Stephen M. Reynolds, the Comma, and Credentialism

Back in 2017, I posted a grammatical argument in favour of the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7) made by Stephen Edward Mills Reynolds (1909-2007). Recently I prepared some biographical information on Reynolds for Find-A-Grave. At about the same time, I noticed a diatribe on the Baptist Board asserting that only long dead scholars (1700s-1800s) supported the Johannine Comma with a grammatical argument and that no “real” modern scholars do so. Enter Stephen M. Reynolds. I do not personally buy credentialism; neither am I selling it. However, those who scold others about “real scholars” usually do (buy and sell it). The credentials of Reynolds are first rate, as far as theological credentials go, and his expertise was in biblical languages. He taught in credible institutions, wrote for peer-reviewed journals, and was consulted for his expertise. Y’all don’t have to buy the argument made by Reynolds, but once in awhile y’all stick your heads up out of your holes and realize that all scholars are not cast in the same mold, even if all of your favorites are. (By the way, just ’cause someone is dead does not mean he is wrong, or because someone is contemporary does not mean he is right. And vice versa.)

The way to get around recognizing folks such as Edward F. Hills and Stephen M. Reynolds as “real scholars” is to have them “drummed out of the corps.” Such men having “real” credentials – often better than their detractors – teach in “real” institutions of learning, and write “real” articles for “real” peer-reviewed journals. However, their refusals to speak the standard scholarly shibboleths mean that they become anathema to the majority who feel threatened by their dissent!

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 1931
• Bachelor in Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1933
• Master of Arts, Princeton University, 1938
• PhD in Semitic Languages, Princeton University, 1939
• Bachelor of Library Science, Columbia University, 1951

Employment includes:

• Lincoln University, Chester County, Pennsylvania
• Crozer Theological Seminary, Upland, Pennsylvania
• Faith Theological Seminary, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
• Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Affiliations/Memberships include:

• Evangelical Theological Society
• Ordained Presbyterian minister (by PCUSA)
• Philadelphia Presbytery of the Bible Presbyterian Church
• Affiliated with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (according to NIV committee info)
• Possibly affiliated with the American Presbyterian Church at one time

Works include:

• The “Polyglot” Arabic text of Zachariah: a Comparative and Critical Study. PhD. Dissertation, Princeton University, 1939
• “Al-'Alam’s Version of Zechariah,” The Muslim World, Volume 33, Issue 4. (October 1943): pages 273-275
• “Calvin’s View of the Athanasian and Nicene Creeds,” Westminster Theological Journal, Volume 23, Issue 1. (1960): pages 33–37
• “Supreme Importance of the Doctrine of Election and the Eternal Security of the Elect as taught in the Gospel of John,” Westminster Theological Journal, Volume 28, Issue 1. (1965): 38-41.
• “Πυγμῇ (Mark 7:3) as ‘Cupped Hand’,” Journal of Biblical Literature, Volume 85, Issue 1. (1966): pages 87-88
• “The Zero Tense in Greek, a Critical Note,” Westminster Theological Journal, Volume 32, Issue 1. (1969): pages 68-72
• “A Note on Dr. Hengel’s Interpretation of πυγμῇ in Mark 7 3,” Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der Älteren Kirche, Berlin, Volume 62, Issue 3. (1971): page 295
• “The Word ‘Again’ in Creeds and Bible,” Westminster Theological Journal, Volume 35, Issue 1. (1972): 28-35
• Alcohol and the Bible, Little Rock, AR: Challenge Press, 1983
• The Holy Bible, a Purified Translation, the Gospel According to John, Glenside, PA: L. L. Reynolds Foundation, 1999
• The Holy Bible: A Purified Translation (The New Testament), Glenside, PA: L. L. Reynolds Foundation, 2000
• The Biblical Approach to Alcohol, Glenside, PA: L. L. Reynolds Foundation, 2003 (original 1989, Princeton University Press)
• Faithful Biblical Interpretations, Glenside, PA: L. L. Reynolds Foundation, 2003 (original 1994)

Additional:

• Served on the New International Version Committee on Bible Translation.
• Primary translator of The Holy Bible: a Purified Translation.

The above list is compiled from my research, and does not claim to be exhaustive. As far as I know, all the information about Stephen M. Reynolds is correct, even if not complete.