1 John 5:7-8 — "The Comma Johanneum"

The Coptic Orthodox Church includes the longer reading of 1 John 5:7–8 in its tradition. Trinity is affirmed as central to Coptic Orthodox faith and practice, and the fuller reading of this passage—'the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one'—is valued in the Coptic tradition. The Coptic manuscripts reflect a textual tradition that includes this material, and it is read in Coptic liturgy as a witness to the Trinitarian faith.

The Coptic Orthodox Church received its biblical text through the Alexandrian tradition, which preserves forms of text that differ from the critical Greek recensions preferred by modern textual scholars. For Coptic Orthodoxy, the authenticity of Scripture is determined not solely by the earliest manuscripts but also by the church's living tradition, patristic consensus, and liturgical use. The longer reading of 1 John 5:7–8 expresses the Trinitarian doctrine that is fundamental to Coptic Orthodox theology and remains authoritative in the Church's life and teaching.