Codex Textual Variants

Guided Study Paths

Curated journeys through the most significant textual variants

Study Note

Manuscript Issue

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DoctrineTrinityChristologySoteriologyResurrectionSpiritEschatology

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Include variant manuscript notes Include all variant verses (not just starred)

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Manuscript Profiles

20 key manuscripts — papyri, codices, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient versions — with dates, contents, discovery stories, and textual variants.

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My Notes

Bookmarks

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Public Domain Texts

Nag Hammadi Library & Copyrighted Texts

AI Scholarly Analysis

Select a chapter to view analysis.

Ancient Parallels

Texts from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Canaan that share literary, legal, or theological parallels with the Hebrew Bible and New Testament — with scholarly notes on what the similarities suggest.

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Bible People

A growing collection of major biblical figures — synopses, key verses, relations, and genealogy to Jesus where applicable.

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☾ The Twelve Disciples 12 profiles

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▶ Lineage to Jesus from David Matthew & Luke

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The Supernatural Realm

Angels, demons, cosmic beings, and divine entities named and described throughout Scripture — with links to every biblical appearance.

ⓘ Source Distinction

Entities in this section come from four distinct types of sources. Each card is labelled accordingly:

● Canonical Scripture ● Deuterocanonical ● Pseudepigrapha

Deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Sirach, 1–2 Maccabees, Judith) are accepted as Scripture by Catholic and Orthodox churches but not in the Protestant or Jewish canon. Pseudepigraphal texts (1 Enoch, Jubilees, etc.) are not canonical in any major tradition but were widely read in Second Temple Judaism and influenced NT authors.

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Start Here

Common questions about the Bible’s text, history, and scholarship — each one leads directly to the evidence.

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Difficult Passages

Passages that scholars, theologians, and readers have wrestled with for centuries — genocide, incest, human sacrifice, sorcery, divine deception, and more. Each entry presents multiple interpretive perspectives without forcing a conclusion.

ⓘ Scholarly Approach

This section documents what the biblical text actually says and how serious scholars — conservative, critical, and everything between — have interpreted these passages. Presenting a perspective here does not constitute endorsement. The goal is honest engagement, not resolution.

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Origins of God

The historical and archaeological evidence for how the God of Israel developed from the Canaanite religious world — divine names, ancient inscriptions, and the scholarly consensus on Israel’s religious evolution.

ⓘ Scholarly Context

This section presents the mainstream academic consensus in biblical studies, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern religion. These are scholarly findings, not theological claims. Traditional faith communities hold various responses to this material — from full acceptance to recontextualisation to rejection. All are noted where relevant.

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Methodology & Data Sources

How this app's data was constructed, classified, and validated — and where its limitations lie.

Version 1.0 · 2025 · KJV: public domainWEB: public domainVariants: editorial compilation

1. Scope and Purpose

Codex is a lay-scholarly reference tool designed to make textual criticism of the Bible accessible to non-specialists, while being honest enough to be useful to researchers. It is not a critical edition. It does not replace NA28, UBS5, or BHS/BHQ. It is a curated survey of significant textual variants, contextualised with manuscript profiles, ancient parallels, and cultural-historical background.

Researchers should treat this app as a research entry point and cross-reference all variant data against the primary critical apparatus before publication.

ⓘ For Researchers

All variant classifications are editorial judgments based on published scholarly consensus. They are not peer-reviewed. Before citing any variant in academic work, verify against NA28 (NT), BHS (OT), and the relevant apparatus. Where this app's classification differs from standard editions, the app is likely wrong.

2. Textual Variant Sources

Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th ed. (NA28). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
The Greek New Testament, 5th ed. (UBS5). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014.
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1977.
Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2004–ongoing.
Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994.
Tov, Emanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, 3rd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012.
Ehrman, Bart D. & Holmes, Michael W. (eds). The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research, 2nd ed. Leiden: Brill, 2013.

Siglum	Manuscript	Date	Significance
P52	Rylands Papyrus 457	c. 100–150 CE	Oldest NT fragment (John 18)
P66	Papyrus Bodmer II	c. 150–200 CE	Key witness for John
P75	Papyrus Bodmer XIV–XV	c. 175–225 CE	Most important early Luke/John
P46	Chester Beatty II	c. 175–225 CE	Oldest Pauline collection
Sinaiticus (aleph)	Codex Sinaiticus	c. 330–360 CE	Oldest complete NT
B	Codex Vaticanus	c. 300–325 CE	Single most relied-upon NT witness
D	Codex Bezae	c. 400–450 CE	Primary Western text witness
1QIsa-a	Great Isaiah Scroll	c. 150–100 BCE	Oldest complete OT book
L	Codex Leningradensis	1008–1009 CE	Basis of all modern OT editions

3. Variant Classification Criteria

Tier	Criteria	Examples
Major	Entire verses absent from earliest MSS; variants materially affecting core doctrinal claims; documented theological controversy. Approx. UBS5 {A} or {B} on shorter/harder reading.	Mark 16:9–20; John 7:53–8:11; 1 John 5:7; Luke 22:43–44
Significant	Variants affecting meaning without wholesale addition/deletion; divided support across text-types; theologically sensitive terms. Approx. UBS5 {B} or {C}.	1 Tim 3:16 (theos vs. hos); John 1:18 (monogenes theos vs. huios); Rom 8:1 doxology
Minor	Spelling variations, word-order differences, synonymous alternatives not materially affecting meaning. Approx. UBS5 {C} or {D}.	Article variations; minor synoptic harmonisations; orthographic differences

⚠ Classification Limitation

All classifications are editorial judgment, not peer-reviewed. Consult Metzger's Textual Commentary directly for any variant you intend to cite.

4. Textual Criticism Principles

Lectio Difficilior (prefer the harder reading): scribes smoothed difficulty; awkward readings are generally earlier. Lectio Brevior (prefer the shorter reading): scribes added material more than they deleted; shorter readings, if well attested, are often earlier. Prefer the older witnesses: Alexandrian papyri (P66, P75) and 4th-century uncials (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) are generally preferred over the Byzantine majority text. The Byzantine Priority position (Robinson-Pickering) is noted where relevant. Consider scribal motivation: variants serving an obvious theological purpose (clarifying a Christological ambiguity, adding a liturgical formula) are treated with greater scepticism.

5. Bible Texts Used

KJV (1611/1769): The primary display text. Based on the Textus Receptus for the NT — Erasmus's 1516 Greek text from late Byzantine MSS. The KJV contains the disputed readings absent from earliest MSS. It is used because this discrepancy is the app's subject, not because it is the most accurate translation.

WEB (World English Bible): Secondary display text; public domain; follows the Majority Text tradition for the NT.

ⓘ What This App Does Not Include

No NRSV, ESV, or NIV is included due to copyright restrictions. Researchers should compare against the NRSV (closest to NA28) and the NET Bible (extensive translator notes on variant choices).

6. Ancient Parallels Confidence Framework

Tier	Meaning
Consensus	Near-universal scholarly agreement on direct literary relationship or shared tradition. Amenemope / Proverbs 22–24 is the paradigmatic case.
Majority	Most scholars accept the parallel as reflecting a real historical connection, though the precise mechanism is debated.
Debated	Significant scholarly opinion on both sides; lacks consensus.
Speculative	Minority position; proposed in the literature but not accepted by most specialists. Included for completeness, clearly labelled.

Primary text editions: Pritchard, ANET (Princeton, 1969); Hallo & Younger, The Context of Scripture, 3 vols. (Brill, 1997–2002); Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (Oxford, 1989); Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 3 vols. (California, 1973–80); Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends (T&T Clark, 1978).

7. AI-Generated Content

The Timeline, Theology, Apparatus, and Sources tabs in the Analysis panel are generated by the Claude API (Anthropic). They are not peer-reviewed.

⚠ AI Content Warning for Researchers

AI-generated tabs are orientation aids, not citable scholarship. LLMs can produce confident but incorrect statements on specific manuscript details, precise dates, and scholarly attribution. Do not cite AI-generated content from this app in academic work. AI content is labelled ⚡. Human-curated variant entries, manuscript profiles, and ancient parallels are based on the sources listed in this section.

8. Known Limitations

OT variant coverage is thin. The dataset is NT-heavy. The complex relationship between MT, LXX, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Dead Sea Scrolls is significantly underrepresented.

No original language text display. The app shows KJV and WEB only. The Word Study feature provides Strong's root definitions but is not a substitute for working with NA28 or BHS.

The variant dataset has not been independently audited. The 3,570 variants were compiled editorially and have not been reviewed by a professional textual critic. There will be classification errors.

No patristic citation apparatus. Patristic witnesses (Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Chrysostom, Augustine) are noted in the apparatus where most significant but are not comprehensively cross-referenced.

AI analysis is not quality-controlled per response. Treat all AI tabs as first-draft orientation material only.

9. How to Reference This App

Suggested Citation Format

Codex [offline web application]. Version 1.0. 2025. Note: Variant classifications are editorial, not peer-reviewed. Cross-reference with Metzger, B.M., A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994). Do not cite AI-generated analysis tabs.

Codex — v1.0 — 2025. Variant data based on published critical editions. AI content by Claude (Anthropic). KJV and WEB: public domain.

Historical Timeline

2100 BCE to modern · tap any row for detail · tap again to close

Manuscripts

Biblical

World

Bible People

Historical

Mss. Written

Mss. Found

Manuscript Biblical World Bible Figure Historical Figure +/- = approx Mss. Written Mss. Discovered

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Canon History

How the Bible's table of contents was assembled -- the councils, disputes, and decisions that shaped which books are scripture.

Early Church

Decisive Moment

Political Event

Reformation

Regional Variation

Modern Discovery

🕐 Historical Timeline

⚠ Disputed Books

📚 Canon Comparison by Tradition

Miracles & Parables

All recorded miracles in Scripture -- references, parallel accounts, contradictions, and scholarly context. Note: it was Moses who parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14), not Noah.

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Prophecy & Fulfilment

Old Testament prophecies and their claimed New Testament fulfilments -- with the original text, the NT citation, and scholarly context on each connection.

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Covenants

The seven major biblical covenants -- the theological backbone of Scripture. Each builds on or responds to the last, forming a continuous narrative from creation to consummation.

Archaeology

Physical evidence bearing on biblical history -- discoveries that confirm, contextualise, or challenge the biblical record.

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Codex