Complete textual-variant dossier
Adverse entailment established
Sections distinguish readings, edition history, evidence, theological consequences, and the Research Center's evaluation. CBGM is an analytical tool; editorial committees—not the software—make textual decisions.
1Passage and issue
Passage
Issue
The received form supplies ‘unto the fathers,’ ‘your,’ the final ‘him shall ye hear,’ and the name Jesus in verse 26.
Variant class
Substitution or composite variation
2Textus Receptus
Greek reading
A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear
Authorized Version
“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. … Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” — Acts 3:22–26
Edition note
The Research Center uses the received Greek text underlying the Authorized Version as its baseline; edition-specific differences are recorded when the variation unit requires them.
Historical annotation witness
Erasmus’s Annotationes
Erasmus’s printed Greek text, his Latin annotation, and the Research Center’s evaluation are distinct evidence. Each edition remains separately identified because Erasmus revised the Annotationes across his five editions.
Not yet assessed. No inference about Erasmus’s silence has been made. A Latin annotation and translation will appear here only after an edition and exact locus have been verified.
The Erasmus annotation audit has not yet been completed for this locus. Do not infer from this status that Erasmus was silent.
Westminster and Dutch annotation witnesses
Westminster Annotations
Not yet assessed. No inference from silence is made.
Dutch Annotations
Not yet assessed. No inference from silence is made.
3NA28 baseline and critical-text rationale
NA28 baseline reading
God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses
Translation or explanation
God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses
Metzger’s report of the UBS committee
Metzger reports the UBS4 committee's treatment of 8 variation units within this record's range. The notes ground the relevant decisions in the weight and distribution of external attestation, a proposed mechanism of accidental omission, the likelihood that the competing form is a scribal correction or emendation, the likelihood of scribal or liturgical expansion; the printed confidence ratings represented here are {B}, {C}, {D}. This is a controlled synopsis rather than a quotation.
Locator: Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed., notes on Acts 3:22, 3:22, 3:25, 3:26, 3:22, 3:22, 3:25, 3:22
ECM / CBGM evidence and editors
No passage-specific ECM/CBGM editorial explanation is attached to this record. Official method sources describe the CBGM as a set of coherence procedures, not a decision-maker: editors define variation units and local stemmata and evaluate pre-genealogical, genealogical, and stemmatic coherence together with transcriptional, intrinsic, and other philological evidence.
4UBS6 and intended NA29 revision
No UBS6 / intended NA29 main-text change is recorded for this passage in the controlled 169-change ledger.
No change row is attached to this passage.
UBS6 is published, and the German Bible Society identifies its Greek main text as identical to the intended NA29 main text. The complete NA29 volume and its apparatus remain forthcoming. Project-ledger rows retain their source and verification statements until they are checked against the published UBS6 text and, when available, the NA29 apparatus.
5Doctrinal and four-point analysis
Effect class
Exegetical or interpretive consequence
Exact proposition affected
The triune identity of the Father, the Son/Word, and the Holy Ghost.
Doctrinal analysis
Exegetical or interpretive consequence. The record does not establish that the variant by itself removes an entire Christian doctrine; explicit wording, exegesis, and cumulative testimony must be distinguished.
Controlled source-list matches
Doctrinal significance and Westminster use
This passage is listed in one or both controlling research files. Their claims are reported with exact source identity and confessional use; list membership does not by itself establish the original reading or the Research Center’s final entailment.
Westminster proof-text listActs 3:24
A List of Omissions and Changes Found in the Critical Text to Verses Used as Proof Texts in the Westminster Standards
Seth Stark — supplied source file pp. 60
Textual wording marked in the source
Received/NKJV side: foretold
Critical/ESV side: proclaimed
Westminster doctrines and propositions supported
WLC 34 — How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament?
Portion identified in the source as supported by this proof text:
- prophecies Source marks this portion as relying only on this cited proof text
Editorial qualification: This establishes a confessional proof-text and reception connection. It does not by itself establish the original reading, and its English-version comparison must be checked against the Greek variation unit.
Bahnsen four-point examination
Arbitrariness
At Acts 3:22–26, the critical choice avoids arbitrariness only to the extent that it states public manuscript, transcriptional, and intrinsic grounds. Passage: Acts 3:22–26 Received reading: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear Principal competing reading: God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses Issue class: Clustered Variant Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending. Critical editions do not move in perfect unison: NA28 retains ‘your’ at verse 22 even where SBLGNT follows a shorter form.
Inconsistency
The criteria used at Acts 3:22–26 must be applied to comparable readings as well. A principle such as age, difficulty, brevity, or coherence cannot be decisive here and quietly reversed elsewhere merely to escape a historical, grammatical, or theological difficulty.
Consequences
Exegetical or interpretive consequence: The triune identity of the Father, the Son/Word, and the Holy Ghost.
Preconditions of intelligibility
The argument presupposes stable authorship, meaningful language, objective logical norms, transmissible evidence, and a coherent account of how Scripture can be received and identified by the church. The analysis tests whether the method can make those conditions intelligible without reducing the text to an indefinitely revisable editorial construct.
This framework examines an argument and its conditions; it does not claim to read an editor's private motives.
6Argument for the received reading
External and historical evidence
Sources and further reading The Holy Bible, Authorized Version, Acts 3:22–26. Scrivener, The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version (1894), Acts 3:22–26.
Internal and transcriptional evidence
A source-level internal and transcriptional synopsis remains open; consult the full essay.
Reception and ecclesiastical use
The received reading and its ecclesiastical use require passage-specific documentation; the age of a witness and the age of a reading must not be confused.
Providential-preservation analysis
Providential preservation is not used as a substitute for evidence at Acts 3:22–26. It supplies the confessional context in which manuscript transmission, broad reception, and the church's actual possession of Scripture are evaluated together.
Canonical coherence with the rest of Scripture
Canonical coherence remains an explicit test: a proposed reading must make grammatical and theological sense within the immediate context and the rest of Scripture. No conflict is asserted merely because two editions differ; the claimed incoherence must be demonstrated at this passage.
Canonical-coherence verdict
The Authorized Version is retained where its representation of the TR forms a coherent reading within the immediate context and the rest of Scripture. Any competing form must demonstrate an equal or better canonical fit rather than merely invoke an edition or method label.
Response to the principal critical argument
Passage: Acts 3:22–26 Received reading: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear Principal competing reading: God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses Issue class: Clustered Variant Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending. Critical editions do not move in perfect unison: NA28 retains ‘your’ at verse 22 even where SBLGNT follows a shorter form.
Passage-specific evidence from consulted works
Core 0.6.3 supplied-source audit complete: 1 passage-specific note attached. Incidental citations and global-method sources are retained in the audit report rather than presented as local textual evidence.
A List of Omissions and Changes Found in the Critical Text to Verses Used as Proof Texts in the Westminster StandardsWestminster proof-text and translation comparison
Seth Stark — supplied PDF pp. 60
At Acts 3:24, it compares the NKJV/TR-oriented wording “Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.”” with the ESV/critical-text wording “And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”” and associates the passage with WLC 34.
Editorial use: This establishes a confessional proof-text and reception connection. It does not by itself establish the original reading, and its English-version comparison must be checked against the Greek variation unit.
Conclusion
Read in place, Acts 3:22–26 stands beside stable narrative statements: Acts 3:21 says, “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Retain the full Mosaic citation and the explicit naming of Jesus, while documenting which individual words each edition actually prints.
Logical entailment
The Authorized Version serves as the faithful English representation. The preservation claim applies immediately to the authentic Hebrew and Greek texts—not to an English translation as though it were the inspired source.
Canonical-status rule: Physical printing is not canonical inclusion. If an edition prints a passage in double brackets while judging it secondary or non-original, it disagrees with the received text concerning the identity and extent of inspired Scripture.
Status: Established
Immediate textual or doctrinal consequence
At Acts 3:22–26, the received text reads “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear” and its Authorized Version representation reads “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. … Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” — Acts 3:22–26”. The assessed critical reading is “God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses”. The immediate consequence is that the critical text no longer states the received wording at this locus. The immediate local effect is exegetical or interpretive; this argument does not claim that a distinct Christian doctrine disappears from the verse.
Necessary reasoning chain
- At Acts 3:22–26, the received Hebrew/Greek form is “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear”; the Authorized Version represents it as “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.…”. The assessed critical form is “God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses”.
- The received and critical forms are not the same at this locus. Therefore, if the competing critical form is original, the received form is secondary rather than the authentic wording at this place. The immediate consequence is: At Acts 3:22–26, the received text reads “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear” and its Authorized Version representation reads “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. … Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” — Acts 3:22–26”. The assessed critical reading is “God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses”. The immediate consequence is that the critical text no longer states the received wording at this locus. The immediate local effect is exegetical or interpretive; this argument does not claim that a distinct Christian doctrine disappears from the verse.
- If the received form at this place is secondary rather than original, then the authentic Hebrew/Greek text was not kept pure at this place in the received textual tradition; therefore the unqualified confessional preservation claim must be denied or redefined.
Ultimate preservation consequence
If the competing reading is original and the received reading is secondary, then God did not preserve and keep pure the authentic text at this place in the received textual tradition. The unqualified confessional claim that Scripture was kept pure in all ages must therefore be denied or redefined.
Sources
- Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)Chapter 1, section 8 — Governing confessional preservation claim
- F. H. A. Scrivener, The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text followed in the Authorized VersionReceived Greek reading
- Digital ECM — Acts 3:22–26Current critical-edition, ECM, or editorial documentation
- A List of Omissions and Changes Found in the Critical Text to Verses Used as Proof Texts in the Westminster Standardssupplied PDF pp. 60 — Westminster proof-text and translation comparison
- German Bible Society — UBS6 publications and relation to NA29Current critical-edition, ECM, or editorial documentation
Read the full research essay and its sources
Passage: Acts 3:22–26
Received reading: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear
Principal competing reading: God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying clauses
Issue class: Clustered Variant
Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending.
The received form supplies ‘unto the fathers,’ ‘your,’ the final ‘him
shall ye hear,’ and the name Jesus in verse 26. Critical editions do not
move in perfect unison: NA28 retains ‘your’ at verse 22 even where
SBLGNT follows a shorter form.
“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your
God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear
in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. … Unto you first God,
having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away
every one of you from his iniquities.” — Acts 3:22–26
For Acts 3:22–26, the received side may be summarized as “A prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up … him shall ye hear.” Its principal
rival is “God will raise up a prophet … with shorter identifying
clauses.”
Because Acts 3:22–26 contains more than one subreading, the unit
cannot be reduced to a single longer-versus-shorter slogan: each change
belongs to its own clause, and a conclusion about one cannot simply be
transferred to the whole paragraph.
Read in place, Acts 3:22–26 stands beside stable narrative
statements: Acts 3:21 says, “Whom the heaven must receive until the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth
of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Retain the full Mosaic citation and the explicit naming of Jesus,
while documenting which individual words each edition actually
prints.
Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, Authorized Version, Acts 3:22–26.
- F. H. A. Scrivener, The New Testament in the Original Greek
according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version (1894),
Acts 3:22–26. - Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Greek New Testament: SBL
Edition, Acts 3:22–26 and apparatus. - Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New
Testament, discussion at Acts 3:22–26.
7Related materials
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- Record
- VAR-2215
- Status
- Preliminary
- Version
- 1.1-dossier
- Review
- Level B — Editorial synthesis
- Editor
- Chris Thomas
- Reviewer
- Independent reviewer pending assignment
- First date
- 1st century · Date Range
- Last revised
- 2026-07-22
Evidence and editorial controls
- Verification
- Passage, received reading, principal SBLGNT reading, and reported NA28 alignment checked against Scrivener’s received Greek text and the official SBLGNT text and comparison apparatus; exhaustive manuscript collation remains open. Metzger commentary entries were matched by exact passage where present; ECM/CBGM rationale is passage-specific only when an official editorial explanation is cited. Ledger rows are identified as UBS6 / intended NA29 data but retain their row-level verification caveats pending direct collation. Supplied-source audit completed in Core 0.6.3. Accepted local notes were matched by canonical passage and manually bounded; source claims remain attributed where current apparatus verification is pending.
- Rights and access
- Original editorial synthesis. Authorized Version Scripture is public domain in the United States; cited editions and digital witnesses retain their stated rights and access conditions.
- Known limitations
- This staging record summarizes the defined variation unit and representative edition evidence. It is not a fresh collation of every extant manuscript, version, lectionary, patristic citation, or ECM coherence relation.
Links from this record
No public outgoing links are recorded.
Records that cite or connect here
No public backlinks are recorded.
Corrections and evidence submissions
No correction submission is presently attached to this record. Submit evidence or read the correction policy.
Chris Thomas, “Acts 3:22–26 — “The Lord Your God” and “Him Shall Ye Hear”: The Full Mosaic Prophecy,” VAR-2215, Confessional Bibliology Research Center, version 1.0-staging, last revised 2026-07-22.
Revision history
- — Chris Thomas