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or Hos (He Who). In spite of all the investigation, including X-ray treatment of the
manuscript, it must be declared as `not proven', and in any case we must remember that
no dependence can be placed on one manuscript by itself.
Andrew R. Fausset, who edited Bengel's Gnomon, puts in a footnote on Volume IV
page 263:
"Theos (God) of the Received Text has none of the oldest MSS in its favour, no
version as early as the seventh century, and as to the fathers, ex. gr. Cyril of Alexandria
and Chrysostom, quoted for Theos (God), see Tregelles on the printed text of the N.T. in
which he shows that these fathers are misquoted. Theodore, however, does support it.
Liberatus, Victor Tununensis (both of 6th century) affirm that Macedonius, under the
Emperor Anastasius changed Hos (who) into Theos (God) in order to support
Nestorianism. AC corrected G, read Hos (Who), . . . . . The Syr. Peschito, and in fact all
the versions older than the seventh century have the relative Hos (Who) not Theos (God)
. . . . . The silence of the fathers of the fourth century, though Theos (God) would have
furnished them with a strong argument, is conclusive against it."
The Companion Bible in the margin says:
"The R.V. prints `He Who', and adds in the margin, `Theos (God) rests on no
sufficient evidence'. The probability is that the original reading was ho (which), with the
Syriac and all the Latin Versions, to agree with musterion (neuter). The Greek uncial
being O, some scribe added the letter s, making OC (He Who), which he thought made
better sense. Later another put a mark in this O, making the word TH C, the contraction
for TH EOC, God. This mark in Codex A in the British Museum, is said by some to be in
different ink."
As we did with verse 15, we will look at the next verse more closely. The reading
"He Who was manifested in the flesh" can only refer to Christ. It denotes pre-existence
and cannot describe any created being. If anyone objects and says that angels have
appeared as men in Scripture both in the Old and New Testaments, this does not
contradict what we have just written. The first chapter of John's Gospel declares that the
Word (Christ) was with God and was God (John 1: 1). In verse 14 John states "the Word
(Who is God) was made flesh, and dwelt among us". This is what angels have never
done. They were given the power to assume a body (as the angels appearing to Abraham,
Gen. 18: 1, 2, 8) but they never stayed and lived with humanity in order to aid the
human race. John's Gospel reveals "God manifest in the flesh" and this is what
ITim.iii.16 does, so whether we translate as the A.V. or R.V., the deity of Christ is not
touched. In any case this fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith does not rest on one
text. The testimony of the whole of Scripture to this truth is overwhelming. The reader is
referred to the author's booklet, The Lord Jesus Christ, God or only man? where much of
this evidence is assembled.
Paul continues by saying that the Lord Jesus was `justified in the spirit'. This appears
to be parallel to the previous phrase. "In the flesh" denotes the sphere of operation of the
Word `manifest' and `in the spirit' the sphere of the word `justified'. This is very much
like the statement in Rom. 1: 2-4: