Is there any way to know which Bible version is correct about 1 John 5:7-8?
Short Answer: The absence of the Comma Johanneum in the vast majority of Greek manuscripts, including important ones like Codex Sinaiticus [1], suggests that it was likely a later addition.
the evidence—both external and internal—is decidedly against its
authenticity. [2]
The phrase "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit" in 1 John 5:7 is known as the Comma Johanneum, and it is found in a few late manuscripts.
However, the Comma Johanneum is not found in the majority of Greek manuscripts, including many of the earliest and most reliable ones.
GotQuestions says:
- However, it is highly unlikely that the Comma Johanneum was
originally a part of 1 John. None of the oldest Greek manuscripts
of 1 John contain the comma, and none of the very early church
fathers include it when quoting or referencing 1 John 5:7-8. The
presence of the Comma Johanneum in Greek manuscripts is actually
quite rare until the 15th century A.D. It is primarily found in Latin
manuscripts. While some of the Latin manuscripts containing the Comma
Johanneum are ancient, the Comma Johanneum did not appear in the
original Latin Vulgate written by Jerome.
Bible.org says:
- This longer reading is found only in eight late manuscripts, four of
which have the words in a marginal note. Most of these manuscripts
(2318, 221, and [with minor variations] 61, 88, 429, 629, 636, and
918) originate from the 16th century; the earliest manuscript, codex
221 (10th century), includes the reading in a marginal note which was
added sometime after the original composition. Thus, there is no sure
evidence of this reading in any Greek manuscript until the 1500s;
each such reading was apparently composed after Erasmus’ Greek NT was
published in 1516. Indeed, the reading appears in no Greek witness of
any kind (either manuscript, patristic, or Greek translation of some
other version) until AD 1215 (in a Greek translation of the Acts of
the Lateran Council, a work originally written in Latin).