Textual variants in the Gospel of John

Textual variants in the Gospel of John are the subject of the study called textual criticism of the New Testament. Textual variants in manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to a text that is being reproduced. An abbreviated list of textual variants in this particular book is given in this article below.

Origen, writing in the 3rd century, was one of the first who made remarks about differences between manuscripts of texts that were eventually collected as the New Testament. In John 1:28, he preferred "Bethabara" over "Bethany" as the location where John was baptizing (Commentary on John VI.40 (24)). "Gergeza" was preferred over "Geraza" or "Gadara" (Commentary on John VI.40 (24) – see Matthew 8:28).

Most of the variations are not significant and some common alterations include the deletion, rearrangement, repetition, or replacement of one or more words when the copyist's eye returns to a similar word in the wrong location of the original text. If their eye skips to an earlier word, they may create a repetition (error of dittography). If their eye skips to a later word, they may create an omission. They may resort to performing a rearranging of words to retain the overall meaning without compromising the context. In other instances, the copyist may add text from memory from a similar or parallel text in another location. Otherwise, they may also replace some text of the original with an alternative reading. Spellings occasionally change. Synonyms may be substituted. A pronoun may be changed into a proper noun (such as "he said" becoming "Jesus said"). John Mill's 1707 Greek New Testament was estimated to contain some 30,000 variants in its accompanying textual apparatus^[1] which was based on "nearly 100 [Greek] manuscripts."^[2] Peter J. Gurry puts the number of non-spelling variants among New Testament manuscripts around 500,000, though he acknowledges his estimate is higher than all previous ones.^[3]

Legend

A guide to the symbols used in the body of this article.

number beginning with "0": uncial
number not beginning with "0": minuscule
Byz: Byzantine text-type
cop: Coptic versions
eth: Ethiopian versions
ƒ: Family
geo: Georgian versions
it: Itala (Old Latin/Vetus Latina)
lat: Vulgate and some Itala versions
𝔐: Majority Text
mss: manuscripts
${\mathfrak {P}}$ : papyrus
ℓ or Lect.: lectionary
rell: reliqui; "all other extant manuscripts"
slav: Slavic versions
syr: Syriac versions
TR: Textus Receptus
vg: Vulgate

Notable manuscripts

א: Codex Sinaiticus (01)
A: Codex Alexandrinus (02)
B: Codex Vaticanus (03)
C: Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (04)
D^ea: Codex Bezae (05)
K^e: Codex Cyprius (017)
L^e: Codex Regius (New Testament) (019)
S: Codex Vaticanus 354 (028)
V: Codex Mosquensis II (031)
W: Codex Washingtonianus (032)
Γ: Codex Tischendorfianus IV (036)
Δ: Codex Sangallensis 48 (037)
Θ: Codex Koridethi (038)
Π: Codex Petropolitanus (New Testament) (041)
Ψ: Codex Athous Lavrensis (044)
Ω: Codex Athous Dionysiou (045)
ff¹: Codex Corbeiensis I
ff²: Codex Corbeiensis II
g¹: Codex Sangermanensis I

Notable textual variants

John 1:4

εν αυτῳ ζωη εστιν (in him is life) – א D it vg^mss Irenaeus^lat Heracleon Clement^pt Origen^pt

text omitted – W^supp

εν αυτῳ ζωη ῃν (in him was life) – All other mss. (rell)

John 1:18

ο μονογενης υιος (the only-begotten son) – A C³ K X Δ Θ Π 063 0234 f^1,13 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1071 1079 1195 1216 1230 1241 1242 1253 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz, syr^c Georgian mss. of Adysh (9th century)

ο μονογενης θεος (the only-begotten God) – 𝔓⁷⁵ א^c 33 cop^bo

μονογενης θεος (God [the] only-begotten) – 𝔓⁶⁶ א* B C* L

ⲠⲚⲞⲨⲦⲈ ⲠϢⲎⲢⲈ ⲚⲞⲨⲰⲦ (only children God) – cop^sa

John 1:28

εν Βηθανιᾳ εγενετο – 𝔓⁵⁹^vid, 𝔓⁷⁵, A, B, C,*, L, W^supp, X, Δ, Θ, Ψ, 063, 28, 565, 700, 892*, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1195, 1216, 1241, 1242, 1253, 1344, 1365*, 2148, 2174, Byz, Lect, it, vg, syr

εγενετο εν Βηθανιᾳ – 𝔓⁶⁶, א*, it^{a, b, e, r¹}, cop^sa

εν Βηθαβαρᾳ εγενετο – C², K, Ψ, 083, 0113, f¹, f¹³, 33, 1079, 1230, 1365^c, 1546, 1646^c, and Byz

εν Βηθαραβᾳ εγενετο – 892, syr^{h^mg}, Origen

εγενετο εν Βηθαραβᾳ – א²

John 1:30

υπερ – 𝔓⁵, 𝔓⁶⁶, 𝔓⁷⁵, א* B C* W^supp

περι – א² A C³ L Θ, Ψ, 063, 0101 f¹ f¹³ Byz

John 1:34

ο εκλεκτος (the Elect One) – 𝔓⁵ 𝔓¹⁰⁶^vid 187 218 228 1784 it^{b*, e, ff²} syr^{s, c} Ambrose Augustine

ο εκλεκτος του υιος (the elect Son) – it^{a,ff^2c} syr^{pal^mss} cop^sa

ο υιος (the Son) – rell

John 2:3

οινον ουκ ειχον οτι συνετελεσθη ο οινος του γαμου, ειτα (they did not have wine because the wine of the wedding reception was finished, then) – א* it^mss syr^{h^mg}

υστερησαντος οινου (they were running short of wine) – rell

John 3:12

πιστευετε (ye believe) – 𝔓⁷⁵ 050 083 579 it^aur,ff²,l vg^mss co^{bo^mss}

πιστευσετε (ye will believe) – rell

John 3:16

υιον – 𝔓⁶⁶ 𝔓⁷⁵ א* B W^supp

υιον αυτου – rell

John 3:20

τα εργα αυτου – א B Δ 050 063 083 086 28 700 1230 1242^c 1253 1365 2148 Byz ℓ^mss it cop^fay arm geo

αυτου τα εργα – 𝔓⁷⁵, A, K, W^supp, Π, f¹, 565, 892*, 1079, 1546,

τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εστιν – 𝔓⁶⁶ Θ f¹³ 33 1009 1010 1071 1195 1216 1242* 1344 1646 2174 it^r¹ cop^sa,bo,ach²

τα εργα αυτου πονηρα εστιν οτι – L

τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εισιν – Ψ

αυτου τα εργα οτι πονηρα εισιν – 892^mg 1241

John 4:9

ου γαρ συγχρωνται Ιουδαιοι Σαμαριταις (for Jews have no association with Samaritans) omitted by א* D it^{a,b,d, e, j} cop^fay

John 4:37

Verse omitted in 𝔓⁷⁵

John 4:42

ο χριστος (the Christ) – A C³ D L X^supp Δ Θ Ψ 0141 f^1,13 33 565 579 1071 Byz it^mss syr^p,h cop^{bo^mss}

text omitted – 𝔓⁶⁶ 𝔓⁷⁵ א B C* W^supp 083^vid ℓ^mss it^mss vg syr^c cop^{sa,bo^mss} arm Irenaeus^lat Origen

John 4:46

ο Ιησους (Jesus) – A Θ Ψ f^1,13 Byz it^mss syr^p,h cop^{bo^mss}

text omitted – 𝔓⁶⁶ 𝔓⁷⁵ א B C* W^supp 086 33 1241 it^mss vg syr^c cop^{sa,bo^mss}

John 4:53

text ο Ιησους omitted – א* N*

ο Ιησους (Jesus) – rell

John 5:2

βηθζαθα – א 33 b 1 ff²

βηλζεθα – D a r¹

βηζαθα – L e

βηθεσδα – A C Byz f q TR

βησθεσδα – N

βηθσαιδα – 𝔓⁷⁵ B W 0125 aur c vg bo

βηδσαιδα – 𝔓⁶⁶ sa

John 5:4

Verse omitted by 𝔓⁶⁶ 𝔓⁷⁵ א B C* D T W^supp 0141 33 157 821 2718 it^mss vg^mss syr^c co arm geo

John 6:1

της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας της Τιβεριαδος – א A B K L W Δ Π Ψ 063 f^1,13 28 33 565

της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας – 𝔓⁶⁶ 1546

της θαλασσης της Τιβεριαδος – 0210 1242 1344 2174 ℓ 184

της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας και της Τιβεριαδος – V it^f goth

της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος – D Θ 892 1009 1230 1253

John 6:4

Verse omitted by 472

John 7:1

ου γαρ ειχεν εξουσιαν (for he did not have authority) – W 196 743 it^{a,b,ff²l,r¹} syr^c Chrysostom

ου γαρ ηθελεν (for he was not wanting) – All other mss. (rell)

John 7:53-8:11

John 8:8

ενος εκαστου αυτων τας αμαρτιας (the sins of every one of them) – U 73 331 364 658 700 782 1592 it arm

text transposed to John 8:6 – 264

John 9:35

εις τον υιον του ανθρωπου (in the Son of Man) – 𝔓⁶⁶ 𝔓⁷⁵ א Β D W 397 it^d syr^s co^sa

εις τον υιον του θεου (in the Son of God) – A K L X Δ Θ Ψ 070 0141 0250 f^1,13 28 33 565 700 Byz ℓ^mss it^mss vg syr^p,h,pal co^bo arm goth

John 10:7

η θυρα (door) – majority

ο ποιμην (shepherd) – 𝔓⁷⁵ cop^sa cop^ac

John 12:28

δοξασον σου το ονομα (glorify thy name) – א A C K W Δ Θ Π Ψ 0250 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1079 1195 1216 1230 1242 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz ℓ 69 ℓ 70 ℓ 211 ℓ 1579 ℓ 1761

δοξασον μου το ονομα (glorify my name) – B

δοξασον σου τον υιον (glorify thy son) – L X f^1,1333 1071 1241 vg sy^{h mg}, cop^bo

δοξασον σου το ονομα εν τη δοξη η ειχον παρα σοι προ του τον κοσμον γενεσται – D it^d

John 13:2

Ιουδας Σιμωνος Ισκαριωτου – L Ψ 0124 1241

Ιουδα Σιμωνος απο Καρυωτου – D it^(d),e

John 14:14

Verse omitted by X Λ* 0141 f¹ 565 1009 1365 ℓ 76 ℓ 253 it^b vg^ms syr^s,pal arm geo Diatessaron^mss

John 16:28

εξηλθον παρα του πατρος (I came forth from the Father) omitted in D W it^b,d,ff² syr^s cop^mss

John 17:14

καθως εγω ουκ ειμι εκ του κοσμου (just as I am not of the world) omitted in 𝔓⁶⁶* D f¹³ it syr^s

John 18:5

ο παραδιδους αυτον (the one betraying him), the phrase is omitted in 𝔓⁶⁶* syr^s

John 18:11

παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα απολουνται – Θ

John 18:21

ερωτας – א* A B C L W Θ Ψ 054 0250 33 1424 al

επερωτας – D^s f¹ f¹³ Byz

John 19:29

υσσωπω – 𝔓⁶⁶ א^c A D^supp K L X Π Ψ 054 f¹ 28 33 565 700 1009 1010 1071 Byz

μετα χολης και υσσωπου – Θ 892^supp 1195 2174

John 19:39

μίγμα – 𝔓⁶⁶ א^c A D^supp K L X Θ Π 054 f¹ f¹³ 28 33 565 700 1009 1010 1071

ἕλιγμα – א* B W cop^bo

σμίγμα – Ψ 892^supp 2174 ℓ 47

σμῆγμα – 1242* ℓ 181 syr^pal

malagmani – it^e

John 20:21

ο Ιησους (Jesus) omitted in א D L W Ψ 050 lat syr^s co

John 20:31

ζωην αιωνιον (life eternal) – א C(*) D L Ψ 0100 f¹³ 33 it vg^mss syr^{p, h} cop^sa,bo Irenaeus^lat

ζωην (life) – rell

John 21:7

οι δε ειπον δι οληϲ (τηϲ) νυκτοϲ εκοπιαϲαμεν και (κοπιαϲαντεϲ) ουδεν ελαβομεν επι δε τω ϲω ρηματι (ονοματι) βαλουμεν (and they said: we toiled all night and took nothing, but at your word we will let down) – 𝔓⁶⁶, א¹, Ψ, some mss of Vulgate, cop^bo

References

^ Adam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707)
^ Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154
^ Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113

External links

[1] Adam Fox, John Mill and Richard Bentley: A Study of the Textual Criticism of the New Testament 1675–1729 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1954), pp. 105–115; John Mill, Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS (Oxford 1707)

[2] Metzger and Ehrman (2005), p.154

[3] Peter J. Gurry, "The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate" New Testament Studies 62.1 (2016), p. 113

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