Subject: Erasmus, Metzger and the _Comma Johanneum_

From: [email-masked] (Nichael Lynn Cramer)
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 16:49:05 -0400

Carlton L. Winbery wrote:
>                   [...]  I first heard the
>material in this part of his [Bruce Metzger's] book on Canon in an address in
>New Orleans.  I asked him specifically at that time would he include the
>Comma Johanneum in that class and he said "No."  His reason was because of
>the lateness (12th cent. in Greek) and the way it got in, a trick played on
>Erasmus.

Prof Winbery, do you recall when you heard this lecture?  The reason I ask
is that there is an interesting footnote here, wrt this well-known story
concerning the Comma Johanneum and Prof Metzger in particular.  The
following appears as note 2 on p291 of the 3rd edition of his _Text of NT_
(1992):

  What is said on p. 101 above about Erasmus' promise to include the _Comma
  Johanneum_ if one greek manuscript were found that contained it, and his
  subsequent suspicion that MS. 61 was written expressly to force him to do so,
  needs to be corrected in the light of the research of H. J. de Jonge, a
  specialist in Erasmian studies who finds no explicit evidence that supports
  this frequently made assertion: see his 'Erasmus and the _Comman Johanneum_',
  _Ephemerides Theologicae Lovabienses_, lvi (1980), pp, 381-9.

Nichael
[email-masked]                                               __
http://www.sover.net/~nichael              Be as passersby   -- IC

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 19:08:06 -0500

>  _Ephemerides Theologicae Lovabienses_, lvi (1980), pp, 381-9.

If I might add a note on this dispute:

I recently had my head handed to me on a platter by a particular writer for
not having agreed with H. J. de Jonge at this point, preferring the research
and conclusions of Erika Rummel, a likewise well-known Erasmus scholar out of
Canada.  Rummel disagrees with de Jonge at this point, or so the published
works seem to indicate.  The controversy seems to swirl around whether the
following words can be taken as a real "challenge" or not:

Is it negligence and impiety, if I did not consult manuscripts which were
simply not within my reach?  I have at least assembled whatever I could
assemble.  Let Lee produce a Greek MS. which contains what my edition does
not contain and let him show that that manuscript was within my reach.  Only
then can be reproach me with negligence in sacred matters.

That is de Jonge's translation of Erasmus, by the way.  I would call it a bit
of a tempest in a teapot myself, and certainly one *could* take the preceding
words as a challenge (indeed, Erasmus was quite fond of offering challenges),
but de Jonge insists that one *cannot* take it that way, which I find a bit
strident.

The manuscript of my book was sent to Dr. Metzger; he endorsed the work, but
we had no particular discussion of the materials on the TR, Erasmus, or the
Comman Johanneum, so I can hardly say that his endorsement of my book means
that he backed my comments on that particular issue.

**********************************************************
*   James White, B.A., M.A., Th.M., [email-masked]   *
*  College of Christian Studies-Grand Canyon University  *
*   Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary-AZ Campus   *
* Professor of Apologetics-Faraston Theological Seminary *
*          Director, Alpha and Omega Ministries          *
*           http://net387.texas.net/ao.html              *
**********************************************************

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From: [email-masked] (Carlton L. Winbery)
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 18:43:21 +0400

Nichael>>                   [...]  I first heard the
>following appears as note 2 on p291 of the 3rd edition of his _Text of NT_
I heard Prof. Metzger talk of the relation of text and canon in a seminar
at the N.O. Baptist Seminary in 1980, I think.  He did not tell the story
about Erasmus at that time, only commented the Comma Johanneum should not
be considered canonical because of the way it got into the text and did not
circulate as text during the time of the development of the canon.

Carlton L. Winbery
Prof. Religion
LA College, Pineville, La
[email-masked]
[email-masked]