1 John 2:23

1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

In a blog post last November, I asserted that “it is past time that publishers remove the italics in 1 John 2:23 in new printings of the King James Bible. They are unnecessary, and the generally understood meaning of italics in the King James translation makes their presence here in 1 John 2:23 confusing.”

In this post I am primarily reproducing the same material, simply making a stand-alone post just on 1 John 2:23. Because of what we have been told about italics, when a person reads 1 John 2:23 in the King James Bible with an entire clause in italics, a solemn question arises in the reader’s mind. If the words in italics are those added by the translators simply to make a sentence clear (i.e., read correctly in the target language), how could they have added an entire clause?

The King James translators did not create the second half of 1 John 2:23 out of thin air, or from “implied” words. If you check English translations, the majority also have this clause. Early church writers mention it, and it is in Greek manuscripts.

The King James New Testament translation is based on what we call the Greek Textus Receptus. Some differences existed in this verse in Greek manuscripts and even in the TR tradition.

The 1519 Desiderius Erasmus and 1550 Robert Stephanus Greek New Testaments have the following as Ιωαννου Α 2:23 -

πας ο αρνουμενος τον υιον, ουδε τον πατερα εχει.

On the other hand, the 1598 Theodore Beza New Testament has the following for Ιωαννου Α 2:23 -

Πας ο αρνουμενος τον υιον, ουδε τον πατερα εχει ο ομολογων τον υιον, και τον πατερα εχει.

The Latin in Beza’s New Testament reads, “Quisquis negat Filium, nec Patrem habet: qui profitetur Filium, etiam Patrem habet.” Beza’s Greek and Latin texts may be translated to read “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; [but] whoever confesses the Son has also the Father,”or, in other words, as the King James Bible has it, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Beza gives the following explanation concerning verse 23:

qui profitetur, ο ομολογων Restitui in Graecis hoe membrum ex quatuor manuser codicum, veteris Latini, & Syri interpretis auctoritate sic etiam affeuto Ioanne istis oppositionibus contrariorum uti quam saepissime. Vide Matth. 10:32.

Beza explains (translated into English, however poorly I may have done so):

“Whosoever confesses,” I restored to the Greek this statement on the authority of four Greek manuscripts, [and] consulting versions of the old Latin and Syriac. John, who was fond of these opposites, used them as often as possible. See Matthew 10:32.

In his explanation, Beza refers to external and internal evidence – Greek manuscripts and John’s typical style of writing.

The King James translators’ use of distinguishing type in the concluding clause of I John 2:23 indicates that they were following a minority TR reading in this verse (which they believed was the correct reading). Distinguishing this clause demonstrates their careful attention to detail in order to accurately convey what they were doing. However, the italics in modern King James printings of the Bible do not convey the intent of the translators to the reader. In modern times readers assume it means a few words added to complete the meaning and smooth out the translation in the target language. Therefore, I conclude the removal of the italics would better serve the modern reader and avoid confusion.