[Milton-L] Johannine Comma (heavenly witnesses) comments

[rumrich at mail.utexas.edu]

Milton discusses its textual authority in chapter five of Christian Doctrine. 
Here's our note to the passage in the forthcoming "Complete Poetry and
Essential Prose of John Milton," ed. Wm. Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M.
Fallon (Random House, Modern Library, November 2007):

"Milton’s account of 1 John 5.7 as a late variant of suspect textual authority
is accurate. The so-called Johannine comma is now generally deemed spurious and
omitted in modern critical editions. Isaac
Newton in 1690 would likewise critique it in a manuscript he shared with John
Locke but withheld
from publication, entitled A Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of
Scripture. It was first published
in 1841."


Did I mention that the edition will include a great deal of Milton's prose,
including a very large chunk of Christian Doctrine?

All best and thanks for your indulgence!

John





Quoting schmuel <schmuel at nyc.rr.com>:

> Hi Milton list,
>
>   Greetings :-)
>
>   I am doing a bit of research on the Johannine Comma , 1 John 5:7, the
> 'heavenly witnesses'
> to assist the author of a book about the debate on this topic.
>
>   Here are the two web-quotes that appear to indicate that John Milton
> commented on this
> directly.
>
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=milton+%22johannine+comma%22&btnG=Search
> Milton Quarterly Volume 27 Issue 2 Page 74-77, May 1993
>
> the infamous Johannine Comma, Milton notes (correctly) that.
> 1. John 5.7 is missing in the. Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic version of the
> Bible
>
> http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/doSearch including
> MILTON'S STRANGE PANTHEON: THE APPARENT TRITHEISM OF THE DE DOCTRINA
> CHRISTIANA -- DAYTON HASKIN, S.J.
> The Heythrop Journal, Volume 16, Issue 2, Page 129-148, Apr 1975,
>
> "great weight to the fact that the so-called Johannine comma. (I. John 5:7).
> was spurious, as the textual criticism of the preceding century had
> established .. "  (quote from Googe cache)
>
> =======================================================
>
> So I am looking for the primary source material.
>
> Perhaps the location of this is in one of the books that I can peruse in the
> local university library, eg.
>
> The Religious Opinions of Milton, Locke and Newton (Manchester, 1941) (1972)
>  - Herbert McClachlan,
>
> Religious opinions and example of Milton, Locke, and Newton : a lecture with
> notes / by Henry Acton. – London : 1833. – 47 p. (also pub 1973)
>
> So if anybody can help with either an actual quote or two, or at least a book
> and page
> reference, it would be much appreciated.
>
> Shalom,
> Steven Avery
> Queens, NY
>
> PS.
>
> I also found this interesting, although I know that in some cases a person
> would use more than one Bible version and that would be missed in some
> assertions  (e.g. the Puritans).
>
> http://www.theologyonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1494862
> The Geneva Bible was what was used by the Pilgrims, John Bunyon, Milton, and
> even Shakespeare.
>
>
>
>
>
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