Journal of Confessional Bibliology — Scripture Alone, Preserved by Providence

Second edition

In Defense of the Authenticity of 1 John 5:7

C. H. Pappas · 2016

Bloomington: WestBow Press, 2016; copyright 2015; revised August 3, 2016.

MinisterialComplete Library RecordCatalog Record Only
Editorial research score6.5out of 10Color denotes textual methodology, not score.

Overview

Pappas offers a sustained popular-level defense of the Comma Johanneum, combining the grammar of 1 John 5, Latin and Greek transmission, patristic and conciliar references, the history of Erasmus's editions, and theological arguments from providential preservation. The volume gathers many older pro-Comma claims and attempts to answer the standard objection that the reading lacks early Greek manuscript support.

The book's value lies in bringing a dispersed defense into one accessible place. Its evidentiary judgment is much weaker than its scope: it sometimes treats disputed patristic allusions as direct citation, gives questionable accounts of the Old Latin and Peshitta, claims the Comma was unchallenged until the nineteenth century, and supplements textual argument with speculative narratives about Arian or Roman Catholic corruption and the character of modern critics.

Scripture Passage Coverage

1 John 5:7–8

Primary treatment · entire work

Defends the reading

The entire book argues for the authenticity and doctrinal importance of the Comma Johanneum.

1 Peter 1:23–25

Brief treatment · preservation discussion

Defends the reading

Supports the enduring and preserved Word.

1 Timothy 3:16

Brief treatment · comparative textual examples

Defends the reading

Uses the traditional 'God was manifest in the flesh' as a parallel disputed reading.

Matthew 5:18

Brief treatment · preservation discussion

Defends the reading

Used to support preservation down to the smallest textual detail.

Psalms 12:6–7

Brief treatment · preservation discussion

Defends the reading

Used as a promise of verbal preservation.

Catalog ID: CBL-024272 · Rights: Purchase or borrowing link · Verification: Verified