April 25. 1850.
[Footnote 1: "Ich bitte alle meine Freunde, und Feinde, meine
Meister Drücker und Leser, wolten dis Newe Testament lassen mein
sein, Haben sie aber mangel dran, das sie selbs ein eigens für
sich machen; Ich weiss wol was ich mache, Sehe auch wol was
andere machen, Aber dis Testament sol des Luther's Deudsch
Testament sein, Denn Meisterns und Klugelus ist jtzt weder masse
noch ende. Und sey jederman gewarnet für andern Exemplaren, Denn
ich bisher wol erfaren wie unfvleissig und falsch uns andere
nachdrücken."]
[Footnote 2: Fr. Er. Kettner, who printed at Leipsic, in 1696, a
long and strenuous defence of the authenticity of the 7th verse,
exults in the existence of this verse in an edition of the
Bible, Wittemberg, 1606, which is falsely said on the title-page
to be _juxta ultimum a Luthero revisum exemplar correctum_.]
_Luther's Translation of the Bible_ (No. 25, p. 309.).--De Wette, in his
critical Commentary on the verse 1 John, after stating his opinion that
the controverted passage is a spurious interpolation, gives a list of
the codices and editions in which the passage is not found, and of those
in which it is found.
The passage is _wanting_ in all Greek Codd. except Codd. 34. 162. 172.
(of his introduction, where it is introduced from the Vulgate), and in
all MS. {454} of the Vulgate before the tenth century; in Erasmus' edit.
of 1516 and 1518; in Ald. Ed. Venet. 1518; in all editions of Luther's
translation published by him during his life-time, and up to 1581; in
the edit. Withenb., 1607; Hamb. 1596. 1619. 1620.
The passage is _found_ in all the editions printed of the Vulgate, and
in all translations from it before Luther; and the edit. complut.; in
Erasmus' of 1522, and in his paraphrase; in the edit. of Rob. Stephens,
1546-69; and Beza, 1565-76. 1582; in the Lutheran translations reprinted
by Froschauer, Zurich, 1529-31. (but in small type); edit. 1536-89. in
brackets; edit. 1597, without the brackets; in the edit. Frankf. 1593;
Wittenb. 1596-97, and many later ones. I may add, that the passage is in
every edition of recent date that I have seen of the Lutheran Bible, but
not, of course, in De Wette's translation.