Let’s start here
Your assignment
Read Acts 8:26-40. Compare the KJB verse 37 with the ESV footnote. Then inspect Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.12.8.
Clue 1
The received account
The KJB records Philip’s condition of wholehearted belief and the Ethiopian’s confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The scene connects the preaching of Jesus with a request for baptism. Read the entire encounter rather than isolating one line.
Read Acts 8 in the KJB →Clue 2
An ancient witness to the confession
Irenaeus recounts the Ethiopian’s confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God in 3.12.8. This is early evidence for the confession in the story. His wording does not independently establish every part of the complete KJB verse, especially Philip’s preceding response.
Read Irenaeus 3.12.8 →Clue 3
Why the footnote exists
The ESV’s note says some manuscripts add verse 37 and supplies its wording. This is an editorial judgment about the transmitted text, not evidence by itself of opposition to belief before baptism. The confession has early support while the full verse has a disputed manuscript history.
Inspect Acts 8 and its footnotes →Hear the objection
Could a baptismal confession have been added to the narrative? That is a possible explanation of the evidence. The early citation also prevents us from dismissing the confession as a late English invention. Neither argument licenses certainty about an undocumented transmission step.
Conclusion of this investigation
Our position retains the verse. The historical conclusion is narrower: the confession is ancient; Irenaeus alone does not prove the original wording of the entire verse.
The argument above reaches a stated conclusion. The notebook below is for your own response.
Take the Test Now
What does the evidence establish?
A knowledge check, not a score for your faith. Read the evidence, then answer all three questions.
Choose an answer to each question to check your work.
Your investigator’s notebook
What convinced you—and what remains unanswered?
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