8/7/2021 1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

- Reading Acts

Reading Acts
Some Thoughts on the Book of Acts and Pauline Theology

(https://readingacts.com/)

(mailto:)

 Phillip J. Long (https://readingacts.com/author/plong42/)

 January 14, 2020 (https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/)

 1 Comment (https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/#comments)

1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father,

Son and Holy Spirit?
(https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-
john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-
and-holy-spirit/)
The one who overcomes the world believes that Jesus is the Son of God (5:6). John uses the full title of Jesus as the
“Son of God.” He has described Jesus and the Father throughout the letter. In 1:3 our fellowship is with God the Father
and with “Jesus Christ his son.” In the previous paragraph John stated the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the
world and that God will abide only those who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God (4:13-16).

ButPrivacy
there &isCookies:
a bit of This site uses cookies.
controversy over theBytext
continuing to use
of 1 John this
5:7. website, you
Compare theagree
KJV to their
with anyuse.

modern translation” The KJV

To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy (https://automattic.com/cookies/)
reads “testify in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.” These words do not appear
in most modern translations although they are usually in a footnote. The verse seems like solid proof text for the doctrine
Close and accept
of the Trinity. So why do the words not appear in any modern translation?

https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/ 1/5
8/7/2021 1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? - Reading Acts

Some later manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate had “testify in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these
three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth:” These words were not in any Greek manuscript before the
fourteenth century and did not appear in Latin Bibles until after AD 800. Likely
this was a marginal comment which was introduced to the text by a scribe who
thought it ought to be inserted. He was either mistaken, or thought it was a god
place for a solid Trinity reference and he added it in.

The handful of Greek manuscripts which did have the words were influenced
by the reading in the Latin Bible. Erasmus omitted the line from his first two
editions of his Greek New Testament, and was criticized by Catholic scholars
who used the Vulgate as a proof text for the doctrine of the Trinity.

Erasmus told his critics that if even one Greek manuscript could be found with
the line, he would add it to the next edition. A manuscript was quickly prepared
(codex 61, the work of a Franciscan monk named Froy or Roy), and Erasmus
added the line to the next addition of his GNT, although with a note explaining that he doubted the line was genuine. The
four manuscripts that support the longer reading are ms. 61 (sixteenth century), ms. 88 (twelfth century), ms. 629
(fourteenth or fifteenth century), and ms. 635 (eleventh-century manuscript with the passage written in its margin during
the seventeenth century).

Metzger reports that codex 61, which is housed at the library of Trinity College in Dublin, “almost opens of its own accord
to 1 John 5–so often has it been consulted on this passage!” (The Text of the New Testament, 101, note 5). However,
Peter Malik says the manuscript has an abundance of marginal notes added by two different hands after the codex was
produced (in Hixson and Gurry, Myths and Mistakes, 158).

What does it matter? This is not a case of removing the Trinity from the Bible as some more conspiracy-minded people
might suggest. This is a good example of textual critics doing their job and determining the most accurate form of
the text from the existing variants. The doctrine of the Trinity does not stand (or fall) on 1 John 5:7. In fact, 1 John 5:6
mentions the Son and the Spirit together with God in verse 8. There are plenty of examples of Father-Son equality in the
Gospel of John.

Does the lack of the words “the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one” change any Christian’s
faith in the Trinity?  If it does, then that faith was thin to begin with.

Like this:
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

Loading...
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy (https://automattic.com/cookies/)

Close and accept

 Epistles of John (https://readingacts.com/category/epistles-of-john/)

 1 John (https://readingacts.com/tag/1-john/), Epistles of John (https://readingacts.com/tag/epistles-of-john/),
Letters of John (https://readingacts.com/tag/letters-of-john/)

https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/ 2/5
8/7/2021 1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? - Reading Acts

← 1 John 4:16-21 – How is Love Perfected? 1 John 5:7-8 – What Does John Mean by the Water and the
(https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-416-21-how-is- Blood? → (https://readingacts.com/2020/01/15/1-john-57-8-
love-perfected/) what-does-john-mean-by-the-water-and-the-blood/)

One thought on “1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the

Father, Son and Holy Spirit?”
VRS

 January 15, 2020 (https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/#comment-6936

3)

You’ve given an account which used to be common, but has been challenged on certain details – perhaps minor ones.

The version you give sounds very much like Metzger’s, but he had picked it up and repeated it from several
predecessors. In particular, the idea that Erasmus made a promise to include the Comma in subsequent editions to the
first two, has been found to be on uncertain grounds – he seems simply to have pointed out that he hadn’t seen any
Greek manuscripts with the Comma, and so hadn’t included it in his original edition(s); his reasons for including it later
editions differ from the “promise” story – he hadn’t said that he “would” do this, but, you’re correct to say that he felt
pressure to do so from various conservative critics, and he writes about this.

There is also no record that has been found in Erasmus’ writings, as far as I’m aware, that he stated that he thought that
minuscule Gregory 61 had been produced expressly to force him to include the Comma; he did suspect that the
manuscript had been prepared from Latin versions which included the Comma, and so was critical of it, but as far as I’m
aware, he did not say that it had been produced to confound him or force him to do anything.

These points are addressed in detail by HJ De Jonge in, Erasmus and the Comma Johanneum, in Ephemerides
Theologicae Lovanienses, 1980, t. 56, fasc. 4, pp. 381-389. This can be accessed here:
http://www.verhoevenmarc.be/PDF/Comma-Johanneum-DeJonge.pdf (http://www.verhoevenmarc.be/PDF/Comma-
Johanneum-DeJonge.pdf)
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

To find out
Perhaps more,
there hasincluding how toanswer
been some control cookies,
to thesesee here: in
points Cookie Policy (https://automattic.com/cookies/)
the intervening period, but I have not come across any.

Close and accept

Loading...

Reply

https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/ 3/5
8/7/2021 1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? - Reading Acts

Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,743 other subscribers

Email Address

Subscribe

Search …

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phillip J. Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages.
He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in
New Testament from Andrews University. His dissertation was published as Jesus the Bridegroom
(http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Bridegroom-Eschatological-Wedding-Synoptic/dp/1620329573/) by Pickwick Books
(https://wipfandstock.com/store/Jesus_the_Bridegroom_The_Origin_of_the_Eschatological_Feast_as_a_Wedding_Banq
uet_in_the_Synoptic_Gospels) in 2012. His most recent book is Galatians: Freedom through God’s Grace
(https://www.amazon.com/Galatians-Freedom-through-Gods-Grace/dp/1532671202/) (Wipf & Stock, 2019).

PrivacyInformation:
Contact & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing
plong42@gmail.com to use this website, you agree to their use.

(mailto:plong42@gmail.com)
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy (https://automattic.com/cookies/)

Close and accept

https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/ 4/5
8/7/2021 1 John 5:7 – What Happened to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? - Reading Acts

Home (https://readingacts.com/) About Reading Acts (https://readingacts.com/about/) Biblical Studies Carnival Master
List (https://readingacts.com/biblical-studies-carnival-master-list/) Israel Trips (https://readingacts.com/israel-trips/)

WordPress.com (https://wordpress.com/? Tw

ref=footer_custom_com).
(htt

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy (https://automattic.com/cookies/)

Close and accept

https://readingacts.com/2020/01/14/1-john-57-what-happened-to-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/ 5/5