1:28 εν Βηθανια εγενετο (took
place in Bethany) {C}
The Byzantine tradition
is split between the place names Bethany (εν Βητανια) and Bethabara
(εν Βηθαβαρα). The
former has the predominant early attestation (𝔓66 𝔓75 01* 02
03 04* etc.), whereas the latter is found in the Textus Receptus (012
042 029vid 044c etc.). The variation was known
to Origen, who preferred Bethabara both on etymological grounds (‘House of
Preparation’) and because of local tradition on his visit to the area, when he
was unable to identify a ‘Bethany across the Jordan.’ Given the predominance of
the place name Bethany in the gospels, it is possible that a copyist
substituted it for the less common Bethabara. Alternatively, Origen’s choice
may have influenced the later manuscripts (compare Matt. 8:28 above). The
balance between these two possibilities makes for uncertainty, although the
manuscript support for Bethany leads to its adoption. (H. A. G. Houghton, A Textual
Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion to the Sixth Edition of the
United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament [Stuttgart: Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft, 2025], 200)
