c. AD 175–225 — Papyrus 75. P75 contains the ascension phrase.
Earliest surviving Greek support: c. AD 175–225 — P75.
Luke 24:51
Carried Up Into Heaven
KJV Reading Defended
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Why the KJV Reading Is Retained
The KJV/TR includes the ascension phrase in Luke 24:51; the omission is listed in Sinaiticus first hand, Codex Bezae, and some Old Latin witnesses.
Disputed unit
The clause καὶ ἀνεφέρετο εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν only, kept apart from the preceding διέστη ἀπ’ αὐτῶν.
Short omitted phraseMajority Greek supportScant evidence against KJVLatin supportSyriac supportCoptic supportLectionary support
Evidence assessment
The ascension clause is carried by P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Washingtonianus and the broad Greek tradition, with Old Latin aur, c, f, gat, q and r1, the Vulgate, the Peshitta, Harklean and Palestinian Syriac and Coptic. The first hand of Sinaiticus and Codex Bezae omit it, and Sinaiticus was corrected to include it.
Primary support for the KJV reading
The broad Greek tradition with early papyrus support
King James Bible reading
Luke 24:51 in the King James Bible
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Evidence sources
Where the evidence on this page comes from.
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
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
- B. M. Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament
- H. A. G. Houghton, The Latin New Testament
- IGNTP, The New Testament in Greek: The Gospel According to St Luke, Parts 1–2 (OUP 1984, 1987)
- INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata
- Vetus Latina Gospel manuscript register (ITSEE, University of Birmingham)
- Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke
Earliest KJV-supporting evidence
The earliest reviewed support at a glance.
Primary support for the KJV reading
The broad Greek tradition with early papyrus support
The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.
Majority Text standing
The ascension clause
The KJV ascension clause is the overwhelming numerical Majority Text reading in Greek.
Estimated Greek support: More than 1,500 Greek manuscripts
This is a conservative working estimate based on the published Majority or Byzantine designation and the approximate number of continuous-text manuscripts that preserve the book. Lacunae and collation scope make the exact denominator vary by verse.
Source scope and denominator
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
Greek support in the cited corpus
P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Washingtonianus and the Maj group
Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus
2 named Greek states: the first hand of Sinaiticus and Codex Bezae
Lectionary evidence
Lectionaries contain the phrase
Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot
- Codex Sinaiticus first hand (01*)
- Codex Bezae (05)
- Old Latin a, b, d, e, ff2, l
Evidence represented on this page
Greek manuscripts
Represented
Ancient versions
Represented
Church fathers
No entry listed
Printed editions
No entry listed
Complete source-scoped roster
Complete roster within the stated source scope.
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
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
- Greek support in cited scope
- P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Washingtonianus and the Maj group
- Greek competing evidence in cited scope
- 2 named Greek states: the first hand of Sinaiticus and Codex Bezae
- Evidence classification
- The broad Greek tradition with early papyrus support
The ascension clause
KJV/TR unit: καὶ ἀνεφέρετο εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν
Greek manuscripts
Supports the KJV/TR formP75 02 03 04 032
Grouped evidence: Maj
Old Latin and Vulgate
Supports the KJV/TR formaur (VL15) c (VL6) f (VL10) gat (VL30) q (VL13) r1 (VL14)
Grouped evidence: Vulgate tradition
Syriac and Coptic
Supports the KJV/TR formPeshitta Harklean Palestinian-Syriac
Grouped evidence: Coptic evidence on this line
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidencesupplied by a corrector
01C2
Syriac
Related or qualified evidencea shorter equivalent
Sinaitic
Greek manuscripts
Competing reading01* 05
Old Latin and other versions
Competing readinga (VL3) b (VL4) d (VL5) e (VL2) ff2 (VL8) l (VL11) Georgian-I
Lacunose
Non-directional evidenceCuretonian
Roster distinctions
- The Sinaitic Syriac carries a shorter equivalent, and the Curetonian is lacunose at Luke 24:44–51.
Evidence notes
Important distinctions in the evidence.
- The Sinaitic Syriac carries a shorter equivalent, and the Curetonian is lacunose at Luke 24:44–51.
Evidence assessment
Why the KJV reading is retained
The ascension clause is carried by P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Washingtonianus and the broad Greek tradition, with Old Latin aur, c, f, gat, q and r1, the Vulgate, the Peshitta, Harklean and Palestinian Syriac and Coptic. The first hand of Sinaiticus and Codex Bezae omit it, and Sinaiticus was corrected to include it.
Primary support for the KJV reading
The broad Greek tradition with early papyrus support
Evidence represented on this page
Evidence types, without turning rows into votes.
GreekRepresented
LatinRepresented
Other versionsRepresented
FathersNot listed
Printed editionsNot listed
References
Editions and works cited.
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung. New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room. Münster: University of Münster.
Aland, Barbara, et al., eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
Robinson, Maurice A., and William G. Pierpont. The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2018. Nürnberg: VTR Publications, 2018.
Tyndale House, Cambridge, ed. The Greek New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.
Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke. Luke 24:51, PDF pp. 672–675.
IGNTP, The New Testament in Greek: The Gospel According to St Luke, Parts 1–2 (OUP 1984, 1987). Comprehensive Luke collation.
INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata. Physical dates for the named Greek manuscripts.
Vetus Latina Gospel manuscripts register (ITSEE, University of Birmingham). Identity and physical date of the named Old Latin manuscripts.