When the reasons of general stemmatics do not offer a decisive contribution, “internal” textual criticism—intended as a methodological consideration of the variants’ etiology, genesis, and diffusion—should be more systematically developed. Thus, the editor must focus on the examinatio, analyse all variants, and choose the best reading on the basis of internal criteria, since it is not possible to establish the text with the support of a mechanical recensio. For this reason, we can learn much from the tradition of textual scholarship applied to the New Testament. In such a context, on the one hand use of the genealogical method is significantly limited as the result of varying levels of contamination (non-linear textual transmission, conflate readings); on the other hand, the Lachmann-based stemmatic method cannot be fully applied, because it is not possible to demonstrate or identify an archetype, that is, the textual origin of the entire tradition.34 Although these dynamics are most evident in the context of biblical texts, they are not exclusive to that context. Among other branches of modern philology, the duty of the specific dynamics of textual transmission of early Italian texts can only benefit from the application of methodologies developed by the textual scholarship of the New Testament.
Historical Notes on Textual Scholarship: The Lectio Brevior Potior Rule
Zaccarello
2021-01-01
Abstract
When the reasons of general stemmatics do not offer a decisive contribution, “internal” textual criticism—intended as a methodological consideration of the variants’ etiology, genesis, and diffusion—should be more systematically developed. Thus, the editor must focus on the examinatio, analyse all variants, and choose the best reading on the basis of internal criteria, since it is not possible to establish the text with the support of a mechanical recensio. For this reason, we can learn much from the tradition of textual scholarship applied to the New Testament. In such a context, on the one hand use of the genealogical method is significantly limited as the result of varying levels of contamination (non-linear textual transmission, conflate readings); on the other hand, the Lachmann-based stemmatic method cannot be fully applied, because it is not possible to demonstrate or identify an archetype, that is, the textual origin of the entire tradition.34 Although these dynamics are most evident in the context of biblical texts, they are not exclusive to that context. Among other branches of modern philology, the duty of the specific dynamics of textual transmission of early Italian texts can only benefit from the application of methodologies developed by the textual scholarship of the New Testament.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
