[who is in heaven]. This
phrase is found in a few Greek mss., the Latin and some Syriac versions. The
textual evidence is not strong, but the phrase is so difficult that it may well
have been omitted in the majority of manuscripts to avoid a difficulty.
Lagrange, Boismard, and Wikenhauser are among those who accept it. The Son in
John remains close to the Father even when he is on earth (1:18). (Raymond
E. Brown, The Gospel According to John
(I–XII): Introduction, Translation, and Notes [AYB 29; New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2008], 133)
John 3:13
WH NU οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
“no one has ascended into heaven except the one coming down from
heaven, the Son of Man”
𝔓66 𝔓75 א B L T Ws 083 086 cop
Diatessaron
nkjvmg rsv nrsv esv nasb niv tniv
njb nab nlt hcsb net
variant/TR ουδεις ανβεβηκεν εις τον ουρανον ει μη ο
εκ του ουρανου καταβας, ο υιος του ανθρωπου ο ων εν τω ουρανω
“no one has ascended into heaven except the one coming down from
heaven, the Son of Man, the one being in heaven”
(A omit ων) Θ Ψ 050 f1, Maj
kjv nkjv rsvmg nrsvmg esvmg nivmg tnivmg neb reb nltmg hcsbmg netmg
There are two other variants on the longer reading: (1) “the Son of
Man who was in heaven” ite syrc; (2) ο υιος του ανθρωπου ο ων εκ του ουρανου (“the Son of Man, the one being from
heaven”) 0141 syrs. It is difficult to determine if the words ο ων εν τω ουρανω (“the one being in heaven”) were
originally written by John or were added later by scribes. The shorter reading
(WH NU) has excellent and early support—from the papyri, the early Alexandrian
uncials, the Diatessaron, and Coptic versions. The shorter reading was also
known to many church fathers, such as Origen, Didymus, and Jerome. The longer
reading appears in some later Greek manuscripts, was known to many early church
fathers (Hippolytus, Origen, Dionysius, Hesychius, Hilary, Lucifer, Jerome,
Augustine), and was translated in some early versions (primarily Old Latin and
Syriac). From a documentary perspective, the shorter reading is more
trustworthy.
However, some critics have argued that this phrase was deleted in the
Alexandrian manuscripts because of its enigmatic meaning—i.e., how could the
Son of Man who was then and there on earth also be in heaven? In support of
this view, it could be argued that other scribes attempted to adjust this
existing, difficult expression (as in the two variants of the longer reading
listed above) in lieu of deleting it (see Black 1985, 49–66). But other critics
argue that the phrase was added by scribes who may have been thinking of the
expression in 1:18, ο
ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος (“the one being in the bosom of the
Father”). For example, Wescott and Hort (1882, 75–76) argued that it was “a
Western gloss, suggested perhaps by 1:18; it may have been inserted to correct
any misunderstanding arising out of the position of αναβεβηκεν [has ascended], as coming before καταβας [having descended].” As is explained
below, it seems that if any verse motivated scribes to make the addition, it
was 1:18.
The English versions display the division on this issue—with kjv/nkjv
and some modern versions (neb reb) opting for the longer reading, and the rest
of the modern versions presenting the shorter reading. Hence, it is necessary
for the interpreter to understand and explain both variants. The shorter
reading is Jesus’ declaration of his exclusive ability to reveal the God of
heaven, who is God the Father, to men on earth. The declaration, “no one has
ascended into heaven,” is nearly equivalent to “no one has seen God at any
time” in 1:18. He, the Son of Man, had come from heaven and would go back to
heaven. The longer reading shows that Jesus’ divine existence was not limited
to just earth. He lives in heaven and earth simultaneously. Just as the Father
who sent his Son to earth accompanied the Son he sent, so the Son who left
heaven was still with his Father in heaven. As was noted earlier, this concept
is also affirmed in 1:18, which describes Christ (in his deity) as always
existing by the Father’s side. The longer reading could also be understood from
the historical perspective of John’s readers who knew the post-resurrected
Jesus as the one in heaven (Barrett 1978, 213); as such, the last phrase of the
longer reading could be John’s personal reflective statement (netmg). (Philip
W. Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary: Commentary on the
Variant Readings of the Ancient New Testament Manuscripts and How They Relate
to the Major English Translations [Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., 2008], 263-64)
