorcisms in the name of Jesus. These charismatic activities were clearly associated with Paul and/or his churches.

16 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined more distinctive features of the Gospel of John which share with ancient historiography: precise topography, precise chronology, selectivity, narrative asides, and claims to eyewitness testimony.
Abstract: While presupposing the widely accepted conclusion that the Gospel of John, like the other Gospels, is generically a bios , this article examines more distinctive features of this Gospel which it shares with ancient historiography: precise topography, precise chronology, selectivity, narrative asides, and claims to eyewitness testimony. In these respects the Gospel of John would have appeared to contemporary readers more like historiography than the Synoptics would. The problem of historiographical representation of speeches is solved differently by John from the way the Synoptics deal with it, but John's method of composing discourses and dialogues conforms to good historiographical practice as well as does that of the Synoptics.

15 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors clarified Luke's portrayal of both John and Jesus as Elijah-like figures by considering how Malachi 3 was interpreted by Ben Sira, 4QMessianic Apocalypse (4Q521) and the LXX.
Abstract: This article clarifies Luke's portrayal of both John and Jesus as Elijah-like figures by considering how Malachi 3 was interpreted by Ben Sira, 4QMessianic Apocalypse (4Q521) and the LXX. These ancient readers shared with Luke a concern to interpret the prediction of Elijah's return in the context of Malachi 3 even though they reached diverse conclusions. Luke's solution to the puzzle of Malachi 3 involved distinguishing between the Elijah of 1–2 Kings, who is associated with Jesus, and the Elijah of Malachi 3, who is consistently identified with John, the forerunner of the messianic ‘Lord’.

13 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the author presents an imaginative and powerful exhortation that centers on Jesus' identity as the Son of God, emphasizing the Father's declaration of Jesus' sonship, the Son's reciprocal confession of the Fatherhood of God and the conferral of family membership upon the recipients.
Abstract: Hebrews is addressed to a community whose waning commitment may lead to a complete abandonment of their Christian identity. In response, the author crafts an imaginative and powerful exhortation that centers on Jesus' identity as the Son of God. The author first dramatizes the Son's exaltation, emphasizing the Father's declaration of Jesus' sonship, the Son's reciprocal confession of the Fatherhood of God, and the Son's conferral of family membership upon the recipients. The recipients are then called upon to participate in this pattern of mutual familial confession in two strategic hortatory passages: 4.14–16 and 10.19–25. These two exhortations to confess Jesus as the Son of God are intended to bring a halt to their wavering commitment and solidify their identity as siblings of the Son.

13 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: For example, this paper found that the adult population rarely contained more than two generations, and comparative study indicates that where age was marked these categories usually sufficed, and their ambiguity and flexibility made them suited to ideological deployment, legitimating the power of the "older" in early Christianity.
Abstract: Instructions given to the ‘older’ and ‘younger’ in some early Christian texts prompt inquiry into the rationale for this polarity and its ideological freight. Demographics suggest that the adult population rarely contained more than two generations, and comparative study indicates that where age was marked these categories usually sufficed. Their ambiguity and flexibility made them suited to ideological deployment, legitimating the power of the ‘older’. 1 Peter, 1 Clement, the Pastorals, and Polycarp demonstrate this phenomenon in early Christianity, with 1 Tim 4.12 and Ignatius Mag. 3.1 as exceptions that prove the rule. But why are age qualifications absent from the authentic Paulines?

12 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article argued that Paul understood the majority of his fellow Jews, including himself as Pharisee, as apostates from the God of Israel, and this perspective helps explain the problem passage in Gal 3.10.
Abstract: This article argues that Paul's prophetic self-understanding is a fruitful starting point for understanding the elements of continuity and discontinuity between his Pharisaic past and the theology found in his letters. It is argued that Paul understood the majority of his fellow Jews, including himself as Pharisee, as apostates from the God of Israel. Paul's Damascus experience represents his coming to God. This perspective helps explain the problem passage in Gal 3.10–12. Paul reads Deut 27.26 and Lev 18.5 in light of the prophetic tradition, where these passages were seen as the warrant for God's judgment on Israel because of her apostasy.

9 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors take the address of James to the twelve tribes in the diaspora seriously and conclude that James represents itself as a letter to Diaspora Judaeans.
Abstract: If we take the address of James ‘to the twelve tribes in the diaspora’ seriously and conclude that James represents itself as a letter to Diaspora Judaeans, it becomes easier to account for the fact that James lacks references to most of the beliefs and practices distinctive of the Jesus movement. In that case, James is framed as a letter written to an outsider, much like 4QMMT, in which the (fictive) writer must construct ethos not by reference to special revelations or qualifications of the writer, which would hold no sway with the fictive recipient, but by appeal to exemplary figures of Israel's epic history, in particular Solomon.

9 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper proposed a new interpretation of this passage, one that regards Paul as citing Deut 27.26 in continuity with its meaning in its narrative setting and that finds an interpretive grid in the logic he unfolds in Gal 2.15.21.
Abstract: The nearly three decades since the publication of E. P. Sanders's work on Paul and Judaism have witnessed a spate of new proposals for reading Gal 3.10, one of the most difficult and contested passages in Paul's letters. For some, the ‘traditional’ interpretation is still preferred, though the ‘exile/restoration’ reading has gained some momentum recently. The following article will critique both of these readings, proposing a new interpretation of this passage, one that regards Paul as citing Deut 27.26 in continuity with its meaning in its narrative setting and that finds an interpretive grid in the logic he unfolds in Gal 2.15–21.

9 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors studied the argumentative context of Paul's use of the phrase τα στoιχeια τoυ κoσμυ in Gal 4.3.
Abstract: This article seeks a fresh answer to the difficult question of the meaning of the phrase τα στoιχeια τoυ κoσμoυ in Gal 4.3. The answer is sought by paying close attention to (1) the argumentative context of Paul's use of the phrase in the letter (he posits some sort of equivalence between the veneration of τα στoιχeια τoυ κoσμoυ and the observance of the Law; he does so for contextually relevant theological and rhetorical reasons), and (2) the cultural-historical context of the addressees, the Gentile believers in Galatia (τα στoιχeια are 'the gods' they once venerated; this veneration involved calendrical observances). © 2007 Cambridge University Press.

7 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper presented a refined identification of Paul's metaphor that better agrees with the particulars of 4.9 and its context: the Roman spectacle of executing condemned criminals (noxii) within the arena, which was a significant social event in Roman society.
Abstract: Scholars have proposed various explanations for Paul's metaphor of a spectacle (θeατρον) in 1 Cor 4.9 – a Roman triumphal procession, a gladiatorial show, and more recently, a mime performance. Although scholars have presented substantial arguments in favour of their identifications, the details in the text do not totally resonate with any of the proposals. Rather, this article will advance a refined identification of Paul's metaphor that better agrees with the particulars of 4.9 and its context: the Roman spectacle of executing condemned criminals (noxii) within the arena, which was a significant social event in Roman society.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a study of the three prominent questions that Paul asks in relation to God's faithfulness to Israel: 1) Is God unjust in reference to his election? 2) Why does God find fault, for who has resisted his will? 3) Has God rejected his people?
Abstract: This study of Romans 9–11 focuses on three prominent questions that Paul asks in relation to God's faithfulness to Israel: 1) Is God unjust in reference to his election?; 2) Why does God find fault, for who has resisted his will? and 3) Has God rejected his people? The article examines Paul's answers to these questions in light of an intertextual study related to the catchwords the apostle develops from the ancient Jewish sources that he echoes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors discuss ways in which NT scholarship can engage meaningfully with contemporary studies in Greco-Roman culture, using recent archaeological exploration in Galilee as samples of such a strategy, dealing respectively with aspects of Hellenisation, Judaisation and Romanisation of the region.
Abstract: This paper discusses ways in which NT scholarship can engage meaningfully with contemporary studies in Greco-Roman culture, using recent archaeological exploration in Galilee as samples of such a strategy. Three examples are discussed, dealing respectively with aspects of Hellenisation, Judaisation and Romanisation of the region. These illustrate how specific finds can be brought into dialogue with the literary evidence, providing fresh readings. Such approaches, which recall earlier debates between the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule and the Biblical Theology Movement, raise the issue of how NT scholarship can still be regarded as theological in its aims and objectives. Some tentative answers to this perennial question are offered by way of conclusion.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper investigated the origin of the pericope of the adulteress in some important manuscripts and concluded that the account was first composed by Mark and placed after Mark 12.12 and subsequently adopted by Luke (after Luke 20.19).
Abstract: This article considers afresh the origin of the pericope of the adulteress, which is absent from some important manuscripts. Comparison of the witnesses to the text reveals that it has been preserved in two distinct forms, one (attested by Codex Bezae and the minuscules 2722 and 1071) that is Markan in style, and the other (attested by f13) that reproduces the style of Luke. The conclusion drawn is that the account was first composed by Mark (and placed after Mark 12.12) and subsequently adopted by Luke (after Luke 20.19). Because of the apparent moral leniency displayed by Jesus, the story would have been removed at an early date from both Gospels, and then later reinserted by some manuscripts but at different places.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of μονογενης, attribué to the Christ dans la tradition johannique, is discussed.
Abstract: Le présent article montre l'importance de μονογενης, attribué au Christ dans la tradition johannique et propose une hypothèse sur l'évolution de la signification de cette désignation christologique. La tradition première s'appuie sur le kèrygme initial de l'envoi Fils unique dans le monde destiné à manifester l'amour du Père (Jn 3.16–17; 1 Jn 4.9). L'école johannique en conclut à la nécessité inéluctable de la foi au Nom du Fils de Dieu (Jn 3.18). Placé en tête de l'évangile par l'ultime rédaction johannique, le Prologue confesse la divinité du Fils unique dans sa gloire et le proclame ‘Dieu Monogène’ (Jn 1.14, 18). La communauté johannique aura ainsi largement contribué à valoriser la portée christo-logique et théo-logique de μονογενης. Le choix de cette désignation témoigne en tous les cas d'un ‘monothéisme ouvert’ et en recherche d'expression adéquate.

Journal ArticleDOI
C. Kavin Rowe1
TL;DR: The authors examines the various readings and different hermeneutical strategies in the history of interpretation in order to situate the verse within its requisite interpretive context, Luke-Acts.
Abstract: Acts 2.36 has caused problems for biblical interpreters both ancient and modern. This article examines the various readings and different hermeneutical strategies in the history of interpretation in order to situate the verse within its requisite interpretive context, Luke–Acts. Subsequently, an interpretation of Acts 2.36 is offered in which the verse is seen to express, rather than contradict, Lukan christology.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors tried to settle the problems by paying attention to the quotations from the scriptures in v. 10a, v. 11a, and v. 12, in which the emphasis on individual regulations of the Torah is striking (vv. 10b, 12); the particles which twice form a ‘for …, but …' are also taken into consideration.
Abstract: The passage Gal 3.10–12, well embedded into its context, is important with regard to the doctrine of justification; however, it is a crux interpretum. This essay tries to settle the problems by paying attention to the quotations from the scriptures in v. 10b (see Dtn 27.6), v. 11b (see Hab 2.4) and v. 12 (cf. Lev 18.5), in which the emphasis on individual regulations of the Torah is striking (vv. 10b, 12); the particles which twice (vv. 10b–11a; vv. 11b–12) form a ‘for …, but …’ are also taken into consideration. This leads to the thesis of two syllogisms linked to each other: vv. 10a–11a (Barbara) and vv. 11a–12 (Camestres). The quotations from the scriptures here supply three arguments, and v. 11a, the propositio of vv. 11a–12, is (as praemissa of v. 10a–11a) the fourth. The objective of the argumentation is v. 10a.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article investigated Isaksson's claim for the hairstyle thesis and concluded that a study of the verb κατακαλυπτω will permit a translation only of textile head coverings.
Abstract: For the past forty years NT scholars have been divided over the text of 1 Cor 11.2–16. Some see this pericope as addressing the issue of head coverings, while others see the issue as one of hairstyles. Although Stefan Losch was the first to advocate the case for long flowing hairstyles, credit for starting this enduring controversy must be given to Abel Isaksson. This article investigates Isaksson's claim for the hairstyle thesis and concludes that a study of the verb κατακαλυπτω will permit a translation only of textile head coverings.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the sign of the woman in labour and her newborn son represents a new eschatological beginning in Israel, and a reader-oriented approach shows the possibility of a recipient familiar with the hellenistic constructions of society to view Rev 12 as a Christian myth, narrated with elements of well-known Hellenistic myths, for example, that of Telephos or Isis/Osiris.
Abstract: Various interpretations have been offered to identify the woman of Rev 12, attributed with the sun, the moon, and twelve stars: Mary, Israel, or the church, or a combination of the items church and eschatological Israel. My article tries first to detect tradition historically the semantics of the sign of the woman in labour and her newborn son and arrives at the conclusion that it represents a new eschatological beginning in Israel. Then a reader-oriented approach shows the possibility of a recipient familiar with the hellenistic constructions of society to view Rev 12 as a Christian myth, narrated with elements of well-known hellenistic myths, for example, that of Telephos or of Isis/Osiris. The comparison leads to the conclusion that Rev 12 functions to induce its readers to be aware of their own eschatological identity in contrast to the identity of their social environment and to engage consciously in a cultural conflict.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In Apg 1.8 entsprechend gliedert Lukas the Apostelgeschichte unter geographischer Hinsicht in drei Abschnitte, in denen er die Verbreitung des Evangeliums bis zu den Enden der Erde als neue Form der Zerstreuung beschreibt.
Abstract: Dem Programm in Apg 1.8 entsprechend gliedert Lukas die Apostelgeschichte unter geographischer Hinsicht in drei Abschnitte, in denen er die Verbreitung des Evangeliums bis zu den Enden der Erde als neue Form der Zerstreuung beschreibt. Diese Zerstreuung wird nicht mehr wie in der alttestamentlichen Prophetie als Realisierung des Gerichts, sondern als Weg des Heils verstanden. An die Stelle einer endzeitlichen Sammlung auf dem Zion rückt der Evangelist die Sammlung Israels und der Völker in der positiv verstandenen Diaspora. Vor diesem Hintergrund endet die Apostelgeschichte sinnvoll im neuen Babylon mit Paulus' Verkündigung in Gefangenschaft.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Paulus wird mehrheitlich als weiterer Exponent einer fruhchristlichen Tempel- oder Tempelkultkritik neben Jesus and dem Stephanuskreis betrachtet, obwohl er in seinen Briefen niemals eine direkte Kritik formuliert.
Abstract: Paulus wird mehrheitlich als weiterer Exponent einer fruhchristlichen Tempel- oder Tempelkultkritik neben Jesus und dem Stephanuskreis betrachtet, obwohl er in seinen Briefen niemals eine direkte Kritik formuliert. In der Forschung verbindet sich mit dieser Annahme die These einer Opposition, weitergehend auch die einer Substitution des Herodianischen Tempels durch Christus oder durch die Gemeinde. Demgegenuber mochte dieser Beitrag aufzeigen, dass Paulus auch als Apostel, etwa in der Ablegung eines Nasiraats, Moglichkeiten der Tempelfrommigkeit wahrnimmt und dass er angefangen von der Verwendung der Tempelmetapher in der Korintherkorrespondenz (1 Kor 3.16; 6.19; 2 Kor 6.16) bis hin zum Missionskonzept des Romerbriefs (Rom 15.16) eine positive Zuordnung auch der Heidenchristen zum Tempel sucht.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A consistent feature of the argument of Hebrews is the claim that Christ offered himself ‘once for all’, which the author develops with the qualitative distinction between the one and the many priests (7.23-28) and sacrifices (9.23−10.18).
Abstract: A consistent feature of the argument of Hebrews is the claim that Christ offered himself ‘once for all’, which the author develops with the qualitative distinction between the one and the many priests (7.23–28) and sacrifices (9.23–10.18). In placing this distinction of the one and the many within the metaphysical dualism of the two spheres of reality, the author reflects assumptions that are also present in the claim of both Philo and Plutarch that the deity is above the principle of multiplicity (Philo Spec . III.180; Abr . 122; Leg . II.2; Deus 82; Plutarch E. Delph . 393e).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, it was observed that Paul continues to argue through chs. 3 and 4 for this same understanding of justification in Gal 2.16, and that the Apostle expected his views in Galatia to meet stiff resistance in 2.21.
Abstract: Several scholars have argued that Paul's statements about ‘justification’ in Gal 2.16 are intended to serve as common ground with his Galatian opponents. Yet Paul seems to argue polemically for the same idea in 2.21. Moreover, the structure of Paul's diatribal rhetoric in 2.16–21 suggests that Paul thought his statements in 2.16 would be controversial. When we observe that Paul continues to argue through chs. 3 and 4 for this same understanding of ‘justification’, it becomes clear that the Apostle expected his views in 2.16 to meet stiff resistance in Galatia.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Acts of Thecla as mentioned in this paper develop a narrative Christian counter-world to their pagan society, where erotic motifs are adapted and reinterpreted, and the description of the Apostle Paul is placed into this framework.
Abstract: The Acts of Thecla develop a narrative Christian counter-world to their pagan society. In this context erotic motifs are adapted and re-interpreted. It is into this framework that the description of the Apostle Paul is to be placed. In his human appearance he proves to be the antitype of the erotic lover such as depicted in the stereotypes of Greco-Roman novels. When Thecla, however, feels irresistibly attracted to him, it is his function as the mediator of Christ that attracts. Thus, Thecla's conversion to Christian faith is presented as a special act of falling in love with the Gospel.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Because of the uniformity of the text, NT papyri are well suited to codicological reconstruction and it only remains for scholars to appreciate the insights that codicology can bring to the study of the NT text.
Abstract: Because of the uniformity of the text, NT papyri are well suited to codicological reconstruction. If there are two or more pieces of papyrus from the same codex, sound reconstructions are often possible. But good methodology will account for the fibre orientation of the fragments. Flawed conclusions are the inevitable result of neglecting such analysis. Skeat erred in this direction as regards [prod ]64+67 and [prod ]4. Nevertheless, his contribution in the area was substantial and enduring. It only remains for scholars to appreciate the insights that codicology can bring to the study of the NT text.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a textkritische Befund is vollig unauffallig: der Menschensohn in der Vision des Stephanus (Apg 7.55-56) zur Rechten Gottes steht, scheint fur fruhe Rezipienten und Tradenten nicht im Widerspruch zu dem aus Ps 110.1 gewonnenen Christologoumenon der ‘sessio ad dexteram’ gestanden zu haben.
Abstract: Dass der Menschensohn in der Vision des Stephanus (Apg 7.55–56) zur Rechten Gottes steht, scheint fur fruhe Rezipienten und Tradenten nicht im Widerspruch zu dem aus Ps 110.1 gewonnenen Christologoumenon der ‘sessio ad dexteram’ gestanden zu haben: Der textkritische Befund ist vollig unauffallig. Die ‘statio ad dexteram’ in Apg 7.55–56 konnte wohl als bewusste Verfremdung der ‘sessio’ aufgefasst werden, mit deren Hilfe das Motiv der Throngemeinschaft um ein martyrerchristologisches Moment erweitert werden sollte. Der, den Stephanus sieht, ist durch sein Stehen gekennzeichnet als der Menschensohn, der ihm ins Martyrium vorausgegangen ist und von Gott zu sich erhoht worden ist.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the overall structure of the Sermon on the Mount in the light of certain practices evident in ancient texts for organizing moral discourse, and compared different examples of wisdom instruction, each of which offers a unified composition on the moral problem of "goods".
Abstract: Although there is agreement that the body of the Sermon on the Mount (SM) contains three parts, there is little consensus regarding the nature of the third part. This passage is compared with different examples of wisdom instruction, each of which offers a unified composition on the moral problem of ‘goods’, broadly conceived as that which confers good standing or status, not only in economic terms but in social and spiritual terms as well. This provides a perspective from which to examine the overall structure of the sermon in the light of certain practices evident in ancient texts for organizing moral discourse.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors untersuchten zwei Geschichten, in which with kritischer Tendenz die Uberlieferung rezipieren, das Elia Gegner seiner Prophetie durch Feuer vom Himmel getotet hat (2 Kon 2.10, 12).
Abstract: Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht zwei Geschichten, die mit kritischer Tendenz die Uberlieferung rezipieren, das Elia Gegner seiner Prophetie durch Feuer vom Himmel getotet hat (2 Kon 2.10, 12). In beiden Geschichten kommt das Verhalten des Elia als Rollenvorbild nicht zum Tragen. Der Grund ist freilich nicht eine generelle ‘Humanisierung’ religioser Vorstellungen: Bei Lukas ist die heftige Reaktion Jesu auf den Vorschlag der Zebedaiden, ein samaritanisches Dorf durch Feuer vom Himmel zu zerstoren (Lk 9.54–55), gerade dadurch zu erklaren, das dieser Vorschlag aufgrund seiner biblischen Hintergrunde plausibel erschien, vgl. Offb 11.3–13, wo ein christlicher Autor einen militanten Elia fur die Endzeit erwartet. Die Reaktion Jesu hat satanologische Implikationen, die hier erstmalig herausgearbeitet werden (vgl. Mk 8.33). Sie war aus soteriologischen Grunden notwendig: Jesu Weg nach Jerusalem, an dessen Beginn Lk 9.51–56 steht, fuhrte ins Leiden; damit ist prophetische Militanz in dieser Situation ausgeschlossen. Im Testament Abrahams ist der Ausgangspunkt der Erzahlung von Abraham, der auf dem Thronwagen Gottes sitzend Sunder totet, bis Gott ihm Einhalt gebietet ( Test Abr 10), nicht so sehr eine Irritation uber die inhumanen Folgen frommen Eifers als vielmehr die Frage, warum denn ein solches Vorgehen, das ‘Gerechtigkeit sofort’ bewirken wurde, nicht von Gott selbst praktiziert wird.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the case of Matthew's Gospel, Pontius Pilate stands over Jesus and, having washed his hands, declares himself innocent of ‘this man's blood' as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the climactic trial scene of Matthew's Gospel, Pontius Pilate stands over Jesus and, having washed his hands, declares himself innocent of ‘this man's blood’. This shorter reading is found in most modern translations and critical editions and is supported by many of the best manuscripts. It has been the preferred reading ever since Wescott and Hort. Prior to then, however, a longer reading was preferred by the majority of scholars. It reads ‘I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man’. It too is found in many of the best manuscripts, but for the last century has been all but ignored by scholarship. This internal investigation will show why it is finally time to give the longer reading a second glance.