Introduction
Textual variants are different readings of the same passage found across manuscripts. These variations document how New Testament texts changed during copying, with some variants affecting meaning or interpretation.
Gospel Variants
Luke 23:34 (Father, forgive them...)
Jesus' prayer "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" is missing from Papyrus 75, Codex Vaticanus, and several other early manuscripts. (Read More)
Matthew 27:16-17 (Jesus Barabbas)
Several manuscripts name the prisoner "Jesus Barabbas," creating a choice between "Jesus Barabbas" and "Jesus who is called Christ." Found in Θ (038), f¹, 700, and several ancient versions. (Read More)
Mark 1:1 (Son of God)
"Son of God" is absent from Codex Sinaiticus (original hand), removing the explicit declaration of Jesus' divinity from Mark's opening verse. (Read More)
Luke 22:43-44 (Jesus Sweating Blood)
The angel strengthening Jesus and his bloody sweat are missing from Papyrus 69, Papyrus 75, Codex Alexandrinus, and several other early witnesses. (Read More)
John 1:18 (Only-begotten God vs. Only-begotten Son)
Papyrus 66, Papyrus 75, and Codex Vaticanus read "only-begotten God" while many later manuscripts read "only-begotten Son," affecting the theological statement about Christ's nature.
Mark 16:9-20 (Longer Ending)
The traditional ending of Mark is absent from Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The ending describes snake handling, poison drinking, and miraculous healings.
John 7:53-8:11 (Woman Caught in Adultery)
This entire pericope is missing from Papyrus 66, Papyrus 75, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and most early manuscripts. When present, it appears in various locations.
Luke 24:12 (Peter at the Tomb)
Peter's visit to the empty tomb is missing from Codex Bezae and some Old Latin manuscripts, potentially affecting the resurrection narrative sequence.
Matthew 1:16 (Jesus' Genealogy)
Codex Sinaiticus (Syriac Sinaitic) reads "Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the virgin, begot Jesus" rather than the standard reading, implying Joseph as Jesus' biological father.
Luke 3:22 (Voice at Jesus' Baptism)
Some manuscripts read "You are my beloved Son, today I have begotten you" (Psalm 2:7) instead of "in you I am well pleased," affecting the theological implication.
John 1:34 (Son of God vs. Chosen One)
Papyrus 5 and a few other witnesses read "Chosen One of God" instead of "Son of God" in John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus.
Mark 1:41 (Jesus' Emotion)
Some manuscripts describe Jesus as "moved with anger" rather than "moved with compassion" when healing the leper, suggesting different characterizations of Jesus.
Matthew 24:36 (Son's Knowledge)
Some manuscripts omit "nor the Son" from "But about that day or hour no one knows... nor the Son, but only the Father," potentially to avoid implying Jesus' limited knowledge.
Luke 23:17 (Barabbas Release)
The verse explaining Pilate's custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover is missing from several important manuscripts, weakening the historical context.
John 3:13 (Who is in Heaven)
The phrase "who is in heaven" is missing from Papyrus 66, Papyrus 75, and several early manuscripts, affecting claims about Jesus' simultaneous earthly and heavenly presence.
Pauline Letter Variants
Romans 16:24 (Missing Verse)
An entire verse ("The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen") is missing from Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and most early manuscripts.
Romans 5:1 (We Have vs. Let Us Have Peace)
Manuscripts differ between "we have peace" (ἔχομεν) and "let us have peace" (ἔχωμεν), changing the verse from statement to exhortation.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (Women Silent in Churches)
These verses appear after verse 40 in some Western manuscripts (Codex Fuldensis, some manuscripts of Codex Bezae tradition), suggesting possible interpolation.
Romans 8:28 (God Works vs. All Things Work)
Some manuscripts read "God works all things together" while others read "all things work together." Papyrus 46 supports the "God works" reading.
1 Corinthians 15:51 (We Shall All Sleep vs. Not All Sleep)
Major variation exists: some manuscripts read "we shall all sleep, but we shall not all be changed" while others read "we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."
Ephesians 1:1 (To the Saints in Ephesus)
"In Ephesus" is missing from Papyrus 46, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Vaticanus, suggesting the letter was originally a circular letter to multiple churches.
1 Timothy 3:16 (God vs He)
Early manuscripts read "He who was manifested in flesh" while later manuscripts read "God was manifested in flesh," affecting claims about Christ's divinity.
Romans 1:1 (Servant vs. Slave)
While not affecting core meaning, manuscripts show variation in describing Paul as δοῦλος (slave/servant) with different intensities of meaning.
2 Corinthians 1:10 (Will Deliver vs. Does Deliver)
Manuscripts vary between future tense "will deliver" and present tense "does deliver," affecting the temporal certainty of God's deliverance.
Galatians 4:25 (Now Hagar is Mount Sinai)
Some manuscripts omit "Now" (δὲ), affecting the flow of Paul's allegorical argument about the two covenants.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 (Gentle vs. Infants)
Manuscripts differ between "we were gentle among you" (ἤπιοι) and "we were infants among you" (νήπιοι), a single letter difference with significant meaning change.
Colossians 2:2 (Mystery of God)
Significant variation exists: "mystery of God," "mystery of Christ," "mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ," showing theological development.
Variant Endings of Romans
Some manuscripts end Romans at chapter 15, others at 16:23, and still others include the doxology at different points, suggesting multiple circulation forms. (Read More)
Doxology in Romans
The doxology (16:25-27) appears after 14:23, after 15:33, after 16:23, or is omitted entirely in different manuscripts, indicating scribal uncertainty about its placement. (Read More)
Other New Testament Variants
Acts 8:37 (Philip and the Eunuch)
The eunuch's confession "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" is missing from Papyrus 45, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and most early manuscripts.
Acts 20:28 (Church of God vs. Church of the Lord)
Some manuscripts read "church of God" while others read "church of the Lord," affecting whether the passage refers to God's blood or Christ's blood being shed.
1 John 5:7-8 (Johannine Comma)
The explicit Trinitarian statement "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one" is missing from all Greek manuscripts before the 15th century.
Acts 15:18 (Known from Eternity)
Some manuscripts add "from eternity" to "Known unto God are all his works," while others omit this phrase, affecting claims about God's eternal foreknowledge.
Hebrews 2:9 (By Grace vs. Apart from God)
A few manuscripts read "apart from God" (χωρὶς θεοῦ) instead of "by the grace of God" (χάριτι θεοῦ) regarding Jesus' death, dramatically altering the theological meaning.
Acts 16:7 (Spirit of Jesus vs. Spirit)
Some manuscripts read "the Spirit of Jesus" while others simply read "the Spirit," affecting understanding of the Holy Spirit's relationship to Christ.
2 Peter 3:10 (Found vs. Burned Up vs. Not Found)
Manuscripts vary significantly: "the earth and its works will be found," "burned up," or "not found," affecting eschatological expectations about the earth's fate.
Acts 7:46 (God of Jacob vs. House of Jacob)
Manuscripts differ between "God of Jacob" and "house of Jacob" in Stephen's speech, affecting the historical reference to David's request.
1 Peter 3:15 (Christ as Lord vs. God as Lord)
Some early manuscripts read "sanctify Christ as Lord" while others read "sanctify the Lord God," affecting Christological implications.
James 2:20 (Dead vs. Idle)
Manuscripts vary between describing faith without works as "dead" (νεκρά) or "idle/barren" (ἀργή), affecting the severity of the condemnation.
Acts 13:33 (Second Psalm)
Some manuscripts specify "second psalm" while others read "first psalm," affecting the specific scriptural reference Paul quotes.
Hebrews 11:11 (Sarah's Faith vs. Abraham's Seed)
Greek manuscripts show grammatical variations that affect whether the verse emphasizes Sarah's faith or Abraham's ability to father children.
Acts 12:25 (To Jerusalem vs. From Jerusalem)
Critical variation between "returned to Jerusalem" and "returned from Jerusalem," affecting the geographical movement of Barnabas and Saul.
Revelation 1:5 (Washed vs. Freed from Sins)
Manuscripts differ between "washed us from our sins" (λούσαντι) and "freed us from our sins" (λύσαντι), a single letter change affecting soteriology.
Revelation 13:18 (Number of the Beast)
While most manuscripts have 666, Papyrus 115 and some other witnesses have 616. This variation might stem from different gematria calculations. (Read More)
Jude 5 (Who Saved Israel from Egypt?)
Manuscripts differ on who saved Israel: "Jesus," "the Lord," or "God." This highlights early uncertainty about Jesus' pre-existence and Old Testament role. (Read More)
Revelation 22:14 (Access to the Tree of Life)
Some manuscripts read "Blessed are those who wash their robes" while others read "Blessed are those who do His commandments," affecting the basis for accessing the tree of life. (Read More)
Acts 9:5-6 (Jesus' Words to Paul)
The extended dialogue "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" and Paul's response are missing from the earliest manuscripts, appearing only in later Western texts.
Revelation 11:17 (Who Is to Come)
Some manuscripts omit "and who is to come" from the divine title, possibly reflecting realized eschatology where God's coming is already fulfilled.
Implications
These textual variants demonstrate that New Testament texts were not perfectly preserved during transmission. Different communities preserved different readings, with some variants affecting meaning and interpretation of key passages.
The existence of variants in our surviving manuscripts indicates similar changes likely occurred before our earliest copies, during the decades between original composition and first manuscript evidence.
Major theological concepts are affected by variants: Jesus' divinity, the Trinity, salvation requirements, eschatology, and biblical authority claims. The manuscript evidence shows the text evolved over time rather than being fixed from the beginning.