Textus Receptus Bibles
Wessex Gospels c.1175
Anglo-Saxon
| 2:1 | & eft æfter dagen he eode in-to capharnaum & hyt wæs ge-hyred. þt he wæs on huse |
| 2:2 | & manege to-gadere comen & he to hem spræc. |
| 2:3 | & hyo comen ænne lame man to him berende. þane feower men bæren. |
| 2:4 | & þa hyo ne mihten hine in-bringen for þare manige hyo openedon þane rof þær se hælend wæs & hyo þa in-asende þt bed þe se lame on laig. |
| 2:5 | Soðlice þa se hælend ge-seah heore ge-leafen he cwæð. to þam lamen. Sune þe synde þine senne for-gefene. |
| 2:6 | þær wæren sume of þam bokeren sittende & on heore heortan þencende |
| 2:7 | hwi specð þes þus. he desigeð. hwa maig senne for-gefen buton god ane. |
| 2:8 | Ða se hælend þæt on his gaste on-cneow. þt hyo swa be-tweoxe heom þohten. he cwæð to heom hwi þence ge þas þing on eowre heorten. |
| 2:9 | hwæðer is eðre to seggene to þam lamen. ðe synde þine synne for-gefene. hwæðer to cwæðen aris nem þin bed & ga. |
| 2:10 | þæt ge soðlice witen þt mannes sune hæfð anweald on eorþan synnen to for-gefene. He cwæð to þam lamen. |
| 2:11 | Þe ic segge aris. nym þin bed & ga; to þinen huse. |
| 2:12 | & he sone aras. & be-foren heom eallen eode. swa þt ealle wundreden & þus cwæðen næfre we ær þellic þing ne ge-sægen. |
| 2:13 | Note: Vidit ihesus leuin alphej sedentem ad theloneum. And eft he ut-eode to þare sæ. & eall syo manege hym to com & he hyo lærde. |
| 2:14 | & þa he forð-eode he ge-seah leuin alphei. sittende æt his cep-setle. & he cwæð to hym folge me. þa aras he & felgede hym. |
| 2:15 | & hit ge-warð þa he sæt on his huse þt manege manfulle sæten mid þam hælende & his leorning-cnihten. Soðlice manege þa þe him felgden waren |
| 2:16 | bokeres & pharisei. & cwæðen witodlice he ett mid manfullen & synfullen. & hy cwæðen to his leorning-cnihten. hwi æt eower lareow & drincd mid mannfullen & senfullen. |
| 2:17 | Þa se hælend þis ge-hyrde he sæde heom. Ne be-þurfen na þa halen læces. ac þa þe untrume synden. Ne com ic na þæt ich cleopede riht-wise ac synfulle. |
| 2:18 | Note: Accesserunt ad ihesum discipuli iohannis dicentes. Quare nos & pharisei ieiunamus frequenter. & þa wæren iohannes leorningcnihtes & farisej fæstende. & þa comen hyo & segden him. Hwi fæsted Iohannes leorning-cnihtes & phariseorum & þine ne fæsteð. |
| 2:19 | Ða cwæð se hælend cweðe ge. sculen þas bredgumen cnihtes fæsten swa lange swa se bredgume mid heom is; ne magen hyo fæsten swa lange tide swa hyo þane bredgumen mid heom hæbbeð. |
| 2:20 | Soðlice þa dages cumeð þane se bredgume heom beoð fram acyrred & þanne hyo fæsteð. On þan dagen |
| 2:21 | nanman ne seweð nywe scep to ealden reafe. elles he afyrð þane neowan scep of þam ealden reafe & byð mare slite |
| 2:22 | & nanman ne doð nywe win on ealde betta. elles þt win to-brecð þa bytte. & þæt win beoð agoten & þa bytta for-wurðeð. Ac neowe win scell beon ge-don on neowe bytta þanne beoð ba twa ge-healden. |
| 2:23 | Note: Ibat ihesus sabbato per sata. discipuli eius esurientes ceperunt euellere spicas. Eft wæs ge-worðen þa he reste-dagen þurh æceres eode. his leorning-cnihtes on-gunnen þa ear pluccin. |
| 2:24 | þa cwæðen þa pharisej to him. Loce nu hwæt þine leorning-cnihtes doð. þt heom alefeð næs on reste-dagen. |
| 2:25 | Ða saide he heom. ne rædde ge næfre hwæt dyde dauid. þa hym hingrede. & þa þe mid hym wæren. |
| 2:26 | hu he inne godes huse eode under abiathar þare sacerde ealdre. & he ætt of þa offrunge-hlafes. þe hym ne alyfde neren to ætenne. buten sacerden ane. & he sealde þam þe mid hym wæren. |
| 2:27 | & he saigde heom. reste-daig wæs ge-worht for þam men. nes se man for þam reste-daige. |
| 2:28 | Witodlice drihten is mannes sune eac swilce reste-dages. |
Wessex Gospels c.1175
The Wessex Gospels (also known as the West-Saxon Gospels) are a full translation of the four gospels of the Christian Bible into a West Saxon dialect of Old English. Designated Royal MS 1 A XIV, it is historically important.
- The Wessex Gospels are the oldest translations into English without the Latin.
- The gospels are written in the Old English West Anglo-Saxon dialect of Northumbria.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV is written on parchment and is also known as the Codex Evangeliorum Anglice.
- The title written at the top of the page, ‘Text[us] iv evangelior[um] anglice’, is reproduced in the 14th-century catalogue of the Benedictine Christ Church library, but at the Reformation this book was one of many acquired from religious houses by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1532 to 1534, whose name is written at the top of the page.
- Seven extant copies exist today. The earliest version dates from 990AD.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV was copied directly from MS 441 in the Bodleian library at Oxford. We know this as the same passages have been omitted from both. It has a transmission jump of 185 years.
- MS 441 (990AD) is extant and still resides in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, England. It was given to the library by Baron Hatton in 1671. Paleographical evidence suggests a Canterbury origin. The earliest extant evidence of ownership is through Archbishop Matthew Parker (1504-75).
- MS Corp. Ch Coll Camb 140 (1000AD) is in Corpus Christi College Cambridge.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV (1175AD) is in the British Library and was presented to the British Museum by King George II in 1757 from the Old Royal Library.
- Royal MS 1 A XIV once belonged to the Prince of Wales: Henry Frederick, (1594-1612), eldest child of King James the First.
Why is this important?
- Desiderius Erasmus had access to these MSS before starting his translation of the Textus Receptus. In the five years prior to starting his translation work Erasmus was Professor of Divinity at Cambridge at a time when the university's benefactors owned these manuscripts.
- The King James Bible translators had access to these manuscripts. All the six KJV translation companies where housed at Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster and all had access to the Wessex Gospels.
- The codex contains the long ending in Mark chapter 16.
- The codex contains the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11)