Michael Swift on 8 'holies' in Revelation 4:8 - Trisagion

Steven Avery

Administrator
LaParola
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Hoskier (no Andreas)
Schmid
NA-28
 

Steven Avery

Administrator
Oecumenius analysis

Villiers


And

https://www.academia.edu/11317241/N...3aOIPppba40N5b-wCdrCpIiO2ApQlHeRChEjWygQrP7Qo

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Steven Avery

Administrator
Crazy Readings of Codex Sinaiticus
LJ Thriepland
https://www.followintruth.com/crazy-readings-of-codex-sinaiticus

REVELATION 4:8

This is a verse that includes a triadic declaration. Holy Holy Holy. 3 times the Greek word Ἅγιος (Hagios) is repeated.

The KJV has Holy, holy, holy.



Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. KJV

The triadic holy holy holy is found in all major Bibles, including but not limited to the NIV, ESV, NASB, NET Bible, ISV, ASV, ERV and youngs literal Bible.

The reading is found in the Westcott and Hort text

καὶ τὰ τέσσερα ζῷα, ἓν καθ’ ἓν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ, κυκλόθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς λέγοντες Ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος Κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος.

The Greek of the UBS 4 and the Nestle Aland 27 text both read the same with Ἅγιος repeated 3 times.

καὶ τὰ τέσσερα / τέσσαρα ζῷα, ἓν καθ’ ἓν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ, κυκλόθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς λέγοντες Ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος Κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος.



In codex Sinaiticus, however, Ἅγιος (Holy) is repeated 8 times.

The verse is written as follows

και αναπαυϲιν ουχ εξοϲαν ημεραϲ και νυκτοϲ λεγοντεϲ αγιοϲ · αγιοϲ · αγιοϲ · αγιοϲ · αγιοϲ · αγιοϲ ˙ αγιοϲ αγιοϲ κϲ ┬ θϲ παντοκρατωρ · ο ην και ο ων και ο ερχομενοϲ”

We can put aside the the fact that this is NOT a scribal copyist error. You don’t write a word 8 times instead of 3 as a mistake. EVEN allowing for a very unlikely repeat of the 3 words this would still only allow for a maximum of 6 times and if we allowed for the copyist to somehow have repeated it 3 times we would come to a total of 9 repetitions not 8. The obvious fact is this was a deliberate and conscious decision that the scribe made to include the word 8 times. This, then is not a scribal error but a deliberate scribal alteration.

It is interesting that the UBS and Nestle Aland text do not include the 8 repetitions, especially as so much authority is given to this manuscript along with Vaticanus. The fact that the entire book of Revelation is missing from Vaticanus so we have no reading at all in this verse from the manuscript to counter the reading of Sinaiticus. This then would make the none inclusion of the 8 fold repetition found in Sinaiticus a dishonest exclusion, especially when we take into consideration the longer ending of Mark and the authority given to these 2 manuscripts there.

Now, although I cannot in any way prove a direct connection, and there may well not actually be one, it must at least be noted that there is a possibility that this is an Octoecho or at least an allusion to one, which was not developed as a concept until much later with John of Damascus in the 7th or 8th century.

If this is, in fact, an Octoecho then this would categorically rule out Sinaiticus from being a 4th century manuscript.
 

Steven Avery

Administrator

Feb 11, 2020#5
I did a little research into the term "octoechos." seems to me that Mr. Swift's description of the term is found wanting. It makes sense. Why would the *nine* "Ἅγιος" be called "octoechos?"

Here are some portions of articles:
Octœchos is the name of a service-book used in the Greek Church. It consists of two volumes (folio), and contains the particular hymns and services for every day of the week, a portion of the daily service being appropriated to some saint or festival besides those marked in the calendar.[1]
[1] John M’Clintock and James Strong, “Octœchos,” Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1894), 295.

Octoechos (Gk. ὀκτώηχος [βίβλος], ‘the book of eight tones’). A liturgical book in the E. Church which contains the variable parts of services on Sundays and weekdays when these services are not taken wholly from one of the other service books—the *Triodion, the *Pentecostarion, or the *Menaion. There are eight sets of tones (ὀκτὼ ἦχοι), one for each week, these variable parts recurring every eight weeks in the same order; hence the name. The cycle of tones begins on the Sunday after *Easter. This book is also known as the Paracleticē (Gk. παρακλητική, from παρακαλεῖν, to supplicate).[1]

[1] F. L. Cross and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 1180.

It has nothing to do with Revelation 4:8. I have a Byzantine Lectionary and I looked through the "Octoechos" services. They do not include Revelation 4:8 in any of the scripture readings. (Why am I not surprised?)
 
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