Matthew 21: 28 - 32 as found witnessed in the Codex Sangallensis, (
sangallen56.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Page202.htm
Mt 21 28 & 29
Quid vobis videtur? Homo habebat duos filios, et accedens ad primum dixit: fili, vade hodie, operare in vinea mea. Ille autem respondens ait: nolo. Postea autem pænitentia motus abiit.
But what think you? A certain man had two sons: and coming to the firstborn, he said: Son, go work to day in my vineyard. And he answering, said: I will not. But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went.
123: 4
Waz ist íu gisehan? Sum man habeta zuene suni, inti gieng thô zi themo ériren, quad imo: sun, far hiutu inti wirki in minemo wîngarten. Her thô antlingenti quad: ni wili. After thiu mit riuw giruorit fuor thara.
Mt 21 30
Accedens autem ad alterum dixit similiter. At ille respondens ait: eo, domine, et non ivit.
And coming to the other, he said in like manner. And he answering said: I go, Sir. And he went not.
123: 5
Gieng her thô zi themo andaremo, quad imo sama. Her thô antlingenti quad: ih gân, hêrro, inti ni gieng.
Mt 21 31
Quis ex duobus fecit voluntatem patris? Dicunt:
novissimus. Dicit illis Ihesus: amen dico vobis, quia publicani et meretrices præcedent vos in regno dei.
Which of the two did the father’s will? They say to him:
The younger. Jesus saith to them: Amen I say to you that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you.
123: 6
Wedar thero zueio teta willon thes fater? Thô quadun sie:
thie iungiro. Thô quad in ther heilant: wâr sagen ih íu, thaz thie firnfollun man inti huorun furifarent íwih in gotes rihhe.
Mt 21 32a
Venit enim ad vos Iohannes in via iustitiæ, et non credidistis ei;
For John came to you in the way of justice: and you did not believe him.
123: 7a
Quam zi íu Iohannes in wege rehtes, inti ir ni giloubtut imo:
Mt 21 32b
publicani autem et meretrices crediderunt ei: vos autem videntes nec pænitentiam habuistis postea, ut crederetis ei.
But the publicans and the harlots believed him: but you, seeing it, did not even afterwards repent, that you might believe him.
123: 7b
thie firnfollun man inti thio huorun giloubtun imo: ir thô thaz gisehente ni habetut nohheina riwa after thiu, thaz ir imo giloubtit.
The first paragraph in each set is a faithful copy of Sievers transliteration of the manuscript.
the second is MY translation using as reference the Douay-Rheims Bible.
The third paragraph is the old-High-German, or Saxon dialect, as transliterated by Sievers.
You will notice that in the paragraph introduced as Mt 21 31, the word ‘novissimus’ is present, which I read, following Ephrem Syrus, as ‘the younger’, and which the Saxon scribe reads as ‘thie iungiro’.
This text had not seen the light of day between the death by martyrdom, of St Boniface of Germany, and the opening of his tomb some 400 years later, and has not been edited. Likewise, the Codex Fuldensis, which was with it, which likewise has not been edited at this point, supports this reading, which was thus the correct reading in AD540, at the hand of St Victor of Capua.
Thus we have THREE reliable and ancient witnesses which see ‘novissimus’, where someone has obviously substituted ‘primus’, not understanding the context.
It is possible that ythe culprit is the Codex Amiatinus, which also interpolates a BRITISH weather forcasting proverb into Matthew 16: 1 - 3, viz:
Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight:
red in the morning, shepherds’ warning.
It can be easily proven that this proverb only has any real reliability, about 95% that is, in Northern Britain, where the Codex Amiatinus originated.
