GREEK TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

In 1516, Erasmus published his first edition of the New Testament in Greek​—the first printed copy of the Christian Greek Scriptures ever to be released. Erasmus’ work included annotations as well as his own translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Latin, which differed from the Vulgate. Over some time, he continued to revise his version, leading to a final product that included even more dramatic departures from the text of the Latin Vulgate.

One of the differences was at 1 John 5:7. To support the unscriptural teaching of the Trinity, some spurious words known as the comma Johanneum had been added to the Vulgate. They read: “In heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” However, Erasmus excluded those words from his first two editions of the New Testament because none of the Greek manuscripts he consulted contained them. He was later pressured by the church to include them in his third edition.

Improved editions of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament provided the basis for better translations into European languages. Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Antonio Brucioli, and Francisco de Enzinas used them to translate the Greek Scriptures into German, English, Italian, and Spanish respectively.