Jump To ECM Entry Online Commentary Introduction
Split a/b
GC: The range of A-related witnesses for a is smaller, but it includes more of the earliest in this category. On the other hand, it shows incoherencies. Variant b has a coherent majority attestation with a broad A-related basis.
TP: If the phrase includes the article, it probably refers to the city, i.e. the capital, of Samaria by its traditional name.[1] The incoherencies in the
a attestation show that the article was occasionally added independently, probably because the more concrete localization was suggested. Nevertheless, the anarthrous formulation makes sense as well and may have occurred accidentally.
[1] The Samaritan capital was called Samaria before it was named Sebaste when refounded by Herod. Another city to be considered is Neapolis. The question of which city is meant is extensively discussed in the commentaries (Barrett 402f, Jervell 259, Metzger 311, Pervo 205, and Ropes 76).
