From the Introduction to the Antoniades 1904 Greek Patriarchal Edition,
as translated in John Merle Rife, "The Antoniades Greek New Testament,"
in E. C. Colwell and D. W. Riddle, eds., _Prolegomena to the Study of
the Lectionary Text of the Gospels_, Studies in the Lectionary Text of
the Greek New Testament, vol. 1 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1933), 57-62.

[Regarding passages in small print or other specialized type, pp.
60-61; the abbreviations MS and MSS represent "manuscript" and 
"manuscripts" respectively]:

Such was the critical procedure, however, that, except in punctuation
and orthography, no criticism was made of the authority of the text of
the MSS. There was no transposition, substitution, addition, or
excision, except in rare cases, and these with sufficient testimony
elsewhere. The rule was to prefer the non-Byzantine text .... Where the
judgment was doubtful concerning the addition or excision of a word or
clause it was included in small type. Use was also made of small type
in a few passages which have no attestation in the church texts, yet
were preserved as exceptions on the ground that they were sufficiently
well attested elsewhere. The pericope of the adulterous woman, John
8:3-11, altho [sic] not included in the series of daily readings of
this Gospel, is nevertheless found in a sufficient number of the
Menologia ... that it was printed in regular type, with very few
variations from the MSS in which it is found.

It is otherwise with the passage on the "three witnesses" in I
John 5:7,8. It did not appear possible to include this, either by the
principles of the present edition or by way of exception, since it is
entirely unattested in church texts, in the fathers and teachers of the
Eastern Church, in the ancient versions, in the older MSS of the Slavic
version, or even in the Latin, or in any known Greek MS written
indepenently of this addition, which was introduced gradually into the
Vulgate. It is retained upon the opinion of the Holy Synod.

                             - end -
