Best,Excellent,Superior

As I have combed through Comfort's book :New Testament Text And Translation Commentary,I have noticed many times where he claims that a certain rendering has the best,or excellent or even superior documentary support.

He doesn't agree with NU all the time. He mostly leans on the W&H decisions. Of course on many occasions the WH and NU are in tandem. A number of times the TR,NU and WH all agree. Philip Comfort on rare occasions departs from all of the above and goes with a reading from a variant which no English translation has in its text.

I don't have the time now. But later I will review four extracts from the book of James where Comfort claims strong documentary support. Then I will ask what the Majority Text defenders will say in reply. Perhaps some will respond before I have the chance to make the case.

The portions I'd like to address are 1:19,1:26,3:8, and 5:5.

 

From the book of James

1:19

WH NU : you know (NIV has :take note of this. HCSB and NET have:understand this)

TR : so then (the KJV has 'wherefore' which has the same meaning as so then)

Comfort says that"The WH NU reading has the best documentary support...[The TR variant is a scibal attempt]to make a bbetter transition between the end of 1:18 and the beginning of 1:19." (725)

By the way,even the 1395 Wycliffe had "wite ye" which means to know.

1:26

WH NU has : anyone [who] considers [himself]to be religious

TR : anyone among you [who]considers [himself]to be religious
KJV :If any man among you seem to be religious

Comfort says:"The manuscript evidence overwhelmingly supports the WH NU reading. The variant is a scribal attempt to particularize James's comment about those who consider themselves to be religious." (726)


3:8

WH NU : restless evil
TR : an uncontrollable evil (KJV has:an unruly evil)

Comfort states:"The WH NU reading,which has superior documentation,describes the tongue as a restless evil --'a pest that will not keep still'(NJB). The variant probably shows the work of scribes attempting to make this statement dovetail with the preceding one,which speaks of how impossible it is for men to tame the tongue." (728)

5:5

WH NU : you have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter
TR : you fattened your hearts as for a day of slaughter
(KJV has :ye have nourished your hearts,as in a day of slaughter)

Comfort :"The WH NU reading has excellent support. [The variant is a]scribal attempt to clarify James's image,in which he described wealthy persons' consumption of good living as being nothing less than a fattening-up for slaughter. [The variant]with the insertion of ('as'),emphasizes that this is a simile...But if 'as' is not present, in the original text,the poetic image is still clear,as well as the allusion to the day of judgment." (732)