Why does John 1:28 mention Bethany instead of Bethabara in some Bible translations? Scriptural Text of John 1:28 “All this happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” The Textual Variant: Bethany vs. Bethabara Two Greek spellings appear in the manuscript tradition: Βηθανίᾳ (Bēthania, “Bethany”) and Βηθαβαρά (Bēthabara, “Bethabara”). English versions that lean on the earliest, widest-attested reading (e.g., ESV, NASB, CSB, NIV) print “Bethany.” Translations following Erasmus’ fifth edition and the 1550 Stephanus Textus Receptus (e.g., KJV, NKJV) retain “Bethabara.” The difference arose not from doctrinal motive but from geographic uncertainty among later scribes. Earliest Greek Manuscripts • 𝔓66 (c. AD 175–200) – Bethany • 𝔓75 (late 2nd / early 3rd cent.) – Bethany • Codex Vaticanus (B, 4th cent.) – Bethany • Codex Sinaiticus (א, 4th cent.) – Bethany • Codex Alexandrinus (A, 5th cent.) – Bethany Every extant papyrus and every majuscule earlier than the 9th century reads Bethany. Bethabara appears only in some later Byzantine minuscules (e.g., 1, 13, 69) and in a few late Western witnesses. Patristic Testimony The Church Fathers cite the verse in two streams: • Bethany: Tertullian (Adv. Marcion IV.18), Chrysostom (Hom. in Ioan. 17), Cyril of Alexandria (Comm. on John I). • Bethabara: Origen (Comm. on John VI.40) preferred “Bethabara,” admitting that “nearly all copies” read Bethany, yet he argued from geography. Eusebius (Onomasticon) and the Latin Vulgate (Jerome) followed Origen’s preference. Origen therefore explains both the presence of the variant and its spread: a learned father encountered a difficulty, proposed a solution, and some later copyists adopted it. Origen’s Geographical Observation Origen could not locate any Bethany east of the Jordan during his travels (c. AD 230). Knowing the Bethany of Lazarus lay only two miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18), he concluded the Gospel must intend another site and emended the name to Bethabara, a ford extolled by the historian Josephus (Ant. IV.7.2) as a common crossing point. His conjecture influenced textual streams in Caesarea and later Western transmission. Why Some English Versions Read “Bethabara” The 1550 Stephanus Greek New Testament (basis of the KJV) relied heavily on a handful of late minuscule manuscripts that carried Origen’s alteration. The Reformers judged the received Greek text trustworthy, so the KJV translators in 1611 rendered the word as “Bethabara.” Modern critical editions (NA28, UBS5) restore Bethany because the reading is: 1. Earlier, found in every pre-4th-century witness. 2. Widespread, occurring in Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor, and Rome. 3. Harder (lectio difficilior) because it apparently creates a geographical puzzle, making scribal change to Bethabara more likely than the reverse. Geographical and Archaeological Data Archaeologists since 1996 have excavated Al-Maghtas (“baptism”), a site on the east bank of the Jordan opposite Jericho. Finds include 1st-century pottery, Herodian-era coins, and an early Christian pilgrimage complex dating to the 3rd century. Byzantine inscriptions there call the place “Bethany beyond the Jordan.” The Madaba mosaic map (6th century) likewise labels the east-bank baptism site Βέθαβαρά, indicating both names were in circulation for the same or two neighboring locales. Possible Locations of “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” 1. Al-Maghtas/Tell al-Kharrar, Jordan – the leading candidate; matches desert environs (John 1:23; cf. Isaiah 40:3) and early Christian memory. 2. Tell el-Maseh, Jordan – an alternate east-bank proposal. 3. Bethany near Jerusalem – rejected because the Synoptics place John’s ministry in the Jordan wilderness (~20 mi from Jerusalem). The data allow that “Bethany” was a small hamlet or pilgrimage hostel east of the river while “Bethabara” (“house of the ford”) denoted the nearby river crossing. Early copyists confronting two place-names may have attempted harmonization, producing the variant we see. Harmony with the Synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke all situate John’s baptizing along the Jordan in the Judean desert (Matthew 3:1–6; Mark 1:4–5; Luke 3:2–3). John’s reference to a Bethany “beyond the Jordan” corroborates that setting, demonstrating the Fourth Gospel’s independent yet consistent knowledge of the historical topography of John the Baptist’s ministry. Implications for Biblical Reliability The presence of a minor spelling variant over a non-doctrinal detail underscores the transparency of Scripture’s transmission. Believers possess: • 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, 10,000+ Latin Vulgate copies, and 9,300+ other ancient versions, allowing textual scholars to identify and sift every anomaly. • A 99% agreement across the New Testament text, with remaining differences confined to spelling, word order, or duplications that do not touch Christian doctrine. • God’s providential preservation of His Word, as promised: “The words of the LORD are flawless… You, O LORD, will keep them” (Psalm 12:6-7). Theological Significance John 1:28 reminds readers that God’s redemptive acts unfolded in real time and space. The incarnate Word entered history at an identifiable place: a desert village across the Jordan where John heralded “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Whether a copyist wrote Bethany or Bethabara, the event stands anchored to the terrain of the Holy Land, affirming the Bible’s concrete historicity. Lessons for the Contemporary Believer 1. Textual variants invite, rather than threaten, deeper investigation and confidence in Scripture’s integrity. 2. Scripture withstands scrutiny because it is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) and “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). 3. Geography and archaeology continue to illuminate and confirm the biblical record, offering fresh avenues for evangelism. 4. The same careful scholarship that clarifies a place-name also buttresses the central proclamation that “Christ died for our sins… was buried, and was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Bethany—beyond the Jordan—was therefore the stage from which God’s prophet introduced the Messiah to Israel and, through inspired Scripture, to the world. |
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