A tale of two sons: But which one did the far, far better thing? A study of Matthew-XXI,28-32 (Examining a newly resurfaced manuscript tradition from'Codex Sinaiticus' in support of a pre-Matthean variant reading)

The parable of the Two Sons occurs in three variant textual forms. Despite the tendency among commentators to follow the Nestle-Aland text, which is b ased on the Sinaiticus textual form, the strong support in the tradition fo r each type of variant reading requires the textual question be reassessed. It is argued that although the Sinaiticus reading represents the pre-Matth ean form of the parable, it was Matthew, and not a later scribe, who change d the order of the sons in order to privilege the second son. This aligns w ith the evangelist's concern to depict the rejection and replacement of the Jewish leadership. Yet, although the Vaticanus reading reflects the authen tic Matthean form of the parable, the earlier Sinaiticus form resurfaced an d intruded itself back into the MSS tradition.