How the Trinity verse got added to the Bible

Summary

In the 16th century, Dutch scholar Erasmus published the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament, which significantly influenced later translations like the King James Bible. However, his edition omitted the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7-8), a verse supporting the Trinity doctrine, as it wasn't in his Greek manuscripts. Despite this, pressured by theologians, he included it in subsequent editions after a 16th-century manuscript was produced. This led to its inclusion in many English Bibles, despite modern textual criticism revealing it as a likely later addition, not present in the earliest manuscripts.

Takeaways

• 📜 The story revolves around the addition of the 'Trinity verse' to the Bible, specifically 1 John 5:7-8, which is known as the Johannine Comma.
• 🕊️ Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch scholar, produced the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament, which significantly influenced later translations.
• 🔍 Erasmus' edition was based on a few late medieval manuscripts, notably lacking the Johannine Comma, which was present in Latin Vulgate translations.
• 📚 The absence of the Trinity verse in Erasmus' initial edition was met with strong criticism from Christian theologians, accusing him of undermining the doctrine of the Trinity.
• 🗣️ In response to the criticism, Erasmus agreed to include the Johannine Comma in future editions if a Greek manuscript containing it could be provided.
• 📝 A Greek manuscript was allegedly produced for this purpose, which was a 16th-century creation and not an original text, leading Erasmus to include the verse in subsequent editions.
• 🔄 The editions that included the Johannine Comma became the basis for the Greek New Testament used by translators for centuries, including the King James Bible.
• 📉 The Textus Receptus, the form of the Greek text based on Erasmus' editions, was widely accepted until scholars began advocating for the use of older and more reliable manuscripts.
• 📚 Modern translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version, often exclude the Johannine Comma due to its questionable authenticity.
• 🤔 The presence of the Johannine Comma in some versions of the Bible, despite scholarly consensus on its late addition, raises questions about the integrity of the text and the doctrine of the Trinity.

Q & A

Who is Erasmus and what is his significance in the history of the Bible?

Erasmus was a Dutch scholar who produced the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament. His work is significant because it became the basis for later translations, including the King James Bible.

What is the 'Johannine Comma' and why is it controversial?

The Johannine Comma is the name given to 1 John 5:7-8, a passage that explicitly supports the doctrine of the Trinity. It is controversial because it is not found in the oldest Greek manuscripts but was included in later Latin translations, leading to debates about its authenticity.

Why did Erasmus initially exclude the Johannine Comma from his first edition of the Greek New Testament?

Erasmus excluded the Johannine Comma because it was not present in the Greek manuscripts he consulted, which he believed were the best available to him at the time.

How did the inclusion of the Johannine Comma in later editions of Erasmus' work come about?

The Johannine Comma was included in later editions after opponents of Erasmus produced a Greek manuscript containing the verse, which was likely created specifically for this purpose.

What is the 'Textus Receptus' and how did it influence Bible translations?

The Textus Receptus is a form of the Greek text of the New Testament that is based on the editions published by Erasmus and subsequent printers. It influenced Bible translations for centuries, including the King James Version, until scholars began to insist on using older and better manuscripts.

Why did Christian theologians of Erasmus' time react negatively to the exclusion of the Johannine Comma?

Christian theologians were upset because the Johannine Comma was a key verse supporting the doctrine of the Trinity. They accused Erasmus of attempting to undermine this doctrine by excluding the verse from his edition.

What is the significance of the Codex Sinaiticus in the study of the New Testament?

The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, dating back to the 4th century. It is significant because it lacks certain passages, like the Johannine Comma, that are found in later manuscripts and translations.

How did the story of the Trinity verse being added to the Bible impact the perception of the King James Version?

The story highlights that the King James Version, like other translations of its time, was based on later manuscripts that included disputed passages. This has led some to question the accuracy and authority of these translations.

What are the implications of the Johannine Comma's absence in the oldest manuscripts for the doctrine of the Trinity?

The absence of the Johannine Comma in the oldest manuscripts means that the doctrine of the Trinity must be supported by other passages and theological reasoning, rather than a single explicit verse.

Why do some modern translations of the Bible, like the New Revised Standard Version, exclude the Johannine Comma?

Modern translations often exclude the Johannine Comma because textual criticism has shown that it is not part of the original text and was likely added later, making it less reliable for scholarly editions.

Outlines

00:00

📜 The Origin of the Trinity Verse in the Bible

The paragraph discusses the historical addition of the Trinity verse to the Bible, focusing on the work of Dutch scholar Erasmus who produced the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament. Erasmus relied on late medieval manuscripts, notably one from the 12th century, which were not of the highest quality as they were over a thousand years removed from the original texts. His edition, which notably lacked the Johannine Comma found in the Latin Vulgate, was later used for the King James Bible and most translations until the 19th century. The Johannine Comma, a passage explicitly supporting the Trinity doctrine, was not in Erasmus' original Greek manuscripts but was a point of contention with Christian theologians of the time.

05:04

📚 Erasmus' Controversy and the Manufactured Manuscript

This section delves into the controversy surrounding Erasmus' exclusion of the Trinity verse from his initial Greek New Testament edition. Christian theologians accused him of attempting to undermine the doctrine of the Trinity. To address this, Erasmus agreed to include the verse in future editions if a Greek manuscript containing it could be provided. A 16th-century manuscript was produced specifically for this purpose, which was a copy of the epistles with the Latin text translated into Greek to include the Johannine Comma. Despite his reservations, Erasmus included this verse in subsequent editions, which became the basis for later translations, including the King James Bible.

10:05

📖 The Impact of Textus Receptus and Modern Translations

The final paragraph explores the legacy of the Textus Receptus, the form of the Greek New Testament based on Erasmus' editions, which were widely reproduced and accepted despite being based on late medieval manuscripts. This form stood as the basis for the King James Bible and other translations until the end of the 19th century. The paragraph also touches on the presence of the Trinity verse in modern translations, noting that while most critical editions have omitted it due to its late addition, some versions, including a new King James version, still include it despite scholarly consensus about its absence in early manuscripts. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the challenges this presents for Christians in constructing the doctrine of the Trinity from a range of biblical texts.

Keywords

💡Trinity verse

The 'Trinity verse' refers to 1 John 5:7-8, which is a biblical passage that explicitly mentions the Trinity doctrine, stating that there are three persons in the Godhead who are one. In the video, it is highlighted as a historically significant verse because it was not originally found in early Greek manuscripts but was later added, becoming a point of contention among scholars and theologians.

💡Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, commonly known as Erasmus, was a Dutch philosopher and Christian humanist who is noted for his significant contributions to the Renaissance. In the context of the video, Erasmus is central for producing the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament. His work, despite not including the Trinity verse initially due to its absence in the manuscripts he consulted, later influenced the inclusion of this verse in subsequent editions under pressure from Christian theologians.

💡Textus Receptus

The 'Textus Receptus' is a term used by textual critics to refer to the received text of the Greek New Testament. It is based on the form of the text published by Erasmus and was used by printers for over 300 years. The video explains how this version, despite being based on late medieval manuscripts and not the oldest or best ones, became the standard for English translations including the King James Bible.

💡Johannine Comma

The 'Johannine Comma' is the name given to the disputed passage in 1 John 5:7-8, also known as the Trinity verse. The video discusses how this comma was not found in Erasmus' original Greek manuscripts but was later included in his editions after a Greek manuscript was produced to meet his request for evidence. This inclusion has historical and theological implications, as it directly supports the doctrine of the Trinity.

💡Codex Sinaiticus

The 'Codex Sinaiticus' is an ancient Greek manuscript of the Christian Bible, as old as the 4th century. It is significant in the video's narrative because it lacks the Johannine Comma, suggesting that the passage was not part of the original texts. This manuscript is used as evidence to argue for the absence of the Trinity verse in early Christian writings.

💡Bart Ehrman

Bart Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar and the author of the book 'Whose Word, Is It? : The Story Behind Who Changed The New Testament and Why', from which the video script quotes. Ehrman is known for his expertise in textual criticism of biblical manuscripts. The video uses his research to support the argument about the historical inaccuracies and alterations in the New Testament texts.

💡Latin Vulgate

The 'Latin Vulgate' is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible by Jerome, which became the standard Bible for the Roman Catholic Church. The video mentions that the Trinity verse is found in the Latin Vulgate, indicating its presence in later translations but not in the original Greek manuscripts.

💡King James Bible

The 'King James Bible', also known as the King James Version (KJV), is an English translation of the Christian Bible that was commissioned in 1604 and completed in 1611. The video discusses how this version of the Bible, along with others, was based on the Textus Receptus and therefore included the Trinity verse, despite its questionable historical authenticity.

💡Manuscripts

In the context of the video, 'manuscripts' refer to the handwritten copies of the New Testament in Greek and Latin. The quality and age of these manuscripts are crucial to the discussion because they provide the textual basis for modern translations of the Bible. The video emphasizes the discrepancies between early and late manuscripts, particularly regarding the inclusion of the Trinity verse.

💡Fundamentalist Christians

The term 'Fundamentalist Christians' is used in the video to describe a group of Christians who adhere strictly to the belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. The video suggests that even with evidence suggesting the Trinity verse was added later, some fundamentalists continue to regard the King James Version, which includes this verse, as the pure word of God.

💡Textual Criticism

Textual criticism is the study of the history, transmission, and textual variations of documents in order to determine the original or most accurate version of the text. In the video, textual criticism is central to understanding how and why certain passages, like the Trinity verse, were included or excluded in different editions of the New Testament.

Highlights

The story of how the Trinity verse was added to the Bible is rooted in historical documentation.

Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch scholar, produced the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament.

Erasmus relied on late medieval manuscripts, notably a twelfth-century manuscript for the Gospels.

His edition of the Greek New Testament influenced later translations, including the King James Bible.

The manuscripts Erasmus used did not contain the Johannine Comma, a key Trinitarian verse.

The Johannine Comma is unique for explicitly stating the doctrine of the Trinity in the Bible.

Christian theologians accused Erasmus of altering the text by omitting the Trinitarian verse.

Erasmus agreed to include the Johannine Comma in future editions if a Greek manuscript could be found.

A Greek manuscript was produced, possibly forged, to include the Johannine Comma.

Erasmus included the Johannine Comma in subsequent editions, despite doubts about its authenticity.

The Textus Receptus, based on Erasmus' editions, became the standard for Greek New Testament texts.

The Textus Receptus was widely reproduced, despite being based on inferior manuscripts.

Modern translations, like the New Revised Standard Version, often exclude the Johannine Comma due to its questionable origin.

The King James Version still includes the Johannine Comma, despite scholarly consensus on its late addition.

The story challenges the notion of the King James Version as the pure word of God, given its basis on late medieval manuscripts.

The existence of older manuscripts, like the Codex Sinaiticus, contradicts the inclusion of certain verses in the Textus Receptus.

The Johannine Comma's absence in original Greek manuscripts raises questions about its authenticity.

Transcripts

i want to tell you the fascinating story about  when the trinity verse was added to the bible .

and this is a very well documented historical fact  and for our guide i want to quote from " Whose Word

Is It ? : The Story Behind Who Changed The New Testament and Why " by professor Bart Ehrman

who is an expert on textual criticism on  biblical manuscripts and he tells us this

story which i would want to share with you . now  we need to go back in time to the 16th century

and we need to look at a guy called ' Erasmus '  Erasmus was an enterprising scholar from

Holland , a Dutch scholar who produced the  very first printed edition of the Greek  

New Testament . now the new testament itself was  written in Greek . in the Centuries afterwards it

got translated into Latin and the church tends  to use the Latin translation . so Erasmus produced

a text in the original Greek which he  hoped would be a critical scholarly addition .

and this is called the first published edition . now  for the most part Bart Ehrman says : he relied on  

a handful of late medieval manuscripts . in fact on  just one twelfth century manuscript of the gospels

and another also from the 12th century for  the book of acts and the epistles . and as we  

shall see he says it's this edition that  he produced of the Greek new testament  

that was used by the later translators of the  King James Bible a Century later and virtually all  

translations until the end of the 19th century . and he tells a very interesting story then about

this trinity verse and he says : indeed as it turns  out these manuscripts that Erasmus used were not  

of the best quality , they were after all produced  some eleven hundred years after the originals . for

example the main manuscript that Erasmus used for  the gospels contained both the story of the woman  

taken in adultery in John's gospel and the last  verses in Mark's gospel which tell the story

the resurrection in the earliest gospel . passages  that did not originally form part of the gospels  

as we learned in the preceding chapter . and he  rightly shows that the earliest manuscripts the  

codex sinaiticus for example does not contain any  resurrection appearances in the earliest gospel  

in the new testament (the gospel of mark) . there  was one key passage of scripture that Erasmus

sources manuscripts did not contain however this  is the account of 1 John 5 verse 7 and 8. and this

is the first letter of John in the new testament  chapter 5 verses 7 to 8 which scholars have called  

the johannine comma , the johannine comma . johanna  means John and the comma is just these sentences .

now they are found in the manuscripts of  the Latin vulgate . so these are the later

translations made into latin as i said before . but not in the vast majority of Greek manuscripts .

a passage that has long been a favorite  among christian theologians of course since  

it's the only passage in the entire bible that  explicitly delineates the doctrine of the trinity .

and that there are three persons in the godhead  but that these three all constitute just one  

god . so in the vulgate which is found in  our king James version . i just want to read the  

passage . so this is the king James version  the Holy Bible . it says : for there are three  

that bear witness in heaven the father , the word and the holy spirit and these three

are one . and these are three that bear witness  on earth the spirit , the water and the blood

and these three agree as one . so  this is from the king James version .

and Bart Ehrman says : this is a mysterious passage  but unequivocal in its support of the traditional  

teachings of the church on the triune god who is  one . without this verse , the doctrine of the trinity  

must be inferred from a range of passages  combined together to show that christ is god

as is the spirit and the father and that there is  nonetheless only one god . this passage in contrast

states the doctrine directly and succinctly but  Erasmus did not find it in his greek manuscripts .

now this is the point : he used  the best manuscripts that he had around

in his city which were actually not very  good manuscripts by our standards today .

the greek manuscripts that he read simply said  there are three that bear witness : the spirit ,

the water and the blood and these three are one . so where did the father , the word and the spirit

go . they were not in Erasmus primary manuscript  or in any of the others that he consulted and so  

naturally he left them out of his first edition  of the greek text as a good scholar would do  

because there's no evidence that this verse is  in the greek manuscripts . more than anything else

it is this leaving out of this verse  that outraged christian theologians of his day

who accused Erasmus of tampering with the  text in an attempt to eliminate the doctrine  

of the trinity and to devalue its corollary  the doctrine of the full divinity of christ .

as the story goes , Erasmus possibly in  an unguarded moment agreed that he would  

insert the verse in a future edition of  his greek new testament on one condition  

that his opponents produce a greek manuscript  in which the verse could be found . finding it in

latin manuscripts was not enough there were late  medieval manuscripts that had it . and so a greek

manuscript was produced . in fact it was produced  for the occasion it appears that someone copied

out the greek text of the epistles . and when he  came to the passage in question , he translated  

the latin text into greek giving the  johannine comma in its familiar theologically

useful form . the manuscript provided to Erasmus  in other words was a 16th century production made  

to order . so Erasmus demanded : i want to see this in  a greek manuscript . and his opponents say : okay . and they

went away and they made one , literally made one  up in the 16th century , in Erasmus day , wrote it out ,

included the verse (the johannine comma about the  trinity) stuck it in and gave it to him . so there  

you are , there's your greek manuscript go ahead and  produce your good critical scholarly text .

despite his misgivings , Erasmus was true to his  word and included the johannine comma (this is  

the trinity verse) in his next edition and in all  his subsequent editions . these editions as i've

already noted became the basis for the editions of  the greek new testament that were later reproduced  

time and time again by translators over the  centuries . these editions provided the form of

the text that the translators of the king James  Bible eventually used . and so familiar passages  

to readers of the english bible from the king  James in 16 11 onward . up to modern editions in

the 20th century include : the woman taken in  adultery , the last 12 verses of mark which

mentioned the resurrection and the johannine comma  even though none of these passages can be found  

in the oldest and superior greek new testament  manuscripts . they entered into the english stream

of consciousness merely by a chance of history  based on manuscripts that Erasmus

just happened to have handy to him and  one that was manufactured for his benefit .

the various greek editions of the 16th  and 17th century were so much alike that  

eventually printers could claim that they were  the text that was universally accepted by all  

scholars and readers of the greek new testament as  indeed they were since there were no competitors .

the most quoted claim is found in addition  produced in 16 33 by Abraham and Bonaventura Elzevir

(who were uncle and nephew) . in which they told their  readers in words that have become famous since  

among scholars that : you now have the text that  is received by all . in which we have given nothing

changed or corrupted . the phrasing of this line  especially the words " text that is received by all "

provides us with the common phrase textus  receptors or abbreviated as TR . this is what  

it's known as today the textures receptors : a term  used by textual critics to refer to that form of  

the greek text that is based not on the oldest or  the best manuscripts but on the form of the text  

published by Erasmus and handed down to printers  for more than 300 years . until textual scholars

(recently) began insisting that the greek new  testament should be based on scientific principles .

based on our oldest and best manuscripts not  simply reprinted again and again according to  

custom . it was the inferior textual form of the  textus receptus that stood at the base of the  

earliest english translations including the king  James bible and other editions until the end of  

the 19th century . so there we have the story of  the textus receptus which is still venerated by  

fundamentalist christians especially in the united  states of America . the king James version only movement say

this is the pure unadulterated word of god but  of course it's based on late medieval manuscripts .

we have manuscripts now that go back even to the  fourth century A.D the codex santiaticus famously  

which of course does not have the johannine  comma , it doesn't have the story that women  

caught in adultery , it doesn't have the  resurrection appearances in the earliest

gospel and there's a whole bunch of other things  which i won't go into as well . so this is the

story of how the famous trinity verse which openly  explicitly states that god is three persons in one  

is in fact a verse , a fake verse added in later  by scribes it was probably a marginal note on

annotation at the bottom and it got incorporated  into the text that's one theory anyway . but it's

not part of the original greek manuscript and this  is very difficult for christians to accept

because it means their most solid witness for the  trinity has been taken away and they have to now  

construct the doctrine out of a complicated  like a christmas tree all mangled up together  

to try and create this doctrine out  of different texts in different places

and that is very unpersuasive to most people  certainly to me anyway . but even though

most modern translations now do not contain the  text the what the johanna and comma i mean for

example in my preferred version the new revised  standard version does not have the trinity verse

because this is a good critical edition . the new  King James version this is it here .

so they know the facts but they still have  the verse in it , it's still in i've highlighted it  

in yellow : for these are three that bear witness  in heaven , the father , the word and the holy spirit

and these three are one . even though we know that  it's not in any of the early greek manuscripts

and it wasn't there in the original bible  they still insist on keeping it in the bible .

some people may say that this is a  fraud and it lacks integrity that  

they're still trying to pass this off as  god's word when they know for well it's not .

so i found that a very interesting story i  hope you found it interesting too . until next time