Chris Coldwell (NaphtaliPress) has published Presbyterian & Reformed books since 1987. He is the editor of The Confessional Presbyterian journal, an annual publication containing scholarly articles from a Confessional Presbyterian perspective by men from the many conservative Presbyterian & Reformed denominations today. He has a particular interest in the text of the Westminster Standards, and a critical text of the Larger Catechism is running serially in the journal beginning with the 2007 issue.
A Critical Text of the Westminster Larger Catechism 6: Q. 3 & 4
Posted 09-23-2007 at 09:17 AM by NaphtaliPress
[To drum up interest in CPJ, I will be running extracts from “A Critical Text of the Westminster Larger Catechism: Q. 1–50,” which will appear, D.V. in The Confessional Presbyterian 3 (2007) due off the press October 1st. As the work is quite extensive, the full catechism will be presented seriatim across several issues, again Lord willing. NB. Bolded text denotes a variation in wording rather than simply punctuation or other variants less significant .]
A Critical Text of the Westminster Larger Catechism: Q. 1–50
Q. 3. What is the Word of God?
A. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God,e the only rule of faith and obedience.f
e. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19–21.
f. Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18–19; Isa. 8:20; Luke 16:29, 31; Gal. 1:8–9; 2 Tim. 3:15–17.
Variants:
18. (1) “New Testament, are”: MSb; RPa. The notation in Bower appears to place the comma after the “are” instead of after “Testament”, which is not correct. This may be simply a “tabbing” error as Bower’s method is to arrange the variants in tabular form under the original reading (the text of AMa). (2) “New Testaments”: ARPg?;† RPCNA; PCUSc–BofC;‡ GCP; FPLC;§ Vos.§ †The online text at the ARP website has this reading, but ARPh does not. ‡The change by PCUS was one of many punctuation and a few wording changes approved in 1944. §Young and J&Hb do not have this change.
19. “God; the”: MSb. Bower assigns a semi-colon. The copy does show a faint speck above the comma.
20. In “e”: 2 Tim. 12–16: UPCa.
21. In “f”: 2 Tim. 3:15–16. Verse 17 is dropped in all editions since MAX. W1438 and AMb have 3.15, 16, 17. Beginning with BSTK, and those following, such as STNRSab, ANDSN and 1655, there is either a blank where the Isa. 8, Luke 16, Gal. 1, and 2 Tim. references should be, or the blank is removed but only the Eph. and Rev. references are given. SWTNa, one of the earliest editions to number the questions, though with mistakes, tends to drop or shorten references. Here it only has the Eph. reference. UPCa merges the Isa. and Luke references into Isa. 8:20, 31.
22. American proofs. PCUSA(1797): In “f”: (–) Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18–19. PCUS(1910): 1797 changes and “e” deleted in full. OPC(2001): In “e”: (+) 2 Pet. 3:2, 15–16; Matt. 19:4–5; With Gen. 2:24. In “f”: (–) 2 Tim. 3:17; (+) Deut. 4:2.
Q. 4. How doth it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God?
A. The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majestyg and purity;h by the consent of all the parts,i and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God;k by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation:l but the Spirit of God, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it, that they are the very Word of God.m
g. Hos. 8:12; 1 Cor. 2:6–7, 13; Ps. 119:18, 129.
h. Ps. 12:6; Ps. 119:140.
i. Acts 10:43; Acts 26:22.
k. Rom. 3:19, 27.
l. Acts 18:28; Heb. 4:12; James 1:18; Ps. 19:7–9; Rom. 15:4; Acts 20:32.
m. John 16:13–14; 1 John 2:20, 27; John 20:31.
Variants:
23. “appear, that”: MSb.
24. (1) “of God by their majesty”: MAX—DNLP; Kerr; ARPb2. (2) “majesty, and purity”: MSS; MAX—DNLP;† RP; L&R—Kerr; ARPa–d; PCUSAa. †THIRD and Watson did not have the comma, which has dropped out of the text since Kerr. ARP retained it through the 1850 edition, but it dropped out from PCUSA after the first edition. A comma may tend to indicate a slight separation of the two concepts of the majesty and the purity of God’s Word, but while it was in the MSS, the comma was dropped in the two authoritative editions prepared for the Assembly, and only came into the traditional text via MAX. (3) “purity, by”: MSS; RP; UPCa; BPb. The semi-colon is in BPa.
25. “all parts”: E.Rob; Duncan. The 1771np restored the word “the.”
26. “whole; which”: MSb. Bower assigns a semi-colon (see note 19 under Q. 3).
27. “which is, to give”: MSa; TYLRab; W1438a; RP.† Bower places the comma in MSa between “which” and “is” (see note 18 (1) above at Q. 3). W1435, Tyler’s private edition of both the Larger and Shorter Catechisms without proofs for the use of the Scottish Church, does not have a comma (this is Bower’s Edition Two of the Larger Catechism, Bower, 55–56). †Bostock’s edition of the catechism (W1438a), follows Tyler closely, and probably was printed in Scotland from the same type as TYLRab (Bower, 61; Carruthers, 33–44).
28. “glory to God, by”: MSb; UPCa.
29. In “k”: verse 27 is dropped in MAX—Cox; restored in DNLP; RP; L&R—.
30. “convince, and convert”: MSa
31. “to salvation”: MAX—Cox.
32. (1) “salvation; but”: PCUSAj–UP; Vos. (2) “salvation. But”: PCUSAef; PCUS; Perkins; BP; GCP; PCA. The colon is in OPC.
33. (1) “But, the Spirit of God”: MSa. (2) “but the Spirit of bearing” (“God” missing): MAX—THIRD; Cox. Watson had this corrected but it dropped out again in Cox. This is corrected in the traditional text since DNLP; L&Ra; and RPa. (3) “of God bearing witness” (DNLP): DNLP; RPa; L&R—Mair; FPLC; UPC; ARP; RPCNA; PCUSAa–j; PCUSab;† Perkins; BP; GCP; OPC; PCA; Vos. †PCUSc—BofC restore the comma after “God”.
34. (1) “witness by, and”: MSa;† TYLRab; W1438a; RP. (2) “and with, the”: TYLRab. W1435 has neither comma; W1438a only the first. †Bower does not note any punctuation here in MSa, but there is clearly a comma in the copy. (3) “the Scriptures, in”: RP.
35. “man is alone”: KNCDbc; Kerr. The comma was restored in Blair1.
36. “persuade it that they” (MAX): MAX—. The comma drops out from Maxey onward in the traditional text.
37. American proofs. PCUSA(1797): In “g”: (–) all; (+) Isa. 66:1; Amos 9:2–4; Ps. 77. In “i”: Acts 10:42, but the text is still that of 10:43: PCUSAb–Finley. Originally correct in Aitken; corrected in PCUSAc forward. In “l”: (–) Rom. 15:4; Acts 20:32. In “m”: (–) John 20:31; (+) to “n” in next question. PCUSA(1894): In “g”: References deleted in 1797 restored, except for 1 Cor. 2:13; (–) 1797 additions. In “i”: (+) Luke 24:27. In “k”: (–) Rom. 3:19, 27; (+) Rom. 16:25, 27; 2 Cor. 3:6–11. In “l”: (+) 1797 deletions. In “m”: (–) John 20:31. PCUS(1910): References “g” thru “l” deleted. At “l”: (+) “See General Note”. In “m”: (–) 1 John 2:20, 27; John 20:31; (+) 1 Cor. 2:6–9. OPC(2001): In “i”: (+) Luke 24:27. In “k”: (+) Rom. 16:25–27; See 2 Cor. 3:6–11.
A Critical Text of the Westminster Larger Catechism: Q. 1–50
Q. 3. What is the Word of God?
A. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God,e the only rule of faith and obedience.f
e. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19–21.
f. Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18–19; Isa. 8:20; Luke 16:29, 31; Gal. 1:8–9; 2 Tim. 3:15–17.
Variants:
18. (1) “New Testament, are”: MSb; RPa. The notation in Bower appears to place the comma after the “are” instead of after “Testament”, which is not correct. This may be simply a “tabbing” error as Bower’s method is to arrange the variants in tabular form under the original reading (the text of AMa). (2) “New Testaments”: ARPg?;† RPCNA; PCUSc–BofC;‡ GCP; FPLC;§ Vos.§ †The online text at the ARP website has this reading, but ARPh does not. ‡The change by PCUS was one of many punctuation and a few wording changes approved in 1944. §Young and J&Hb do not have this change.
19. “God; the”: MSb. Bower assigns a semi-colon. The copy does show a faint speck above the comma.
20. In “e”: 2 Tim. 12–16: UPCa.
21. In “f”: 2 Tim. 3:15–16. Verse 17 is dropped in all editions since MAX. W1438 and AMb have 3.15, 16, 17. Beginning with BSTK, and those following, such as STNRSab, ANDSN and 1655, there is either a blank where the Isa. 8, Luke 16, Gal. 1, and 2 Tim. references should be, or the blank is removed but only the Eph. and Rev. references are given. SWTNa, one of the earliest editions to number the questions, though with mistakes, tends to drop or shorten references. Here it only has the Eph. reference. UPCa merges the Isa. and Luke references into Isa. 8:20, 31.
22. American proofs. PCUSA(1797): In “f”: (–) Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18–19. PCUS(1910): 1797 changes and “e” deleted in full. OPC(2001): In “e”: (+) 2 Pet. 3:2, 15–16; Matt. 19:4–5; With Gen. 2:24. In “f”: (–) 2 Tim. 3:17; (+) Deut. 4:2.
Q. 4. How doth it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God?
A. The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majestyg and purity;h by the consent of all the parts,i and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God;k by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation:l but the Spirit of God, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it, that they are the very Word of God.m
g. Hos. 8:12; 1 Cor. 2:6–7, 13; Ps. 119:18, 129.
h. Ps. 12:6; Ps. 119:140.
i. Acts 10:43; Acts 26:22.
k. Rom. 3:19, 27.
l. Acts 18:28; Heb. 4:12; James 1:18; Ps. 19:7–9; Rom. 15:4; Acts 20:32.
m. John 16:13–14; 1 John 2:20, 27; John 20:31.
Variants:
23. “appear, that”: MSb.
24. (1) “of God by their majesty”: MAX—DNLP; Kerr; ARPb2. (2) “majesty, and purity”: MSS; MAX—DNLP;† RP; L&R—Kerr; ARPa–d; PCUSAa. †THIRD and Watson did not have the comma, which has dropped out of the text since Kerr. ARP retained it through the 1850 edition, but it dropped out from PCUSA after the first edition. A comma may tend to indicate a slight separation of the two concepts of the majesty and the purity of God’s Word, but while it was in the MSS, the comma was dropped in the two authoritative editions prepared for the Assembly, and only came into the traditional text via MAX. (3) “purity, by”: MSS; RP; UPCa; BPb. The semi-colon is in BPa.
25. “all parts”: E.Rob; Duncan. The 1771np restored the word “the.”
26. “whole; which”: MSb. Bower assigns a semi-colon (see note 19 under Q. 3).
27. “which is, to give”: MSa; TYLRab; W1438a; RP.† Bower places the comma in MSa between “which” and “is” (see note 18 (1) above at Q. 3). W1435, Tyler’s private edition of both the Larger and Shorter Catechisms without proofs for the use of the Scottish Church, does not have a comma (this is Bower’s Edition Two of the Larger Catechism, Bower, 55–56). †Bostock’s edition of the catechism (W1438a), follows Tyler closely, and probably was printed in Scotland from the same type as TYLRab (Bower, 61; Carruthers, 33–44).
28. “glory to God, by”: MSb; UPCa.
29. In “k”: verse 27 is dropped in MAX—Cox; restored in DNLP; RP; L&R—.
30. “convince, and convert”: MSa
31. “to salvation”: MAX—Cox.
32. (1) “salvation; but”: PCUSAj–UP; Vos. (2) “salvation. But”: PCUSAef; PCUS; Perkins; BP; GCP; PCA. The colon is in OPC.
33. (1) “But, the Spirit of God”: MSa. (2) “but the Spirit of bearing” (“God” missing): MAX—THIRD; Cox. Watson had this corrected but it dropped out again in Cox. This is corrected in the traditional text since DNLP; L&Ra; and RPa. (3) “of God bearing witness” (DNLP): DNLP; RPa; L&R—Mair; FPLC; UPC; ARP; RPCNA; PCUSAa–j; PCUSab;† Perkins; BP; GCP; OPC; PCA; Vos. †PCUSc—BofC restore the comma after “God”.
34. (1) “witness by, and”: MSa;† TYLRab; W1438a; RP. (2) “and with, the”: TYLRab. W1435 has neither comma; W1438a only the first. †Bower does not note any punctuation here in MSa, but there is clearly a comma in the copy. (3) “the Scriptures, in”: RP.
35. “man is alone”: KNCDbc; Kerr. The comma was restored in Blair1.
36. “persuade it that they” (MAX): MAX—. The comma drops out from Maxey onward in the traditional text.
37. American proofs. PCUSA(1797): In “g”: (–) all; (+) Isa. 66:1; Amos 9:2–4; Ps. 77. In “i”: Acts 10:42, but the text is still that of 10:43: PCUSAb–Finley. Originally correct in Aitken; corrected in PCUSAc forward. In “l”: (–) Rom. 15:4; Acts 20:32. In “m”: (–) John 20:31; (+) to “n” in next question. PCUSA(1894): In “g”: References deleted in 1797 restored, except for 1 Cor. 2:13; (–) 1797 additions. In “i”: (+) Luke 24:27. In “k”: (–) Rom. 3:19, 27; (+) Rom. 16:25, 27; 2 Cor. 3:6–11. In “l”: (+) 1797 deletions. In “m”: (–) John 20:31. PCUS(1910): References “g” thru “l” deleted. At “l”: (+) “See General Note”. In “m”: (–) 1 John 2:20, 27; John 20:31; (+) 1 Cor. 2:6–9. OPC(2001): In “i”: (+) Luke 24:27. In “k”: (+) Rom. 16:25–27; See 2 Cor. 3:6–11.
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