TEXTUAL CORRUPTIONS

By John Henry, Th.D.

INTRODUCTION

There has been a satanic attack upon the Doctrine of the Word of God for millennia. This is the #1 most important doctrine of all time. Now in these last days there is an all out assault on the inspiration, infallibility and preservation of the Bible. This Doctrine is being surrendered, undermined and watered down by the vast majority of Christendom, even Fundamentalism. I believe that eventually, after the Church is gone, I hope, an ecumenical bible will be put forth that all apostates will agree upon. It will teach New Age doctrine, including reincarnation, Greek Philosophy, Gnosticism, etc., etc.

The Lord Jesus Christ clearly gave the responsibility to guard the Word of God to the local New Testament church, including it in the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20; cf. Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; 1 Cor 12:28; 1 Tim 3:15). The Lord told His Church:

Matthew 28:19-20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

The prime meaning of the Greek word "tereo" (Strong's #5083) translated "observe" in Matthew 28:20 is to guard, attend to carefully, take care of, keep in the same state, preserve. Using this word Jude 1 says believers are "preserved in Jesus Christ," and 2 Peter 2:9 says that God knows how to "reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." Notice how it is used in relation to the Word of God:

John 8:51: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep [5083] my saying, he shall never see death."

John 14:21, 23-24: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth [5083] them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ... If a man love me, he will keep [5083] my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth [5083] not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."

John 15:20: "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept [5083] my saying, they will keep [5083] yours also."

John 17:6: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept [5083] thy word."

1 John 2:3-5: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep [5083] his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth [5083] not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth [5083] his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."

Revelation 1:3: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep [5083] those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

Revelation 3:8, 10: "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept [5083] my word, and hast not denied my name. ... Because thou hast kept [5083] the word of my patience, I also will keep [5083] thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

It was truly needful for Jude to exhort believers to "... earnestly contend for the faith [the Bible] which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Let God's people strive to say along with Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept [5083] the faith" (2 Tim 4:7). Let's not let our guard down.

THE PRESERVED WORD OF GOD

The Bible cannot be clearer concerning it's own inspiration and preservation:

Psalm 138:2: "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy Truth: for thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy name."

2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Isaiah 8:20: "To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them."

Matthew 5:17-18: "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled."

Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

Psalm 12:6-7: "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

Psalm 119:89: "For ever, O LORD, Thy Word is settled in heaven."

1 Peter 1:24-25: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

ARE THE OLDEST MANUSCRIPTS THE BEST?

How important are "early Greek manuscripts"? Can we consider translations to be the Word of God, or preserved ancient manuscripts (MSS), or were only the original autographs God's Word? Is the Bible complete and perfect? How do we know we have the "Perfect Law of Liberty"?

According to Norman Geisler and William Nix in their book General Introduction to the Bible (p. 406), the earliest portion of Scripture we have is called p52 (John Rylands Fragment). This fragment was found in Egypt, and it contains portions of John 18:31-33, 37-38. It is a piece of fragment 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches and dates from around 117-138 AD, although a fellow named Adolf Deissmann argues that it may be even earlier.

This may be the oldest Greek manuscript. But it is important to consider the oldest translations that were accurately translated from very early Greek MSS. The oldest translations follow the Received Text (TR) of the KJV:

1. The Old Latin Vulgate (AD 157) was used by the Waldenese in Northern Italy. Shortly afterwards the French Waldenese received their Gallic Bible (AD 177). The Reformers held that the Waldenese church was formed around AD 120. They gave much blood to protect the True Bible. [1]

2. The Syriac Version (The Peshitta) of AD 150 is called the "Queen of Versions" because of it's beauty and simplicity. There are 177 of these MSS, most in the British Museum. [2] This was the translation used by the church at Antioch. It is the Word of God.

The majority, not the oldest are best. Josh McDowell says in his book "A Ready Defense" that there are more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence (5255 Greek; 10,000 Vulgate; 9,300 other early versions). Most of the 10,000 Vulgate MSS referred to here are the pure Old Latin Vulgate, not Jerome's Catholic version, and the 9,300 other early MSS include the Syriac, Gallic and other reliable ancient MSS. The Word of God has been translated into various languages in order for the people to understand it in their heart language from the earliest times of the church. The vast majority of the Greek NT MSS follow the TR (5,210 out of 5255 MSS or 99%). [3] Our KJV is based on an eclectic text that is in agreement with the TR. However, the modern versions are not.

God promised to preserve the original letters of Scripture down to the smallest stroke of the pen (Matt 5:18), but He also said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable ..." (2 Tim 3:16). If the original was "given by inspiration of God" does not common since dictate that the final ancestor would retain that inspiration. Notice in the verse it says, "IS [not was] given by inspiration," and that it says, "ALL Scripture." That would indicate that every correctly translated word is "given by inspiration of God." So we have the inspired Word of God both in the originally given languages (Hebrew and Greek), and we have it in other languages also, including the old King James English.

After the Rylands Fragment (p52) the next earliest collection of New Testament papyri is in the Beatty Museum near Dublin p45, p46, p47. They were written around 250 AD and contain most of the New Testament. P45 is made up of pieces of 30 leaves of a papyrus codex: 2 from Matt., 2 from John, 6 from Mark, 7 from Luke, and 13 from Acts. The original codex consisted of some 220 leaves. This collection is primarally Alexandrian and Western text-types, but Mark is nearer to the Caesarean family.

Kurk Aland, however, says, "...the fact [is] that the oldest manuscript does not necessarily have the best text. P47 is, for example, by far the oldest of the manuscripts containing the full or almost full text of the Apocalypse, but it is certainly not the best." [4] It is a myth that the oldest MSS are best. I can see the logic in thinking the oldest is best, because it is closer to the original autograph. However, this logic does not hold up when we take the early Bible corrupters into account. The most notorious corrupters were Origen (Alexandrian Text) and Eusebius (Western Text).

Important principals to note:1. The oldest manuscripts are not necessarily carefully written. 2. The oldest manuscripts were subject to the greatest corruption. 3. The oldest manuscripts are in perpetual disagreement with each other. 4. The oldest manuscripts extant are not necessarily copied from oldest manuscript master. [5]

The next earliest MSS are called the Bodmer Papyri p66, p72, p75 and date around 200 AD. They are a mixture of Alexandrian and Western text-types. Here again oldest is not best:

P66 contains portions of the Gospel of John. Pickering notes that it has "Roughly two mistakes per verse." It has: 200 nonsense readings, 216 careless readings, 269 corrections, 482 singular readings, 54 leaps forward, 22 leaps backwards. [6]

P75 contains portions of Luke and John. Pickering notes, "...scarcely a good copy." It has: 275 singular readings, 57 careless readings, 27 leaps forward, 10 backwards. [7]

The next earliest MSS are Uncial codices Codex Vaticanus 325-350 AD; Codex Sinaiticus 340 AD; Codex Alexandrinus 450 AD; Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus 345 AD; Codex Bezae 450 or 550 AD.

A Uncial Codice is a capital letter Classical Greek MS. The best MSS were the lower case (cursives) Koine Greek of the common people. The Koine Greek MSS are the ones that are in 99% agreement with each other, the Received Text (TR). The original autographs were Koine, not Classical.

Codex Sinaititus (Aleph) (4th Century): "From the number of errors, one cannot affirm that it is very carefully written. The whole manuscript is disfigured by corrections, a few by the original scribe, very many by an ancient and elegant hand of the 6th Century whose emendations are of great importance, some again by a hand a little later, for the greatest number by a scholar of the 7th Century who often cancels the changes by the 6th Century amender, others by as many as eight (8) different later writers." (Scrivener, p. 93, Vol. I.)

Codex Vaticanus (B) (4th Century): "One marked feature is the great number of omissions which induced Dr. Dobbin to speak of it as an abbreviated text of the New Testament. He calculates that whole words or clauses are left out no less than 2556 times." (Scrivener, p. 120, Volume I.)

Codex Bezae Graeco-Latinus (D) (5th or 6th Century): "The manuscript has been corrected, first by the original penman and later by 8 or 9 different revisors. ... No known manuscript contains so many bold and extensive interpolations (600 in Acts alone) countenanced, where they are not absolutely unsupported, chiefly by the Old Latin and Curetonian Syriac Version." (Scrivener, pp. 128, 130, Volume I.)

THE ANCIENT BIBLE CORRUPTERS

Vaticanus, and Sinaitcus are the two main manuscripts that almost all of the new translations are based on. They are indirectly the result of the work of Origenes Adamantius (AD 184-254).

Some feel that we should not bring up the errors and apostasy of the early and later Textual critics who corrupted the Bible. I beg to differ! It helps us see the problem much more clearly. Satan is clearly the head of this conspiracy, and he uses men.

Matthew 7:16-20: "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

The below indicated men deleted words and phrases that honored the Lord Jesus Christ, and affected about every important doctrine of the Bible including it incarnation, deity, and resurrection of Christ.

Origenes (Origen for short) was the third in a line of heretics that corrupted the Word of God. Tatian, a pupil of Justin Martyr (AD 100 -165), was a Gnostic [8]. "...Tatian wrote a Harmony of the Gospels ... called the Diatessaron. ...The Gospels were ... notoriously corrupted by his hand ..." [9] Clement of Alexandria, Egypt (AD 150-217) was Tatian's pupil. "Clement himself claimed the ... title of Gnostic often." [10] Clement established a school there in Alexandria. "[He] expressly tells us that he would not hand down Christian teachings, pure and unmixed, but rather clothed with precepts of pagan philosophy." [11] "Clement and Origen used concepts of Platonism and Pythagoreanism ..." [12, 13] "All the writings of the outstanding heretical teachers were possessed by Clement, and he freely quoted from their corrupt manuscripts as if they were the words of Scripture." [14] Origen was Clement's pupil and took over the apostate school that he started. Origen originated the Christ denying Arian heresy. [15] Origen also believed in the preexistence of the soul (i.e. reincarnation), baptismal regeneration, purgatory, etc., etc.

Eusebius (AD 260-340) and Constantine, Emperor of Rome (AD 306-337): "Eusebius worshipped at the altar of Origin's teachings. He ... used Origen's six column Bible ... in his Biblical labors. ... As the Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, it became necessary for him to choose ... (which Bible text to sanction. He had 3 to choose from: the Constantinoplitan [TR], the Hesychian, or the Eusebio-Origen). ... [Constantine] preferred the one edited by Eusebius and written by Origin ... [who] combined Christianity with Gnostisticism in his philosophy, even as Constantine himself was the political genius that was seeking to unite Christianity with pagan Rome. [16] Eusebius like Origen also leaned toward Arianism, as did the Emperor. Constantine, the new "Christian" Pontifex Maximus, commissioned Eusebius to prepare 50 copies of the bible. These are the main source for the corruptions of the modern versions we see today (ASV, RSV, NASV, NIV, et. al.).

FIRST JOHN 5:7

A person that I once debated told me this, "I am not trying to put down the Trinity doctrine. But personally I use less controversial passages [than 1 John 5:7] to show this doctrine …"

To that I replied, "Every part and every word of the Word of God is as much the Father's and the Son's as it is the Holy Spirit's. God exhorts us to '... earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the saints' (Jude 3). 1 John 5:7 is part of the Word and thus part of the Faith. It is worthy of contending for!" The Lord Jesus said:

Luke 9:26: "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."

John 12:48: "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

Proverbs 30:5: "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."

First John 5:7 is perhaps the weakest link in the chain for the Received Greek Text, but God's weak link is stronger than titanium.

Origen did not believe in the Deity of Christ nor the Trinity so he excised 1 John 5:7 from the Greek text early in Church History. However, the Latin speaking church preserved it from the earliest time of Church History.

The one that I debated concerning the superiority of the KJV said, "Tischendorf's New Testament which compares Codex [A] Alexandrinus, Codex [B] Vaticanus, and Codex [Aleph] Sinaiticus with the KJV omitts 1 John 5:7 from these 3 MSS. My understanding is that 2nd century Greek copies don't exist."

True, 2nd century Greek copies may not exist now. However, as has already been shown, 2nd century translations do exist in Latin and Syriac. There is a vast amount of early MSS evidence in favor of 1 John 5:7. There is much misinformation concerning this fact. It has also been shown that Aleph and B are of the corrupt Alexandrian family of MSS. It can be clearly seen that A also is a member of this family although the corruptions in it are fewer. If we had the original copies some might be worshipping them. However, we can be sure that God is faithful to keep His promise to preserve His Word. We have it. What every Christian needs to decide is this: Is it Origin's Alexandrian Family of MSS, or is it the eclectic text of the Authorized Version which closely follows the TR? The answer is so simple! But many textual critics continue to make the issue difficult.

Evangelicals consistently state that there are no scholars that believe that 1 John 5:7 was in the original text of the Bible. This statement excludes scores of Fundamentalist scholars. God's people are being mislead. Wolves in sheep's clothing are destroying the faith of many. That does not mean that all the evangelical scholars are wolves or are not sincere. It does mean, at the very least, that they too are deceived.

One such deceived individual told me, "As far as 1 John 5:7-8 reading in the KJV, they say that Erasmus omitted this reading from his first 2 editions of his Greek NT (1516, 1519) and was challenged for this omission. He replied that he would include it in his next edition if anyone could produce even one Greek manuscript that included that reading. One 16th century Greek minuscule was found, a 1520 manuscript ... so he inserted it into his 1522 edition."

Dr. Thomas Holland answers this charge, "The Comma [1 John 5:7-8] did not appear in the first two editions of Erasmus' Receptus, but was added to his third. Some have stated that Erasmus added the Comma reluctantly. Erasmus had been criticized for his earlier editions which did not contain the passage. Metzger writes, 'In an unguarded moment Erasmus promised that he would insert the Comman Johanneum, as it is called, in future editions if a single Greek manuscript could be found that contained the passage. At length such a copy was found--or was made to order!' (Metzger, The Text Of The New Testament, p. 101) This statement, however, is in question. Others have shown that Erasmus did not add the verse aversely, but was in fact searching for a Greek text which supported what was already in the Old Latin texts. (Donald L. Brake indicates this in his thesis presented to Dallas Theological Seminary and reprinted in the book Counterfeit Or Genuine, edited by Dr. David Otis Fuller ..., p 205. This is further verified by both Dr. Fuller and by Dr. Edward F. Hills in his book The King James Version Defended, p 209)." [17]

The "three heavenly Witnesses" (1 John 5:7) is contained in practically all of the extant Latin Vulgate MSS. Although not included in Jerome's original edition, around the year 800 it was taken into the text of the Vulgate from the Old Latin MSS (Dr. Edward Hills, Dr. Floyd Jones). This historic usage of the text in the Western Church lay behind its final inclusion in the Greek Text of Erasmus.

Today we know of at least ten Greek MSS that contain it (Dr. Kurk Aland lists at least 6, and Dr. D.A. Waite an additional 4). In addition to the significant Greek and Latin MSS evidence, there are many historical, theological, grammatical and numerical evidences that prove beyond doubt that 1 John 5:7 is inspired Scripture. It is cited by several sources prior to 500 AD. Among them Tertullian (AD 200) [18]; and Cyprian (AD 250), who writes, "And again concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit it is written: 'and the Three are One'" (Vienna, vol. iii, p. 215) There is an abundance of evidence for the inclusion of 1 John 5:7 in the Bible. [19]

Floyd Jones says, "Finally, it cannot be overly stressed that the successive editors of the TR could have omitted the passage from their editions. The fact that Stephens, Beza, and the Elzevirs retained the Pericope, despite the reluctance of Erasmus to include it, is not without significance. The learned Lutheran text critic J.A. Bengel ("Gnomon", published in 1742) also convincingly defended its inclusion as did Hills in this century. The hard fact is that, by the providence of God, the Johannie Comma obtained and retained a place in the Textus Receptus. We emphatically declare that the most extreme caution should be exercised in questioning its right to that place." [20] "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." (Proverbs 22:28)

DR. NORMAN GEISLER

Dr. Norman L. Geisleris an outstanding defender of the faith. However, in the case of Textual Criticism I think he has worked himself into a corner. "The footnotes and brackets are subtle artillery, but have resulted in what [he] calls 'The Battle For The Resurrection'. His book [by that name] and others become necessary since new versions question almost every appearance of Jesus after his resurrection. As a result of the new omissions 'evangelical scholars' and the cults are beginning to agree." [21]

In "The Battle For The Resurrection" Geisler says, "Some are now contending that the resurrection body [of Jesus] was only spiritual or immaterial. They deny that the resurrection was empirically observed or historically verifiable. This Platonic and Gnostic tendency to 'spiritualize' or allegorize the literal truth of Scripture is not new. What is new is that those who claim to be evangelicals apply it to fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, such as the inspiration of the Bible and the resurrection of Christ." [22]

I think Geisler knows the score. He is no doubt referring to Origen, Eusebius and others. Origen was notorious for his allegorical interpretation of the Bible, and as has been stated he was a Gnostic and a Greek Platonic philosopher who put human wisdom above the Word of God.

Concerning the resurrection of Christ check these verses in your NASV against the KJV: Luke 24:12, 40, 51, 52 (ONLY Codex Bezae omits these words). Note Mark 16:9-20 and check the footnotes in your NIV and NASV. In Acts 1:3 the Greek word "tekmerion" = "infallible proofs" is changed to "elegcho" = "convincing proofs." Furthermore, Nestle's Greek (based on Eusebio-Origen MSS; the basis of the NIV and NASV) also omits Luke 24:7, and who knows what they will come up with for the next [per]version of the Bible. There is a real problem!

ANYONE FOR SOME POISON?

It should be noted that even the worst corrupted MSS are 90% correct. But why use a 90% correct translation when we have the 100% pure Word of God, "the Perfect Law Of Liberty" (James 1:25) in the King James Version. Only good stuff is worth counterfeiting and a counterfeit must look like the real thing. That's the way it is slipped in on us. It is important to keep in mind that 10% poison in 90% pure water can make one very sick or even kill. These corruptions are the cause of many doctrinal errors and the cause of the confusion we see in believers and unbelievers alike.

Faithful scribes (and translators) of the Old Testament (Rom 3:1-2) and the New Testament (1 Tim 3:15) exercised great care in transcribing (or translating) the exact words of Scripture coping each word exactly (or giving them their verbal equivalence in translations) from a Master MS in order to preserve the integrity of the document, and even more importantly than that, we can be sure that God was overseeing the endeavors of those faithful scribes and translators in order to preserve the purity of His Word.

However, the corrupted MSS do not exhibit such care and purity, but are found to be corrupt and full of errors.

CONCLUSION

Another debater of mine once asked the question, "Did you ever notice when King James Only people try to discredit Westcott and Hort that they never mention that the translators of the King James were not exactly Baptist themselves?" People that believe the Word of God (KJV) do not have to discredit Westcott and Hort. Those antichrist heretics did a good job of that themselves. [23] But to compare the King James translators to Westcott and Hort is the height of either deception or ignorance. I don't see the relevance of mentioning that the KJV translators were not Baptists. However, I have seen Baptists mention the fact that Anglican KJV translators were righteous men yielded to the Holy Ghost.

I have seen Bible (KJV) believing Baptists lift up the names of Hus, Savonarola, Zwingli, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Torry, Sunday, Moody and other non Baptist Bible believers, including the Spirit filled translators of the KJV. Some of these men loved the Word of God so much that they gave up fortunes and even their lives for it. I have seen them defend Bible believing Erasmus who was, as amazing as it may seem, a Bible believing Catholic. I find it interesting that deceptive tactics are used to try to discredit Erasmus. For example this deceptive treatment has been used without explanation:

"The man who edited the text [of the Greek TR] was a humanist named Erasmus." (Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary)

Desiderius Erasmus (1467 - 1535) was a humanist, a Christian humanists. The humanists of that day were not like the Godless evolutionists of today. The humanist scholars of the Renaissance were interested in recovering the texts of the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. To just say Erasmus was a humanist is misleading. Erasmus was brought up in an unusual Catholic order called "the Brethren of the Common Life." They were unusual because they had a great reverence for the Bible. Erasmus held this respect and awe for the Word of God all his life. He said, "I would have the weakest woman read the Gospels and the Epistles of Paul ... I would have it translated into all languages so that ... [all] might read them. I long for the plowboy to sing them to himself as he follows the plow. ... These sacred words give you the very image of Christ speaking, healing, dying, rising again ..." The Pope offered to make him a cardinal, but he refused as he would not compromise his conscience. History indicates that his driving desire was only to study write and translate the Scriptures. He spoke out strongly against heresies in the Roman Catholic Church. This was in a age when it could have cost him his life for doing so. It did result in the Catholic Church branding him as an "impious heretic," and the Pope forbade the reading of his works. He died among Protestant friends in 1535. This was the humanist, Desiderius Erasmus!

But be that as it is, there has never been a time since the Word was given that it has not been in the hands of the church of the living God, Waldensians and Anabaptists as they were known and Baptists as they are called today. These are the ones that gave their life's blood by the millions keep the Truth of God's Word from corruption. God has used them to preserve His Word, just like He promised. Today God still gives instruction that "... thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth" (1 Tim 3:15). Here in 1 Timothy 3:15 it calls "the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth." The idea of this verse is that in ancient times information was posted on the "pillar" and the foundation or "ground" supported the pillar. As "the pillar" of the Truth the local church is charged with the task of proclaiming the Word of God, but as "the ground" of the Truth the local church is charged with the task preserving the Word of God pure. Put another way the church is exhorted to "earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). "For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." (2 Cor 2:17) This pillar and ground of the Truth is the Baptist church, and the KJV translators had before them several Waldesian Bibles that they worked from. Make no mistake about it, it was this New Testament church that handed down the Word of God pure from generation to generation. This is part of the Great Commission that Christ Jesus gave to the church. Remember that to "observe" (Greek: tereo, Strong's #5083) carries with it first and foremost the idea of keeping, preserving and only secondarily doing. After all it cannot be obeyed if it is not kept pure.
Matthew 28:19-20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe [5083] all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

John 8:51: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep [5083] my saying, he shall never see death."

John 14:23-24: "... If a man love me, he will keep [5083] my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth [5083] not my sayings ..."

1 John 2:3-5: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep [5083] his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth [5083] not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth [5083] his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."

Revelation 3:8, 10: "... I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept [5083] my word, and hast not denied my name. ... Because thou hast kept [5083] the word of my patience, I also will keep [5083] thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

END NOTES

1. Fuller, David Otis, Which Bible, p. 208; The Bible Version Manual, p. 19; Defending the King James Bible, p. 45.

2. Clarke, Donnal T., Bible Version Manual, p. 19.

3. Waite, W. A., Defending the King James Bible, p. 46.

4. Fuller, p. 27.

5. Lister, Roy, Modern Versions and Ancient Manuscripts [http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/bible/mvam1.htm]

6. Riplinger, Gail A., New Age Bible Versions, p. 582.

7. Ibid.

8. Gnosticism: It emphasized, "knowledge for salvation, as for example in the Dead Sea Scrolls....[T]hey set a transcendent God over against an ignorant creator. ... Gnostics viewed the material creation as evil. [But s]parks of divinity...[are] in the bodies of certain 'spiritual' individuals destined for salvation....God sends down to them a redeemed who brings them salvation in the form of secret knowledge (gnosis). ... [S]ome Gnostics indulged in extreme...licentious behavior....[others] venerated the serpent for bringing 'knowledge' to Adam and Eve. ... [They] maintained that Christ was not a material being ..." (Eerdmans' Handbook To The History Of Christianity, pp. 98, 100)

9. Fuller, p. 191.

10. Church Leaders In Primitive Times, p. 286; The Revision Revised, p. 336.

11. Fuller, p. 191.

12. Pythagoreanism: One of the doctrines of the Greek philosophy of Pythagoreanism was reincarnation: "Pythagoras [530 BC] and his followers held that after death the souls of men passed into other bodies ..." (1828 Webster's Dictionary under "metempsychosis")

13. Eerdmans' Handbook To The History Of Christianity, p. 109.

14. Fuller, pp. 191-192.

15. Arianism: This heresy taught that Jesus Christ was a created being. Origen taught that the "Son owed his being eternally to the Father ... and was inferior to him. ... Origen's ideas were deeply colored by Middle Platonism, which graded existence into different levels." (Eerdmans' Handbook To The History Of Christianity, p. 112) Origen's pupil Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, use words which implied that the Father had created the Son and that there had been a time when the Son did not exist." (A History of Heresy, p. 45) Origen taught the Lord Jesus Christ is a created being who did not have eternal existence as God. (1936 Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 16, pp 900-902).

16. Fuller, pp. 192, 194-195.

17. Holland, Thomas, Manuscript Evidence, lesson 10 [http://www.purewords.org/kjb1611/html/lesson10.htm].

18. Gill, John, An exposition of the New Testament, Vol 2, pp. 907-908.

19. Boyd, Jesse, And These Three Are One [http://kjv.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/1John5-7Boyd.html].

20. Jones, Floyd, The Johannine Comma [http://kjv.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/1John5-7Jones.html].

21. Riplinger, p. 357.

22. Geisler, Norman L., The Battle For The Resurrection, p. 28.

23. David Blunt "From Their Own Mouths, Westcott and Hort [http://jesus-is-lord.com/hort.htm].

FURTHER WEB READING ON THE KJV ISSUE

MSS EVIDENCE:

Dr. Thomas Holland's Manuscript Evidence http://www.purewords.org/kjb1611/html/holland.htm

WESTCOTT AND HORT:

From Their Own Mouths http://jesus-is-lord.com/hort.htm

Heresies Of Westcott And Hort http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/wh/wh.htm

COMPARE THESE VERSES:

Doctrines Affected By New Versions http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/freeman-doctrines1.html

New Versions Vs. Christ Jesus http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/bible/kjv9.htm

MSS CHARTS:

Two Cities, Two MSS Lines http://www.geocities.com/landmarkbiblebaptist/KJV/2textlines.gif

Reliable Texts http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/bible/bibtb2.gif

Corrupted Texts http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/bible/bibtb1.gif

OTHER KJV INFO OF INTEREST:

http://kjv.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/

http://av1611.com/kjbp/

http://www.biblebelieversbaptist.org/KJV_defense.htm

http://www.wilderness-cry.net/bible_study/kjvissue/kjvidx.html

http://members.aol.com/Logos1611/index.html

http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/bible.htm

I do not endorse everything in the above links. -- John Henry

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(c) Copyright 2005 by John Henry.

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