The bold printed portion of the above
passage is known as the Johannine Comma (“John’s clause”). Mainstream biblical
studies would like us to believe this portion is not authenticated scripture.
We are told that the “older and more reliable manuscripts” do not support this
“scribal addition.” In all, this is often used by critics to show the supposed
defectiveness of the King James Bible. After all, if the KJV includes a portion
that is not supported by the majority of Greek manuscripts, how can it be a trustworthy
translation? Hence, the newer Bible versions read as thus:
For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the
three are in agreement” (1 John 5:7-8 NIV).
“For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:7-8 NASB).
Internal Evidence: Corresponding Phrases
1st
Example
“For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three
agree in one.”
The above bold printed phrases are
corresponding phrases that seem natural, unforced, and even poetic. There are
two sets of three—one in heaven, the other in earth. There is a beautiful balance
within the passage that speaks with a still, small voice.
2nd
Example
“For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness
in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three
agree in one.”
Again, the apostle John could have
provided any number of witnesses on earth, but he chose three. A number that happens
to correspond to the triune Godhead. Another beautiful balance.
3rd Example
“For there are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and
the blood: and these three agree in one.”
Here is yet another correlation that ends
with the word “one.” The three Persons of the Godhead are “one”—meaning they
are God, unified and coequal. Accordingly, the three witnesses on earth all
agree in “one”—the Word. Sadly, not only is the Comma omitted from the newer
Bible versions, but the word “one” is also nowhere to be found at the end of
verse 8. Where is the “one” in which the witnesses agree in?
“and these
three agree” (1 John 5:7-8 ESV).
“and
the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:7-8 NIV).
“and
the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:7-8 NASB).
To
come to the point, the issue of corruption really goes beyond the Johannine
Comma. This just happens to be the passage highlighted the most in mainstream
biblical studies. But there are documented corruptions concerning 1 John 5:6
and 1 John 5:8, as well as other portions of John’s epistle, which undermine
the trustworthiness of the Greek manuscripts that people believe disproves the
KJV. It appears the academic establishment will advocate, at all costs, on
behalf of these supposed “older and more reliable manuscripts.”
Internal Evidence: Grammatical Consistency
While the English language has
gendered pronouns (he, she), there are very few gendered nouns (man, woman;
waiter, waitress) and no gendered participles (words formed from verbs). Contrariwise,
the Greek language has both gendered nouns and gendered
participles. This is important to know because the gender of both nouns and
participles need to match in the Greek. Examples of a mismatch in English would
be: “Susan is an actress just like William.” Or, “Joseph brought her own basketball
on the court.” These examples give you an idea of the sort of thing that happens
when the Comma is removed from the underlying Greek text. The Greek words for
“Spirit,” “water,” and “blood” are all neuter—neither male nor female. But the
Greek participle (that becomes the verb phrase “bear record”) and the numeral
(“three”) are masculine. This is a mismatch. Hence:
“For there are three [masculine] that
testify [masculine]: the Spirit [neuter] and the water [neuter]
and the blood [neuter]; and these three agree” (1 John 5:7-8 ESV).
You can
have a neuter word paired with both masculine and feminine, but not just
masculine. In English, that would be like saying, “Edward took the notebook
from their backpack,” when in fact he took it from his own backpack. It is a
mismatch. But when the Comma is added to the underlying Greek text, the
grammatical inconsistency disappears. Hence:
“For there are three [masculine]
that bear record [masculine] in heaven [masculine], the
Father [masculine], the Word [masculine], and the Holy Ghost
[neuter]: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness
[masculine] in earth [feminine], the Spirit [neuter],
and the water [neuter], and the blood [neuter]: and these three
agree in one” (1 John 5:7-8 KJV).
In this case, the neuter words
“Spirit,” “water,” and “blood” are now in grammatical agreement with both
the masculine verb phrase (“bear witness”) and the feminine noun (“earth”).
Once more, you can have a neuter word paired with both masculine and feminine. Also,
the masculine verb phrase in verse 8 (“bear witness”) agrees with the preceding
masculine subjects in verse 7 (“the Father” and “the Word”). It is important to
note that even though “Spirit” is neuter, it falls in line with the masculine
subjects (“the Father” and “the Word”) since it is separated by a conjunction (“and”).
In all, the rules regarding Greek syntax are satisfied. The simple fact of the
matter is that, without the Comma, the passage comes across as clumsy and inelegant.
Interestingly enough, this
grammatical issue was noted all the way back in the 4th century AD
by Gregory of Nazianzus. He wrote:
“Secondly, because he [the Apostle John] has
not been consistent in the way he has happened upon his terms; for after using
Three in the masculine gender, he [the Apostle John] adds three words which are
neuter, contrary to the definitions and laws which you and your grammarians
have laid down” (The Fifth Theological Oration. On the Holy Spirit., point XIX).
The Biggest Hang-Up for Bible Students
As mentioned earlier, the
Johannine Comma is not supported by the majority of the surviving Greek
manuscripts of the New Testament. No doubt, this seems very problematic. However,
it is important to keep in mind that God never promised to preserve
manuscripts—he promised to preserve his word. "The word of our God shall
stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8). The Apostle Peter declared the same in his
own epistle (1 Peter 1:24-25). He had made it clear that the word of God “lives”—it
is inspired. And the word of God “abides”—it is preserved. In fact, “Every word
of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5).
It should be noted that the Comma
is not entirely missing from Greek manuscripts. There are about a dozen manuscripts
that either have it in the text itself or added in the margin. This seems
insignificant in light of the 5,800 surviving Greek manuscripts, but it is
important to note that only about 500 of these contain 1 John. What’s more, there
are only about 5 manuscripts from between the 2nd and 7th centuries that
even contain the fifth chapter of John’s letter. Thankfully, God’s word isn’t
confined to Greek fragments. The Johannine Comma is found in the vast majority
of the thousands of existing Latin manuscripts.
Sadly, there is a sort of
superstition that deems scriptures in another language to be less authentic
than the ones in Greek—even though there are verifiable corruptions in the
Greek. For those who are of the “Greek only” mindset, consider the fact that
Latin was one of the most important languages even in the first century. So
much so that Pilate wrote the inscription of the cross in Hebrew, Greek, and
Latin. This is significant because there is strong reason to believe that the
Greek Gnostics had already tampered with the text. It is my belief that God
used the Latin manuscripts to pass on his word to the next generations. This is
why the Comma appeared in the English Wycliffe Bible (1382), the Geneva Bible
(1557), the French Olivetan Bible (1535), the Italian Diodati Bible (1607), and
the Russian Ostrog Bible (1581).
“Unfaithful Translators”
The Prologue to the Canonical
Epistles is a famous introduction to the General Epistles found in a
6th-century Latin Bible manuscript (Codex Fuldensis). It alludes to “unfaithful
translators” who may have tampered with the word of God:
“Just as these are properly understood
and so translated faithfully by interpreters into Latin without leaving
ambiguity for the readers nor [allowing] the variety of genres to conflict,
especially in that text where we read the unity of the trinity is placed in
the first letter of John, where much error has occurred at the hands of
unfaithful translators contrary to the truth of faith, who have kept just
the three words water, blood and spirit in this edition omitting mention of
Father, Word and Spirit in which especially the catholic faith is
strengthened and the unity of substance of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is
attested.” (The Prologue to the Canonical Epistles of Jerome; otherwise
available online at https://faithsaves.net/jerome-1-john-57/).
This leads to a serious question:
Was there any group that would have benefited by having the Comma removed from
the holy scriptures? The answer is Yes. Many students of history suspect the
Arians to be the culprits. The Arians were followers of a priest named Arius (256
AD – 336 AD) who believed Jesus was created by the Father—much like Jehovah’s
Witnesses today. Also, the Gnostics are another group that might have had
reason to corrupt the word. They interpreted the scriptures in a mystical
sense, believing secret knowledge (gnosis) as the means to achieving salvation.
While they viewed Jesus as a divine being emanating from the unknown God, they
did not believe Jesus to be coequal and coeternal with the Father. Therefore, a
group like the Arians or the Gnostics might have been motivated to tamper with the
most clear-cut passage on the triune Godhead.
Early Testimonies of the Comma: From Greek Writers
Despite the fact that the
majority of surviving Greek manuscripts do not contain the Comma, there were a
number of Greek theologians and writers who were influenced by it. Clearly, it
must have existed.
Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329 -
390 AD) references the Comma in a theological sermon he penned called Oration
45: The Second Oration on Easter. Notice that he does
not say ‘the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost’ as found in Matthew 28:19. He
specifically invokes the “Word” as found only in John’s epistle.
"Εἰ
δὲ καταλύσαιμεν ἀξίως
τοῦ πόθου, καὶ δεχθείημεν
ταῖς οὐρανίαις σκηναῖς,
τάχα σοι καὶ αὐτόθι θύσομεν δεκτὰ
ἐπὶ τὸ
ἅγιόν σου θυσιαστήριον,
ὦ Πάτερ, καὶ
Λόγε, καὶ Πνεῦμα τὸ
ἅγιον· ὅτι σοὶ πρέπει
πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ, καὶ
κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας
τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν."
"And if we are worthy of the desire,
and are received into the heavenly tabernacles, let us also offer ourselves acceptably
upon your holy altar, O Father, and Word, and Holy Spirit; for to you
belongs all glory, honor, and power, forever and ever. Amen." (Google
Translate)
Zacharias Rhetor (c. 465–after
536 AD) was a church historian and bishop of Mytilene who made a direct
reference to the Comma in his theological work called the Disputatio De
Mundi Opificio (Disputation on the Work of the World).
"Ω Δεσποτα και Δημιουργε τουδε του
παντοσ, ω Πατερ, και Λογε, και Πνευμα αγιον, ω Θεια Τριας, και
τρισση και αγια μονας."
"O Lord and Creator of all things, O
Father, and Word, and Holy Spirit, O Divine Trinity, and triune
and holy one." (Google Translate)
Andrew of Crete (c. 660–740
AD) was a theologian and the famed author of the Great Canon of
Repentance, a liturgical text and hymn in which he references the Comma.
"Υπεραρχιε, συμμορφε, πανσθενεστατη
Τριας αγια Πατερ, Λογε, Πνευμα αγιον΄ θεε, Φως, και Ζωη, φυλαττε την ποιμνην
σου."
“O Supreme, conformable, all-powerful Trinity,
Holy Father, Word, Holy Spirit, God, Light, and Life, guard your flock.”
(Google Translate)
John of Damascus (c. 675 - 749
AD), a Syrian priest, wrote a hymn in Greek in which he mentioned the
triune Godhead in the Carmina et Cantica: In Dominicam Pascha. This is
significant when one considers the fact that he could have especially cited ‘the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost’ in the context of being “baptized” (Matt.
28:19), but he invokes the “Word” in place of the “Son.”
“Πατερ παντοκρατορ, και Λογε, και Πνευμα,
τρισιν ενιζομενη εν υποστασεσι φύσις, υπερουσιε και υπερθεε, εις σε
βεβαπτισμεθα, και σε ευλογουμεν αει εις τους αιωνας.”
“Father almighty, and Word, and
Spirit, three natures united in substance, supreme and supreme God, in you
we are baptized, and we bless you forever and ever.” (Google Translate)
Early Testimonies of the Comma: From Latin Writers
There were also a number of Latin
theologians and writers who were aware of the Comma.
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
210–258 AD) was a North African bishop and theologian who referenced the
Comma in his treatise On the Unity of the Church (Treatise I). What
makes this especially significant is the fact that Cyprian’s testimony predates
the oldest known Greek and Latin manuscripts.
“Dicit Dominus, Ego et Pater unum sumus;
et iterum de Patre et Filio et Spiritu sancto scriptum est: 'Et tres unum
sunt.'”
“The Lord says, I and the Father are one;
and again it is written of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit: 'And
these three are one.'” (Google Translate)
Priscillian of Ávila (c.
340-385 AD) was a nobleman and bishop who directly referenced the Comma in
his treatise Liber Apologeticus (Book of Apology). Not only did he mention
“the Word” in the context of the triune Godhead, and the fact that the “three are
one,” but he specifically declared the Three-In-One as bearing witness “in
heaven.” Exactly like the Comma.
"Sicut Ioannes ait: Tria sunt quae
testimonium dicunt in terra: aqua caro et sanguis; et haec tria in unum sunt et
tria sunt quae testimonium dicunt in caelo: pater, verbum et spiritus; et haec
tria unum sunt in Christo Iesu."
"As John says: There are three that
bear witness on earth: water, flesh, and blood; and these three are one. And there
are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Spirit;
and these three are one in Christ Jesus." (Google Translate)
Augustine of Hippo (354
- 430 AD) was a theologian and writer who referenced the Comma in his De
Civitate Dei (The City of God). Instead of citing “the Son,” he mentions
the “Word” in the same breath as “the Holy Spirit,” along with the fact that
the “three are one.”
"Deus itaque summus et verus cum
Verbo suo et Spiritu sancto, quae tria unum sunt, Deus unus omnipotens,
creator et factor omnis animae atque omnis corporis."
"Therefore the supreme and true God
with his Word and the Holy Spirit, which three are one, is one God
almighty, creator and maker of every soul and everybody." (Google
Translate)
Vigilius of Thapsus (5th
century) was a North African bishop and writer who is attributed (perhaps
mistakenly) to have written a collection of arguments against Arianism called
the Contra Varimadum. This work directly references the Comma.
“Item ipse ad Parthos: Tres sunt, inquit,
qui testimonium perhibent in terra, aqua, sanguis et caro, et tres in nobis
sunt. Et tres sunt qui testimonium perhibent in ceolo, Pater, Verbum, et
Spiritus, et ii tres unum sunt.”
“He also said to the Parthians: There are
three, he says, who bear witness on earth, water, blood and flesh, and three
are in us. And there are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the
Word and the Spirit, and these three are one.” (Google Translate)
Recommended Reading
Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7) by KJV Today. For those seeking an in-depth study and examination, it cannot be overstated just how valuable this free online resource is. I am indebted to the labor and diligence that went into producing this incredible report. I am also grateful for the following additional resources available online:
- 1 John 5:7 (Johannine Comma) - "These Three Are One" by Dr. Thomas Holland
- The Johannine Comma of 1 John 5:7-8: Added or Removed? by Berean Patriot
- A Defense of 1 John 5:7 by David Cloud
- "And These Three Are One” (Part 1) by Jesse M. Boyd
- “And These Three Are One” (Part 2) by Jesse M. Boyd
