John 1:28

John 1:28 evn Bhqani,a| evge,neto {C}

The earliest and most widely attested reading is Bhqani,a|. Origen, who in his travels was unable to locate a Bethany by the Jordan, adopted the reading Bhqabara|/, which he apparently found in a few copies current in his day (he declares that Bhqani,a| is the reading of “nearly all the manuscripts”), and to which he was attracted because of what he regarded as an edifying etymology: “The etymology of the name [Bethabara] corresponds with the baptism of him who made ready for the Lord a people prepared for him; for it yields the meaning ‘House of preparation,’ ⁵ while Bethany means ‘House of obedience.’ Where else was it fitting that he should baptize, who was sent as a messenger before the face of Christ, to prepare his way before him, but at the ‘House of preparation’?” ⁶ John Chrysostom, perhaps following Origen, also declares that instead of Bethany the “more accurate of the copies” read Bethabara; for, he explains, “Bethany is neither beyond the Jordan nor in the desert, but is somewhere near Jerusalem.” A majority of the Committee favored Bhqani,a| on the basis of (a) age and distribution of evidence, as well as (b) the consideration that, if Bhqabara|/ were original, there is no adequate reason why it should have been altered to Bhqani,a|.

⁵ Origen is misinformed; actually the meaning of Bethabara appears to be “House [or Place] of passing over.”

⁶ Commentary on John, bk. vi, § 24 (40). In the manuscripts of Origen’s Comentary the spelling of Bethabara varies, reading Bhqara|/, Baqara|/, or Bhqaraba|/. The last mentioned form, found also in a^b syr^hmg, is an orthographical variant (by metathesis) of Bhqabara|/.