A Flock of Synonyms? John 21:15–17 in Greek and Latin Tradition

This chapter provides a contribution both to New Testament textual criticism and to the history of exegesis in the early Church, by investigating the transmission of these verses in Greek manuscripts and their treatment in Latin versions, together with the text and comments of Christian writers in each tradition. Latin translations of the Bible were frequently revised against Greek witnesses as well as other Latin copies. The culminating revision of the Gospels was that carried out by Jerome in 382-383, which later became accepted as the Vulgate. The different Greek words for "flock" each have their Latin counterparts. To summarise, the earliest Old Latin versions seem to take a very loose approach to the Greek. The variety already encountered among the Latin translations makes the textual evidence of Latin commentators more difficult to assess. Earlier sources reproduce features which match the oldest versions.