THE COMMA JOHANNEUM: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF ITS TEXTUAL AUTHENTICITY AND THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Abstract
The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5:7–8) has been the subject of significant debate within biblical studies and theology due to its explicit reference to the Trinity and its contested textual authenticity. This study critically examines the textual, historical, and theological dimensions of the Comma Johanneum through a comprehensive literature review. The research explores its presence in later Greek manuscripts, its prominence in the Latin tradition, and its role in Trinitarian theology. While opponents argue that the passage is a later interpolation based on its absence in early Greek manuscripts and its probable origin as a marginal gloss, proponents emphasize its doctrinal clarity, early usage by church figures, and inclusion in the Textus Receptus and the King James Bible. This study synthesizes these perspectives to affirm the Comma Johanneum’s theological significance while addressing the challenges posed by textual criticism. Ultimately, the research highlights the enduring relevance of the Comma Johanneum in discussions of Scripture preservation, doctrinal authority, and Trinitarian theology.
Abstract View: 1, 
PDF Download: 0
Downloads
References
Adi, Didit Yuliantono, and Yohanes Twintarto Agus Indratno. “Menjawab Tuduhan Comma Johanneum 1 Yohanes 5:7-8 Sebagai Ayat Palsu Melalui Tulisan Bapa-Bapa Gereja.” Philoxenia: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristiani 2, no. 2 (2024): 46–56. http://www.sttintheos.ac.id/e-journal/indeks.php/dunamis.
Aland, Kurt, and Barbara Aland. The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Eerdmans, 1995.
Anatolios, Khaled. Athanasius. London: Routledge, 1962.
Barnes, Albert. Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments. Baker Book House, 1983.
Cloud, David. “A Defense of 1 John 5:7.” Way of Life Literature, 2023. https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/a-defense-of-1-john.php.
Cloud, David W. Answering the Myths on the Bible Version Debate. Michigan: Way of Life Literature, 2009.
Cohen, Signe. Textual Criticism and Sacred Texts: A Comparative Method. Lexington Books, 2023.
Coogan, Jeremiah, and Candida R. Moss. “The Textual Demiurge: Social Status and the Academic Discourse of Early Christian Forgery.” New Testament Studies 70, no. 3 (2024): 307–23. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0028688523000425.
Dugan, Elena. “Review of the Book Textual Criticism and the Ontology of Literature in Early Judaism: An Analysis of the Serekh Ha-Yaḥad, by James Nati.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 85, no. 2 (2023): 344–46. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cbq.2023.0052.
Dunn, Geoffrey D. Tertullian. London: Routledge, 2004.
Finkelberg, Margalit. “The Original Versus the Received Text with Special Emphasis on the Case of the Comma Johanneum.” International Journal of the Classical Tradition 21, no. 3 (2014): 183–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12138-014-0346-y.
Galiza, Rodrigo, and John W. Reeve. “The Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7–8): The Status of Its Textual History and Theological Usage in English, Greek, and Latin.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 56, no. 1 (2018): 63–89. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt22h6sn6.10.
Gill, John. An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments. Arkansas: Baptist Standard Bearer, 1989.
Govier, Clive E. “The Majority Text Debate: A Study in New Testament Text-Critical Method.” Edith Cowan University, 1996. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-96110-8_416.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Vol. VI - Acts to Revelation. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.
Jenson, Robert W. “The Bible and the Trinity.” Pro Ecclesia 11, no. 3 (2002): 329–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/106385120201100305.
Jonge, Henk Jan de. “Erasmus and the Comma Johanneum.” Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 56 (1980): 381–89.
Khoo, Jeffrey. “A Clear Bible Proof Text for the Doctrine of the Trinity.” In 50 Years Building His Kingdom, Life Bible-Presbyterian Church, 87–88. Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 2000.
———. Kept Pure in All Ages: Recapturing the Authorised Version and the Doctrine of Providential Preservation. 2nd ed. Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 2021.
———. KJV Q&A: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About the KJV and Its Underlying Texts. Singapore: Bible Witness Literature Ministry, 2003.
Levine, Joseph M. “Erasmus and the Problem of the Johannine Comma.” Journal of the History of Ideas 58, no. 4 (1997): 573–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653961.
Lincoln, Andrew T. “1-3 John – A Two Horizons Commentary?” The Expository Times 133, no. 8 (2022): 349. https://doi.org/10.1177/00145246211068374.
Maynard, Michael. “In Defence of the Johannine Comma.” The Burning Bush 3, no. 1 (1997): 31–37.
McDonald, Grantley. Biblical Criticism in Early Modern Europe: Erasmus, the Johannine Comma, and Trinitarian Debate. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Metzger, Bruce M., and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Myers, Alicia D. “The Reception History of the Johannine Epistles.” In The Oxford Handbook of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles, edited by Patrick Gray. Oxford Handbooks, 2024.
Purwanto, Edi. Alkitab Telah Dipalsukan? Tangerang: Departemen Literatur STTIP, 2014.
Robertson, A. T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Baker Book House, 1960.
Rodríguez, Rafael. “Text as Tradition – Tradition as Text.” Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift 99, no. 2 (2023): 115–33. https://doi.org/10.51619/stk.v99i2.25192.
Saniya S. Gosavi, and Brijesh R. Mishra. “Review on Importance of Textual Criticism in Ayurveda Manuscriptology.” Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences 9, no. 5 (2024): 97–100. https://doi.org/10.21760/jaims.9.5.16.
Tow, Timothy. The Story of My Bible-Presbyterian Faith. Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1999.
Tow, Timothy, and Jeffrey Khoo. A Theology For Every Christian, Book I: Knowing God and His Word. Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1998.
Trinitarian Bible Society. Koine Greek New Testament. Trinitarian Bible Society, 2009.
———. Why 1 John 5:7-8 Is in the Bible. Trinitarian Bible Society, 2012.
Umaru, Victor. “The Relevance of Textual Criticism in Biblical Interpretation.” International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation X, no. IV (2023): 23–29. https://doi.org/10.51244/ijrsi.2023.10404.
Waite, D. A. Defending the King James Bible. New Jersey: Bible for Today, 1998.
Weatherwax, Nancy. “Trinity, Doctrine of The.” In The Encyclopedia of Ancient History. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2012. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah05186.
Copyright (c) 2026 Manna Rafflesia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
