I
ICHTHUS
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“And the Angel answered and said vnto her, The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee, and the power of the Highest shall ouershadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall bee borne of thee, shall bee called the sonne of God” (KJV 1611)
The greater majority of English Bible’s, omit two very important words in the verse, “ἐκ σοῦ”, literally, “out of you”, that is Mary. This is clear testimony against the early heretics, that Jesus Christ actually derived His “human nature”, from The Virgin Mary, apart from sin, which the Holy Spirit would have removed.
A few of the heretics in the early Church, actually denied that the “human nature” in Jesus Christ, at His Incarnation, and thereafter, is consubstantial with ours.
“The doctrines of Valentinus are described fully by Irenæus (I. cap. i.) from whom S. Cyril takes this account. Valentinus, and Basilides, and Bardesanes, and Harmonious, and those of their company admit Christ’s conception and birth of the Virgin, but say that God the Word received no addition from the Virgin, but made a sort of passage through her, as through a tube, and made use of a phantom in appearing to men.” (Theodoret, Epist. 145.)
"To docetic thinkers the divinity of Christ presented no difficulties. It was the humanity (with its close relation to matter) that they could not acknowledge. It was only the channel by which He came into the world 'Jesus', they said, 'passed through Mary as water through a tube'. He was 'through' or 'by means of', but not 'of' Mary; that is to say, He derived from her no part of His being. 'For, just as water passes through a pipe, without receiving any addition from the pipe, so too the Word passed through Mary, but was not derived from Mary" (J F Bethune-Baker; Early History of Christian Doctrine, pp.80-81)
The earliest Greek manuscript to have these words “ἐκ σοῦ”, is the 5th century Codex Ephraemi.
However, much before this time, we have this reading in Tatian’s Diatessaron, which was written originally in Greek, and dates between AD 150-170, which reads:
“Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High shall rest upon thee, and therefore shall he that is born of thee be pure, and shall be called the Son of God”
We also have the explicit testimony of the following Church Fathers, who read “ἐκ σοῦ” in their New Testaments
JUSTIN MARTYR (A.D.100-165) - Dia Typh, Chapter C. ANF, p.249
“when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God”
IRENAEUS (A.D.130-200) - Adv Her Bk III.xxi.4
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God ;"
TERTULLIAN (A.D.160-225) - Adv Prax xxvi, xxvii
“The Spirit of God shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also the Holy Thing that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God”; Therefore that Holy Thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
HIPPOLYTUS (A.D.170-236) - Adv all Her VI. xxx
“wherefore that which shall be born of you shall be called holy”
CYPRIAN (A.D.200-258) - Test against the Jews, sec 1
“Wherefore that holy thing which is born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
NOVATIAN (A.D.200-258), Concerning The Trinity, Ch. xxiv. 6 times.
“The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also the Holy Thing which is born of you shall be called the Son of God”
GREGORY THAUMATURGUS (A.D.213-270) - Twelve Topics on the Faith, Topic IV. 4 times
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of the Highest”
PETER OF ALEXANDRIA (d.A.D.311) - frag from the book on the Godhead; sermon of theology
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (2); “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (9)
ATHANASIUS (A.D.296-373) - four Discourses against the Arians, Dis IV.32
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God .”
And many others.
It is also found in the Old Latin Versions, made from the Greek New Testament, and dates from the 2nd century. Also The Old Syriac Peshitta, 2nd cent. The scholar Jerome also includes this in his Revision of the Old Latin, the Vulgate.
Luke 1:35, with “ἐκ σοῦ”, which is the singular, and can only refer to Mary; is what Matthew writes in his Gospel:
“And Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband to be of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ”
The words, “of whom”, ἐξ ἧς, are singular and feminine, which excludes Joseph, the husband of Mary, as the biological father of Jesus Christ.
The removal of these two words at a very early time, was no doubt the work of those who rejected the real humanity in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the evidence of the early Versions and Church Fathers, is evidence beyond any doubt, to “ἐκ σοῦ”, as being part of the original Gospel of Luke.
This is also important for the study of textual criticism, where it shows that too much weight must not be placed on the Greek manuscripts, which are the work of copyists, who could add or remove as they felt like, for theological purposes.
The greater majority of English Bible’s, omit two very important words in the verse, “ἐκ σοῦ”, literally, “out of you”, that is Mary. This is clear testimony against the early heretics, that Jesus Christ actually derived His “human nature”, from The Virgin Mary, apart from sin, which the Holy Spirit would have removed.
A few of the heretics in the early Church, actually denied that the “human nature” in Jesus Christ, at His Incarnation, and thereafter, is consubstantial with ours.
“The doctrines of Valentinus are described fully by Irenæus (I. cap. i.) from whom S. Cyril takes this account. Valentinus, and Basilides, and Bardesanes, and Harmonious, and those of their company admit Christ’s conception and birth of the Virgin, but say that God the Word received no addition from the Virgin, but made a sort of passage through her, as through a tube, and made use of a phantom in appearing to men.” (Theodoret, Epist. 145.)
"To docetic thinkers the divinity of Christ presented no difficulties. It was the humanity (with its close relation to matter) that they could not acknowledge. It was only the channel by which He came into the world 'Jesus', they said, 'passed through Mary as water through a tube'. He was 'through' or 'by means of', but not 'of' Mary; that is to say, He derived from her no part of His being. 'For, just as water passes through a pipe, without receiving any addition from the pipe, so too the Word passed through Mary, but was not derived from Mary" (J F Bethune-Baker; Early History of Christian Doctrine, pp.80-81)
The earliest Greek manuscript to have these words “ἐκ σοῦ”, is the 5th century Codex Ephraemi.
However, much before this time, we have this reading in Tatian’s Diatessaron, which was written originally in Greek, and dates between AD 150-170, which reads:
“Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High shall rest upon thee, and therefore shall he that is born of thee be pure, and shall be called the Son of God”
We also have the explicit testimony of the following Church Fathers, who read “ἐκ σοῦ” in their New Testaments
JUSTIN MARTYR (A.D.100-165) - Dia Typh, Chapter C. ANF, p.249
“when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God”
IRENAEUS (A.D.130-200) - Adv Her Bk III.xxi.4
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God ;"
TERTULLIAN (A.D.160-225) - Adv Prax xxvi, xxvii
“The Spirit of God shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also the Holy Thing that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God”; Therefore that Holy Thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
HIPPOLYTUS (A.D.170-236) - Adv all Her VI. xxx
“wherefore that which shall be born of you shall be called holy”
CYPRIAN (A.D.200-258) - Test against the Jews, sec 1
“Wherefore that holy thing which is born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
NOVATIAN (A.D.200-258), Concerning The Trinity, Ch. xxiv. 6 times.
“The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also the Holy Thing which is born of you shall be called the Son of God”
GREGORY THAUMATURGUS (A.D.213-270) - Twelve Topics on the Faith, Topic IV. 4 times
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of the Highest”
PETER OF ALEXANDRIA (d.A.D.311) - frag from the book on the Godhead; sermon of theology
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (2); “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (9)
ATHANASIUS (A.D.296-373) - four Discourses against the Arians, Dis IV.32
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God .”
And many others.
It is also found in the Old Latin Versions, made from the Greek New Testament, and dates from the 2nd century. Also The Old Syriac Peshitta, 2nd cent. The scholar Jerome also includes this in his Revision of the Old Latin, the Vulgate.
Luke 1:35, with “ἐκ σοῦ”, which is the singular, and can only refer to Mary; is what Matthew writes in his Gospel:
“And Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband to be of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ”
The words, “of whom”, ἐξ ἧς, are singular and feminine, which excludes Joseph, the husband of Mary, as the biological father of Jesus Christ.
The removal of these two words at a very early time, was no doubt the work of those who rejected the real humanity in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the evidence of the early Versions and Church Fathers, is evidence beyond any doubt, to “ἐκ σοῦ”, as being part of the original Gospel of Luke.
This is also important for the study of textual criticism, where it shows that too much weight must not be placed on the Greek manuscripts, which are the work of copyists, who could add or remove as they felt like, for theological purposes.