Mark 1:2

ἐν τῷ Ἡσαίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ ([51][52][53][54][55] 33, Latt. Syrr. Memph. Goth.) rather than ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ([56][57][58][59][60][61] etc., Aeth.), which is an obvious correction. For a similar reason Bas. Epiph. Victorin. omit Ἰδοὺ … τὴν ὀδόν σου, as not being in Isaiah.

[51] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[52] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[53] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[54] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[55] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.
[56] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[57] Codex Basiliensis. 8th cent. At Basle.

[58] Codex Boreelianus. Once in the possession of John Boreel. 9th cent. At Utrecht. Contains Mk 1–41; Mark 2:8-23; Mark 3:5 to Mark 11:6; Mark 11:27 to Mark 14:54; Mark 15:6-39; Mark 16:19-20.

[59] Codex Seidelianus II. 9th or 10th cent. Contains Mark 1:1-31; Mark 2:4 to Mark 15:43; Mark 16:14-20.

[60] Codex Cyprius. 9th cent. One of the seven uncials which have the Gospels complete, the others being אBMSUΩ. At Paris.

[61] Codex Campianus. 9th cent. At Paris. Gospels complete.

2. καθὼς γέγραπται. Even as it stands written. The difference between καθὡς and ὡς (which many texts have here) is worth noting, and γέγραπται has the full force of the Greek perf., abiding result of past action. This formula of quotation (Mark 9:13; Mark 14:21) is freq. in LXX. and N.T., esp. in the Pauline Epp. In the Hellenistic world, γέγραπται was “the formula with which people referred to the terms of an unalterable agreement” (Deissmann, St Paul, p. 103, Bible Studies, pp. 112, 249). The καθώς has Mark 1:4 as its real apodosis, and the meaning is that John’s preaching was an exact fulfilment of prophecy, and therefore a confirmation of the Messiahship of Jesus.

ἐν τῷ Ἡσαίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ. See critical note. As Origen points out, the words which follow are a conflation of two prophecies, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Here Mt. and Lk. agree against Mk in quoting Isaiah only, the Malachi prophecy being given in a different connexion (Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:27). All three Evangelists illustrate the facility with which N.T. writers transfer words, which in the O.T. refer to Jehovah, to Christ. In Malachi, Jehovah speaks of Himself, here of His Son. It was one of Porphyry’s criticisms that the attributing of both prophecies to Isaiah was a blunder. It may be due to lapse of memory. But collections of Messianic texts seem to have been common, and Mk may be quoting from one in which a series of texts from Isaiah was preceded by this one from Malachi, and he may not have noticed the change of author. The existence of such collections is indicated by the fact that the same combinations of texts are found in different writers. Hatch, Essays in Bibl. Grk, p. 204. Nowhere else does Mk himself quote Scripture (Mark 15:28 is not genuine), for the O.T. would not greatly interest Gentile readers. Where the O.T. is quoted by others, there is generally fairly close agreement with LXX., but with the text of cod. [186] rather than with that of our oldest uncial [187] Here there are several divergences, LXX. having ἰδοὺ ἐξαποστέλλω τ. ἄγγ. μου, καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου μου. In all three Synoptists the first half of the quotation seems to be influenced by Exodus 23:20, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ�. ἄγγ. μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ἵνα φυλάξῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ.

[186] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[187] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.