No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:18)

We include “Son” in this epithet because of the NKJV translation (and the KJV before it), although the inclusion of the word is disputed. Most modern translations do not include it. Some blame this on a modern drift from the so-called “authorized” version of the Word of God. But that is not the case; there is actually a legitimate disagreement on the form of the original Greek text behind our English translations.

The conflicting issue has to do with how we determine among the over 5,000 extant (currently existing) ancient Greek manuscripts which ones reflect the original documents. Of course, we do not have the original, physical writings of the NT authors; we have copies made from copies in a long line of textual iterations. Until the late 1400s all copies were created by hand, as scribes meticulously created faithful facsimiles of previous copies. In time minor discrepancies crept in, with copies in certain geographical areas showing signs of identifiable characteristics. None of these differences in the copies affect major doctrines, but at times they must be dealt with, as in our passage today.

In the fourth century, the Emperor Constantine, ostensibly professing Christian faith, authorized 50 copies to be made from one copy in common use in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. That “edition” became the standard which was copiously copied, resulting in what is now called the “Byzantine” family of manuscripts. This played significantly into what is popularly called the “Majority Text,” since it represents the overwhelming preponderance of ancient texts that exist today. These date primarily to the 9^th through 11^th centuries and form the textual family upon which the KJV and NKJV rely.

Modern archeological discoveries have uncovered manuscripts dating back much earlier than the Middle Ages, as early as the second through fourth centuries. These older texts differ in places from the Majority Text tradition and collectively are sometimes called the “Western” text. Many feel this textual tradition needs to be considered in all discussions concerning the original text. While this has been a cursory overview of what is called “textual criticism,” suffice it to say that some of the earliest manuscripts do not include “son” in our verse for today, rendering it similarly to the NASB: “the only begotten God.” In our next essay, we will contemplate the significance of both versions’ renderings.

Lord, whether this verse says Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, or the only begotten God, Your Word makes it clear that He is the Son and He is God.