Acts 20:28
KJV Reading Defended
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Why the KJV Reading Is Retained
The KJV’s “church of God” is supported by Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and a substantial Greek manuscript group. On this principal noun, the KJV agrees with the modern critical text against both the “Lord” reading and the later Byzantine conflation “Lord and God.”
Disputed unit
Two independent units: θεοῦ/κυρίου and conflations at the church title, followed by ἰδίου αἵματος versus αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου.
Evidence assessment
The selected ECM corpus is multiway at the title: 34 Greek states read God, 34 Lord, 21 Lord and God plus Byz, and two singleton Jesus-inclusive forms. At the separate blood-order unit, 29 named entries have the KJV order plus Byz and 49 have the competing order.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Ancient Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Latin and patristic evidence for God, with Byzantine support for the KJV word order
King James Bible reading
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Evidence sources
Sources used for the witnesses, readings, dates, and notes on this page. Complete citations appear in the References section at the end of the page.
Governing apparatus and count scope
The current digital ECM Acts apparatus. Counts describe the named reading states displayed in its selected corpus; Byz remains an unexpanded group.
Earliest KJV-supporting evidence
Early second century — Ignatius, related phrase “blood of God.” This is theological and verbal support, not an Acts quotation. Exact Greek “Church of God”: fourth century — Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus.
Earliest surviving Greek support: Fourth century — Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus.
Primary support for the KJV reading
The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.
Majority Text standing
The order “his own blood”
At the blood-order unit, the KJV/TR order is the Byzantine majority reading.
Estimated Greek support: Approximately 450 to 550 Greek manuscripts in the wider Acts tradition
Unit qualification: This majority claim applies only to the order of “his own blood.” At the divine-title unit, the Byzantine reading is the conflated “Lord and God,” not the exact KJV “God.”
This is a conservative working estimate for the wider Acts manuscript tradition. The exact source-scoped count remains printed beside the roster, and lacunose copies are not treated as votes.
Source scope and denominator
The current digital ECM Acts apparatus. Counts describe the named reading states displayed in its selected corpus; Byz remains an unexpanded group.
Greek support in the cited corpus
34 God states; 29 KJV-order states plus Byz
Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus
34 Lord states; 49 competing-order entries
Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot
Evidence represented on this page
Greek manuscripts
Represented
Ancient versions
Represented
Church fathers
Represented
Printed editions
Represented
Complete source-scoped roster
This roster preserves every named or grouped state recovered in the governing sources, including exact readings, competing readings, corrections, related forms, lacunae, versions, and aggregate traditions. When Maj or Byz appears on the KJV side, it marks the numerically dominant Greek transmission at that unit. The green Majority Text card above supplies the best available passage-specific estimate. The grouped siglum is then retained so it is not mistaken for one individual manuscript.
Apparatus and roster scope
The current digital ECM Acts apparatus. Counts describe the named reading states displayed in its selected corpus; Byz remains an unexpanded group.
KJV/TR unit: θεοῦ
01 03 0142 35* 104 218 383 441 459 614 621 629 1175 1292 1409 1490 1505 1509 1611 1642 1704 1831 1842 1890 2138 2147 2298 2412 2495 2652 2774 L60 L1825 L2010
Grouped evidence: Antioch Ath Bas Chrys ConstApT L:V:58.189> Cyr Dam Epiph PetrAl S:P>HT ThdMop K:Bᵐˢ
04C3 5 61 88 467 619 623C 636 915 1162 1270 1297 1501 1595 1729 1827 1838 2805 L1188 [35C] [424C]
Grouped evidence: Byz
1837 2243
1837 reads Lord Jesus and God; 2243 reads Lord Jesus.
P41 P74 02 04* 05 08 044 33 94 180 181 206 228 307 429 431 436 453 522 610 623* 630 945 996 1678 1735 1739 1751 1875 1884 1891 2344 2464 2818
Grouped evidence: AmAl Chrys ConstApmss Dam Did IrLat Thdrt K:SB L:5.50.51.54> S:Hᴹ
424*
KJV/TR unit: ἰδίου αἵματος
88 94 180 441 467 614 619 621 636 915 996 1162 1270 1297 1409f 1501 1505 1595 1642 1729 1827 1838 1842 2147 2344 2412 2495 2652 L1825
Grouped evidence: Byz
P41 P74 01 02 03 04 05 08 044 5 6 33 61 69 181 206 307 326 429 431 436 453 522 610 623 630 945 1175 1292 1490 1611 1678 1704(*)f 1735 1739 1751 1831 1837 1875 1884 1890 1891 2138 2298 2464 2805 2818 L60 L2010
629 1874
Precisely located citations and additional names reported by the controlling apparatus are kept separate. An apparatus-level attribution is not presented as an independently verified exact quotation.
Letter to the Ephesians 1
uses “blood of God,” showing early Christian use of that expression but not quoting Acts 20:28
Locator: Ignatius, Ephesians 1
Open sourceAgainst Heresies 3.14.2
the Latin-preserved text quotes “the Church of the Lord”
Locator: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.14.2
Open sourceSermon 1.6.6
Direct quotation in Sermon 1.6.6.
Locator: INTF record 8183; Wyrwa I.1, 464.29
Open sourceRegulae 80.16
Direct quotation in Regulae 80.16.
Locator: INTF record 91; PG 31, 865B9
Open sourceCommentary on Zechariah 2.153.259
Close quotation in Commentary on Zechariah 2.153.259.
Locator: INTF record 772
Open sourceHomilies on Acts 44.2
Direct quotation in Homilies on Acts 44.2.
Locator: INTF records 6428–6429; PG 60, 310.23
Open sourcePurchase-clause quotation
Close quotation in Purchase-clause quotation.
Locator: INTF record 6432
Open sourceTheotokos 3.22
Direct quotation in Theotokos 3.22.
Locator: ACO I.1.7, 29.14, INTF record 4573
Open sourceCommentary on Philippians 1:1f
Close quotation in Commentary on Philippians 1:1f.
Locator: INTF record 2454
Open sourceTheologia Trinitatis 26
Direct quotation in Theologia Trinitatis 26.
Locator: INTF record 2510; PG 75, 1185B6
Open sourcePandecta 122
Direct quotation in Pandecta 122.
Locator: PG 89, 1812B10, INTF records 8320 and 8273
Open sourceSacra Parallela E17
Direct quotation in Sacra Parallela E17.
Locator: PG 95, 1539B7, INTF record 8434
Open sourceFragmenta in Acta 20:28
Textual comment in Fragmenta in Acta 20:28.
Locator: PG 85, 1581A11, INTF record 2672
Open sourceDe Trinitate 2.8.2
Direct quotation in De Trinitate 2.8.2.
Locator: PG 39, 621B7, INTF record 9143
Open sourceDe incarnatione contra Apollinarium 1.13
Close quotation in De incarnatione contra Apollinarium 1.13.
Locator: INTF record 482
Open sourceRoster distinctions
Evidence notes
Evidence assessment
The selected ECM corpus is multiway at the title: 34 Greek states read God, 34 Lord, 21 Lord and God plus Byz, and two singleton Jesus-inclusive forms. At the separate blood-order unit, 29 named entries have the KJV order plus Byz and 49 have the competing order.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Ancient Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Latin and patristic evidence for God, with Byzantine support for the KJV word order
Evidence represented on this page
Separate evidence category
Printed editions are presented apart from handwritten manuscripts and ancient versions. Edition-group summaries appear first; named supporting and competing editions then follow chronologically.
Sources for the dates and readings in this section
Catalogued records
3
Named / aggregate
3 / 0
Date span
AD 1881–2018
| Witness | Date range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Westcott–Hort Greek New Testament Textual unitWord order in the phrase translated “with his own blood” Named witnessCompeting witness | AD 1881 | Prints διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου, the competing word order. |
Scrivener Textus Receptus Textual unitWord order in the phrase translated “with his own blood” Named witnessPrinted edition | AD 1894 | Prints διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος, the word order represented by the KJV. |
Robinson–Pierpont Byzantine Textform Textual unitWord order in the phrase translated “with his own blood” Named witnessPrinted edition | AD 2018 | Prints the same word order as the Textus Receptus for this unit. |
References
Aland, Barbara, et al., eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
Aland, Barbara, et al., eds. The Greek New Testament. 5th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014.
Irenaeus. Against Heresies, Book 3, §14.2. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1.
Ignatius of Antioch. Epistle to the Ephesians, §1. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1.
INTF digital Editio Critica Maior: Acts. Acts 20:28.
Official Vetus Latina collation for Acts 20:28. p. 1, column 30.
INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata
INTF Patristic Citations database