Textual variants in the Gospel of John

Textual variants in the Gospel of John are the subject of the study called textual criticism of the New Testament. Textual variants in manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to a text that is being reproduced. An abbreviated list of textual variants in this particular book is given in this article below.

Origen, writing in the 3rd century, was one of the first who made remarks about differences between manuscripts of texts that were eventually collected as the New Testament. In John 1:28, he preferred "Bethabara" over "Bethany" as the location where John was baptizing (Commentary on John VI.40 (24)). "Gergeza" was preferred over "Geraza" or "Gadara" (Commentary on John VI.40 (24) – see Matthew 8:28).

Most of the variations are not significant and some common alterations include the deletion, rearrangement, repetition, or replacement of one or more words when the copyist's eye returns to a similar word in the wrong location of the original text. If their eye skips to an earlier word, they may create a repetition (error of dittography). If their eye skips to a later word, they may create an omission. They may resort to performing a rearranging of words to retain the overall meaning without compromising the context. In other instances, the copyist may add text from memory from a similar or parallel text in another location. Otherwise, they may also replace some text of the original with an alternative reading. Spellings occasionally change. Synonyms may be substituted. A pronoun may be changed into a proper noun (such as "he said" becoming "Jesus said"). John Mill's 1707 Greek New Testament was estimated to contain some 30,000 variants in its accompanying textual apparatus which was based on "nearly 100 [Greek] manuscripts." Peter J. Gurry puts the number of non-spelling variants among New Testament manuscripts around 500,000, though he acknowledges his estimate is higher than all previous ones.

Legend

A guide to the sigla (symbols and abbreviations) most frequently used in the body of this article.

General sigla
# beginning with 0: uncial
# not beginning with 0: minuscule
* superscript: original reading
c superscript: scribal correction
ms superscript: individual manuscript
mss superscript: multiple manuscripts
pt superscript: partial attestation
vid superscript: uncertain reading
arab: Arabic versions
arm: Armenian versions
𝔐 or Byz: Byzantine text-type
cop: Coptic versions
sa: Sahidic version
bo: Boharic version
eth: Ethiopic versions
ƒ: Greek manuscripts family
geo: Georgian versions
goth: Gothic versions
it: Italic/Vetus Latina
lat: most Italic and Vulgate
latt: all Italic and Vulgate
𝔓: papyrus
𝑙: individually numbered lectionary
Lect: most or all numbered lectionaries
parenthesized (): approximate reading
rell: all other extant manuscripts
slav: Slavic versions
syr: Syriac versions
vg: Latin Vulgate
ς: Textus Receptus

Textual variants

Textual variants in the Gospel of John

5 Textual variants in John 1
Codex Bezae, text of John 1:1-16

John 1:4

εν αυτῳ ζωη εστιν (in him is life) – א D it vgmss Irenaeuslat Heracleon Clementpt Origenpt
text omitted – Wsupp
εν αυτῳ ζωη ῃν (in him was life) – All other mss. (rell)

John 1:18

ο μονογενης υιος (the only-begotten son) – A C3 K X Δ Θ Π 063 0234 f1,13 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1071 1079 1195 1216 1230 1241 1242 1253 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz, syrc Georgian mss. of Adysh (9th century)
ο μονογενης θεος (the only-begotten God) – 𝔓75 אc 33 copbo
μονογενης θεος (God [the] only-begotten) – 𝔓66 א* B C* L
ⲠⲚⲞⲨⲦⲈ ⲠϢⲎⲢⲈ ⲚⲞⲨⲰⲦ (only children God) – copsa

John 1:28

εν Βηθανιᾳ εγενετο – 𝔓59vid, 𝔓75, A, B, C,*, L, Wsupp, X, Δ, Θ, Ψ, 063, 28, 565, 700, 892*, 1009, 1010, 1071, 1195, 1216, 1241, 1242, 1253, 1344, 1365*, 2148, 2174, Byz, Lect, it, vg, syr
εγενετο εν Βηθανιᾳ – 𝔓66, א*, ita, b, e, r1, copsa
εν Βηθαβαρᾳ εγενετο – C2, K, Ψ, 083, 0113, f1, f13, 33, 1079, 1230, 1365c, 1546, 1646c, and Byz
εν Βηθαραβᾳ εγενετο – 892, syrhmg, Origen
εγενετο εν Βηθαραβᾳ – א2

John 1:30

υπερ – 𝔓5, 𝔓66, 𝔓75, א* B C* Wsupp
περι – א2 A C3 L Θ, Ψ, 063, 0101 f1 f13 Byz

John 1:34

ο εκλεκτος (the Elect One) – 𝔓5 𝔓106vid 187 218 228 1784 itb*, e, ff2 syrs, c Ambrose Augustine
ο εκλεκτος του υιος (the elect Son) – ita,ff2c syrpalmss copsa
ο υιος (the Son) – rell

1 Textual variants in John 2
John 2:3
οινον ουκ ειχον οτι συνετελεσθη ο οινος του γαμου, ειτα (they did not have wine because the wine of the wedding reception was finished, then) – א* itmss syrhmg
υστερησαντος οινου (they were running short of wine) – rell

3 Textual variants in John 3
John 3:12
πιστευετε (ye believe) – 𝔓75 050 083 579 itaur,ff2,l vgmss cobomss
πιστευσετε (ye will believe) – rell

John 3:16

υιον – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א* B Wsupp
υιον αυτου – rell

John 3:20

τα εργα αυτου – א B Δ 050 063 083 086 28 700 1230 1242c 1253 1365 2148 Byz mss it copfay arm geo
αυτου τα εργα – 𝔓75, A, K, Wsupp, Π, f1, 565, 892*, 1079, 1546,
τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εστιν – 𝔓66 Θ f13 33 1009 1010 1071 1195 1216 1242* 1344 1646 2174 itr1 copsa,bo,ach2
τα εργα αυτου πονηρα εστιν οτι – L
τα εργα αυτου οτι πονηρα εισιν – Ψ
αυτου τα εργα οτι πονηρα εισιν – 892mg 1241

5 Textual variants in John 4
John 4:9
ου γαρ συγχρωνται Ιουδαιοι Σαμαριταις (for Jews have no association with Samaritans) omitted by א* D ita,b,d, e, j copfay

John 4:37

Verse omitted in 𝔓75

John 4:42

ο χριστος (the Christ) – A C3 D L Xsupp Δ Θ Ψ 0141 f1,13 33 565 579 1071 Byz itmss syrp,h copbomss
text omitted – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א B C* Wsupp 083vid mss itmss vg syrc copsa,bomss arm Irenaeuslat Origen

John 4:46

ο Ιησους (Jesus) – A Θ Ψ f1,13 Byz itmss syrp,h copbomss
text omitted – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א B C* Wsupp 086 33 1241 itmss vg syrc copsa,bomss

John 4:53

text ο Ιησους omitted – א* N*
ο Ιησους (Jesus) – rell

2 Textual variants in John 5
John 5:2
βηθζαθα – א 33 b 1 ff2
βηλζεθα – D a r1
βηζαθα – L e
βηθεσδα – A C Byz f q TR
βησθεσδα – N
βηθσαιδα – 𝔓75 B W 0125 aur c vg bo
βηδσαιδα – 𝔓66 sa

John 5:4

Verse omitted by 𝔓66 𝔓75 א B C* D T Wsupp 0141 33 157 821 2718 itmss vgmss syrc co arm geo

2 Textual variants in John 6
John 6:1
της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας της Τιβεριαδος – א A B K L W Δ Π Ψ 063 f1,13 28 33 565
της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας – 𝔓66 1546
της θαλασσης της Τιβεριαδος – 0210 1242 1344 2174 184
της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας και της Τιβεριαδος – V itf goth
της θαλασσης της Γαλιλαιας εις τα μερη της Τιβεριαδος – D Θ 892 1009 1230 1253

John 6:4

Verse omitted by 472

1 Textual variants in John 7
John 7:1
ου γαρ ειχεν εξουσιαν (for he did not have authority) – W 196 743 ita,b,ff2l,r1 syrc Chrysostom
ου γαρ ηθελεν (for he was not wanting) – All other mss. (rell)
𝔓66 lacks John 7:53-8:11
John 7:53-8:11

1 Textual variants in John 8
John 8:8
ενος εκαστου αυτων τας αμαρτιας (the sins of every one of them) – U 73 331 364 658 700 782 1592 it arm
text transposed to John 8:6 – 264

1 Textual variants in John 9
John 9:35
εις τον υιον του ανθρωπου (in the Son of Man) – 𝔓66 𝔓75 א Β D W 397 itd syrs cosa
εις τον υιον του θεου (in the Son of God) – A K L X Δ Θ Ψ 070 0141 0250 f1,13 28 33 565 700 Byz mss itmss vg syrp,h,pal cobo arm goth

1 Textual variants in John 10
John 10:7
η θυρα (door) – majority
ο ποιμην (shepherd) – 𝔓75 copsa copac

0 Textual variants in John 11
John 11:1

1 Textual variants in John 12
John 12:28
δοξασον σου το ονομα (glorify thy name) – א A C K W Δ Θ Π Ψ 0250 28 565 700 892 1009 1010 1079 1195 1216 1230 1242 1344 1365 1546 1646 2148 Byz 69 70 211 ℓ 1579 ℓ 1761
δοξασον μου το ονομα (glorify my name) – B
δοξασον σου τον υιον (glorify thy son) – L X f1,1333 1071 1241 vg syh mg, copbo
δοξασον σου το ονομα εν τη δοξη η ειχον παρα σοι προ του τον κοσμον γενεσται – D itd

1 Textual variants in John 13
John 13:2
Ιουδας Σιμωνος Ισκαριωτου – L Ψ 0124 1241
Ιουδα Σιμωνος απο Καρυωτου – D it(d),e

1 Textual variants in John 14
John 14:14
Verse omitted by X Λ* 0141 f1 565 1009 1365 76 253 itb vgms syrs,pal arm geo Diatessaronmss

0 Textual variants in John 15
John 15:1

1 Textual variants in John 16
𝔓5 with fragment of John 16:22-30

John 16:28

εξηλθον παρα του πατρος (I came forth from the Father) omitted in D W itb,d,ff2 syrs copmss

1 Textual variants in John 17
John 17:14
καθως εγω ουκ ειμι εκ του κοσμου (just as I am not of the world) omitted in 𝔓66* D f13 it syrs

3 Textual variants in John 18
John 18:5
ο παραδιδους αυτον (the one betraying him), the phrase is omitted in 𝔓66* syrs

John 18:11

παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα απολουνται – Θ

John 18:21

ερωτας – א* A B C L W Θ Ψ 054 0250 33 1424 al
επερωτας – Ds f1 f13 Byz

2 Textual variants in John 19
John 19:29
υσσωπω – 𝔓66 אc A Dsupp K L X Π Ψ 054 f1 28 33 565 700 1009 1010 1071 Byz
μετα χολης και υσσωπου – Θ 892supp 1195 2174

John 19:39

μίγμα – 𝔓66 אc A Dsupp K L X Θ Π 054 f1 f13 28 33 565 700 1009 1010 1071
ἕλιγμα – א* B W copbo
σμίγμα – Ψ 892supp 2174 47
σμῆγμα – 1242* 181 syrpal
malagmani – ite

2 Textual variants in John 20
John 20:21
ο Ιησους (Jesus) omitted in א D L W Ψ 050 lat syrs co

John 20:31

ζωην αιωνιον (life eternal) – א C(*) D L Ψ 0100 f13 33 it vgmss syrp, h copsa,bo Irenaeuslat
ζωην (life) – rell

1 Textual variants in John 21
John 21:7
οι δε ειπον δι οληϲ (τηϲ) νυκτοϲ εκοπιαϲαμεν και (κοπιαϲαντεϲ) ουδεν ελαβομεν επι δε τω ϲω ρηματι (ονοματι) βαλουμεν (and they said: we toiled all night and took nothing, but at your word we will let down) – 𝔓66, א1, Ψ, some mss of Vulgate, copbo

See also


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