Essay 4-m
The Authenticity of the Concluding Doxology of the Lord's Prayer
Matthew
6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Luke
11:2-4
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us
day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also
forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Because the doxology of
the Lord's prayer is not included in Luke, and because it's not in
Alexandrian manuscripts and critical Greek texts, most modern
versions omit it in Matthew (the NASV retains it in parentheses,
indicating a question of its authenticity). But scholars never seem
to grasp the fact that each gospel has unique aspects, and if all
were exactly the same, there would be no need for all four of them.
Actually, each gospel amplifies (expounds) aspects of another to
complete the sense of words or the picture of events. In this case
Matthew offers a logical doxology that summarizes the point of the
prayer. The power of God noted in the doxology is what makes possible
answers to the various petitions included in the prayer, and the
glory of God is what results from the answers to the petitions, while
the kingdom is the ultimate destiny sought by those who pray to God.
Nonetheless, it is not necessary to include the doxology in
the prayer in order for the disciples to understand the kind of
prayer that is acceptable to God, and Luke presents only the basics
of the matter. Matthew introduces the prayer, saying After this
manner therefore pray ye, showing that it serves as a pattern,
and does not need to be recited word-for-word. On the other hand,
Luke introduces it by saying, When ye pray say, which shows
that it can be recited word-for-word by any who are weak in the
ability to express themselves in spiritual matters, and for such
persons the doxology would be omitted to eliminate all but the
essentials of the prayer. Prayer is never limited to a formula, for
that easily becomes a meaningless ritual, but it does offer a way to
pray for those who have difficulty expressing themselves to God.
Finally, the fact that the doxology is omitted in Matthew in
Alexandrian manuscripts is no reason to omit it. These manuscripts
are noted for their shorter readings, and they represent a
chipping-away of scriptural truth that will ultimately result in loss
of many basic scriptural truths. As illustrated above, and throughout
the articles of the present website, the internal evidence, in the
form of language & context, is the crucial factor determining the
authenticity of any reading. The external evidence, manuscript
support, is subject to man's carelessness or willful distortion, a
major problem in texts of the Alexandrian type.
