Codex Vaticanus (Facsimile)

The transmission of the Christmas story shows how even the smallest changes can shift meaning. Originally, a Sigma (s) appeared at the marked place; later it was scraped out, achieving a more liberal statement. "Peace on earth among men of his good will" becomes "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." What was changed in the texts of Paul?

The phrase "peace on earth among people of his good pleasure" becomes "peace on earth—goodwill toward people." What changes were made to the texts of Paul?

The Codex Vaticanus, displayed here in facsimile, is one of the oldest and most significant Greek biblical manuscripts. It preserves almost the entire Old and New Testaments.

A close look at this source reveals a clear gap in Luke 2:14 between the Greek word *eudokia* and the superscript character that follows it; the letter sigma (s) has been removed. In this revised version of the Christmas story, the angels’ hymn promises peace to all people, rather than only to those with whom God is pleased.

Following the lead of the Codex Vaticanus, other manuscripts perpetuated this change. Erasmus of Rotterdam adopted the alteration, causing it to appear in many printed editions as well. However, the change did not make its way into the Latin version of the Bible (the Vulgate) or into Catholic translations.

This resulted in a discrepancy between the standard translations used by the two denominations. Today, both Catholic and Protestant translations once again refer to the original Greek text containing the sigma. Both denominations agree that Luke 2:14 does not promise peace to all people indiscriminately; the decisive factor is not our own goodwill, but solely God’s good pleasure.