Confession of the Ethiopian Eunuch

File:Erasmus, Roundel, 1532, by Hans Holbein (Kunstmuseum Basel).png

The confession of the Ethiopian Eunuch found its way into popular translations such as the King James version due to its inclusion within the Textus Receptus made by Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 – 1536). Erasmus himself decided to include the verse in his edition of the Greek text due to its presence in the Latin Vulgate of his day and due to being in the margin of Minuscule 2816 (15th century), which he used in his compilation of the Textus Receptus.Brooke Foss Westcott & Fenton John Anthony Hort, The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881, Cambridge & London, Macmillan & Co.) vol. 2 (Appendix) page 93.

Erasmus argued that its omission could be explained by "carelessness of scribes".{{Cite book |last=Metzger |first=Bruce Manning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=COfYAAAAMAAJ |title=The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content |date=2003 |publisher=Abingdon Press |isbn=978-0-687-05263-9 |language=en}} However, modern scholarship sees it as a later addition to the text of the New Testament.{{Cite book |last=Hull |first=Robert F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=px-2QuazNRwC&dq=Acts+8:37+Erasmus&pg=PA36 |title=The Story of the New Testament Text: Movers, Materials, Motives, Methods, and Models |date=2010 |publisher=Society of Biblical Lit |isbn=978-1-58983-520-7 |language=en}}

Although Erasmus saw the variant as authentic, arguing that it was omitted from Greek manuscripts accidentally, it has generally been assumed that the verse was initially a margin added by those who found the narrative of Acts 8 lacking, which later found its way into the body of the text.{{Cite web |title=Acts 8 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/acts/8.htm |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=biblehub.com}}

File:Codex laudianus (The S.S. Teacher's Edition-The Holy Bible - Plate XXIX).jpg

The verse is lacking from most Greek manuscripts such as P45,74 א A B C 33 and 614. The first early appearances of the variant exist in the Old Latin manuscripts, and begins to only appear in the Greek around the 6th century.{{Cite book |last=Keener |first=Craig S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oqTHAgAAQBAJ&dq=Acts+8:37+Latin+manuscripts&pg=PT607 |title=Acts: An Exegetical Commentary : Volume 2: 3:1-14:28 |date=2013-10-15 |publisher=Baker Academic |isbn=978-1-4412-4039-2 |language=en}}

1. Excludes the passage: It is missing from the manuscripts 𝔓⁴⁵ (250ad), 𝔓⁷⁴ (7th century), Codex Sinaiticus (4th century), Vaticanus (4th century). Alexandrinus (5th century), Ephraemi Rescriptus (5th century), Codex Athous Lavrensis (8th-9th century) and a multitude of other codices and cursives. It is missing from most Byzantine text-type manuscripts..{{citation |last=Becker |first=Siegbert W. |title=Verbal Inspiration and the Variant Readings |url=http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerVariant.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930151207/http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerVariant.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |quote=}}{{Cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=Peter J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bQ6rfcdGywC&dq=Acts+8:37+Vulgate&pg=PA485 |title=Unholy Hands on the Bible: An Examination of the Six Major New Versions |last2=Green |first2=Jay Patrick Sr |date=1992 |publisher=Sovereign Grace Publishers |isbn=978-1-878442-65-9 |language=en}} It is also omitted by most Syriac copies and some Vulgate manuscripts.{{Cite book |last=Bengel |first=Johann Albrecht |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VHYTAAAAYAAJ |title=John Albert Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament: Pointing Out from the Natural Force of the Words, the Simplicity, Depth, Harmony and Saving Power of Its Divine Thoughts |date=1862 |publisher=Perkinpine & Higgins |language=en}}
2. Includes the passage: A few Greek manuscripts such as Codex Laudianus (c. 550) and some miniscules include the verse. It is found in the Codex Glazier (4-5th century), the Harclensis Syriac (7th century), some Old Latin and Vulgate manuscripts alongside some Ethiopian, Georgian and Armenian manuscripts. The confession of the Ethiopian eunuch is also quoted by many early Western writers, such as Ireaneus (130 – c. 202), Cyprian (210 – 258), Ambrose (339 – 397), Augustine (354 – 430), Pacian (310–391 AD) and Bede (672/3 – 735).{{Cite book |last=Epp |first=Eldon Jay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b-x5DwAAQBAJ&dq=Acts+8:37+variant&pg=PA25 |title=Perspectives on New Testament Textual Criticism: Collected Essays, 1962-2004 |date=2005-06-01 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-474-0695-2 |language=en}}
3. Includes the passage within the margin: Minuscule 2816 (15th century) contains the passage within the margin. This was used by Erasmus in his compilation of the TR.Kurt Aland & Barbara Aland, The Text of The New Testament (rev. ed. 1987, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans) pages 303–304.

• Acts 8
• Baptism
• Comma Johanneum
• List of New Testament verses not included in modern English translations
• Luke 22:43–44

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Category:Biblical criticism

Category:King James Only movement

Category:Bible-related controversies

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Category:New Testament verses