The question
Read and compare
Read Acts 8:26-40. Compare verse 37 in the KJB with the ESV footnote. Then read Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.12.8.
Evidence
The story in the KJB
In the KJB, Philip says the man may be baptized if he believes with all his heart. The Ethiopian man says that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Read the whole scene: Philip explains Jesus, and the man asks to be baptized.
Read Acts 8 in the KJB →Evidence
An early record of the man’s faith
In 3.12.8, Irenaeus tells how the Ethiopian man said that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is early evidence for that statement in the story. It does not prove every part of the full KJB verse. In particular, it does not give all of Philip’s words before it.
Read Irenaeus 3.12.8 →Evidence
Why there is a footnote
The ESV note says some copies add verse 37, and it gives the words. The editors made a choice based on differences between copies. That choice alone does not show that they oppose faith before baptism. The man’s statement has early support, while the full verse is still debated.
Read Acts 8 and its footnotes →The strongest challenge
Could a statement used at baptisms have been added to this story? That is one possible explanation. But the early quotation also shows that the statement is not a late English invention. We should not claim to know a copying step when no record of it survives.
What the evidence supports—and what remains open
We keep the verse in the KJB. The historical point is smaller: the man’s statement of faith is ancient. Irenaeus alone does not prove that the writer of Acts first wrote the whole verse as it appears in the KJB.
Follow the evidence
What does the evidence show?
No score and no forced answer. Use the sources above to weigh the claim.
- Check the source. Read the linked passage or record in context. Note its edition, date and language where relevant.
- Test the explanation. Compare the strongest challenge with what the source actually shows. Which point does it support, and which point needs more evidence?
- Choose your next step. Record the question you still need answered below, then follow a source or the next related study.
Your study notebook
What do you think—and what is still unclear?
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