The confession of the Ethiopian eunuch is a variant reading in Acts 8:37, widely seen by Textual Critics to be a later interpolation into the text. It is found in the King James Version due to its existence within the Textus Receptus.[1][2][3][4]
It reads in the King James Version as thus:[5]
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
In the Greek of the Textus Receptus, the verse reads thus:
ειπεν δε ο φιλιππος ει πιστευεις εξ ολης της καρδιας εξεστιν αποκριθεις δε ειπεν πιστευω τον υιον του θεου ειναι τον ιησουν χριστον
The variant is not found in the majority Greek manuscripts, including the earliest ones such as Papyrus 45, Codex Sinaiaticus and the Vaticanus.[6] Most modern translations such as the ESV, NEB, NIV, NLT, the CEV among others put the verse within the footnotes. However, the verse remains in the body of the text within some translations such as the KJV, KJ21 and the NKJV.[5] Its omission has a UBS confidence rating of A.[7] However, the verse has been defended by advocates of the King James Only movement and the Textus Receptus position.[8][9]
Acts 8:37 is among the most noteworthy variants found within the Textus Receptus in addition to the Comma Johanneum, the long ending of Mark, the Pericope Adulterae, the reading "God" in 1 Timothy 3:16 and the "book of life" in Revelation 22:19.[10]
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D. The Reliability of the New Testament. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1715-9.
- ^ White, James R.; Baird, Dr Mike (June 2009). The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations?. Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-7642-0605-4.
- ^ "The Multivalence of the Ethiopian Eunuch and Acts 8:37" (PDF). TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism.
- ^ "Why Is Acts 8:37 Omitted from Many Bible Translations?". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ a b "Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8:37 - King James Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8:26-36 - New English Translation". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament A Companion Volume to the UBS Greek New Testament (1971, United Bible Societies) loc.cit.; UBS version loc.cit.
- ^ White, James R.; Baird, Dr Mike (June 2009). The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations?. Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-7642-0605-4.
- ^ "Notes on Acts 8.37 - Trinitarian Bible Society". www.tbsbibles.org. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ Andrews, Edward D. (2023-06-15). THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS: The "Received Text" of the New Testament. Christian Publishing House. ISBN 979-8-3984-5852-7.