Which Bible Will You Trust?
The Dean Burgon Society's 1992 Annual Meeting
Dr. Robert Barnett, Vice President of the Dean Burgon Society
© Copyright 1999 by the author, reproduction and distribution rights assigned to the Dean
Burgon Society.
How do we determine which Bible God would have us use today? We can't possibly read the
dozens of modern versions available. People can't wade through the thousands of Greek
manuscripts. There are available 200 years of accumulated materials of textual scholarship
written by textual critics. There are over 900 titles defending the King James Bible
available through Dr. Waite in the Bible for Today ministry alone. No normal human
being can possible read all the material in a lifetime of labor.
CAN WE TRUST THE MODERN
BIBLE SCHOLARS?
We see why most people simply trust the scholars or schools to give them advice
concerning the best Bible. Which kind of scholars will you trust, those who use a
naturalistic approach to Bible preservation or those who use a theological approach. There
is not a single verse in the Bible which authorizes us to turn our Bible over to
naturalistic scientists to determine for us what is and what is not the Word of God. And
most modern theologians have already abandoned their Bibles to naturalistic textual
criticism.
The Scholars Version entitled The Five Gospels is the latest new translation and
commentary by Robert W. Funk, Roy W. Hoover, and The Jesus Seminar. "The Scholars
Version is authorized by scholars." -Page xviii. They admit to following the rules
and principles of textual criticism laid down during the past 200 years. "Voting was
adopted, after extended debate, as the most effective way of ascertaining whether a
scholarly consensus existed on a given point. Committees creating a critical text of the
Greek New Testament under the auspices of the United Bible Societies vote on whether to
print this or that text and what variants to consign to notes." -Page 35, The
Scholars Version.
Now let us further examine the pattern of Textual Apparatus already established and
used by the United Bible Society's The Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt
Aland,
Matthew Black, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren in 1966; Initiated, organized and
administered by Eugene A. Nida:
1. The Evaluation of Evidence for the Text
"By means of the letters A, B, C, and D, enclosed within "braces" { } at
the beginning of each set of textual variants, the Committee has sought to indicate the
relative degree of certainty, arrived at on the basis of internal considerations as well
as of external evidence, for the reading adopted as the text. The letter A signifies that
the text is virtually certain, while B indicates that there is some degree of doubt. The
letter C means that there is considerable degree of doubt whether the text or the
apparatus contains the superior reading, while D shows that there is a very high degree of
doubt concerning the reading selected for the text" -Page x,xi. These critical text
methods can be observed as progressing from doubt to denial within one generation of
modern Bible versions.
The above eclectic Greek text was the primary critical Greek text used as a basis for
the translation of the New International Version Almost all modern versions use some
eclectic form of this same critical Westcott and Hort text type. Most altered and omitted
verses in the NIV and other modern versions rest primarily upon the vote of Greek
scholars.
As the critical scholars voted using the letters A, B, C, and D to determine the
authority within the verses, phrases, and words underlying most modern Bibles, so also,
The Scholars Version used the same methods to create a new red-letter translation to cast
doubt and denial on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to their explanation:
"The model of the red letter edition suggested that the Seminar should adopt one
of two options in its votes; either Jesus said it or he did not say it. A vote recognizing
the words as authentic would entail printing the items in red; a vote recognizing the
words as inauthentic meant that they would be left in regular black print.."
" Academics do not like simple choices. The Seminar adopted four categories as a
compromise with those who wanted more. In addition to red, we permitted a pink vote for
those who wanted to hedge: a pink vote represented reservations either about the degree of
certainty or about modifications the saying or parable had suffered in the course of its
transmission and recording. And for those who wanted to avoid a flat negative vote, we
allowed a gray vote (gray being a weak form of black). The Seminar employed colored beads
dropped into voting boxes in order to permit all members to vote in secret. Beads and
boxes turned out to be a fortunate choice for both Fellows and an interested public."
-Page 36, The Scholars Version.
Option 1 for a red vote: "I would include this item unequivocally in the database
for determining who Jesus was."
Option 2 for a red vote: "Jesus undoubtedly said this or something very like
it." Page 36, The Scholars Version.
The scholars left 82% of the words of Jesus either gray or black. Most of the remaining
words are pink with a slim minority in red. Here is the reason they gave for placing no
words in red in John's gospel: "....Jesus did not make claims for himself; the early
Christian community allowed its own triumphant faith to explode in confessions that were
retrospectively attributed to Jesus, its authority figure. The climax of that trajectory
came with the Gospel of John. In John Jesus does little other than make claims for
himself. For that reason alone, scholars regard the Fourth Gospel as alien to the real
Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth." -Page 33, The Scholars Version.
The only words I found that they attributed to Jesus in red included the following
subjects, rendering to Caesar the things that are Ceasar's, resisting not evil, turning
the other cheek, giving your coat, going the second mile, loving your enemies, "Our
Father" in the Lord's prayer, parable of the leaven, parable of the laborers, parable
of the good Samaritan, blessed are the poor, hungry, and those that weep, parable of the
unjust steward, and parable of the mustard seed. From the gospel of Thomas they quoted
words in red for the parable of the mustard seed, giving to the emperor, God and Jesus,
and "Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's domain." and
"Congratulations, poor!"
As is customary with all modern translations, they had to contrast their version with
the authorized King James Bible. It is always the Bible listed to replace.
Why did it take so long for the critical text to publicly challenge the King James
Bible? Listen to the Scholars Bible quotes: "The beauty and cadence of the King James
Bible has retarded any interest in replacing it with a more accurate rendering.
Theological conservatism also functioned as a retarding factor, since many cardinal points
rested on the English vocabulary of that version." -Page xvii. The Scholar's Bible.
"The dominance of the King James Version (1611) in the English-speaking world stalled
further work on a critical Greek text for two and a half centuries." -Page 8, The
Scholars Bible.
Roman Catholic scholar John Dominic Crossan, co-chair of the Jesus Seminar, is quoted
in the January 10, 1994 issue of Time magazine as saying: "In the past there
was an implicit deal - you scholars can go off to the universities and write in journals
and say anything you want. Now the scholars are coming out of the closet, demanding
public attention for the way they think." As we speak of the authorized KJV, they
declare, "The Scholars Version is authorized by scholars." -Page xviii, The
Scholars Version. And those who go "...witch-hunting for scholars who did not pass
their litmus test,"....lack academic credentials." -Page 35, Scholars Version.
Phase one of the Jesus Seminar dealt with the question, "What did Jesus really
say?" "The Jesus Seminar has launched a second phase in which it is considering
the question 'What did Jesus really do?'" This blasphemy is a deliberate and
dastardly attack upon the person, work, and word of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is surely
part of Satan's final concentrated attempt to destroy basic Christianity and prepare the
way for antichrist. How long can modern Christianity maintain a strong or reasonable faith
in attacking such blasphemy while still using a modern English Bible translated from
critical Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek texts?
THE NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS
One of the newest and most challenging books attacking the modern Bible versions was
written by G. A. Riplinger, entitled, New Age Bible Versions, (An
Exhaustive Documentation Exposing The Message, Men and Manuscripts Moving Mankind To The
Antichrist's One World Religion). This book just released in 1993 is, "The New
Case Against The NIV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NAB, REB, RSV, CEV, TEV, GNB Living, Phillips, New
Jerusalem, and New Century Bibles". It is available from Bible Believers' Bookstore,
1252 East Aurora Rd., Macedonia, OH 44056. Phone (216)467-0419 or 467-1611. The following
is a brief summary of Riplinger's book:
A university student challenged his Kent State professor, G. A. Riplinger, with a
question which led to a six year research project and a 690 page book exposing New Age
Bibles. The question was, "Is the fall, recorded in Isaiah 14 about Lucifer (as the
KJV and Hebrew text indicates) or Jesus, the morning star, as the NIV and NASB
imply?"
Riplinger documents in thousands of places evidence of the New Age movement's expressed
goal of infiltrating the church. Standard Bible words and doctrines are being perverted in
the modern Bible versions to deceive Christians into accepting a standard vocabulary
devised to unite all world religions into one.
New Agers have publicly declared their plan: "We are one world. We now need a
world religion. We are entering a New Age...When an appropriate common vocabulary is
developed, each group can help toward a World Religion" -Toward a New World
Religion. "I predict that in our lifetime we will see the rise of essentially a
New World Religion." -Jean Houston. "The reorganization of the world's
religions...(is) for the new world religion." -Alice Bailey. Quotes from
Riplinger,
pages 10,11.
Riplinger uses, The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology to prove the
New Age "semantic revolution" is now underway which will bring about an
"East-West Synthesis" . Riplinger quotes New Ager Striber: "So we can
change the names and in so doing, we open the New Age door to millions who normally would
not be receptive." -Whitley Striber, Infiltrating the New Age Into Society.
Riplinger quotes cult watchers who expose the dangerous deception facing Christians:
"This new theology can be confusing with its apparent new definitions for words that
have long established meaning" -Dave Hunt, Beyond Seduction. "Christians
can be disarmed since these terms are part of their own vocabulary." -Elliot Miller, A
Crash Course on the New Age.
Riplinger quotes The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, a standard source for New
Age beliefs, as chiding those who refuse to replace personal names for God or deity with
impersonal titles. A summary of this name game in modern Bible versions shows: Lucifer
changed to morning star, Jehovah changed to Lord, Holy One of Israel changed to One, Holy
Ghost changed to Spirit, Lord Jesus Christ changed to Lord, and Godhead changed to divine
being.
Riplinger illustrates the significance of these kinds of word changes: "The rock
scene sings of Lord Satan (Venum) whose 'a new god' and 'a star from the east' (Wang
Chung). New Agers refer to Lucifer as 'the One,' 'the Spirit of the Age' and a 'divine
being.' Now new versions point readers to Satan instead of God."
After listing pages of charts showing new Bible versions siding with New Age Humanism
in their choice of word changes, Riplinger says, "New versions have incited a shift
in doctrine within some Christian circles that has not gone unnoticed by mystics and
occultists. Starhawk, a self-proclaimed witch remarks: 'I am very glad to discover such
movement within Christian churches that is sympathetic to the pagan spirit.'"
What is happening to religion? Riplinger quotes the leaders within the New Age:
"Most New Agers, however teach that the new will overcome the old by a gentle
process of ecumenical unity and absorption of the religions into one another...The New
World Religion will contain all the common elements of all religions." -The Lucifer
Connection. "If the final planetary synthesis of the Eastern and Western Spiritual
traditions is to be realized...Eastern mysticism must be incorporated into
traditional Christianity." - Peter De Cappens, New Age editor. "The collusion is
so low-key that no one notices. -The Aquarian Conspiracy. The mandate is, "Change
those aspects of religion...which delay the full manifestation of planetary unity..."
- The New Group of World Servers "Objectives", (U.N. Plaza, N.Y.)
Riplinger traced modern Bible corruption to a common source in Philo's School at
Alexandria, Egypt. Philo's Alexandrian influence produced both London's Madame Helena P.
Blavatsky, the Spiritualist editor of Lucifer magazine, and B.F. Westcott, a London
Spiritualist who spearheaded the adoption of the critical Greek text used in modern Bible
versions. They were contemporaries in the 19th century occult .
The corrupted Bible text of Westcott and his co-horts approved in England in 1881, was
introduced into America by Philip Schaff. It promoting over 30,000 changes to the King
James Bible, and was known as the American Standard Version of 1901. Schaff also founded
the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 which became the forerunner of the World
Parliament of Religions in 1993. Their common goal is the merger of the East and West into
a one world religion. This New Age religion of the occult continues to develop by striving
to undermine faith in the absolute authority of the Bible.
Modern Bible corrupters unite with the occult in criticizing and condemning only one
Bible, the authorized KJV. The occult view of the Luciferians states, "This 'Pagan'
view was shown in the original(s)...the English translation (KJV) being worthless."
Blavatsky said, "The King James Version; as it is translated, has no resemblance
whatever to the originals." Now listen to modern editors of the New International
Version: "The KJV is "misleading...erroneous...corrupted by errors."
"The King James Version...changed the originals..." -Palmer. Neither group
possesses the originals.
Concerning the forming of a New World Bible, New Age leader, Vera Alder forecasts:
"(F)rom all archaeological archives...and the illuminations of modern science and
discovery...the Research Panel would develop a new 'Bible' of a World Religion which will
be the basis of future education."
Both Blavatsky and Westcott are tied to the current "Occult Revival".
Westcott labored in the British Ghostly Guild. Blavatsky is called, "godmother of the
New Age movement". Riplinger quotes Dark Secrets of the New Age which revealed
the antichrist's need for a New Age Bible to control the masses.
Riplinger proves how the names for God are being altered in modern Bibles leading up to
Satan worship. Historically, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 have been viewed as the only Bible
proof of the fall of Satan. Only in Isaiah 14:12-15 is the name "Lucifer" used
to identify Satan by name, and foretell of his fall into hell. When modern Bibles remove
the name "Lucifer" from Isaiah 14:12, they remove from divine revelation the
historical connection between "Lucifer" and the devil.
Replacing "Lucifer" with "Morning Star" as the NIV does, places a
name for Jesus Christ in the place of Satan's fall. In Revelation 22:16, 2:28 and
II Peter
1:l9 Jesus Christ is identified as the "morning star". The underlying Hebrew
does not require such a translation in Isaiah 14:12, but classical mythology by New Age
Luciferian H.P. Blavatsky does. Manly P. Hall in The Secret Teachings of All Ages
states, "The pentagram is used extensively in black magic...it signifies the fall of
the Morning Star."
Theologians have historically foretold of this modern perversion. H.D.M. Spence in
(1913) The Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah forewarned: "The title daystar is truly Christ's
but will be confiscated by the antichrist of whom Babylon is a type and mystical Babylon
is a forerunner. And Satan will assume it, who is the spirit that energizes the heathen
world power Babylon, that now energizes the apostate church and shall at last energize the
secular antichrist...and his champion the false prophet." Robert Jamieson wrote
before the modern Bible versions, "Daystar: a title truly belonging to Christ and
hereafter to be assumed by antichrist."
By quoting from occult literature, Riplinger exposes Satan's master plan for deception:
"Step one - The Denial of the Existence of Satan...Step two - The Assertion that
Lucifer and the Devil are Separate and Distinct Entities...Step three - The Declaration
that Lucifer is a Good Angel and is the Christ Himself...Step four - Lucifer's True
Identity as Satan is Revealed using the Anagram, a Transposition of Letters, To Obscure
It...Step five - The Bare Facts are Revealed; The Rhetoric is Gone. It is Satan Himself
Behind All of the Cosmetic Semantics." We are not ignorant of his devices.
(2 Cor. 2:11).
Beware, David Spangler, contributing editor of New Age Journal asserts:
"Lucifer...is an angel of God's love...the angel of man's inner evolution...(He)
prepares man in all ways for the experience of Christhood. Christ is the same force as
Lucifer." G. A. Riplinger traces a breakdown in differences between "Your
Father, the Devil" (John 8:44) and "Our Father Which Art in Heaven."
(Luke 11:2). Modern Bible versions are altering the words of the prayer our Lord taught His
disciples to pray.
Many words of our Lord are altered in modern Bible versions based upon the writings of
a 2nd century heretic called Marcion, and one 4th century manuscript called B. To satisfy
the 'universal fatherhood of God' belief of the New Age movement, personal pronouns like
"my" and "our" before Father are replaced by "the" Father.
Madame Blavatsky is quoted identifying the Father as Satan: "Satan the Serpent of
Genesis...the real creator and benefactor, the Father of Spiritual Mankind...The Great
Serpent Jupiter...the Dragon of Life, the Father." New Ager Alice Bailey say of the
anti-Christ, "(H)e is closer to the Father and to the One...(H)e had to re-institute
the Mysteries of Initiation in such a form that they would prove the basis of a new world
religion, (worshipping) The Father, the Lord of the World...We are all Gods, all the
children of the One Father."
Riplinger quotes Robert Muller, esoteric and Asst. Sec. General of the United Nations
speaking at the occult Arcane School about his efforts to unite East and West with
"world prayer." U.N. rule 62 is already in place requiring the group to pray.
Muller suggests: "The prayer, Our Father, which the Christ has given us, remains as
valid as ever."
Integrating Eastern and Western Prayer using the Lord's prayer is illustrated by Louis
Savary, "Savary used modern Scripture studies to analyze the seven petitions of the
Our Father. He takes these seven petitions and makes a remarkable correlation with the
seven energy centers of the East (chakras). He explains how these petitions and chakras
describe various postures before God. Thus, the Lord's Prayer is being modified to be used
with Eastern yoga, meditation and the chakras of India. (i.e., the serpent coiled at the
bottom of the spine).
Legions of mainline churches which recite the Lord' Prayer each Sunday as part of their
liturgy will soon be picking up modern Bibles in the pews which will unite them with other
world religions in Satan worship. "And they worshipped the dragon." (Rev.
13:4).
G. A. Riplinger traces the changing of the Holy One of Israel to "The One" of
Eastern mysticism. New Age author Naomi Goldenberg in her Changing of the Gods has
asserted: God is going to change...we women are going to bring...the end of Him." The
'he' of Christianity is being replaced with the neuter 'One' of Hinduism in modern Bible
versions. Riplinger says "The One" is used in hundreds of places in modern
Bibles where there is no underlying Greek or Hebrew support.
Riplinger unravels this 'mystery' from The Encyclopedia of Mysticism and Mystery
Religions. 'The One' is the term for the Ultimate in many mystical religions and
philosophies. The New Age meanings: "1. 'The One' or 'the Only One' is Lucifer, the
angel of this planet's evolution. 2. 'The one' or 'the Living One' is all of reality as
described in pantheism or monism. 3. 'The Coming One' or 'The Mighty One' is Lord
Maitreya's New Age Christ(antichrist)."
Blavatsky made it clear that "The One" excludes the God of our Bible,
"One is not Jehovah. The Jewish Deity is...never the One Absolute All. No
God...called Jehovah...can be the One. The One is superior to Elohim....The Unknown
Unmanifested One, since it abounds in both sexes is - male and female - nor yet the
Christian 'Father' as the latter is a male and not androgyny."
While NIV chief Edwin Palmer asserts the terms 'one' and 'only' are "modern and
elegant" substitutions, history reveals they are reserved for Satan. "Layard's Babylon
and Niveviah (London, 1853) traces the origin of the 'One Only' to the serpent
"the one Only God of the Babylonians." MACROBIUS, Saternalia written in A.D.
1521 confirms the historical association of the term 'one only' with Satan:" "A
serpent...According to the fundamental doctrine of the mysteries (is) ...the one only
god...Satan, then was recognized as the one only god."
"The One" has so filled our culture, Riplinger said, "A study of college
students on 48 campuses identified a greater proportion who believe God and the material
world are one and the same, than believe in the Christian view of God as a distinct
supernatural 'Being'." This shift is what esoteric Alice Bailey has called "the
Plan." Both New Age books and new Bible versions are urging Christians to drop 'the
Son' for 'the One'. He is not called Holy, but the god of both the evil and the good.
G. A. Riplinger's book gives a detailed description of the final Bible of antichrist.
Two books called "The Shepherd of Hermas and The Epistle of Barnabas" will be
added to their bible to provide a detailed manual for the New Ages. Riplinger lists some
new doctrines to be taught: "1. Take 'the name' of the beast. 2. Give 'up to the
beast'. 3. Form a one world government. 4. Kill those not receiving his 'name'. 5. Worship
female virgins. 6. Receive 'another spirit'. 7. Seek power. 8. Believe that God is
immanent in his creation, as a pantheistic, monistic Hindu god. 9. Avoid marriage; permit
fornication. 10. Abstain from fasting. 11. Subscribe to the New Age Root Race Theory. 12.
Be saved by being baptized and keeping the 'twelve' mandates of the Antichrist.
Riplinger quotes New Agers as calling this period since the birth of Christ - 'The
Black Age". Based upon the Hindu Root Race theory, spiritual connotations are given
to the terms "black" and "white". New Ager Vera Alder tells her
readers: "The Black Age...the Piscean Age, as you know, lasts 2000 years or so. Its
inception marked the beginning of the Christian era. It is passing out of manifestation
now, as the new Aquarian Age is coming in." Prophecy details are quoted from The
Shepherd of Hermas: "The shepherd ordered...the black stones removed (and) cast
aside...they are black; for their race is lawless. (They) shall be delivered unto him to
be put to death. The Black One is crooked...offer resistance that the Black One may
not effect entrance."
Riplinger says of the above prophecy in the coming bible of antichrist: "The
'black' stones, which are to be 'put to death' are those Christian martyrs which Christ
said will be 'put to death' during the tribulation (Matthew 10:21)." This is to be
the end of the old 6th Root race, and the beginning of the 7th Root-race the Homo
Neoticus. As New Age writer John Randolf Price boasts, New Agers are "part of a new
race that will someday rule the planet."
Riplinger ties in Blavatsky's Root Race Theory with the anti-Semitism in Hitler's Mein
Kampf. The liberal theologian who taught Hitler this was Gerhard Kittel. Kittel also
wrote the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament which became the standard
Greek underlying modern Bible versions. "Kittle's trial, conviction and imprisonment
for his key part in the extermination of two thirds of Europe's Jewish population is a
harsh fact" Now Christians join Jews in the 6th Root race prophesied for martyrdom.
G. A. Riplinger has combined some new truth with old ideas in Bible defense to give us
a very powerful tool against the Bibles of antichrist. "Lest Satan should get an
advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." (2Cor. 2:11) This book is a
must in Bible defense! One cannot read Riplinger and still defend the modern Bibles. G. A.
Riplinger has come under severe attack for this courageous exposure of the enemy and his
tactics.
"Christians" who criticize and condemn our authorized
KJB, actually harmonize with the voice of Liberals and modern Bible versions to supplant
the KJB and its underlying Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text. When "Christians"
criticize and condemn the KJB they assist Satan in promoting apathy, immorality, and the
occult in America. Once their apostasy is exposed, how can they remain our friends? The results will bring in the antichrist with his one-world-bible, and
his ecumenical one-world-church of Babylon. "[It is] time for [thee], LORD,
to work: [for] they have made void thy law." (PSA 119:126 )
As the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England stated in 1863 in united
protest to Bishop Colenso: "All our hopes for eternity, the very foundation of faith;
our nearest and dearest consolations, are taken from us, if one line of that sacred book
(the Bible) be declared unfaithful or untrustworthy."
The entire basis upon which textual criticism was originally founded has been
destroyed. The belief that the Bible had been hopelessly corrupted during the early
generations and through a so-called Syrian Recension was standarized somewhere between 250
and 350 A.D. is now refuted. Wilbur N. Pickering in the revised edition of THE IDENTITY
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXT under Appendix D "Conflation or Confusion?" gives
30 pages of textual evidence proving Westcott and Hort wrong in their theory of
conflation. Pickering's conclusion gives an excellent summary of his argument: "The
evidence presented in this appendix justifies the following statements: 'Western'
witnesses have clear, undoubted conflations; 'Alexandrian' witnesses have clear, undoubted
conflations; many putative conflations build upon 'Byzantine' readings; numerous readings
that were once thought to be late 'Syrian conflations' now have early papyrus attestation.
It follows that Hort's statement and use of 'conflation' are erroneous."
"It has been customary to refer to the 'Byzantine' text as 'the later, conflated
text,' as if 'conflation' were a pervading characteristic of this text. The evidence
presented above scarcely supports such a characterization since in fully sixty percent of
the examples the 'Byzantine' text is being built upon and not vice versa. Reference has
already been made to Hutton's Atlas 9 on p. 59) which provides evidence that there are
over eight hundred places where the producers of the 'Byzantine' text could have conflated
'Western' and "Alexandrian' readings (following Hort's hypothesis) but did not."
"I trust that the reader will not judge me to be unreasonable if I express the
hope that all concerned will loyally concede that the specter of 'Syrian conflation' has
been laid to rest. Henceforth no one may reasonably or responsibly characterize the
'Byzantine' text-type as being 'conflate' nor argue therefrom that it must be late."
Another scholar also reported what happened after truth surfaced discrediting the
Westcott and Hort critical theory: "Soon there was total fragmentation, a loss of
consensus such as had existed in Westcott and Hort. This was precipitated partly by the
discovery of the third and fourth century papyri, which ironically contained readings that
Westcott and Hort said were created in the fourth century and found in the mass of
later
manuscripts. G. Zuntz noted this surprise with some interest, but assured his readers that
while 'a number of Byzantine readings, most of them genuine, which previously were
discarded as 'late', are anticipated by p46 ...we are not going to resume the hopeless
fight of Dean Burgon.' The hope of recovering an original autographic text was abandoned
altogether by most; it was felt that the text of the New Testament was probably the result
of a "process." Hence form criticism--redaction criticism--and source
criticism--were all now seen as part of text critical concerns." (Source identified
upon request.)
In other words, rather than returning to the traditional text after evidence has proven
conclusively that the critical text presuppositions and theories of naturalistic textual
criticism were wrong, modern textual critics are denying there ever were any original
autographs to look for. Besides, Lucian who is normally identified as leading the
so-called Syrian Recension was an Arian, and it is unreasonable to believe the churches
would have adopted the text of an Arian heretic.
Then what about the New Majority Greek text as found in the footnotes of the New King
James Bible which challenges the accuracy of both the critical Greek text of modern
translations, and the Textus Receptus or the received Greek text of the churches?
Jack A. Moorman in his book, WHEN THE KJV DEPARTS FROM THE 'MAJORITY TEXT"
gave a very excellent defense for the TR and KJV over the New Majority Text of Dallas. He
terms their text "A textual halfway house". The Hodges-Farstad Edition is based
upon the l913 edition of Hermann von Soden for Matthew to Jude, and H.C. Hoskier's work
(l929) for Revelation. Moorman quoted different scholars who had found Von Soden's work
full of errors. Even though Von Soden used majority manuscripts in his work, he was a
rationalist and his views and product are still firmly within the Alexandrian camp.
Moorman listed the manuscripts used by Von Soden and proved the sloppy manner in which he
used even them. He concluded: "Thus, the hard core of Von Soden's work is the 4l4
cited and classified MSS. Beyond this his treatment of the MSS can only be described as a
cursory sampling....Remember also, the Majority Text Edition does not take into
consideration the 2,143 lectionary MSS (40% of total Greek MSS), nor the vast field of
Patristic and Versional evidence, Thus it is only with the greatest exaggeration that
Hodges and Farstad can claim to revise the Received Text on the basis of a majority
of MSS!"
Then concerning the book of Revelation, Moorman reminded us that "fully one-third
of the l800 alterations which the editors make are from the Apocalypse, and based on
Hoskier's data!" He then showed how "Hodges and Farstad chose to aline their
text in Revelation with the 046 group of MSS rather than the Andreas group". Moorman
showed how the figures representing the number of manuscripts were misrepresented to
support the 046 group rather than the Andreas group which supports the TR underlying the
KJV. Moorman concluded: "In the light of the evidence, Hodges' and Farstad's use of
the 046 MSS to alter the text of Revelation in over 600 places, was no less an error of
judgment than their use of Von Soden for the rest of the NT!"
Besides the above problems, Moorman showed how Hodges and Farstad used the Oxford l825
TR edition for their comparison rather than the Trinitarian Bible Society reprint of the
TR underlying the KJV. This made the differences between the New Majority text and the KJV
look even greater than they actually were.
On top of this, Moorman pointed out that many of the textual changes made in the New
Majority Greek text would make no differences in our English translation anyway.
Moorman gave nearly l00 pages of manuscript digest giving historical support for every
portion of scripture in the TR and KJV even where the majority Greek manuscripts do not
contain them.
With the obvious failure of modern textual criticism, why can we trust the traditional
Bible texts underlying our authorized King James Bible as the original autographs which
make it through the first four centuries intact?
1. Many of the original
autographs are reported to have lasted for 200 years. Tertullian referred to them
after 200 years as available to confirm the accuracy of Bible texts.
2. Jews made up the
majority of early believers, and they had some 1,500 years of experience preserving the
Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament as God commanded. "...Unto them were committed
the oracles of God." (Rom 3:2).
3. The Public reading and
memorization of Scriptures. With few Bibles publicly available, the public reading and
memorization of scriptures provided checks and balances upon textual transmission assuring
uniformity by the body of Christ.
4. The choice of the Churches
for centuries. All textual critics agree that the Received Text or majority Greek text
was preserved from the 4th century to the reformation. Since the Churches had all the
evidence during the first four centuries as they made their choice, why would our judgment
be better then theirs today with our limited evidence from the first four centuries?
5. It is the only unbroken
Bible line which can still lay claim by faith to possessing the accuracy and authority
of the original autographs.
6. It is the believer's Bible which
in every generation has been used and blessed by those who profess to be Bible believers.
7. It is the Martyr's Bible
which has been under vicious attacks down through the centuries.
8. Archaeology has
uncovered early textual evidence vindicating the antiquity of the traditional Bible text
as already observed from Appendix D, or Wilbur Pickering's book. It has been proven old
enough to assume even by statistical probability a connection with the original
autographs.
9. The
promises of Jesus Christ
that the Spirit of Truth would lead us into all truth. JOH 16:13 "Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will
shew you things to come."
10. The work of the Holy Spirit.
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we
speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (1CO 2:12 ,13)
11. The writings of the Early
Church fathers. It has been said that practically the entire New Testament could
reproduced from the works of the early Church fathers.
12. The profitability of the
received text in the reformation, revivals, missionary work, etc. follow the
historical list assembled by Dr. D. A. Waite:
THE HISTORICAL
RECORD OF PERPETUATED TRADITIONAL RECEIVED TEXT WORDS.
Please observe the centuries and generations of manuscript and textual evidence through
which God has ministered to His people through the received text. Dr. D. A. Waite in his
book The King James Bible's Superiority, lists 37 historical evidences supporting
the Received text and King James Bible. He said The received text was used by: (l) All the
Apostolic Churches, (2) the Churches in Palestine, (3) the Syrian Church at Antioch,
(33-100 A.D.); (4) The Peshitta Syriac Version, l50 A.D., (5) Papyrus #75,
(6) The Italic
Church in Northern Italy, l57 A.D., (7) The Gallic Church of Southern France, (l77) A.D.,
(8) The Celtic Church in Great Britain, (9) The Church of Scotland and Ireland,
(l0) The Pre-Waldensian Church, (ll) The Waldensian, l20 A.D. onward, (The Early Church Period
l00-3l2); (12) The Gothic Version of the 4th century, (13) Codex W of Matthew in the 4th
or 5th century, (14) Codex A in the Gospels in the 5th century, (15) The vast majority of
extant New Testament manuscripts, (16) The Greek Orthodox Church, (17) The present Greek
Church, (The Byzantine Period (312--1453 A.D.), (18) All the churches of the Reformation,
(19) The Erasmus Greek New Testament (15l6), (20) The Complutensian Polyglot (1522),
(21)
Martin Luther's German Bible (1522), (22) William Tyndale's Bible (l525),
(23) The French
Version of Oliveton (l535), (24) The Coverdale Bible (l535), (25) The Matthews Bible
(1537), (26) The Taverners Bible (l539), (27) The Great Bible (l539-4l),
(28) The
Stephanus Greek New Testament (l546-5l), (29) The Geneva Bible of (l557-60),
(30) The
Bishops' Bible (l568), (3l) The Spanish Version (l569), (32) The Beza Greek New Testament
(l598), (33) The Czech Version (1602), (34) The Italian Version of Diodati (l607),
(35)
The King James Bible (1611), (36) The Elziver Brothers' Greek New Testament (1624), and
(37) "The Received Text in the New Testament is the Received Text--the text
that has survived in continuity from the beginning of the New Testament itself. It is the only
accurate representation of the originals we have today!" -D. A. Waite, Th.D., Ph.D.,
The
King James Bible's Superiority, Pages 4l-45.
Dr. Waite followed the above historical evidence with the following position of faith:
"In fact, it is my own personal conviction and belief, after studying this subject
since l97l, that the words of the Received Greek and Massoretic Hebrew texts that underlie
the KING JAMES BIBLE are the very WORDS which God has PRESERVED down through the
centuries, being the exact WORDS of the ORIGINALS themselves. As such, I believe they
are INSPIRED WORDS. I believe they are PRESERVED WORDS. I believe they are
INERRANT
WORDS. I believe they are INFALLIBLE WORDS. This is why I believe so strongly that
any valid translation MUST be based upon these original language texts, and these
alone!" I concur l00% with this statement. One must either place faith in the
operation
of the Holy Spirit through the people of God in the churches down through the centuries,
or trust the conflicting opinions of critical scholars of the l9th and 20th
centuries.
"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression
in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this [is] my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My
spirit that [is] upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart
out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's
seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever." (ISA 59:20,21). Bible
Preservation rests upon the sovereign work of the Trinity maintaining the Redemptive
Covenant of Grace within the mouth of each generation of God's saints. (See also
Deut
29:29; Dan 12:4,9; Mat 24:35; 5:18; Mar 8:38, Joh 12:48; 14:23, & 15:7.)
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