Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible Article f Faith #2 The Scriptures, Defense f the King James Bible We believe the Scriptures f the Old and New Testaments, King James Translatin, are the Wrd f Gd, and the nly rule f faith and practice. 1. King James Bible A. The Primitive Baptist Church hlds that the Authrized King James Translatin f the Bible is the nly versin f the scripture in the English language tday that is still preserved t uphld and teach the dctrine and truth f the riginal autgraphs that Gd inspired men t write fr the benefit f the church. B. The rejectin f ther versins f the Bible as acceptable in the church is nt simply that they are new, updated versins but rather because mst ther mdern versins have been translated frm crrupt manuscripts and n lnger accurately resemble the true scriptures that were inspired by Gd. C. The King James Translatin f the Bible is the best and mst accurate translatin f the wrd f Gd in the English language because it was translated frm the Textus Receptus r Traditinal Text f scripture that still maintains the true dctrine and teaching f the riginal autgraphs. 2. Tw Different Sets f Manuscripts There are essentially tw different sets (r families) f manuscripts frm which all mdern Bibles are translated frm: 1) the Traditinal Text r 2) the Alexandrian Text A. Traditinal Text Alternate names and references t these manuscripts: Traditinal Text This text has traditinally been accepted by the church as the authentic representatin f the scriptures frm the Italic Church, Gallic Church, the Waldensians, and the churches f the Refrmatin. Majrity Text This family f manuscripts is knwn as the Majrity Text because these texts cmprise an verwhelming majrity f all manuscripts still in existence. Actually 85-90%, r almst 5,500 f abut 5,800 remaining manuscripts that are still in existence tday are texts frm the histrical Byzantine regin near Syria. Als, the Traditinal Text manuscripts agree with each ther in 97% f the cntent. Cmpare that t the Cdex Vaticanus and Cdex Sinaiticus that disagree ver 3,000 times in the gspels alne. When we nte that there are nly 3,779 verses in the gspels, it s clear that almst every single verse in the gspels have a discrepancy between these cdices. 1
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw Different Sets f Manuscripts (cntinued) A. Traditinal Text (cntinued) Alternate names and references t these manuscripts (cnt d): Byzantine r Syrian r Antichan Text This family f manuscripts riginated in the Byzantine Empire in Syria and were cpied and maintained ver the years by Byzantine mnks; therefre, they were termed as the Byzantine Manuscripts r Texts. It s imprtant t nte that Antich f Syria was the center hub f the New Testament church in the Acts f the Apstles (Acts 11:26), s these wuld have been the manuscripts used by the church in Antich f Syria. Textus Receptus (Received Text) Masretic Text In 1516 AD, Desiderius Erasmus cmpiled a Greek New Testament frm the mst reliable manuscripts available at the time; Erasmus Greek New Testament was cmpiled entirely frm the Traditinal r Majrity Text manuscripts. The Cdex Vaticanus (that was used t create the Westctt-Hrt Greek Text) was available t Erasmus, but he cmpletely ignred that manuscript because it was incmplete, unreliable, and crrupted. This Greek New Testament was called the text, nw received by all, in which nthing crrupt. The Latin terms fr text ( textum ) and received ( receptum ) were used t refer t the wrk as the Textus Receptus r the Received Text. Therefre, the Textus Receptus was a standard cmpilatin f all the Traditinal r Majrity Text manuscripts int ne Greek New Testament vlume. The Textus Receptus was edited fur times by Erasmus with his final versin released in 1535 AD, Rbert Stephanus edited the text fur times, and Thedre Beza edited the text nine times. It was the 1598 editin f the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament that had been edited by Thedre Beza that was used t translate the King James Bible. The Masretic Text is the Hebrew versin f the Jewish Bible, which we knw as the Old Testament. The Jewish Hebrew Bible was maintained by Jewish scribes and Rabbis since its riginal authrship up until the 6 th century AD. Then, frm the 7 th t 11 th centuries the manuscripts f the Jewish Bible (r the Trah) were maintained by a grup called the Masretes which were a special schl f scribes and schlars f the Trah that tk cntrl f the care and cpying f the Jewish Bible. 2
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw Different Sets f Manuscripts (cntinued) A. Traditinal Text (cntinued) Masretic Text (cntinued) In the 16 th century, Daniel Bmberg printed a Rabbinic Bible frm the Masretic Text. In 1525, Jacb ben Hayyim ibn Abdnijah edited that publicatin frm the Masretic Text fr the 2 nd Rabbinic Bible, and released his full Hebrew versin f the Old Testament alng with the updated Rabbinic Bible. In 1611 AD, the New Testament f the King James Translatin was translated frm the 1598 editin f the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament that had been edited by Thedre Beza, and the Old Testament was translated frm the 1525 Masretic Text that had been cmpiled and edited by Jacb ben Hayyim ibn Abdnijah. B. Alexandrian Text Alternate names and references t these manuscripts: Alexandrian Text This family f manuscripts riginated frm Alexandria, Egypt, s they were termed as the Alexandrian Manuscripts r Texts. Nte that Egypt is almst exclusively cndemned in the Bible and is used as a strng type f bndage, sin, and even Satan and the Antichrist. Minrity Text This family f manuscripts is als knwn as the Minrity Text because a very small minrity (abut 5-15%) f all manuscripts that are still in existence tday are f the Alexandrian Text rigin and cmpsitin. Actually nly 5-15% f the abut 5,800 remaining manuscripts that are still in existence tday are actually Alexandrian Text manuscripts. In 380 AD, the Latin Vulgate was cmpsed by Jerme (a Cathlic mnk) at the request f Ppe Damascus I, and the Vulgate was translated frm the Alexandrian Text manuscripts. The Vulgate has been the basis fr all Cathlic accepted Bibles and is still the principle text recgnized by the Rman Cathlic Church. In 1886 AD, Brke Fss Westctt and Fentn Jhn Anthny Hrt cmpsed their wn New Testament text entitled the Westctt-Hrt Greek Text (als knwn as the Critical Text) translated frm the Alexandrian texts, primarily frm tw Alexandrian cdexes: 1) the Cdex Vaticanus and 2) the Cdex Sinaiticus 1. Cdex Vaticanus a. This manuscript was fund and submitted t the Vatican Library in 1481 AD. 3
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw different sets f manuscripts (cntinued) B. Alexandrian Text (cntinued) Tw Alexandrian Cdexes (cntinued) 1. Cdex Vaticanus (cntinued) b. The actual manuscript was written n vellum (tanned animal skins) and was determined t date back and t have been actually cmpsed in the 4 th century (arund 350 AD). c. This manuscript mits Genesis 1:1 thrugh Genesis 46:28 Psalms 106-138 Matthew 16:2-3 In the gspels, the text leaves ut 237 wrds, 452 clauses and 748 whle sentences (as cmpared t the Textus Receptus) The Pauline Pastral Epistles (1 st Timthy, 2 nd Timthy, Titus, and Philemn) Hebrews 9:14-13:25 Revelatin d. This translatin was rejected by Erasmus in his translatin f the Greek New Testament; with all f its missins and errrs, it s very bvius why a schlar such as Erasmus ttally ignred these manuscripts. 2. Cdex Sinaiticus a. This cdex was fund in 1844 AD in a trash pile that had been designated t be burned in the Saint Catherine's Mnastery near Munt Sinai in the eastern Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. b. The actual manuscript was written n vellum and determined t date back and t have been actually cmpsed in the 4 th century (arund 350 AD). c. It cntains nearly all f the New Testament but is missing Mark 16:9-20 and Jhn 7:53-8:11. It als cntains the "Shepherd f Hermes" and the "Epistle f Barnabas", which have been rejected frm the cann f scripture. d. Fredrick Henry Scrivener (wh edited the Textus Receptus in 1891 AD) reprted 15,000 alteratins in the text f the Cdex Sinaiticus. The New Testament nly has 7,956 verses in ttal. Bth the Cdex Vaticanus and the Cdex Sinaiticus are presumed t cme frm the same surce Since bth manuscripts riginated in the 4 th century, thse particular cpies were likely cmpsed by Eusebius frm 325-350 AD at the request f the Rman Emperr Cnstantine t prepare a cpy f the New Testament fr the new churches that Cnstantine planned t build in Cnstantinple 4
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw different sets f manuscripts (cntinued) B. Alexandrian Text (cntinued) Bth the Cdex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are presumed t cme frm the same surce (cntinued) Eusebius based his renditin f the New Testament n the Hexaphla which was cmpsed by Origen arund 240 AD. Origen was frm Alexandria, Egypt, and he influenced mst f the Alexandrian manuscripts. Origen accepted many Gnstic teachings and thse Gnstic influences were expressed in his cmpsitin f the Hexaphla and Alexandrian texts that deny the literal interpretatin f scripture and the deity f Jesus Christ. Even thugh the Cdex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus suppsedly were cmpsed frm the same riginal texts, the tw manuscripts still disagree ver 3,000 times in the gspels alne. When we cnsider that there are nly 3,779 verses in the gspels, it s clear that almst every single verse in the gspels have a discrepancy between these cdices. The persnal heretical beliefs f Brke Fss Westctt and Fentn Jhn Anthny Hrt were blatantly impsed nt the Greek New Testament that they prduced Westctt believed that David was a spiritual figure, nt a literal persn; he believed the Genesis accunt was allegrical, nt literal; he did nt believe in the literal Biblical accunt f miracles; he did nt believe in the physical secnd cming f Jesus Christ; he did nt believe that heaven was a literal place. Hrt did nt believe in the existence f a devil; he did nt believe in a literal, eternal hell; he did believe in the heretical Cathlic idelgy f purgatry ; he did nt believe in limited atnement f sins by Christ; he did believe in baptismal regeneratin ; he believed in the plitical idelgy f Cmmunism. The heretical false teachings that Westctt and Hrt held t are fund all thrughut their versin f the Greek New Testament and their manipulatin f the text is very bvius frm the blatant errrs n fundatinal dctrines that they rejected. The missins in the Westctt-Hrt Greek Text affect many essential Bible dctrines and the deity f Jesus Christ Remves the name Jesus 70 times and Christ 29 times frm the text Remves reference t the virgin birth f Jesus in Luke 2:33 Remved reference t the deity f Jesus Christ in 1 Timthy 3:16 and Rmans 14:10 & 12 Remved reference t the redeeming bld f Jesus Christ in Clssians 1:14 Incrrectly attributes the authrship f the bk f Malachi t Isaiah in Mark 1:2 5
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw different sets f manuscripts (cntinued) B. Alexandrian Text (cntinued) The Westctt-Hrt Greek Text is als knwn as The Critical Text The Critical Text differs frm the Textus Receptus text 5,337 times, accrding t ne calculatin (there are nly 7,956 verses in the New Testament). Cmpared t the Textus Receptus, the Cdex Vaticanus mits 2,877 wrds in the gspels, and the Cdex Sinaiticus mits 3,455 wrds in the gspels. There are 64,766 wrds in the gspels. Therefre, the Cdex Vaticanus leaves ut 4.4% f all the wrds, and the Cdex Sinaiticus leaves ut 5.3% f all the wrds in the gspels. The Westctt-Hrt Greek Text (based n Alexandrian manuscripts) and the Textus Receptus (based n Byzantine manuscripts) disagree in s many areas that nly ne can be the true and crrect recrd the scriptures and the ther must be deemed a blatant falsehd. While the Alexandrian texts are mre ancient that des nt mean they are mre authentic; lder des nt equal mre accurate The Westctt-Hrt Greek Text claims its superirity frm being translated frm lder manuscripts. This particular claim is true because the Cdex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are dated back t the 4 th century, and the Textus Receptus that was cmpiled by Erasmus in 1516 was based n Byzantine manuscripts frm prbably the 10 th t the 12 th century. Hwever, lder des nt always mean better. The Cdex Vaticanus and Cdex Sinaiticus were penned n vellum, s they lasted lnger due t their medium, while many f the riginal autgraphs and parchments (2 Tim. 4:13) were penned n papyrus that was nt made t last the test f time and subsequently deterirated frm perpetual use. Als, the mre frequently thse manuscripts are actively used, the mre quickly they will fade and deterirate. A bk left unused n the shelf will certainly last the test f time because it is nt used. Due t the severe deficiencies f the Cdex Vaticanus and Cdex Sinaiticus, thse Alexandrian texts were nt actively used by the early church and have remained in gd cnditin fr ver 1650 years while many f the true, authentic Traditinal Text manuscripts had deterirated frm repeated use by the church. It shuld als nt be verlked that the Cdex Sinaiticus was fund in a trash pile set t be burned by Byzantine mnks wh were fluent in Greek and well versed in the authentic Byzantine manuscripts. This shuld clearly dente hw deficient that cdex was fr the Byzantine mnks t render it gd fr nthing ther than kindling f a fire. 6
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 2. Tw different sets f manuscripts (cntinued) B. Alexandrian Text (cntinued) Essentially every new, updated versin f the Bible has either been translated frm r influenced by the Westctt-Hrt Greek Text r a later revisin f the text New American Standard Bible (NASB), New Internatinal Versin (NIV), English Standard Versin (ESV), Revised Versin (RV), Revised Standard Versin (RSV), Hlman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), and almst all ther prminent mdern-day Bibles have riginated frm the Alexandrian Text and the Westctt-Hrt Text. Essentially, all mdern versins have been translated frm r influenced by the crrupted Alexandrian Text and Westctt-Hrt Greek Text, and therefre must be disregarded in the search fr the true scriptures inspired by Gd. 3. Imprtance f the individual wrds, the tense f wrds, and every letter f the scriptures A. Gd prmised t preserve every wrd f His scripture nt just general themes Ps. 12:6-7 6) The wrds f the LORD are pure wrds: as silver tried in a furnace f earth, purified seven times. 7) Thu shalt keep them, O LORD, thu shalt preserve them frm this generatin frever. Matt. 24:35, Jhn 10:35, Rev. 22:18-19, Deut. 4:2 Prv. 30:5 Every wrd f Gd is pure: he is a shield unt them that put their trust in him. B. Every single wrd and letter, even dwn t the singular r plural usage and the verb tense, cntributes t the meaning f each passage. The additin, remval, r changing f even ne wrd can cmpletely change the meaning f the entire passage. These are sme specific examples where apparently minute changes t the scriptures prfundly affect the meaning and impact f the text. i. Adding ne letter, changing the wrd frm singular t plural Gal. 3:16 Nw t Abraham and his seed were the prmises made. He saith nt, And t seeds, as f many; but as f ne, And t thy seed, which is Christ. Paul here makes the clear distinctin that the scripture is referring t Abraham s seed (singular) instead f seeds (plural). This was his defense that the fulfillment f the prmise t Abraham was speaking f Jesus ( seed r singular) instead the entire natin f the Israelites ( seeds r plural). Therefre, the crrect interpretatin f the text wuld be altered based n an s being added at the end f ne wrd. This verse shuld emphasize t us hw crucial each individual letter is in the scriptures. Even thugh it might appear t be a minute discrepancy, if even ne letter f the divinely inspired autgraphs is altered in anther Bible versin, it culd ttally change the meaning and crrect interpretatin f any verse. 7
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 3. Imprtance f the individual wrds, the tense f wrds, and every letter f the scriptures (cnt d) B. The additin, remval, r changing f even ne wrd can cmpletely change the meaning f the entire passage (cnt d) ii. iii. iv. Altering the tense f a verb, changing frm present t past tense Mark 12:26-27 26) And as tuching the dead, that they rise: have ye nt read in the bk f Mses, hw in the bush Gd spake unt him, saying, I am the Gd f Abraham, and the Gd f Isaac, and the Gd f Jacb? 27) He is nt the Gd f the dead, but the Gd f the living: ye therefre d greatly err. (see als Matt. 22:28-32) Jesus uses the present tense descriptin f Gd I Am t certify that Gd is nt the Gd f the dead (r I Was ), but he is the Gd f the living ( I Am ). Again, nt interpreting the crrect tense f the verb nt nly changes the meaning f the verse, but it gives us the wrng dctrinal interpretatin f the character f Gd, in cntrast t the truth that He is bth the living Gd and Gd f the living. Changing the rders f wrds, and thereby changing the frm f the sentence Gen. 3:1 Nw the serpent was mre subtil than any beast f the field which the LORD Gd had made. And he said unt the wman, Yea, hath Gd said, Ye shall nt eat f every tree f the garden? Adding ne additinal wrd Satan creates dubt in Gd s cmmandment, making Eve questin Gd by simply changing the rder f wrds. By just flipping tw wrds hath Gd said versus Gd hath said ttally changes the cntext f the verse and changes it frm a cmmand t a questin. Yea, Gd hath said, Ye shall nt eat f every tree f the garden wuld have been a true statement because Gd had implemented a restrictin that frbid them frm eating f every tree withut exceptin. Hwever, by switching tw wrds, Satan changes the entire sentence int a questin, Yea, hath Gd said?, making her questin if Gd is restricting smething frm her. Gen. 3:4 And the serpent said unt the wman, Ye shall nt surely die: Satan changes a true statement int a false statement by adding ne wrd. The cmmand frm Gd was that Adam wuld die if he ate f the frbidden fruit (Gen. 2:17). If Satan said, Ye shall surely die that wuld have been exactly crrect. But by adding ne wrd, the psitive cmmand is changed t a negative lie Ye shall nt surely die changing the entire meaning f Gd s cmmandment. 8
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 3. Imprtance f the individual wrds, the tense f wrds, and every letter f the scriptures (cnt d) B. The additin, remval, r changing f even ne wrd can cmpletely change the meaning f the entire passage (cnt d) v. Leaving ut verses in the cntext vi. Matt. 4:6 And saith unt him, If thu be the Sn f Gd, cast thyself dwn: fr it is written, He shall give his angels charge cncerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thu dash thy ft against a stne. Satan qutes scripture t Jesus but leaves ut the verse fretelling his wn future destructin. Satan begins t qute frm Ps. 91:11-12, He shall give his angels charge cncerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thu dash thy ft against a stne, but he stps there. The next verse in cntext in Ps. 91:13 cndemns Satan himself but he cnveniently leaves that ut, Thu shalt tread upn the lin and the adder: the yung lin and the dragn shalt thu trample under feet. Adding infrmatin when scripture is silent Heb. 7:14 Fr it is evident that ur Lrd sprang ut f Juda; f which tribe Mses spake nthing cncerning the priesthd. Paul uses the silence f scripture as prf f a restrictin (i.e. the regulative principle) The law f Mses nly allwed fr descendants f the tribe f Levi t be a priest, s hw culd Jesus act, legally, in the ffice f a priest since he was f the tribe f Judah, instead f Levi? Paul states that the law spke nthing abut the tribe f Judah, being qualified fr the priesthd, s therefre Jesus shuld have been prhibited frm being a priest. Therefre, nce the specific cmmandment that a priest culd nly be a Levite was given, there was als given an implied specific cmmandment that a priest culd nt legally cme frm the ther 11 tribes. S in essence, everything was prhibited except what was explicitly allwed. Therefre, we may use the silence f scripture t prve that smething is excluded r prhibited by Gd because if nly ne thing is explicitly stated as allwed in scripture, by implicatin everything else is excluded r prhibited. If anyne then adds smething t the scripture that was purpsefully excluded in its riginal divine inspiratin, they have changed the entire nature f that teaching simply by adding pssibly ne additinal thing. 9
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 4. Significant missins and changes f the new, mdern versins A. The new Bible versins that are based n the Alexandrian Text and the Westctt-Hrt Critical Greek Text cnsistently mit many verses and significant prtins f scripture, althugh sme versins d put a ftnte declaring that thse verses are nt included in the earliest manuscripts. B. These are certain verses that are entirely mitted r ftnted by at least 10 f the new versins. Majr dctrines that are affected by crrupting these verses are nted in each case. Cmpare the dctrines that are affected by these crrupt versins t the heretical beliefs f Westctt and Hrt nted earlier and the Gnstic influence f the Alexandrian Text. It is very bvius that thse men systematically crrupted their Critical Text t attempt t impse their heretical beliefs n their New Testament Greek Text. Matt. 17:21 Necessity f prayer and fasting in pwerful faith Matt. 18:11 Humanity f Jesus Christ and the purpse f salvatin in His death Fr the Sn f man is cme t save that which was lst. Matt. 23:14 Cndemnatin f the Pharisees and the greater damnatin f hell Mark 7:16 Necessity f the new birth t understand spiritual things If any man have ears t hear, let him hear. Mark 9:44 & 46 The unquenched fire and punishment f hell Mark 11:26 Believer s respnsibility t frgive the sins and trespasses f thers Mark 15:28 Fulfillment f Old Testament prphecy in Jesus cndemnatin and death as a transgressr Mark 16:9-20 Resurrectin and Ascensin f Christ, and the Great Cmmissin Many f the Alexandrian Text manuscripts leave the prtin at the end f Mark s gspel blank where the scriptures shuld have been, instead f cndensing the text, denting it was blatantly mitted frm the cdices. Luke 17:36 Judgment during the destructin f Jerusalem Luke 22:43-44 Humanity f Jesus Christ and the existence and aid f angels Jhn 5:4 Existence f angels that trubled the water in this accunt Jhn 7:53 8:11 Omits the accunt f Jesus frgiveness f the adulterer and the teaching f the man s depravity that all men are cndemned sinners Acts 8:37 Necessity f belief in Jesus Christ as the Sn f Gd fr baptism Acts 15:34 & 24:7 & 28:29 Certain histrical events in the early church are mitted Rm. 16:24 Grace f the Lrd Jesus Christ C. Verses that certain prtins f a verse are left ut 1 Jhn 5:7 The KJV declares the Trinity, ne Gd in three persns: the Father, the Wrd, and the Hly Ghst. Essentially all ther versins remve the last half f the verse that affirms the Trinity. Fr there are three that bear recrd in heaven, the Father, the Wrd, and the Hly Ghst: and these three are ne. (KJV) Fr there are three that testify. (NIV, ESV, NASB, HCSB) 10
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 4. Significant missins and changes f the new, mdern versins (cntinued) C. Verses that certain prtins f a verse are left ut (cntinued) Matt. 6:13 The KJV affirms the svereignty f Gd and His kingdm, pwer, and glry at the clsing f Jesus mdel prayer. That phrase is entirely left ff in the ESV (and in the NIV and multiple ther versins). And lead us nt int temptatin, but deliver us frm evil: Fr thine is the kingdm, and the pwer, and the glry, fr ever. Amen. (KJV) And lead us nt int temptatin, but deliver us frm evil. (ESV) Cl. 1:14 The NIV and essentially all ther mdern versins remve the reference the bld f Christ as the means f ur redemptin and frgiveness In whm we have redemptin thrugh his bld, even the frgiveness f sins: (KJV) In whm we have redemptin, the frgiveness f sins. (NIV) 1 Cr. 11:24 The NASB and essentially all ther mdern versins mit the wrd brken, but the sentence desn t actually make sense in thse versins because they have left ut that crrect wrd. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my bdy, which is brken fr yu: this d in remembrance f me. (KJV) And when He had given thanks, He brke it and said, "This is My bdy, which is fr yu; d this in remembrance f Me." (NASB) D. Verses where changes in the wrding f the new versins severely undermines many crucial scriptural dctrines 1 Tim. 3:16 The NIV places the divinity f Jesus Christ int questin by replacing the definitive statement in the KJV that Jesus was Gd manifest in the flesh t a generalized statement that He simply appeared in the flesh. And withut cntrversy great is the mystery f gdliness: Gd was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen f angels, preached unt the Gentiles, believed n in the wrld, received up int glry. (KJV) Beynd all questin, the mystery frm which true gdliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached amng the natins, was believed n in the wrld, was taken up in glry. (NIV) Jhn 1:18 The KJV declares Jesus as the nly begtten Sn f Gd. The NIV dentes Jesus as the nly Sn f Gd despite that fact that Gd has many sns (Heb. 2:10). The NASB implies that Jesus was a created Gd, the nly begtten Gd in cntradictin t the eternal divinity f Jesus Christ. N man hath seen Gd at any time; the nly begtten Sn, which is in the bsm f the Father, he hath declared him. (KJV) N ne has seen Gd at any time; the nly begtten Gd wh is in the bsm f the Father, He has explained Him. (NASB) 11
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 4. Significant missins and changes f the new, mdern versins (cntinued) D. Verses that changes in the wrding in the new versins severely undermines many crucial scriptural dctrines (cntinued) Jhn 3:16 The KJV declares Jesus as the nly begtten Sn f Gd. The NIV dentes Jesus as the ne and nly Sn f Gd, despite that fact that Gd has many sns (Heb. 2:10). Same change f wrding issue in Jhn 1:18 in NIV. Fr Gd s lved the wrld, that he gave his nly begtten Sn, that whsever believeth in him shuld nt perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV) Fr Gd s lved the wrld that he gave his ne and nly Sn, that whever believes in him shall nt perish but have eternal life. (NIV) Luke 2:33 The KJV intrduces Jseph (the husband f Mary) by name, but the NASB calls Jseph the father f Jesus Christ His father placing dubt n the virgin birth f Jesus Christ. And Jseph and his mther marvelled at thse things which were spken f him. (KJV) And His father and mther were amazed at the things which were being said abut Him. (NASB) Acts 2:47 The NIV and essentially all ther mdern versins remve reference t the church and implies a prgressinal means f eternal salvatin by belief. Praising Gd, and having favur with all the peple. And the Lrd added t the church daily such as shuld be saved. (KJV) Praising Gd and enjying the favr f all the peple. And the Lrd added t their number daily thse wh were being saved. (NIV) 1 Cr. 1:18 The ESV and essentially all ther mdern versins imply that the actins f men are affecting their eternal state f perishing r being saved, instead f the KJV that crrectly prtrays thse wh believe are [already] saved, presenting belief as an evidence nt a cause f salvatin Fr the preaching f the crss is t them that perish flishness; but unt us which are saved it is the pwer f Gd. (KJV) Fr the wrd f the crss is flly t thse wh are perishing, but t us wh are being saved it is the pwer f Gd. (ESV) Mark 1:2 The NIV and essentially all ther mdern versins incrrectly attribute authrship f the bk f Malachi t Isaiah As it is written in the prphets, Behld, I send my messenger befre thy face, which shall prepare thy way befre thee. (KJV) As it is written in Isaiah the prphet: I will send my messenger ahead f yu, wh will prepare yur way." (NIV) 12
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 5. What abut the New King James Versin (NKJV)? A. The New King James Versin was released in 1982 AD and was suppsed t be translated frm the Textus Receptus, but there are significant deficiencies in that translatin as well. NJKV departs frm the Textus Receptus Greek in the New Testament ver 1,200 times (again cnsider that there are nly 7,956 verses in the New Testament) NJKV remves the wrd Lrd 66 times frm the text NJKV remves the wrd Gd 51 times frm the text NJKV remves the wrd heaven 50 times frm the text NJKV remves the wrd repent 44 times frm the text NJKV remves the wrd bld 23 times frm the text NJKV remves the wrd hell 22 times frm the text NJKV cmpletely remves the wrd JEHOVAH frm the text NJKV cmpletely remves the phrase new testament frm the text NJKV cmpletely remves the wrd damnatin frm the text NJKV cmpletely remves the wrd devils frm the text NJKV demtes Jesus frm Lrd t Sir in Luke 13:8 NJKV demtes Jesus frm Lrd t Master in Matthew 18:26 NJKV demtes Jesus frm the Sn t a sn in Jhn 8:35, and remves ther references t the Snship f Jesus in Acts 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, 4:30, and Clssians 1:15 NJKV remves the references t the name f Jesus in Mark 2:15 B. Similar scriptural prblems culd be prvided fr ther mdern Bible versins that claim t have been translated frm manuscripts f the Majrity Text (althugh n ther Bibles were translated frm the 1598 editin f the Textus Receptus as the 1611 King James Bible was), such as the King James 2000 Bible (KJV 2000), Mdern English Versin (MEV), alng with the New King James Versin (NKJV). C. These scriptural variances in the NKJV and ther versins emphasize that the Authrized King James Versin f 1611 is the mst accurate and scripturally precise f all ther translatins f the Textus Receptus, and is still the preferred translatin f the Bible fr the English language ver and beynd the ther versins wh claim the Textus Receptus as their surce text. These ther Textus Receptus versins are nt an acceptable alternative t the KJV 1611. 6. Superirity f the King James Bible A. Schlarship In 1604, King James I f England cmmissined 54 f the best Greek and Hebrew schlars living at the time t translate the Bible int English. The wrk was cmpleted in 1611, with 47 f the riginal men finishing the wrk. 13
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 6. Superirity f the King James Bible (cntinued) A. Schlarship (cntinued) The men that were chsen fr the translatin were exceptinally knwledgeable f the underlying riginal languages f Greek, Hebrew, and sme Aramaic. They all had frmal dctrinal and linguistic training in the leading religius universities f the day, primarily Oxfrd r Cambridge University in England. A cmparable grup with the cmprehensive knwledge f the riginal languages wuld be very difficult, if nt impssible, t reprduce, even in the current day. All f the KJV translatrs were believers in Jesus Christ and believers in the divine inspiratin, preservatin, and inerrancy f the scriptures. In cntrast, many cntributrs t the mdern Bible translatins are Jewish r secular academics, wh neither believe in Jesus Christ nr believe in the divine inspiratin and inerrancy f the scriptures. The translatrs wrked in six cmmittees, with each cmmittee translating a specific sectin f scripture. The KJV was translated with a frmal equivalence which prmtes a wrd fr wrd translatin t keep the same wrds and grammatical structure f the riginal text, as ppsed t dynamic equivalence which leads t paraphrasing and is susceptible t alteratin by the translatrs. Each man f a cmmittee translated every wrd f his cmmittee s assigned sectin f scripture. Then, these individual translatins were cllectively cmpared with thse f ther team members, and discrepancies between the individual translatins were vted n. Then, the cllective translatin f the riginal cmmittee was passed n t each f the ther cmmittees fr their scrutiny and apprval. Thus, each scripture was examined at least furteen times during the prcess. Due t the precisin and intensity with which each scripture was examined, the translatin prject tk seven years and was finally cmpeted in 1611. B. Readability Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr is a readability test that is designed t measure hw difficult a reading passage in English is t understand. This measurement takes int accunt the number f wrds per sentence and number f syllables per wrd t determine hw difficult fr the reader that a certain passage is t understand. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr scres fr certain Bible versins, per New Age Bible Versins, by Gail Riplinger, pg. 196: KJV 5.8 (the scre fr the New Testament nly is 4.32) NIV 8.4; NASB 6.1; NKJV 6.9 Furthermre, accrding t the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr, 74% f the bks in the KJV are n r belw the 6 th grade reading level, and 94% are n r belw the 7 th grade reading level. The Flesch Reading Ease index rated 97% f the bks in the KJV as Fairly Easy r Easy t read. All f these readability scres were better than every ther Bible versin. 14
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 6. Superirity f the King James Bible (cntinued) B. Readability (cntinued) Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr Dr. Rudlf Flesch, c-riginatr f the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicatr and the leading authrity n readability studies, quted frm his bk The Art f Plain Talk, pg. 43: The best example f very ease prse (abut 20 affixes per 100 wrds) is the King James Versin f the Bible. Readability Analysis f Writing Samples by Pr-Scribe Accrding t the readability statistics generated by Pr-Scribe, the KJV is easier t read than USA Tday, Peple Magazine, and mst children s bks (per The Language f the King James Bible, by Gail Riplinger, pg.159): KJV Bible Grade 7 Syllables per wrd 1.3 Wrds ver nine letters 3% Children s bks Grade 7 Syllables per wrd 1.3 Wrds ver nine letters 8% Peple Magazine Grade 8 Syllables per wrd 1.5 Wrds ver nine letters 10% USA Tday Grade 9 Syllables per wrd 1.5 Wrds ver nine letters 10% The King James Versin f the Bible has cnsistently scred lwer n these readability tests because it has less syllables per wrd, less letters per wrd, less wrds per sentence, smaller percentage f lng wrds, and a larger percentage f shrt wrds than all the ther mdern Bible versins. It shuld be nted that the King James Versin is nt written in Old English but actually is written in the Mdern English style. Old English was frm 450-1150, Middle English was frm 1150-1485, and Mdern English began in 1485. Hwever, the King James language sunds different that ur Americanized Mdern English because the lexicn (r the cmmnly used vcabulary) has changed ver the years. Despite the changing f the lexicn, the frm and structure f the English language has nt changed since the KJV was translated. In additin, the language used in the King James Bible exhibits a unique cadence and style that easily lends itself t memrizatin, benefiting the Bible study f the reader. 15
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 6. Superirity f the King James Bible (cntinued) C. Integrity and precisin f the translatin The translatrs f the KJV tk great care t maintain the integrity f the riginal text as it was translated int English When translating frm ne language int anther, the riginal wrding f the text cannt always be exactly replicated in the ther language. The meaning f a wrd in Greek may nt be exactly cnveyed in the meaning f an equivalent wrd in English. Therefre, wrds that were implied in the riginal language but did nt have an exact English equivalent were included t make the sentences cmplete and understandable in ur English language. When the KJV translatrs included an implied wrd frm the riginal text t make a cmplete sentence in English, they dented thse wrds in italics in the King James Bible. N such distinctin is made in any f the mdern versins. When a persn is speaking, the English language presents qutatin marks t allw the reader t nte when their speech begins and ends. The riginal Greek and Hebrew text d nt indicate exactly where a certain speech begins and ends with qutatins marks. There is n equivalent punctuatin mark crrespnding t qutatin marks in thse languages. Therefre, the King James translatrs left ff any qutatin marks in the English translatin and did nt assume where thse punctuatin marks shuld be placed since they were nt presented in the riginal text. The ther mdern versin independently determine and assume where qutatins marks shuld be placed even thugh they are nt at all presented in the riginal Greek and Hebrew text. The name f Jehvah Gd in His cvenant name and relatinship f the natin f Israel is presented in the Old Testament by what s knwn as the Tetragrammatn spelled in the Hebrew as YHWH. By Jewish traditin, Jews are nt allwed t actually speak this term alud r read it alud, s the exact prnunciatin f this wrd is nt actually knwn. Therefre, instead f making an assumptin abut the crrect spelling f this wrd, the King James translatrs translated the Tetragrammatn as LORD in all caps every time it ccurred in the Old Testament. Precisin f the King James language While sme f the wrds in the King James Bible are nt used regularly in the English language anymre, we might assume that replacing them with mdern wrds wuld be beneficial. Hwever, the wrds used in the KJV are actually mre precise that the mdern equivalents that we use tday, and we can lse the prper understanding f a text by dumbing dwn r generalizing the riginal language. The use f est and eth n the end f wrds in the KJV seems peculiar, but the purpse is very simple. A singular 2 nd persn nun wuld have a crrespnding verb ending in est thu lvest and a singular 3 rd persn nun wuld have a verb ending in eth he lveth. 16
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 6. Superirity f the King James Bible (cntinued) C. Integrity and precisin f the translatin (cntinued) Precisin f the King James language (cntinued) The Greek and Hebrew language bth use unique wrds that distinguish between the singular and plural usage f 2 nd persn prnuns, using different wrds fr bth singular and plural frm f each prnun. In cntrast, ur American English blends the secnd persn prnun int just ne wrd yu that des nt distinguish between a singular r plural audience. T maintain the precisin f the riginal Greek and Hebrew text, the King James translatrs used wrds that maintained the distinctin between the singular and plural prnuns even thugh thse wrds and the same applicable distinctin had already been drpped frm the language used at that time. Yu will nte that there are n uses f thee and thu in the Translatrs t the Readers intrductin t the KJV because they did nt cmmnly use that speech in the English f that day either. Hwever, t maintain the clsest pssible representatin t the riginal text f the Greek and Hebrew, the King James translatrs used these precise singular and plural prnuns t accurately cnvey the distinctins that were made in the riginal text. Nte the distinctin between the singular and plural prnuns f the secnd persn: 2 nd persn singular prnuns thu, thee, thy, thine 2 nd persn plural prnun ye, yu, yur, yurs Examples f the necessity f these singular and plural 2 nd persn prnun distinctins can be nted in these verses: Matt. 26:64, Jhn 3:7 Luke 22:31-32, 1 Cr. 8:9-12, Gal. 6:1, 2 Tim. 4:22, Titus 3:15, Philemn 21-25, Exd. 4:15, Exd. 29:42, 2 Sam. 7:23 D. Cpyright The King James Bible is in the public dmain in essentially all f the wrld, except in England where certain ryal printers are the nly publishers f this Bible. Therefre, n persn, business, r rganizatin prfits frm the sale f the King James Bible. This stands in stark cntrast t the mnetizatin f the cpyright and publicatin f the mdern-day versins. The New Internatinal Versin s (NIV) exclusive publishing rights in the United States is wned by Zndervan, which is a subsidiary f HarperCllins, which is wned by News Crp, and the chariman f News Crp is Rupert Murdch. The New King James Versin (NKJV) is als published by HarperCllins. HarperCllins als is the publisher f The Satanic Bible A minimum number f changes must be made t any existing Bible versin currently in print fr a new Bible t receive a cpyright. Therefre, fr any new Bible versins t be prduced, they have t change, add, r leave ut a minimum amunt f wrds, etc. befre they are eligible fr a cpyright, whether thse changes destry the integrity f the scriptures r nt. 17
Article f Faith 2 The Scriptures Defense f the King James Bible 7. Summary Essentially all the prminent new, updated Bible versins are based n minrity texts that cmprise less than 5% f all manuscripts (nly abut 100 f the 5,800 ttal existing manuscripts are Alexandrian manuscripts) and thse disagree ver 5,300 times with the Traditinal r Majrity Text (which cmprise abut 5,500 f the 5,800 ttal manuscripts). And f the Minrity Text (less than 5%) that they are based upn, the underlying manuscripts disagree between each ther ver 3,000 times in the gspels alne. The new versins are translated frm the Westctt-Hrt Greek Text that was cntaminated by the heretical beliefs f its cmpsers. In additin, the tw primary Greek manuscripts the Cdex Vaticanus and Cdex Sinaiticus that their translatin was based upn actually mits large prtins f the Old Testament and New Testament. Nt nly are the new versins based n an islated, minrity number f the verall manuscripts that cntradict the verwhelming majrity f all the texts, but the manuscripts that actually were used are incmplete, incnsistent, and whlly unreliable. The differences and discrepancies in the mdern Bible versins are nt nminal r insignificant, but they severely undermine many crucial biblical dctrines, such as the deity f Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, and the finished atnement f Jesus Christ. The King James Bible is far superir t any f the mdern versin as well. The knwledge and schlarship f the King James translatrs wuld be unequaled tday in their understanding f the Greek and Hebrew languages in which the riginal texts were penned. Despite that smetimes unfamiliar wrds that are used, the KJV is actually written in a manner that any persn with a 5 th grade educatin can understand the entire Bible. It is written in the language f the cmmn man and uses a very unique cadence and style that make memrizatin cme very easily. The King James translatrs used language that accurately reflected the riginal texts, maintaining the singular and plural distinctin f prnuns in the usage f thee and thu, etc. They included implied wrds as italics, did nt add r assume qutatin marks, and distinguished the Tetragrammatn by LORD in all caps. The KJV has als been preserved frm mnetizatin and the greedy mtives f men, since it is readily available in the public dmain. Therefre, the Authrized King James Versin f 1611, which was translated frm the Textus Receptus that was based slely n the Traditinal and Majrity Text, is by far the purest, mst accurate translatin in the English language f the scriptures that were inspired by Gd fr His church. The infrmatin in this study utline was primarily derived frm the fllwing surces, unless therwise nted: Crwned with Glry (by Dr. Thmas Hlland), The Bible Answer Bk (by Dr. Sam Gipp), An Understandable Histry f the Bible (by Dr. Sam Gipp), One Bk Stands Alne (by Dr. Duglas Stauffer), The King James Versin f 1611. The Myth f Early Revisins (by Dr. David F. Reagan), New Age Bible Versins (by Gail Riplinger), and varius articles frm the www.tbsbibles.rg (Trinitarian Bible Sciety) and www.kjvtday.cm. 18