Johannine Comma
3 items across 2 content types
Debates (1)
1:22:1020 Christians vs 1 Muslim — Uthman ibn Farooq at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
A structured debate between Shaykh Uthman ibn Farooq and twenty students and professors from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary — the largest Baptist Bible university in America — held in Louisville, Kentucky. The debate rotates through four prompts via a flag-vote elimination mechanism: (1) The Prophet Muhammad is clearly mentioned in the Bible; (2) Jesus is not God according to the Bible; (3) Jesus is a prophet and servant of God; and (4) the Bible is not 100% preserved. Participants include a Conservative Presbyterian, a Biblical Unitarian pastor, Catholic and non-denominational students, an Episcopalian, and others. Key arguments cover Song of Solomon 5:16 (Muhammadim), Isaiah 42 (Kedar, Sal'a, Mushallam), ego imai in Luke and John, divine omniscience and hypostatic union, Acts 3:13, Hebrews 2:7-9, the Johannine Comma, Mark 16:9-20, Matthew-Luke genealogy contradictions, and the manuscript and chain-of-transmission preservation of the Quran.
Debate Excerpts (2)
Individual points from debates discussing this topic
“What is the 1 John 5:7 Johannine Comma and when was it added to the Bible?”
1 John 5:7 is the clearest Trinitarian verse in the Bible: in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. This is the Johannine Comma. Uthman notes that when he was attending church, this was the verse consistently cited as the most explicit proof of the Trinity. But if you look at the textual research, this verse does not appear in any manuscript until the fourteenth century. It is absent from all early Greek manuscripts, from all early church citations, and from the writings of the early church fathers — even those who were arguing extensively for Trinitarian doctrine and who would surely have used it if it existed. The scholarly conclusion is that the Johannine Comma was fabricated and inserted into the text to support a theology that was already held.
“What is the 1 John 5:7 Johannine Comma and why is it a credo-level fabrication?”
1 John 5:7 — in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one — is the clearest and most explicit Trinitarian verse in the Bible. It is the verse churches use to directly prove the Trinity. Uthman shows that looking at the actual manuscript research, this verse does not appear in any manuscript until the fourteenth century. It is absent from all early Greek manuscripts and from the quotations of all early church fathers, including those who were writing extensively in defense of Trinitarian theology and who would have used this verse if it existed. The scholarly conclusion is that the Johannine Comma was not part of the original text — it was inserted to support a theological position. This is not a marginal verse: it is the cornerstone Trinitarian proof text, and it is a later fabrication.