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 text identifies the incarnate Son of man as presently in heaven; the principal critical form ends before that clause.
Variant class
Omission / addition
2Textus Receptus
Greek reading
“The Son of man which is in heaven.”
Authorized Version
“No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” — John 3:13
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
The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”
Translation or explanation
The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”
Metzger’s report of the UBS committee
No passage-specific Metzger synopsis has yet passed editorial verification for this record.
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
UBS6 retains the NA28 / UBS5 Greek main-text wording in John, so no main-text change is shown for this passage. The separate project ledger covers Acts, Mark, and Revelation.
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
No single doctrinal proposition is directly changed; the principal consequence is exegetical, historical, or cumulative.
Doctrinal analysis
Addition is possible—a reader could expand the verse to emphasize Christ’s divine omnipresence—but theological usefulness alone proves neither direction. The received form is ancient, catholic, difficult, and theologically coherent.
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.
Doctrinally significant variant listJohn 3.13
Doctrinally Significant Variants Itemised
Anonymous compilation — supplied source file pp. 23–24
Doctrine or doctrinal consequence identified by the source
The doctrinal difference between the inclusion or omission of these words hardly bears discussion. A cursory examination of the patristic citations – particularly of Hippolytus, Chrysostom, Novatian, and Nazianzen – makes it abundantly clear that these fathers regularly cited this text as a proof text of Christ's divinity. Without this text, the doctrine of the divinity of Christ, particularly, His omnipresence as the Son of God, is weakened.
Source-reported readings and witness argument
Received reading reported
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13 KJV)
Critical reading reported
No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. (John 3:13 New American Standard) [COMMENT: the Critical Text deletes the all-important words 'which is in heaven', which assert Christ's omnipresence as God the Son.]
Manuscript and patristic support reported by the source
The omission of the words 'which is in heaven' is supported by the major Alexandrian witnesses: 𝔓66, 𝔓75, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, the Sahidic Coptic Version, and others. On the other hand, the inclusion of the words is supported universally by the Byzantine Text going back to Codex Alexandrinus, by the Old Latin and the Latin Vulgate, and is supported by a very impressive array of patristic witnesses. The 3rd century Father Hippolytus directly cites these words. The 4th century schismatic (but orthodox) Novatian directly cites these words. Chrysostom frequently cites these very words from this passage. The 4th century father Theodoret even cites a Bishop Damasus of Rome who threatens an anathema on those who do not receive the doctrine of this text, namely, that Christ, while on earth, was also present with the Father in heaven in His divine nature. Gregory Nazianzen also frequently cites this verse with these words. On the other hand, we do find Tatian in his Diatessaron citing this verse and, indeed, most of John 3, without these words (in accordance with the Egyptian text). Despite Tatian's omission, however, on the whole, the words 'which is in heaven' have overwhelming majority support amongst the early fathers, and the words are cited repeatedly cited by them authoritatively as a proof text for the omnipresence of Christ's divine nature, and thus, a proof of His being God and the Second Person of the Trinity. We note that the Critical Text scholar Constantin Tischendorf includes these words in the text of his edition, despite his edition's being heavily based upon Codex Sinaiticus. Doubtless it is on the strength of the patristic witness that he that he includes these words.
Editorial qualification: The compilation’s doctrinal inferences and witness claims are reported as its argument, not silently adopted as verified fact. Exact entailment is retained: weakening an explicit statement is not automatically a formal denial of the doctrine.
Westminster proof-text listJohn 3:13
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. 50–51
Textual wording marked in the source
Received/NKJV side: who is in heaven
Westminster doctrines and propositions supported
WCF 8.7 — Of Christ the Mediator
Portion identified in the source as supported by this proof text:
- yet, by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated by the other nature.
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 John 3:13, the critical choice avoids arbitrariness only to the extent that it states public manuscript, transcriptional, and intrinsic grounds. Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending. The principal modern critical editions omit them.
Inconsistency
The criteria used at John 3:13 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: Addition is possible—a reader could expand the verse to emphasize Christ’s divine omnipresence—but theological usefulness alone proves neither direction. The received form is ancient, catholic, difficult, and theologically coherent.
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
— John 3:13 The final words, ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, stand in the received text and a broad stream of Greek, versional, and patristic evidence. Some witnesses preserve related expansions, evidence that the clause circulated in more than one form and must be evaluated with care. The received form is ancient, catholic, difficult, and theologically coherent.
Internal and transcriptional evidence
An omission can arise when a copyist finds the statement hard, especially if “which is in heaven” seems to conflict with the visible scene. Addition is possible—a reader could expand the verse to emphasize Christ’s divine omnipresence—but theological usefulness alone proves neither direction.
Reception and ecclesiastical use
— John 3:13 The final words, ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, stand in the received text and a broad stream of Greek, versional, and patristic evidence.
Providential-preservation analysis
Providential preservation is not used as a substitute for evidence at John 3:13. 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
Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending. The principal modern critical editions omit them.
Passage-specific evidence from consulted works
Core 0.6.3 supplied-source audit complete: 2 passage-specific notes 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. 50–51
At John 3:13, it compares the NKJV/TR-oriented wording “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” 49” with the ESV/critical-text wording “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”” and associates the passage with WCF 8.7.
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.
Doctrinally Significant Variants ItemisedAttributed doctrinal and canonical-coherence argument
Anonymous compilation — supplied PDF pp. 23–24
John 3.13: It sets “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13 KJV)” against “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. (John 3:13 New American Standard) [COMMENT: the Critical Text deletes the all-important words 'which is in heaven', which assert Christ's omnipresence as God the Son.].” Its stated doctrinal argument is that The doctrinal difference between the inclusion or omission of these words hardly bears discussion. A cursory examination of the patristic citations – particularly of Hippolytus, Chrysostom, Novatian, and Nazianzen – makes it abundantly clear that these fathers regularly cited this text as a proof text of Christ's divinity. Without this text, the doctrine of the divinity of Christ, particularly, His omnipresence as the Son of God, is weakened. The compilation appeals to The omission of the words 'which is in heaven' is supported by the major Alexandrian witnesses: 𝔓66, 𝔓75, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, the Sahidic Coptic Version, and others. On the other hand, the inclusion of the words is supported universally by the Byzantine Text going back to Codex Alexandrinus, by the Old Latin and the Latin Vulgate, and is supported by a very impressive array of patristic witnesses.…
Editorial use: The compilation’s doctrinal inferences and witness claims are reported as its argument, not silently adopted as verified fact. Exact entailment is retained: weakening an explicit statement is not automatically a formal denial of the doctrine.
Conclusion
The text should not be made to bear more than it says. The clause does not dissolve Christ’s true human locality or teach that his body remained in heaven. It predicates heavenly being of the person called the Son of man. In the mystery of the incarnation, the same person is on earth according to his assumed humanity and never absent from heaven according to his divine nature.
The received form is ancient, catholic, difficult, and theologically coherent. It should be read as part of Christ’s answer.
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 John 3:13, the received text reads “The Son of man which is in heaven.” and its Authorized Version representation reads “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” — John 3:13”. The assessed critical reading is “The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”. 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 John 3:13, the received Hebrew/Greek form is “The Son of man which is in heaven.”; the Authorized Version represents it as “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” — John 3:13”. The assessed critical form is “The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”.
- 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 John 3:13, the received text reads “The Son of man which is in heaven.” and its Authorized Version representation reads “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” — John 3:13”. The assessed critical reading is “The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”. 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
- German Bible Society — UBS6 publications and relation to NA29Current 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. 50–51 — Westminster proof-text and translation comparison
- Doctrinally Significant Variants Itemisedsupplied PDF pp. 23–24 — Attributed doctrinal and canonical-coherence argument
Read the full research essay and its sources
Passage: John 3:13
Received reading: “The Son of man which is in heaven.”
Principal competing reading: The sentence ends with “the Son of man.”
Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending.
Nicodemus is being taught by one who does not speculate about heaven.
The Son has come down from it and speaks with heavenly knowledge.
“No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” — John 3:13
The final words, ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, stand in the received
text and a broad stream of Greek, versional, and patristic evidence. The
principal modern critical editions omit them. Some witnesses preserve
related expansions, evidence that the clause circulated in more than one
form and must be evaluated with care.
The received sentence is striking because Jesus speaks on earth while
describing the Son of man as being in heaven. That difficulty is not an
argument against authenticity. John repeatedly presents the incarnate
Son as living in uninterrupted communion with the Father: he is in the
Father’s bosom, has descended from heaven, and acts where the Father
acts. The clause gives verbal form to that heavenly presence without
confusing the persons.
An omission can arise when a copyist finds the statement hard,
especially if “which is in heaven” seems to conflict with the visible
scene. The words also stand between two complete expressions, so a
shorter sentence remains grammatically smooth. Addition is possible—a
reader could expand the verse to emphasize Christ’s divine
omnipresence—but theological usefulness alone proves neither
direction.
The text should not be made to bear more than it says. The clause
does not dissolve Christ’s true human locality or teach that his body
remained in heaven. It predicates heavenly being of the person called
the Son of man. In the mystery of the incarnation, the same person is on
earth according to his assumed humanity and never absent from heaven
according to his divine nature.
The received form is ancient, catholic, difficult, and theologically
coherent. It should be read as part of Christ’s answer.
Sources and further reading
7Related materials
Open a group to follow connected articles, books, biographies, media, research notes, variants, or downloads. Research Center relationships use permanent record IDs; external items retain their actual link.
- Record
- VAR-2139
- 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, principal readings, and stated editorial comparison checked against Scrivener’s received Greek text and the current SBLGNT text and 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. Biblical readings are short scholarly quotations; cited editions and digital witnesses retain their stated rights and access conditions.
- Known limitations
- This staging record summarizes the principal variation unit and representative evidence. It is not a fresh collation of every extant manuscript, version, lectionary, or patristic citation.
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, “John 3:13 — “The Son of Man Which Is in Heaven”: Is the Heavenly Witness Authentic?,” VAR-2139, Confessional Bibliology Research Center, version 1.0-staging, last revised 2026-07-22.
Revision history
- — Chris Thomas