Freer Logion in Codex Washingtonianus
The ending “of the Gospel of Mark” with interpolation of the Freer logion.
The Washington Manuscript is part of the Freer Collection of manuscripts. These manuscripts are in Greek and date from about the 4th or 5th century AD.
History
The codex was purchased by Charles Lang Freer on a trip to Egypt in November 1906. It is located in the Smithsonian Institution at the Freer Gallery of Art (06. 274) in Washington, D.C., United States of America
Description
The codex is a book of 187 leaves of 20.5-21cm by 13-14.5cm with painted wooden covers, consisting of 26 quires (four to eight leaves). The text is written in one column per page, 30 lines per page. There are numerous corrections made by the original scribe and a few corrections dating to the late 5th or 6th century.
Freer Logion
The ending of Mark in this codex is especially noteworthy because it includes a unique insertion after Mark 16:14, referred to as the “Freer Logion”. This text does not appear in any other manuscript, but was partially quoted by Jerome.
Freer’s logion, found in the Codex Washingtonianus, is interpolated between verses 14 and 15. Joachim Jeremias notes that this codex presents the extended finale of Mark (Mark 16:1-8 and Mark 16:9-20) by incorporating a dialogue between the resurrected Jesus Christ and his disciples: whereas in Mark 16:14 Jesus’ rebuke of their unbelief is immediately followed by the commissioning, the disciples blame Satan and invoke the Parousia. Christ replies that Satan’s power has come to an end. The commissioning is then mentioned.
The Text reads:
And they excused themselves, saying, “This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirits [or: does not allow what lies under the unclean spirits to understand the truth and power of God]. Therefore, reveal thy righteousness now” – thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, “The term of years of Satan’s power has been fulfilled, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was delivered over to death, that they may inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness which is in heaven.
