Cyprian did quote from the Comma Johanneum.
In Cyprian's 38th letter, we read the following (Cyprian):
To me, this is a very obvious citation of 1 John 5:7. In the KJV we read:
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
This is omitted in most modern english translations. Since these words only appear in a select few late greek manuscripts (and many of them only within the margins of the text), many conclude that Cyprian cannot be referring to 1 John 5:7 here. Instead, they propose that Cyprian is providing an allegorical interpretation of the words in 1 John 5:8 concerning the spirit, the water, and the blood. The logic is that, in many early Latin translations of the New Testament, 'the spirit, the water, and the blood' is rendered 'the water, the blood, and the spirit'. This lends itself fairly easily to an allegorical interpretation of the three as referring to the Trinity. As a consequence, Cyprian quite naturally allegorically interprets these words in a trinitarian way in his treatise (Snapp 2016).
My issue is that, in this treatise, Cyprian clarifies explicitly how the literal and the allegorical relate to eachother. For example, in the next passage, he writes the following on Christ's garments and their relation to the unity of the Christian Church (Cyprian):
You'll notice that Cyprian first describes the passage of Scripture in its literal meaning (the soldiers casting lots for Christ's tunic). Then, Cyprian allegorically explains how this refers to the unity of the Christian Church. He does not provide an allegorical interpretation without explaining how it relates to the literal meaning of the passage. This is not like how he quotes from 1 John 5. There, he simply says that this refers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit without explaining how the spirit, the water, and the blood allegedly signify the different persons. The most logical interpretation of Cyprian's words here is that he is quoting from the passage according to its plain meaning. Therefore, he does not require any allegorical explanation for how it relates to the Trinity. If that is the case, he is quoting from the Comma and not from 1 John 5:8.
To be clear, I believe that the Comma is late. It is not found in the vast majority of greek manuscripts, and so I am naturally inclined against its authenticity. Still, we should not distort the patristic evidence in favor of (or against) a particular passage just because you are disposed to be either for or against it.
Citations:
Cyprian. “Treatise 1.” CHURCH FATHERS: Treatise 1 (Cyprian of Carthage). Accessed March 12, 2026. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/050701.htm.
Jr, James Snapp. “Cyprian and the Comma Johanneum.” The Text of the Gospels, August 24, 2016. https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2016/08/cyprian-and-comma-johanneum.html.
To me, this is a very obvious citation of 1 John 5:7. In the KJV we read:
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
This is omitted in most modern english translations. Since these words only appear in a select few late greek manuscripts (and many of them only within the margins of the text), many conclude that Cyprian cannot be referring to 1 John 5:7 here. Instead, they propose that Cyprian is providing an allegorical interpretation of the words in 1 John 5:8 concerning the spirit, the water, and the blood. The logic is that, in many early Latin translations of the New Testament, 'the spirit, the water, and the blood' is rendered 'the water, the blood, and the spirit'. This lends itself fairly easily to an allegorical interpretation of the three as referring to the Trinity. As a consequence, Cyprian quite naturally allegorically interprets these words in a trinitarian way in his treatise (Snapp 2016).
My issue is that, in this treatise, Cyprian clarifies explicitly how the literal and the allegorical relate to eachother. For example, in the next passage, he writes the following on Christ's garments and their relation to the unity of the Christian Church (Cyprian):
You'll notice that Cyprian first describes the passage of Scripture in its literal meaning (the soldiers casting lots for Christ's tunic). Then, Cyprian allegorically explains how this refers to the unity of the Christian Church. He does not provide an allegorical interpretation without explaining how it relates to the literal meaning of the passage. This is not like how he quotes from 1 John 5. There, he simply says that this refers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit without explaining how the spirit, the water, and the blood allegedly signify the different persons. The most logical interpretation of Cyprian's words here is that he is quoting from the passage according to its plain meaning. Therefore, he does not require any allegorical explanation for how it relates to the Trinity. If that is the case, he is quoting from the Comma and not from 1 John 5:8.
To be clear, I believe that the Comma is late. It is not found in the vast majority of greek manuscripts, and so I am naturally inclined against its authenticity. Still, we should not distort the patristic evidence in favor of (or against) a particular passage just because you are disposed to be either for or against it.
Citations:
Cyprian. “Treatise 1.” CHURCH FATHERS: Treatise 1 (Cyprian of Carthage). Accessed March 12, 2026. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/050701.htm.
Jr, James Snapp. “Cyprian and the Comma Johanneum.” The Text of the Gospels, August 24, 2016. https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2016/08/cyprian-and-comma-johanneum.html.
Comments
Post a Comment