Western non-interpolations

Western non-interpolations is a term coined by John Anthony Hort|F. J. A. Hort] for certain phrases that are absent in the Western text-type of New Testament manuscripts, but present in one of the two major other text-types. The Alexandrian text-type is generally terse or concise; the Western text-type is larger and paraphrased at places ; the Byzantine text-type is a combination of those two. Nevertheless, the Western text is in certain places shorter than the Alexandrian text. All these shorter readings Hort named Western non-interpolations. Because New Testament scholars have generally preferred the shorter reading – lectio brevior – of textual variants since the 19th century, [Brooke Foss Westcott|B. F. Westcott] and F. J. A. Hort concluded that these shorter readings in Western manuscripts represented the authentic original Biblical text. When they printed The New Testament in the Original Greek, in almost all cases, it followed the Alexandrian text with the few exceptions that use these Western non-interpolations instead. According to Westcott and Hort, on some rare occasions Western textual witnesses have preserved the original text, against all other witnesses.

Alleged Western non-interpolations

;Nine probable non-interpolations
Westcott and Hort concluded that the shorter Western reading of these nine passages were probably in the original text of the New Testament:

Matthew 27:49 – ἄλλος δὲ λαβὼν λόγχην ἔνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευράν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὕδωρ καὶ αἷμα ; it was omitted also in late witness of the Alexandrian text-type in Minuscule 892
Luke 22:19b-20 – τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διδόμενον... τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχυννόμενον, omitted by D, a, d, ff², i, l
Luke 24:3 – τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, omitted by D, a, b, d, e, ff², l, [Codex Usserianus Primus|r¹],
Luke 24:6 – οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλ ἠγέρθη, omitted by D, a, b, d, e, ff², l, r¹, arm^mss, geo^B
Luke 24:12 – entire verse omitted by D, a, b, d, e, l, r¹
Luke 24:36 – καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, omitted by D, a, b, d, e, ff², l, r¹
Luke 24:40 – καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας, omitted by D, a, b, d, e, ff², l, r¹, syr^sin, syr^cur
Luke 24:51 – καὶ ἀνεφέρετο εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, omitted by א*, D, a, b, d, e, ff², l,, sin geo¹
Luke 24:52 – προσκυνήσαντες αὐτὸν, omitted by D, a, b, d, e, ff², l, sin, geo²

;Twelve possible but improbable non-interpolations
Westcott and Hort concluded that the shorter Western reading of these twelve passages were possibly in the original text of the New Testament, but it is more likely that they emerged later as a shortening of the original text:

Matt. 9:34 – οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον ἐν τᾡ ἂρχωντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια, omitted by D, a, d, k, sin, Hilary
Matt. 21:44 – entire verse omitted by ?¹⁰⁴, D, 33, a, b, d, e, ff¹, ff², r¹, syr^sin, Irenaeus, Origen
Mark 2:22
Mark 14:39 – τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον εἰπών, omitted by D, a, b, c, d, ff², k,
Luke 5:39 – entire verse omitted by D, a, b, c, d, e, ff², l, r¹
Luke 10:41–42 – instead μεριμνας και θορυβαζη περι πολλα, ολιγων δε εστιν χρεια Μαριαμ γαρ has only θορυβαζη with
Luke 12:19
Luke 12:21 – entire verse omitted by D, a, b, d
Luke 12:39
Luke 22:62 – entire verse omitted by a, b, e, ff², i, l, r¹
John 3:32
John 4:9 – ου γαρ συγχρωνται Ιουδαιοι Σαμαριταις, omitted by א*, D, a, b, d, e, j, cop^fay

;Six improbable non-interpolations
Westcott and Hort concluded that, although these six passages are shorter in the Western text-type, the longer versions were very likely in the original text of the New Testament:

Matt. 6:15
Matt. 6:25
Matt. 13:33
Matt. 23:26
Mark 10:2 – προσελθοντες Φαρισαιοι, or προσελθοντες οι Φαρισαιοι, omitted by D, a, b, d, k, r¹, syr^sin
Luke 24:9 – απο του μνημειου, omitted by D, a, b, c, d, e, ff², l, r¹, arm, geo

;Other possible non-interpolations

Matt. 6:15 – τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, omitted by א D 1-118-205-209-1582, 22, 892*, a, aur, c, ff¹, g¹, syr^h
Matt. 13:33 – ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς omitted by D, d,, sin, syr^cur
Rom. 6:16 – εις θανατον omitted by D, 1739*, d, r, am, pesh, sa, arm^mss, Ambrosiaster
Matt. 23:26 – καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, found in: B, C, L, W, 33, Byz, cop; but omitted by D, Q, 1-118-209-1582, 700, a, d, e, ff¹, r¹, sin, geo, Irenaeus^lat, Clement
Rom. 10:21 – και αντιλεγοντα, omitted by F, G, g, Ambrosiaster, Hilary
Rom. 16:20 – η χαρις του κυριου ημων Ιησου μεθ υμων omitted, by D*^vid, F, G, d, f, g, m, bodl Ambrosiaster Pelagius^ms
Rom. 16:25-27 – verses omitted by F, G, 629, d**?, g, goth?, Jerome^mss
1 Cor. 15:3 – ο και παρελαβον, omitted by b, Ambrosiaster, Irenaeus^lat, Tertullian?
1 Cor. 15:15 – ειπερ αρα νεκροι ουκ εγειρονται, omitted by D, a, b, r, bam, ful**, harl*, kar, mon, reg, val*, pesh, Ambrosiaster, Irenaeus, Tertullian?
2 Cor. 10:12-13 – ου συνιασιν. ημεις δε omitted, by D*, F, G, a, b, d, f, Ambrosiaster
1 Tim. 5:19 – εκτος ει μη επι δυο η τριων μαρτυρων, omitted by b, Ambrosiaster, Pelagius, Cyprian

Influence on the New Testament editions

The "Western non-interpolations" were not included in the main text of Westcott-Hort edition, but were instead moved to the footnotes. The editions of Nestle and Nestle-Aland did the same. In 1968, "the editorial committee decided to abandon the theories of Westcott-Hort and the Western non-interpolations." Since 1968 they are included in the main text, but marked with brackets.
Ehrman claimed that Westcott and Hort's observations still largely held merit, although he suggested that a better term for the alleged longer readings would be "non-Western interpolations". He made a case that most of the longer readings in non-Western witnesses had an anti-docetic character. This might be the reason why they were deleted by docetic Christians in Western manuscripts, but more likely, why they were added to non-Western texts by anti-docetic Christians at a very early stage. Whereas scholars such as Aland and Fitzmyer have maintained that new findings such as ?⁷⁵ have refuted Hort's hypothesis, Ehrman concluded they are in line with what Hort expected, and don't undermine his argument.