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1 John v, 7

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 23, 1867

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 29, No. 20.

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1 John v, 7.

By Dr. Conant

“For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.”
Now this verse is not found in any Greek manuscript earlier than the fifteenth century. It is found only in three Greek manuscripts, and one of these is a copy of a printed Testament. Really, then, it is found in only two Greek manuscripts, and these not earlier than the fifteenth century. We must be very careful how we proceed with regard to the word of God. It is proper that the fact should be stated—it is in no ancient document whatever. It first appeared in a Latin Vulgate of the eighth century. It is not, however, found in the old manuscripts of the Vulgate. It appeared in the first printed copy of the New Testament—Complutensian—translated from the Latin Vulgate in 1514—hard history—by a Catholic editor.
In the Protestant edition by Erasmus, 1516, it did not appear, not being found in his manuscript. Erasmus was found fault with, and such was the pressure brought upon him, that he promised to insert it, providing it could be found in the Greek manuscript. About two years after some one wrote to him that there was a Greek manuscript which contained it, and so in his third edition he inserted it. Doubtless the Greek manuscript was of modern origin. Our earlier English Bibles put this verse in italics, and bracketed it as spurious.
Luther never would put it in his version. He was importuned to do so; but the last act of his life was to bring out a new edition, and he refused to put it in. But mark you, just as soon as the breath was out of his body they put it in. (See Neander on the passage in his commentary on the Epistle.)
This subject has been more fully discussed in the schools than any other. It has had a multitude of defenders, and on the other side it has been discussed with equity, and the conclusion is that they are not genuine.—Dr. Conant.