Many of us grew up on with King James version of the Bible. But does familiarity equate to exclusivity? Is reading other versions of the Bible OK or is it tantamount to heresy?
Show Notes
History
Latin Vulgate – Bible in Latin;
- St. Jerome in the 4th century
- Gutenberg Bible – later printed on the Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the move-able type printing press which became known as the Gutenberg Bible/15th century/1456).
- In the 16th century 2 printings were commissioned; one by Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros in Spain.
- Johannes Froben and Desiderius Erasmus produce a Greek New Testament before the New Testament of Jimenez could be published.
- Erasmus first version was printed in 1516 full of errors; he put out 5 versions between 1516 then 1535 attempting to correct his previous versions.
- The earliest Greek manuscript he had was from 1000AD
- Robertus Stephanus – 1546 Greek Text
- Theodore Beza – 1598 Greek NT translation
Facts
- The sources the translators used for the KJV
- Erasmus’ work
- Stephanus’ work
- Theodore Beza’s work
- They didn’t use Greek Manuscripts(handwritten). They only used printed editions.
- Today we have over 5,000 Greek manuscripts. Erasmus at best had 6 in a world where about 1000 were found.
- KJV comes out of the Textus Receptus (Received Text) – There are no Greek texts thats read as the Textus Receptus
Examples of Discrepancies
- Revelation 22:16-21 – Erasmus had no Greek text for this passage.
- Revelation 16:5
- Before the 1598 Beza edition it read
You are just,the Holy One, who is and who was
- KJV – Beza added by way of conjecture; which exists in the KJV today despite this NOT being in ANY Greek manuscript –
Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be,
- 2 Timothy 2:19 – The word Christ exists no where except in the KJV or any Greek manuscript.
The Translators
- KJV translators never made any statements that suggest the KJV was the final translation and there should be no others.
- If the translators were alive today they’d argue the KJV shouldn’t be used as the only translation either. Remember they made several revisions to it over decades. If it was the infallible, perfect translation than why did they keep revising it due to their errors?
Resource
Dr James White (http://www.aomin.org) Alpha & Omega Ministries