Textus Receptus Bibles
Wessex Gospels c.1175
Anglo-Saxon
| 1:1 | Note: In principio erat uerbum. Her onginð þæt god-spell þe Iohannes se godspellere ge-wrat on pathmos þam eiglande. On anginne ærest wæs word. & þæt word wæs mid gode. & god wæs þt word. |
| 1:2 | þæt wæs on fruman mid gode. |
| 1:3 | ealle þyng wæren ge-worhte þurh hyne. & nan þyng næs ge-worht butan hym. |
| 1:4 | þæt wæs lyf þe on hym ge-worht wæs. & þt lyf wæs manne leoht. |
| 1:5 | & þæt leoht lyhte on þeostrum. & þeostreo þæt ne ge-namen. |
| 1:6 | Man wæs fram gode asend. þæs name wæs Iohannes. |
| 1:7 | þes com to ge-witnesse. þæt he ge-wytnesse kyðde be þam leohte. þæt ealle menn þurh hyne ge-lefdon. |
| 1:8 | Næs he leoht. ac þæt he wytnesse forð-bære be þam leohte. |
| 1:9 | Soð leoht wæs. þæt on-lyht ælcne cumendne man on þysne middan-eard. |
| 1:10 | he wæs on midden-earde. & mid dan-eard wæs ge-worht þurh hyne. & middan-eard hyne ne ge-cneow. |
| 1:11 | To hys agene he com. & hy hyne ne under-fengen. |
| 1:12 | Soðliche swa hwylche swa hyne under-fengen. he sealde heom an-weald þæt hyo wæren godes bearn. þam þe ge-lefeð on hys namen. |
| 1:13 | Þa ne synd akende of blode ne of flæsces willen. ne of weres willen. Ac hyo synt of gode akennede. |
| 1:14 | Ænd þt word wæs flæsc ge-worden. & eardede on üs. & we ge-segen hys wulder swylche akennedes wuldor of fæder þt wæs ful myd gyfe. & soðfæstnesse. |
| 1:15 | Iohannes cyð ge-wytnesse be hym. & clepeð þus cweðende. Þes wæs se þe ic of sægde. Se þe to cumene ys. æfter me. þe wæs ge-worðen be-foren me. for-þan he wæs ær þanne ic. |
| 1:16 | Ænd of hys fyllendnysse we ealle we (sic) on-fengen gyfe for gyfe. |
| 1:17 | for-þan þe lage wæs ge-seald þurh moysen. & gyfe & soðfæstnys ys ge-worðen þurh hælend crist. |
| 1:18 | Ne ge-seah næfre nan man god bute se akennede sune hyt kydde. þe ys on hys fader bearme. |
| 1:19 | Note: Miserunt iudei sacerdotes & leuitas ab ierosolimis ad iohannem dicentes. Tu quis es? & þæt is Iohannes ge-wytnys. Ða þa iudeas senden hyre sacerdas & heora diaconas fram Ierusalem to hym. þæt hyo axeden hym & þus cwæðen. hwæt ært þu; |
| 1:20 | & he cydde & ne wið-soc & þus cwæð. ne eum (sic) ic na crist. |
| 1:21 | Ænd hyo axoden hyne & þus cwæðon. Eart þu helyas; & he cwæð. ne eom ic hyt. Þa cwæðen hyo. eart þu witega. & he answerede & cwæð. nyc. |
| 1:22 | Hyo cwæðen to hym. hwæt eart þu; þæt we andswere bringen. þam þe us to þe senden. hwæt sægst þu be þe selfem; |
| 1:23 | He cwæð ic em clepiendes stefen on westene. Ge-rihteð drihtnes weig. swa se wytega ysaias cwæð. |
| 1:24 | Ænd þa þe þær a-sende wæren. þa wæren for (sic) sunder-halgan. |
| 1:25 | ænd hyo axoden hyne & cwæðen to hym. hwi fullast þu; gyf þu ne eart ne helyas ne wytega. |
| 1:26 | Iohannes andswerede heom. Ic fullige on wætere. to-middes eow stod þe ge ne cunnen. |
| 1:27 | he ys þe æfter me toward ys. Se wæs ge-worðen be-foran me. ne eom ic wurðe þæt ic un-binde hys sceo-þwang. |
| 1:28 | Ðas þyng wæren ge-worðenne on bethania be-geonden Iordanen. þær iohannes fullede. |
| 1:29 | Oþre dæg Iohannes ge-seah þanne hælend to hym cumende & cwæð. Her ys godes lamb. her ys se þe deð a-weig midden-eardes synne. |
| 1:30 | þes ys be þam þe ich sægede. Æfter me cymð wer þe be-foren me ge-worðen wæs. for þam he wæs ær þanne ic. |
| 1:31 | & ic hine nyste. Ac ic com & fullode on wætere to þam þæt he wære ge-swutelod on israele folke. |
| 1:32 | Ænd Iohannes cydde wytnesse cweðende. þæt ic ge-sah nyþer-cumendne gast of hefene swa swa culfran. & wunede ofer hine. |
| 1:33 | & ic hyne ne cuðe. ac se þe me sende to fullianne on wætere he cwæð to me. Ofer þane þe þu ge-sihst niðer-stigende gast. & ofer hyne wuniende þæt ys se þe fullað on halgum gaste. |
| 1:34 | & ic ge-seah & ge-wytnesse kydde þt þes is godes sune. |
| 1:35 | Note: Stabat Iohannes & ex discipulis eius duo & uidit iesum. Æft oðre dæg stod Iohannes & twegen oft (sic) hys leorning-cnihtum. |
| 1:36 | & he cwæð þa he seah þonne halend gangende. her ys godes lamb. |
| 1:37 | Ða ge-hyrden hyne twegen leorning-cnihtum sprekende & felgeden þam hælende. |
| 1:38 | þa be-sah se halend & ge-seah hyo hym felgiende. & cwæð to heom hwæt seche gyt. hyo cwæðen to hym. rabbi þæt ys ge-cweðen & ge-reaht larðeow. hwær eardest þu. |
| 1:39 | he cwæð to heom cumeð & ge-seoð. hyo comen & ge-seagen hwær he wunede. & mid hym wunedon on þam dæge. hyt wæs þa seo teoðe tyd. |
| 1:40 | Andreas symones broðer petres wæs oðer of þam twam. Ða ge-herden æt Iohanne & hym fylgedon. |
| 1:41 | Ðes ge-mette ærest symonem hys broðer & ge-cwæð to hym. we ge-metten messiam þæt ys ge-reht crist. |
| 1:42 | & hyo ledden hyne to þam halende. Þa be-heold se halend hyne & cwæð. Ðu eart symon iohannes sunu. þu beost ge-nemned cephas. þæt ys ge-reht petrus. |
| 1:43 | On morgen he wolde faren on galilea. & he ge-mette philippus. ænd se halend cwæð to hym fylge me. |
| 1:44 | Soðliche philippus wæs fram bethsaida andreas ceastre & petres. |
| 1:45 | Phylippus ge-mette nathanael & cwæð. to hym. we ge-metten þanne hælend Iosepes sunu of nazareth. þonne wrat moyses. & þa witegan on þare ëa. |
| 1:46 | ænd nathanael cwæð to hym. mæg ænig þing gödes beon of nazareth. Philippus cwæð to hym; cum ænd ge-seoh. |
| 1:47 | Ða ge-seah se hælend nathanael to hym cumende. & cwæð be hym. her ys isrælisc wer. on þam nys nan facn. |
| 1:48 | Þa cwæð nathanael to hym. hwanon cuðest ðu me. þa andswerede se halend ænd cwæð to hym. Ic ge-seah þe þa þu wære under þam fic-treowe. ær þam þe philippus þe cleopede. |
| 1:49 | Hym answerede þa nathanael ænd þus cwæð. Rabbi þu eart godes sune. ænd þu eart israele kyng. |
| 1:50 | Ða cwæð se hælend to hym. þu ge-sihst mare þonne þis syo. for-þan þe þu ge-lyfdest. Ða ic cwæð þæt ic ge-sæwe þe under þam fich-treowe. |
| 1:51 | ænd he sægde heom. Soð ic eow segge ge geseoð opene heofones. & godes engles up-stigende & niðer-stigende. ofer mannes sune. |
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)