1 John 5:7-8 — "The Comma Johanneum"

The Waldensian tradition recognizes that 1 John 5:7 (the Comma Johanneum) is one of the clearest examples of a textual insertion. The longer reading ('there are three that bear record in heaven...') is completely absent from all Greek manuscripts before the 9th century and is likely a Western Latin addition incorporated into later Greek texts.

The Waldensian commitment to textual fidelity requires rejecting this passage as non-canonical. The textual evidence is decisive: the passage is not found in the earliest and most reliable witnesses, appears to be a later interpolation, and was added to support Trinitarian doctrine against Arianism.

While the Waldensians affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, they do so on the basis of undisputed texts. The addition of non-authentic material to Scripture, however well-intentioned, compromises biblical authority. The Waldensians prioritize the authentic canonical text over later ecclesiastical additions.