water, flesh and blood - Priscillian's earthly witnesses

Steven Avery

Administrator
RGA - p. 36
Finally, Priscillian lists the three earthly witnesses as water, flesh and blood, a variant found in no extant Greek bible, but in the writings of some Latin Fathers and a handful of Latin bibles copied as late as the thirteenth century.43

43 Künstle, 1905a, 8-9, 12-15; Künstle, 1905b, 60-61; Thiele, 1966, 363; Brown, 1982, 781- 782; Strecker, 1989, 281; Strecker, 1996, 189.

The sources reading caro are

Madrid, Complutense ms 31;
Dublin, Trinity College ms 52;
Paris, BnF ms lat. 315;
Vienna, ÖNB ms 11902;
Contra Varimadum I.5;
Beatus and Eterius, Contra Elipandum I.26;
ps.-John II, Epist. ad Valerium.

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Possible Addition for Grantley:
Codex Aniciensis, Latin 4 (circa 800 AD)
Hugh Houghton:

Codex Aniciensis (Le Puy, Cathedral; VL ΘA) was written under Theodulf's direction around 800.44
This still has the Old Latin version of the Liber de diuinis scripturis and no references to Alcuin’s Bible. The Psalms and Gospels are copied in silver and gold ink on parchment dyed dark purple. The script is small, with over sixty lines per column. Book titles are characteristically placed in circles, with a thick decorated border.

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p. 36 - (worthless evidence from silence, is it attempting to counter an evidence from silence?)
Indeed, Jerome also fails to mention the unusual variant “water, flesh and blood” in Priscillian’s reading of verse 8, which—although it is represented in some later Spanish manuscripts— would certainly have merited a comment from Jerome if he were familiar with Priscillian’s text.)

p. 37
See also the Canons of the Second Council of Braga, PL 84:582:

“LV. Quid in altari offerri oporteat. Non oportet aliquid aliud in sanctuario offerri præter panem et vinum et aquam, quæ in typo Christi benedicuntur, quia dum in cruce penderet de corpore eius sanguis effluxit et aqua. Hæc tria unum sunt in Christo Iesu, hæc hostia et oblatio Dei in odorem suavitatis.”

This document, which was subsequently absorbed into the Decretum Gratiani, first appears in the forged ps.-Isidorean collection, put together in the ninth century; it is consequently difficult to know whether the formulation genuinely reflects the thought of the late fifth century. In any case it is fascinating that this phraseology occurs in combination with the three elements of flesh, blood and water, which are found in Priscillian’s citation of 1 Jn 5:8. It is possible that the inclusion of this phrase in the Canons was suggested by the common interpretation of 1 Jn 5:6 as a reference to the sacraments.
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
TWOGIG
[Contra Varimadum in Every Church Library] ...
And John the evangelist says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Also to the Parthians:”there are three", he says,”that bear witness in earth, the water, the blood and the flesh (body): and these three are in us.”(1 John 5:8)”and there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit: and these three are one.”(1 John 5:7)
(Idacius Clarus, Contra Varimadum (Marvidamun), Book 1. Chapter 5; CCSL 90:20-21; Migne Latina, PL 62 359)

Priscillian
[and] as John says:”There are three who testify on earth, the water, the flesh (body), and the blood, and these three are in one, and there are three who testify in heaven, the Fathers, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one in Jesus Christ.”(I Jn 5:8,7)
(Priscillian”Tractates”in Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum edited by Schepss 1889, vol 18, p. 5-6)
...
 Priscillian quotes 1 John 5:8, having”in earth”as part of its text, but gives us a very strange rendition of the
verse”the water, the body (flesh), and the blood”. This indicates that verse 8 was also subject to corruption

[Letter to Elipandum. Book 1.26] If anyone will say that I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For, who
does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he sees not? And we have this
commandment from Him: who loves God shall also love his brother. All who believe that Jesus is Christ are born
of God. And all who love Him who bore, love him who is born from Him. In this we know that we love the Son of
God, if we shall love God and do His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his
commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. Because all that is born of God conquers the world.
And this is the victory in which he conquers the world: our faith. Who is it that conquers the world except he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ. Not in
water alone, but in water and blood and flesh. And it is the Spirit who testifies that Christ is the truth.
Because there are three who give testimony on earth: the water and blood and flesh. And these three are
one. And there are three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, Word and Spirit. And these three are
one in Christ Jesus.
(Heterii et Sancti Beati, Ad Elipandum Epistola. Liber 1.XXXVI; Translated by Jeroen Beekhuizen, correspondence January 2020)

Codex Aniciensis, Latin 4 (circa 800 AD)
And there are three that give testimony on earth: the blood, the water and the flesh].
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Grantley
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Codex Complutensis MS 31 : VL 109 (900-999 AD)
• 1 John 5:6-8
This is he that came by water and blood,
Jesus Christ: not by water only but by water
and blood and flesh[?]. And it is the Spirit which
testifieth that Christ is the truth.
And there are three that give testimony
on earth: the water the blood and the flesh.
And these three are one. And three
there are who give testimony in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three
are one in Christ Jesus.
 
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