LISTEN and READ: The Prologue of the Gospel of John according to CODEX VATICANUS Koine pronunciation
Updated: Nov 9, 2020
One of the most rewarding things about jumping in to the world of ancient manuscripts is that you start to see the text the way the ancients did. In some cases, this means dividing the sections of the text more in line with the way the ancients did and less in line with the way we are accustomed to as moderns. As Peter Williams points out, this is the case for the divisions associated with the prologue of the Gospel of John. Although many modern translations place the division at the end of verse 18, this does not appear to have been the division in the early church. Not all early witnesses are the same, but none of them seem to treat John 1:1–1:18 as the "prologue". Codex Vaticanus, for example, has a gap after verse 17 (and after 5), reflecting a large division of John 1:1–17.
You can see this clearly in the image from The Vaticanus Bible: Gospels with chapter/verse references in the margin below. Jump back into the world of the ancients by READING the text in one of its earliest ancient witnesses and LISTENING to the text in a reconstructed Koine pronunciation at the same time.
προστάται 'patrons' can download the audio of the prologue here
The Vaticanus Bible: Gospels is set to be released in roughly 1-2 weeks. Check back at KoineGreek.com for updates!