The Bezan Text of Acts: A Contribution of Discourse Analysis to Textual Criticism

The Bezan ('Western') text of Acts is traditionally dismissed as the work of an enthusiastic and fanciful scribe who embellished the original text represented by the Alexandran manuscripts. This study compares the language of Codex Bezae with that of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, using the approach of discourse analysis to re-assess how variant readings have arisen. It emerges that the language patterns of the Alexandrian text are variable and the focus of its message historical. In contrast, the Bezan text displays an exceptional degree of lingusitic consistency and a coherence of purpose which is essentially theological, with a marked interest in a Jewish point of view. The conclusion is that Bezan is the earlier of the two texts.