1 John 5:7–8
The KJV names the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. The NIV’s main text is shorter. It still has verses 7 and 8; its footnote records the longer reading.
Typeset illustrations, not photographs. Open the linked editions to read the context and notes.
The question
Read and compare
Read 1 John 5:6–12, not just verse 7. Notice who or what gives evidence about the Son. Keep two questions apart: When were the longer words used? Did John first write them?
Evidence
The words we are studying
The KJV names “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost” in 1 John 5:7. We are asking how these words were passed down. This is not a test of your belief in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Read the KJV passage →Evidence
Old records in Latin
Researchers Galiza and Reeve compare early Latin use with early Greek copies that lack these words. The Latin records show that the KJV translators did not invent the wording. But Latin use alone does not show what John first wrote in Greek.
Read the research and download the article →Evidence
Follow the full history
The longer case looks at Cyprian, an early Christian writer whose words are debated. It then follows later Latin records and Erasmus’s printed Bibles. Read the strongest challenges as well as the reasons offered in support.
Open the full evidence record →The strongest challenge
Defenders point to early Latin use and remind us that many old copies are lost. Critics point to the lack of the words in early Greek copies. Lost copies leave a gap. That gap does not prove what was in them, or that someone planned to remove the verse.
What the evidence supports—and what remains open
The surviving early Greek copies lack the longer words; that is a serious challenge to examine. The Latin record establishes their use long before the KJB. The full path through the surviving witnesses is disputed.
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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