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"Behold then the provision which the Author of Scripture has made for the effectual
conservation in its integrity of this portion of His written Word! Upwards of eighteen
hundred years have run their course since the Holy Ghost by His servant, Paul, rehearsed
the `mystery of godliness'; declaring this to be the great foundation fact, namely, that,
GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH. And lo, out of two hundred and fifty-four
copies of S. Paul's Epistles no less than two hundred fifty-two are discovered to have
preserved that expression. Such `consent' amounts to unanimity; and, unanimity in this
subject-matter is conclusive.
The copies of which we speak (you are requested to observe), were produced in every
part of ancient christendom, being derived in every instance from copies older than
themselves, which again, were transcripts of copies older still. They have since found
their way, without design or contrivance, into the libraries of every country of Europe,
where, for hundreds of years, they had been jealousy guarded. And, for what conceivable
reason can this multitude of witnesses be supposed to have entered into a wicked
conspiracy to deceive mankind?"
Such is the testimony of antiquity. This we sum up, for the benefit of those who may
not have cared to wade through the evidence.
The reading of I Tim. 3: 16, "God was manifest in the flesh" is witnessed by
289 manuscripts, by 3 versions and by upwards of 20 Greek Fathers. Moreover the text
of the R.V. does not make grammatical Greek. The relative pronoun hos should agree
with its antecedent. Musterion is neuter. Bloomfield in his Synoptica says "hos
ephanerothe is not Greek".
We would conclude this series, with the calculated affirmation of our belief that the
original reading of I Tim. 3: 16 is, "GOD was manifest in the flesh" and, like Thomas
of old, we bow in this Presence and say "My Lord, and my God" and, like Philip, we say
"Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us".
Some of the evidence quoted from Dean Burgon will be found, together with other
items of interest, in the series "The Volume of the Book" (Volumes XX - XXV). We
feel that the subject is too important merely to refer the reader to that series, and that in
collecting the evidence there was no help for it but to cover the ground, even at the risk of
slight repetition. But who that love the Lord will begrudge a few pages of print? And
who among our readers has an infallible memory?
The detailed examination of the terms used in I Tim. 3: 16 must await a future
opportunity.