Textus Receptus Bibles
Wessex Gospels c.1175
Anglo-Saxon
| 2:1 | Note: Exiit edictum a cesare augusto. Soðlice on þam dagen wæs ge-worðen ge-bod fram þan caisere auguste. þæt eall ymb-hwyrft wære to-mærcod. |
| 2:2 | Ðeos to-mearcednysse wæs ærest ge-worðen. fram þan deman syrige cyrino. |
| 2:3 | & ealle hyo eoden & syndrie ferden on heore ceastre. |
| 2:4 | Ða ferde ioseph fram galilea. of þare ceastre nazareht. on iudeissce ceastre. dauiðes syo is ge-nemned bethlëëm. for þan þe he wæs of dauiðes huse & hyrde |
| 2:5 | þæt he ferde mid marian þe hym ge-wedded wæs. & wæs ge-eacnod. |
| 2:6 | Soðlice wæs ge-worðan þa hyo þær wæren. hyre dages wæren ge-fyllede þæt hyo kende |
| 2:7 | & hyo þa akende hire frum-kennedan sunu. & hine mid cyld-claþen be-wand. & hine on binne alegde. for þan þe hyo næfden rum on cumene huse. |
| 2:8 | Ænd heordas wæren on þam ylcan riche wakiende. & niht-wæccen healdende ofer heore heorda. |
| 2:9 | Þa stod drihtnes ængel wið hyo & godes brihtnysse heom ymbe-scan; & hyo heom mychel eige adredden. |
| 2:10 | & se engel heom to cwæð. Nelle ge eow on-dræden. soðlice nu ich eow bodige mychele blisse syo beoð eallen folce. |
| 2:11 | for þan to dayg eow is hælend akenned. se is drihten crist on dauiðes ceastre. |
| 2:12 | And þis taken eow beoð. Ge findað an chyld ræglen be-wunden. & on binne aleigð. |
| 2:13 | And þa wæs færinge ge-worðan mid þam ængle myceles heofenlices weredes god heriendra. & þus cweðende |
| 2:14 | gode syo wuldor on heahnysse. & on eorðan sibbe mannen godes willan. |
| 2:15 | & hyt wæs ge-worðen þa þa ængles to heofene ferden. Þa heordan heom be-tweonen spræcen & cwæðen. Vton faren to bethlëëm. & ge-seon þæt word þe ge-worðen ys. þæt drihten us atywede. |
| 2:16 | & hyo efstende comen & ge-metton marian & Ioseph ænd þæt chyld on binne aleigd. |
| 2:17 | Ða hyo þæt ge-seagen þa on-cneowen hyo be þam worden þe heom ge-sæd wæs. be þam chylde. |
| 2:18 | Ænd ealle þa þe ge-herden wundreden be þam. þe heom þa heordes saigdon. |
| 2:19 | Maria ge-heold ealle þas word on hire heorte smeagende. |
| 2:20 | Ða ge-wenden ham þa heordes god wuldriende. & heriende on eallen þan þe hyo ge-herden & ge-seagen. Swa to heom ge-cweðen wæs. |
| 2:21 | Note: Postquam impleti sunt dies octo. Æfter þam þe ehta dages ge-felde wæren þt þæt chyld embsnyðen wære. Hys nama wæs hælend. Se wæs fram ængle ge-nemned ær he on innoðe ge-eacned wære. |
| 2:22 | Note: Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis Marie. Æfter þam þe hire clænsing-dages ge-felde wæren. æfter moyses lage. hyo lædden hine on ierusalem þæt hyo hine gode setton |
| 2:23 | swa swa on drihtnes lage awriten ys. Ðæt ælc wæpnyd ge-cyndlym untynende beoð drihtenes halig ge-nemned. |
| 2:24 | & þæt hyo offrunge sealden. æfter þan þe drihtnes læge ge-cweðen is. twa turtlan. oððe twa culfran briddes. |
| 2:25 | Ænd þa wæs an man on ierusalem þas name wæs symeon. & þes man wæs rihtwis & mid israele frofren ge-anbadiende. & halig gast him on wæs. |
| 2:26 | & he andswere of þam halgen gaste on-feng. þæt he deað ne ge-seage buton he ær drihten crist ge-seage. |
| 2:27 | Ænd on gaste he on þæt tempel com. & þa his mæges læddon þanne hælend. þt hyo for hym æfter þare læge ge-wunan dyden. |
| 2:28 | Heo on-feng hine mid hys handen. & god bletsede. & cwæð. |
| 2:29 | Drihten nu þu lætst þinne þeow æfter þine worde on sibbe. |
| 2:30 | for þam mine eagen ge-seagen þine hæle. |
| 2:31 | þa þu ge-gearwudest be-foran alre folce ansiene. |
| 2:32 | leoht to þeoda awrigenysse. & to þines folces wuldre israele. |
| 2:33 | Note: Erat pater domini & mater mirantes super his que dicebantur de illo. Þa wæs hys fæder & hys moder wundriende be þam þe be hym ge-saigde wæren. |
| 2:34 | And þa ge-bletsede hyo symeon. & cwæð to marian hys moder. loca nu þes is on hryre & on arist ge-sett. manegre on israele & on taken þam þe wið-cweðen byð. |
| 2:35 | Ænd his sweord þine sawle þurhferð. þæt ge-þohtes seon awrigene of manegen heorten. |
| 2:36 | And anna wæs witegestre fanueles dohter of asseres mægðe. þeos wunede manigene daig & hye lefede mid hire were sefe gear on hire femnehade |
| 2:37 | & hyo wæs wudewe oð feower & hund-eahtetig geare. Seo of þam temple ne ge-wat daiges ne nihtes. þeowiende on fæstene. & on halsunge. |
| 2:38 | And þeos þare tide be-cumende drihtne andette & be hym spræc. eallen þan þe ge-an-bided-en ierusalem alysednysse. |
| 2:39 | & þa hyo ealle þing ge-feldon æfter drihtenes lage. hyo hwurfon on galilëë on hire ceastre nazareth. |
| 2:40 | Soðlice þæt chyld weox & wæs gestranged wisdomes full. & godes geue wæs on him. |
| 2:41 | & his mæges ferden ælche geare to ierusalem on eastre daiges freols-tide. |
| 2:42 | Note: Cum factum esset iesus annorum duodecim. Ða he wæs twelf wintre. hyo foren to ierusalem to þam easterlicen freolse. æfter hyre ge-wunenen (sic). |
| 2:43 | & þa ge-fylleden dagen. þa hyo agen ge-hwurfon be-laf se hælend on ierusalem & hys mæges þæt nyston. |
| 2:44 | wende þæt he on heore ge-ferrede wære. Ða comen hyo anes daiges feor. & hyo hine sohte be-twe oxe his mæges & hys cuðan. |
| 2:45 | þa hyo hine ne funden; hyo ge-wenton to ierusalem hine sechende. |
| 2:46 | Ða æfter þreom dagen. hyo funden hine on þam temple sittende. on middan þam lareowan. hlystende & hyo axiende. |
| 2:47 | Ða wundredon hyo ealle þe ge-hyrden be his gleawscype; & his ændsweren. |
| 2:48 | Ða cwæð his moder to him. Sune hwi dydest þu unc þus. þin fæder & ïc sarigende þe sohten. |
| 2:49 | Þa cwæð he to heom. hwæt is þæt gyt me sohten. nyste gyt þæt me ge-byred to beonne on þam þingen þe mines fæder synde. |
| 2:50 | Ða ne on-geaton hyo þa word þe he to heom spræc. |
| 2:51 | Ða ferde he mid heom & com to nazareth. & wæs heom under-þeod. And hys moder ge-heold ealle þas word on hire heorte smeagende. |
| 2:52 | Ænd se hælend þeah on wisdome & on ylde. & mid gyfe mid gode & mid mannen. |
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)