Skip to main content
Christianity

Mark 15:28 Was Added by Scribes — Missing from Every Ancient Manuscript and Every Critical Edition

8 min read 1735 words

Mark 15:28 — “And the scripture was fulfilled which says, And he was numbered with the transgressors” — does not exist in any of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. It is a deliberate scribal insertion, copied from Isaiah 53:12, designed to create the appearance of a fulfilled prophecy. Every major critical edition of the Greek New Testament has deleted it.

Background — Intentional Scribal Alterations

The early Church, backed by its kings, fought all sects that rejected its theological rulings and burned gospels that affirmed the oneness of God. Faced with a shortage of textual support for their doctrines, copyists of the Bible began deliberately altering the text during transmission — not through negligence but by design.

Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 3, p. 294 — under “Scribal Differences” “Intentional differences: … to further clarify the text or to support a theological opinion.”

Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume 3 page 294 — confirming that intentional scribal differences existed to support theological opinions
Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume 3 page 294 — confirming that intentional scribal differences existed to support theological opinions

and — The Text of the New Testament, 4th Edition, p. 260 “The scholar Jerome complained about copyists who do not copy what they find before them; but copy the meaning they believe.”

Metzger and Ehrman — The Text of the New Testament 4th edition page 260 — Jerome's complaint about copyists substituting their beliefs for the text
Metzger and Ehrman — The Text of the New Testament 4th edition page 260 — Jerome's complaint about copyists substituting their beliefs for the text

The Interpolation — What Was Added and Why

The scribes took the text of Isaiah 53:12:

Isaiah 53:12 (ESV) “He poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

And inserted it wholesale into Mark as a complete verse — Mark 15:28 — to make ordinary Christians believe that Isaiah was prophesying about the crucifixion:

Mark 15:28 (KJV — based on the received text) “And the scripture was fulfilled, which said, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”

The Greek text of this insertion as it appears in the Greek Orthodox Church tradition reads: ἐνόμων ἐλογίσθη. The context of the surrounding text moves directly from verse 27 to verse 29 — with no indication that verse 28 ever existed in the original.

First — Absent from Every Major Ancient Manuscript

The five oldest and most authoritative Greek manuscripts of the New Testament all lack this verse entirely:

Vaticanus Codex

Vaticanus Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28
Vaticanus Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28

Mark 15:28 is absent from the Vaticanus Codex — one of the two oldest and most authoritative manuscripts of the entire Bible.

Beza Codex

Beza Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28
Beza Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28

Mark 15:28 is absent from the Beza Codex (Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis).

Alexandrian Codex

Alexandrian Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28
Alexandrian Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28

Mark 15:28 is absent from the Alexandrian Codex (Codex Alexandrinus).

Sinaiticus Codex

Sinaiticus Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28
Sinaiticus Codex — Mark 15 showing the absence of verse 28

Mark 15:28 is absent from the Sinaiticus Codex — the oldest complete manuscript of the Christian Bible.

This is further documented in Dr. Ahmed al-Shami‘s book Important Differences Between the Sinaiticus Manuscript and the New Testament, page 198:

Dr. Ahmed al-Shami — Important Differences Between the Sinaiticus Manuscript and the New Testament, page 198 — confirming absence of Mark 15:28
Dr. Ahmed al-Shami — Important Differences Between the Sinaiticus Manuscript and the New Testament, page 198 — confirming absence of Mark 15:28

The verse is absent from the Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrian, Beza, and Ephraemi Rescriptus codices — the five most important ancient manuscripts of the New Testament.

Second — Deleted from All Critical Editions

Because the verse is absent from all the oldest manuscripts, every major critical edition of the Greek New Testament has removed it. The editors assigned it the “A” rating — meaning they were certain it was a later addition to the original text.

Tischendorf Critical Edition

Tischendorf critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted
Tischendorf critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted

Mark 15:28 is omitted from the Tischendorf critical edition.

UBS Critical Edition

UBS Greek New Testament — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted
UBS Greek New Testament — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted

Mark 15:28 is omitted from the United Bible Societies (UBS) critical edition.

Nestle-Aland Critical Edition

Nestle-Aland critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted
Nestle-Aland critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted

Mark 15:28 is omitted from the Nestle-Aland critical edition — the standard scholarly Greek New Testament used worldwide.

Westcott-Hort Critical Edition

Westcott-Hort critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted
Westcott-Hort critical edition — Mark 15 with verse 28 omitted

Mark 15:28 is omitted from the Westcott-Hort critical edition. The Samuel Tregelles edition likewise omits it.

Third — How Bible Translations Handle the Deletion

NET Bible (New English Translation)

NET Bible — Textual Note on Mark 15:28 “tc Most later mss add 15:28 ‘And the scripture was fulfilled that says, He was counted with the lawless ones.’ Verse 28 is included in L Θ 083 0250 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat, but is lacking in important Alexandrian and Western mss and some others (א ABCD Ψ pc).”

NET Bible textual note on Mark 15:28 — confirming the verse is absent from the most important manuscripts
NET Bible textual note on Mark 15:28 — confirming the verse is absent from the most important manuscripts

Most later manuscripts added the verse; the most important manuscripts — Alexandrian and Western — do not contain it.

English Translations

The following English versions have deleted the verse entirely: AMP, ASV, RV, RSV, BBE, CEV, GNB, NLT, GW, ISV, NRSV. The Amplified Bible and the NIV place it in brackets to signal its inauthenticity. The KJV — which relies on Erasmus’s received text — includes it without comment or qualification.

English Bible translations — showing deletions, brackets, and the KJV's uncritical inclusion of Mark 15:28
English Bible translations — showing deletions, brackets, and the KJV's uncritical inclusion of Mark 15:28

Arabic Translations

The Van Dyck Arabic version — which relied on the received text — includes the verse in full. The Common Arabic Version and the Good Translation place it in brackets. The Jesuit translation deletes it entirely and notes in the margin that this style of citation does not agree with Mark’s established practice in his use of Old Testament texts.

Arabic Bible translations — Van Dyck, Common Arabic Version, and Jesuit translation treatments of Mark 15:28
Arabic Bible translations — Van Dyck, Common Arabic Version, and Jesuit translation treatments of Mark 15:28

Fourth — The Jews Deny Any Connection Between Isaiah 53 and the Crucifixion

Using the standard Christians set for Muslims — that Jewish understanding of a Jewish text is authoritative — the Jews themselves affirm that Isaiah 53 has no connection to any prophecy about the Messiah, let alone the crucifixion. The chapter speaks in metaphorical terms about the people of Israel: their captivity, humiliation in Babylon, and subsequent salvation.

The Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church itself, in the introduction to the Book of Isaiah (Dar al-Mashreq edition, p. 1519), acknowledges this under the heading “Servants of God”:

Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church — Introduction to the Book of Isaiah, Dar al-Mashreq edition, p. 1519 “Whom does this title refer to in (42:1), (44:26), (50:10), (52:13), and (53:11)? Does it also refer to Israel? Does it refer to a limited, embodied group? Does it refer to an individual among individuals? … If we limit ourselves to the direct meaning of the texts, we find that the word ‘servant’ may refer to: Israel as a whole, Israel with its elite, the second Isaiah himself, and Cyrus, the king of Persia.”

And on the following page: “Some commentators believe that what is mentioned in 52:13–53:12 may also apply to the elite of Israel.”

Jesuit Catholic introduction to Isaiah — admitting the servant in Isaiah 53 may refer to Israel, not a Messiah
Jesuit Catholic introduction to Isaiah — admitting the servant in Isaiah 53 may refer to Israel, not a Messiah

Fifth — Isaiah 53 Does Not Describe Jesus

If we know the truth of the text of Isaiah, the distortion of Mark 15:28 and the motive behind it become completely clear. The characteristics of the servant in Isaiah 53 contradict the Gospel accounts of Jesus (peace be upon him) at every point:

The Servant Is a Man — Not God

The text says: “My righteous servant, by his knowledge, will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” He is called “servant” explicitly — not God. According to the Christian faith itself, God does not bear iniquities as a servant of God.

The Servant Is Crushed by God — Which Contradicts the Logic of Crucifixion

The text says: “But it pleased the Lord to crush him with grief.” The Christian doctrine of crucifixion rests on the premise of God’s justice — that God could not simply forgive without punishment. But if God was pleased to crush his own son as a punishment, this contradicts the foundation of that argument entirely.

The Servant Is Silent Like a Sheep

Isaiah 53:7 (ESV) “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

The Gospels record Jesus crying out at the top of his voice while on the cross:

Matthew 27:46 (ESV) “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Before the crucifixion, he prayed to God:

Matthew 26:39 (ESV) “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’”

A silent sheep does not cry out. Jesus (peace be upon him) cried out and prayed. The servant in Isaiah does neither.

The Servant Is Buried with the Wicked

The text says: “And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.” The Gospels record Jesus buried alone in a new garden tomb — with no wicked man and no rich man buried alongside him. This description cannot be applied to Jesus as described by the Gospels themselves.

The Servant Is Despised and Rejected by the People

The text says: “He was despised and rejected by men… despised, and we esteemed him not.” The Gospels describe great crowds calling Jesus a great prophet:

Luke 7:16 (ESV) “Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’”

A man hailed by crowds as a great prophet is not the same as one despised and rejected by the people. The two descriptions are irreconcilable.

The Servant Is Explicitly Identified as Israel

Isaiah 49:3 states the identity of the servant directly, leaving no room for interpretation:

Isaiah 49:3, 5 (ESV) “And he said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’… And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him.”

The Lord himself says: “You are My servant, Israel.” The chapter speaks in a comprehensive, metaphorical, embodied view of the people of Israel — their captivity, their humiliation in Babylon, and then their salvation. This is the understanding of the Jews, the original authors and custodians of the book.

Isaiah 49:3 — the servant is identified explicitly as Israel, not a future Messiah
Isaiah 49:3 — the servant is identified explicitly as Israel, not a future Messiah

Mark 15:28 is not a prophecy fulfilled — it is a prophecy fabricated. It is absent from the Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrian, Beza, and Ephraemi codices. It has been deleted from the Nestle-Aland, UBS, Westcott-Hort, Tischendorf, and Tregelles critical editions. The NET Bible, the NRSV, the NLT, and over a dozen other English translations have removed it. The Jesuit translation removed it and noted that it contradicts Mark’s own style. And Isaiah 53 — the alleged source of the “prophecy” — is explicitly about Israel, not a Messiah, as confirmed by Isaiah 49:3 itself. The scribes wanted to prove the divinity of a human being and found no proof in their own book — so they wrote one themselves.
2025 https://www.openislam.wiki/og/mark-15-28-was-added-by-scribes-missing-from-every-ancient-manuscript-and-every-critical-edition.png