FABRICATIONS · DOCTRINAL EMBELLISHMENT
‘Blessed Are You Among Women’ Added
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
This phrase is missing from the earliest and most reliable manuscripts, such as Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, indicating it was likely added later as a liturgical or devotional expansion. Modern translations like the NIV and ESV omit it, aligning with earlier manuscript evidence. Its inclusion in the KJV, based on later manuscripts, underscores how scribes inserted honorific phrases, shaping doctrines and portraying key figures beyond the likely original record.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Adding ‘blessed art thou among women’ aligns with Elizabeth’s greeting in and emphasizes Mary’s honored status. Consider it a harmonization rather than a corruption.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
Even if consistent with another verse, this addition shows scribes inserting phrases for emphasis, putting words in the mouth of an angel that were never originally said. This challenges the idea of a strictly divine origin for the text and suggests that portrayals of key biblical figures evolved over time, contributing to a more developed Marian theology than what may have originally existed.
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‘Blessed Are You Among Women’ Added