Later Latin interpolation; Trinity independently and firmly established
Anglican biblical scholarship recognizes the 'Comma Johanneum' (1 John 5:7-8) as a later interpolation in the Latin Vulgate tradition, absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts. Modern Anglican Bibles accordingly note or exclude this passage. However, Anglican affirmation of the Trinity does not depend on this verse—it is deeply grounded in the creeds, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and elsewhere in Scripture.
Anglican approach: acknowledge the textual problem while affirming the doctrine. The Trinity is so firmly established through other testimony that its absence from the earliest 1 John 5:7 creates no theological crisis. Anglican biblical scholarship integrates textual awareness with doctrinal confidence.
Key Distinctions
- Textual status:
- later Latin interpolation; absent from earliest Greek MSS
- Trinitarian grounding:
- firmly established throughout Scripture and creeds
- Canonical status:
Scripture References
Sources
- Critical biblical scholarship; ancient manuscripts