Anna Pessina: The use of Patristic literature for the reconstruction of the New Testament. A case study: Matt 27:51-53.

Patristic quotations from the New Testament are
so copious that some scholars have asserted that they alone could be sufficient
to reconstruct the entire text of the Gospels (Metzger, Ehrman 2005). However,
the indirect tradition that includes Patristic quotations and allusions from
the Bible in the Fathers, versions, and lectionaries is not considered in
critical editions of the New Testament. The Patristic literature is, therefore,
evaluated only when the direct tradition cannot confirm a variant. This paper
postulates the relevance of Patristic literature to the reconstruction of the
early text of the New Testament. It analyses the quotations of the Fathers from
Matt 27:51-53, which describe the cosmic phenomena at Jesus’ death. The
analysis proves the existence of a different recension of v. 53, probably more
ancient then the canonical one. This recension is well attested in the
Christian writers of the second and third centuries, but is not recorded in the
direct tradition. In light of this case study, I suggest the possibility of a
new critical methodology, which systematically reconsiders Patristic quotations
in order to reconstruct the primary text of the New Testament.