The Textual Variant in John 1:18

The earliest Greek papyri, particularly P66 (c. 200 AD) and P75 (late 2nd/early 3rd century AD), are highly valued in New Testament textual criticism for representing a text-type—often called Alexandrian—that is significantly older and generally considered more reliable than the later Byzantine Text-type (also known as the Majority Text), which predominates in later manuscripts (4th century onwards).

In the Prologue of John (1:1-18) and the subsequent narrative (up to 1:42), the differences often involve:

• Paragraphing/Division: The earliest manuscripts, including P66 and P75, often disagree with modern chapter divisions and the later Byzantine tradition regarding where to place major paragraph breaks, particularly not starting a new paragraph at John 1:19 as is common today.

• The Textual Variant in John 1:18: This is arguably the most significant theological difference in the entire section.

  • P66 and P75 primarily read: "The only begotten God" (monogenēs theos). This reading is also supported by Codex Vaticanus (B) and Sinaiticus (aleph).⁶

  • The Byzantine Text tradition (and the Textus Receptus) reads: "The only begotten Son" (monogenēs huios).

  • Textual critics generally prefer the reading "God" because it is found in the earliest and best witnesses (P66, P75, B, aleph) and is considered the more difficult reading, making it less likely to be an intentional scribal change. The "Son" reading is often thought to be a harmonization to John 3:16 or a scribal attempt to clarify the relationship.

While many differences within the entire section of John 1:1-42 are minor variations in word order or spelling, John 1:18 stands out as a clear, significant variant where the early witnesses (P66, P75) strongly oppose the later Byzantine/Majority Text.

This video examines the challenging textual variant found in John 1:18.

Is John 1:18 the MOST DIFFICULT textual variant?