06_Biblica_1_D_Callan_Layout 1 05/11/12 12:20 Pagina 443 443 READING THE EARLIEST COPIES OF 2 PETER does not say that their speech originated in God as the likely orig- inal text does. 2) In 2,11 Sinaiticus has para kw (before the Lord) while the probable original text has para kuriou (from the Lord). The latter says that angels do not bring a slanderous judgment from the Lord, but Sinaiticus denies that angels bring a slanderous judg- ment before the Lord. This avoids any suggestion that God might be the source of a slanderous judgment. 3) In 2,13 Sinaiticus has komioumenoi (receiving) while the likely original text has adik- oumenoi (being wronged). Sinaiticus avoids all suggestion that the fate of the false teachers is unjust in any way. b) A clear and explicit text A number of other features of 2 Peter in Codex Sinaiticus make the meaning of the likely original text clearer and/or more explicit. Thus in 1,4 Sinaiticus speaks of having escaped thn en tw kosmw epiqumian fqoraj (the desire for corruption in the world) rather than thj en tw kosmw en epiqumia fqoraj (the corruption in the world by desire) as in the likely original text. The latter is a more complex and ambiguous expression than the former. The former makes it clear that desire for corruption is what needs to be escaped. This is in harmony with 2,10 which speaks of desire for defilement. In 1,5 Sinaiticus has kai auto de touto (and indeed this very thing) while the probable original text has kai auto touto de (and for this very reason = therefore). In Sinaiticus auto ... touto is probably to be understood as the object of pareisenegkantej (having brought in beside) and in apposition to spoudhn (eager- ness); in the probable original text auto touto is an adverbial ac- cusative introducing vv. 5-7 as the apodosis of the sentence in vv. 3-7 29. In Sinaiticus vv. 5-7 can also be understood as the apodosis of the sentence, but one that has no introductory phrase. The ex- pression in Sinaiticus is probably easier to understand than that in the likely original text. The latter seems to be unique in Greek lit- erature, but the former is found in a few other places. In 1,10 Sinaiticus has ina dia twn kalwn ergwn (in order that through good works) after spoudasate (be eager), something not found in the probable original text. This makes explicit that the ad- 29 On this see T. CALLAN, “The Syntax of 2 Peter 1:1-7”, CBQ 67 (2005) 632-640.