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 present tense says “believe that ye receive.” The critical aorist says “believe that ye received,” a Semitic way of expressing the certainty of a future answer.
Variant class
Substitution or composite variation
2Textus Receptus
Greek reading
“Believe that ye receive them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι λαμβάνετε).
Authorized Version
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24
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
“Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.
Translation or explanation
“Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.
Metzger’s report of the UBS committee
Metzger reports the UBS4 committee's treatment of the variation unit. The note grounds the relevant decision in scribal harmonization to a parallel passage, authorial usage, grammar, or immediate context; the printed confidence rating represented here is {A}. This is a controlled synopsis rather than a quotation.
Locator: Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed., note on Mark 11:24
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
No single doctrinal proposition is directly changed; the principal consequence is exegetical, historical, or cumulative.
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 listMark 11:24
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. 36–37
Textual wording marked in the source
Received/NKJV side: you receive them
Critical/ESV side: you have received it
Westminster doctrines and propositions supported
WCF 21.3 — Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day
Portion identified in the source as supported by this proof text:
- with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love and perseverance;
WLC 185 — How are we to pray?
Portion identified in the source as supported by this proof text:
- faith
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 Mark 11:24, 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 critical text uses an aorist: “believe that ye received them.” Critics argue that scribes replaced the bold aorist with a present or future to make the saying easier.
Inconsistency
The criteria used at Mark 11:24 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: No single doctrinal proposition is directly changed; the principal consequence is exegetical, historical, or cumulative.
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
, The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version (Cambridge, 1894).
Internal and transcriptional evidence
Critics argue that scribes replaced the bold aorist with a present or future to make the saying easier. The context therefore fences the saying against magical use without draining its assurance.
Reception and ecclesiastical use
The Textus Receptus says, “believe that ye receive them.”
Providential-preservation analysis
Providential preservation is not used as a substitute for evidence at Mark 11:24. 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 critical text uses an aorist: “believe that ye received them.” Critics argue that scribes replaced the bold aorist with a present or future to make the saying easier.
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. 36–37
At Mark 11:24, it compares the NKJV/TR-oriented wording “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” 35” with the ESV/critical-text wording “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”” and associates the passage with WCF 21.3, WLC 185.
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
The sequence also resembles biblical prayers that receive assurance before circumstances change. Hannah leaves prayer with a changed countenance before Samuel is conceived; Daniel is heard before the messenger arrives. Such narratives clarify “receive” without requiring mental denial. Present faith can take hold of God’s promise while timing and form remain in his hands, which is exactly what the received present followed by a future possession expresses.
The present tense should be retained. It marks prayer as real reception from God in the act of trusting him, followed by the promised “ye shall have.” The aorist offers a meaningful idiom and has important early support, but it should not be advertised as a spiritually stronger text. Both forms call for confidence; the received sequence states that confidence in natural English and preserves the distinction between receiving by faith and seeing the answer in due time.
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 Mark 11:24, the received text reads “Believe that ye receive them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι λαμβάνετε).” and its Authorized Version representation reads “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24”. The assessed critical reading is “Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.”. 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 Mark 11:24, the received Hebrew/Greek form is “Believe that ye receive them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι λαμβάνετε).”; the Authorized Version represents it as “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24”. The assessed critical form is “Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.”.
- 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 Mark 11:24, the received text reads “Believe that ye receive them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι λαμβάνετε).” and its Authorized Version representation reads “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24”. The assessed critical reading is “Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.”. 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 — Mark 11:24Current 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. 36–37 — 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: Mark 11:24
Received reading: “Believe that ye receive them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι λαμβάνετε).
Principal competing reading: “Believe that ye received them” (πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε); a future “will receive” also appears.
Editorial status: Preliminary record accepted for staging; independent review remains pending.
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24
Jesus’ promise about prayer turns on the tense of one verb. The Textus Receptus says, “believe that ye receive them.” The critical text uses an aorist: “believe that ye received them.” A third stream smooths the saying into the future, “believe that ye will receive.”
The aorist is often explained as a Semitic prophetic perfect: a future event is spoken of as completed because God’s promise makes it certain. English “have received” tries to convey that confidence without claiming the answer was physically present before prayer.
Present trust and promised possession
The received present is equally forceful. While praying, believers are to trust that they receive from God; the following future, “and ye shall have,” distinguishes present reception by faith from eventual possession. The tense sequence is coherent rather than timid.
Critics argue that scribes replaced the bold aorist with a present or future to make the saying easier. That is possible. The forms are also similar enough for ordinary alteration, and Matthew 21:22 could influence the wording toward future receipt.
The promise does not authorize pretending that an ungranted request is already fact. Biblical prayer asks according to God’s will, seeks his kingdom, and submits as Jesus does in Gethsemane. Faith rests in the Father’s wisdom, not in the psychological certainty of the petitioner.
Mark places forgiveness immediately after the promise. A heart that claims mountain-moving faith while refusing mercy contradicts the prayer relation it invokes. The context therefore fences the saying against magical use without draining its assurance.
The sequence also resembles biblical prayers that receive assurance before circumstances change. Hannah leaves prayer with a changed countenance before Samuel is conceived; Daniel is heard before the messenger arrives. Such narratives clarify “receive” without requiring mental denial. Present faith can take hold of God’s promise while timing and form remain in his hands, which is exactly what the received present followed by a future possession expresses.
The present tense should be retained. It marks prayer as real reception from God in the act of trusting him, followed by the promised “ye shall have.” The aorist offers a meaningful idiom and has important early support, but it should not be advertised as a spiritually stronger text. Both forms call for confidence; the received sequence states that confidence in natural English and preserves the distinction between receiving by faith and seeing the answer in due time.
Sources and further reading
- F. H. A. Scrivener, ed., The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version (Cambridge, 1894).
- Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010), text and apparatus.
- Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed., notes on the stated passage.
- Matthew 6:9–13; 21:18–22; Mark 11:20–26; 14:32–42; 1 John 5:14–15.
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-2040
- 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 SBLGNT 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, “Mark 11:24 — “Believe That Ye Receive” or “Believe That Ye Received”?,” VAR-2040, Confessional Bibliology Research Center, version 1.0-staging, last revised 2026-07-22.
Revision history
- — Chris Thomas