Comma Johanneum

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The so-called Comma Johanneum ( comma Latinized from ancient Greek κόμμα kómma , German 'incision, section, member of a sentence ' ; Johanneum Latin = Johannean; literally, Johannean sentence section ) is an added part of the sentence in the 5th chapter of the 1st letter of John the New Testament ( 1 Jn 5,7-8 EU ) (quoted after the standard translation and its footnotes; the words of the comma are  emphasized):

(7) “There are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.
(8) And there are three who testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three are one. "

The meaning of the passage and the theological discussion about its authenticity result from the fact that this part of the sentence would represent a biblical testimony to the doctrine of the Trinity if it belongs to the original text. It is therefore one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament.

Testimony

Comma in Codex Ottobonianus (minuscule 629 Gregory-Aland)

The section is missing in all Greek manuscripts with the exception of a few later minuscules . According to Nestle-Aland (26th edition), these include the manuscripts 61, 629, 918, 2318, as well as later additions in the minuscule 88, 221, 429, 636. Probably the oldest witness to the (not belonging to the Comma Johanneum) Words “these three are one” clearly indicates the Trinity, is the church father Cyprian (approx. 200-258) in his work “The Unity of the Church”, which he wrote around the year 250. Some church fathers reveal no acquaintance with the sentence at all, e.g. B. Hieronymus , others like Augustine , knew him but apparently did not consider him to be part of the Bible text.

The Vulgate in the version of Hieronymus did not contain the Comma Johanneum, but the Vulgate Clementina , published in 1592, did . Erasmus of Rotterdam only included the comma in the third edition of his Greek New Testament in 1522, pressed by hostility because of its lack and based on the minuscule 61 - which, according to Erasmus' own assessment, may have been falsified .

During Luther's lifetime, the Comma Johanneum was missing in his translation except for the words "on earth"; In particular, the Trinitarian formulation was missing . In the Luther Bible of 1545 the passage read: "For three are those who testify on earth / the spirit / and the water / and the blood / and the three are onsome".

The Comma Johanneum was first inserted in the Luther Bible by a Frankfurt printer in 1581. A few decades later, only Luther Bibles with the Comma Johanneum were printed. In the revision of 1892, the comma was bracketed and given a footnote; at the revision in 1912 it was removed from the text and referred to in a note.

In 1897 the Congregation of the Roman and General Inquisition ruled that Catholic theologians could not with certainty ("tuto") deny or doubt the authenticity of the comma. This decision was made by Pope Leo XIII. confirmed on February 15, 1897, but not in the forma specifica , so that it was nothing more than an "authority decision". Catholic theologians still had to refer to this decision in scientific disputes. The works of Orlando T. Dobbin and JR Harris make it “seem almost beyond doubt” for Nestle that the passage in Codex Montfortianus ( minuscule 61 ) was specially written by the Franciscan Froy to mislead Erasmus in a polemic. In 1927 Pope Pius XI. finally the discussion is free (cf. Denzinger-Hünermann No. 3681). The Nova Vulgate , published under Pope John Paul II , no longer offers the phrase.

The official text of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1904 includes the comma.

Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians today, with a few exceptions, agree that the Comma Johanneum does not belong to the original text of the 1st Letter of John and at most an interpretation of the passage about the “three earthly witnesses”, which has undoubtedly been part of the text since the 4th century “Represents. However, taking into account the mention in Cyprian's writings, the date of origin of this interpretation would have to be set in the middle of the 3rd century at the latest.

Bible translations

In most of the Bible translations commercially available today, including the Roman Catholic, the Comma Johanneum is either not mentioned at all or, clearly marked as a later addition , is referred to in the footnotes.

Exceptions are the King James Bible from 1769, which is still widespread in the English-speaking world, as well as the German Schlachter 2000 and the La Buona Novella Bible - Luther . The background is the prevailing conviction in certain evangelical circles that the Textus Receptus corresponds to the original Bible text, which God made sure to preserve.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Pape , Max Sengebusch (arrangement): Concise dictionary of the Greek language . 3rd edition, 6th impression. Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig 1914 ( zeno.org [accessed November 5, 2019]).
  2. ↑ a b Meyer's Large Conversation Lexicon . 6th edition. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1909 ( zeno.org [accessed on November 5, 2019] Lexicon entry “Comma, Johanneum”).
  3. ^ Cyprian of Carthage: The Unity Of The Church By St Cyprian Of Carthage . S. 101 ( archive.org [accessed September 16, 2019]).
  4. ↑ IWANNOU AV (1 John) 5 :: Latin Vulgate (VUL). In: Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 3, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Ioannis I - Vulgatae Clementina. Retrieved May 3, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Luther-Bible 1545: 1.Johnbrief 5. zeno.org, accessed on March 9, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Walter Drum: Article Epistles of Saint John ; in: The Catholic Encyclopedia; New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910; Visited on August 30, 2008 at newadvent.org
  8. ^ Eberhard Nestle: From the Textus Receptus of the Greek New Testamenthttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3D~GB%3D~IA%3Dvomtextusrecept00nestgoog~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3Dn19~ double-sided%3D~LT%3DVom%20Textus%20Receptus%20des%~20griechischen%20neuen .%20 PUR% 3D , an expanded lecture, Barmen 1903, p. 15. H Orlando T. Dobbin: Codex Montfortianushttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3D~GB%3D~IA%3Dcodexmontfortia01dobbgoog~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3Dn5~ double-sided%3D~LT%3D%27%27Codex%20Montfortianus%27%27~PUR% 3D a Collation, London 1854.
  9. ↑ The first letter of John based on the Neo-Vulgate
  10. ↑ Authorized text of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1904. Chapter 5 of 1. John. Retrieved April 13, 2018 (Greek).
  11. ↑ Karl-Heinz Vanheiden : Closer to the original? , R. Brockhaus Verlag Wuppertal 2007